SPRINGFIELD - Governor Bruce Rauner did not seek social conservatives votes during the 2014 GOP gubernatorial primary - they already divided between other Republican candidates who had indicated their political views on social issues while voting in the Illinois legislature.
After Rauner won the primary, he purposely avoided social issues leading up to the General Election, and soon after his election, Rauner reached out to interest groups that had opposed him in the General, but still didn't show interest in reaching out to social conservatives.
Despite keeping his positions out of the discussion, Democrats in the Illinois General Assembly didn't hesitate to move forward with their social agenda. There was an effort to force taxpayer subsidies of abortion, ban therapists from counseling minors about sexual confusion, and force medical personnel to provide information about medical procedures that he or she may find repulsive to their religious beliefs.
Now those bills are sitting on the governor's desk, and they've drawn the attention of the Associated Press, who, over the weekend, wrote a piece about Rauner's dilemma.
Any of the bills could spark the controversy the first-term Republican hoped to bypass.
“The campaign was all about laying low on all the social issues and stressing the tax and economic issues,” said John Jackson, a visiting professor at Southern Illinois University’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute. “This is time to begin to find out where he really stands.”
And his dilemma:
How Rauner acts could further complicate his relationships in Springfield. Signing the bills may irritate his GOP base, while vetoing could irk Democrats. He’s already deadlocked with Democrats over a state spending plan and is trying to influence public perception through critical television ads. Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan has accused Rauner of being “extreme” in budget talks. He’s also in the middle of negotiations with Illinois’ largest public employee union after some aggressive attempts to curb union power.
Historically, social issues have been the topics that encourage campaign volunteers - people are passionate about social issues, and are not as passionate about fiscal issues.
Illinois Family Institute is urging those concerned about where Rauner stands on the issues to contact him, as the clock on his decision-making is ticking and for the most part, his views on the issues remain unknown.
