Quinn Again Slams Rauner As 'Heartless' On Minimum Wage Stance
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Gov. Pat Quinn wasn't letting up Thursday in his attacks on Republican challenger Bruce Rauner, continuing to make the venture capitalist's vast wealth an issue in the race for governor.
WBBM Newsradio Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports, while Quinn said he's not criticizing Rauner for being rich, the governor's campaign put together an ad comparing the multi-millionaire venture capitalist to C. Montgomery Burns, the infamous evil billionaire from The Simpsons.
The online ad, which FOX has since blocked on copyright grounds, blasting Rauner for a comment he made in a recent newspaper interview, when he said he was part of the .01 percent when asked if he was part of the so-called 1 percent that was a constant theme of the 2012 presidential election.
The ad included a scene from the Simpsons when Mr. Burns had a money fight with his assistant, Waylon Smithers.
The narrator of the ad noted Rauner has nine homes and earned $53 million in income in 2012.
"Do you know how long it would take a middle class Illinoisan to make as much as he made last year? 14 lifetimes. What do you do with that much money?" the narrator said. "Do you want someone like Mr. Burns representing you in Springfield?"
Quinn also repeatedly has slammed Rauner for comments in which he said he'd support lowering the minimum wage, and was adamantly opposed to raising it, as Quinn has proposed.
"The very idea that that kind of a person, with nine mansions as well as all this money that he has, would then call upon taking away money from minimum wage workers by cutting their minimum wage, that's not right," Quinn said. "Everybody knows that's not right. That really is heartless."
Rauner, who has said he's not a billionaire, has since changed his position on the minimum wage, saying he would support a higher minimum wage under certain circumstances.