Monday, September 19, 2005

Monday night TV politics: Rauschenberger says, “Pete Giangreco is dumb…”

Sen. Rauschenberger: If they [Gay candidates] were qualified and I agreed with them on the issues, I wouldn’t have any trouble running with them.

Jeff Berkowitz: Okay.

Sen. Rauschenberger: As long as the central point was not their sex[uality]. That shouldn’t be the focus.
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Tonight’s City of Chicago edition of “Public Affairs,” features Round 2 of our two show sequence with Steve Rauschenberger, State Senator [R-Elgin] and Republican Primary Gubernatorial Candidate. The show airs throughout the City of Chicago [in the regular “Public Affairs,” City of Chicago time slot] tonight at 8:30 pm on CANTV, Cable Ch. 21. Rauschenberger is currently in a Republican Guv primary contest with three other “announced candidates,” and four others who are thinking it over.

See here for a partial transcript of tonight’s show and for links to a partial transcipt of last week's show with Sen. Steve Rauschenberger and links to information about the Republican Gubernatorial Primary, the general election and candidate Rauschenberger and those links will link to posts about Rauschenberger, the other Guv Candidates and assessments about the Gubernatorial Candidates.
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Another partial transcript of tonight’s show is included, below.
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Jeff Berkowitz: Pete Giangreco [Primo Blagojevich flak catcher and Strategy Group partner] said on this show that you filed for bankruptcy. Was he incorrect in saying that?

Sen. Rauschenberger: Yeah, Pete Giangreco is dumb because [a] bankruptcy filing is a public filing. I have never filed a personal bankruptcy. I have never filed a corporate bankrupty. To the best of my knowledge, none of my immediate family- mother, father, uncles, sisters or brothers have ever filed—

Jeff Berkowitz: Your furniture company—

Sen. Rauschenberger: Pete Giangreco, as the spokesman for the Governor, ought to check his facts.

Jeff Berkowitz: So, your furniture company that went under—it was dissolved?

Sen. Rauschenberger: We sold the stores and—

Jeff Berkowitz: No bankruptcy there?

Sen. Rauschenberger: No bankruptcy.

Jeff Berkowitz: No bankruptcy anywhere else?

Sen. Rauschenberger: No bankruptcy ever in my life.


Jeff Berkowitz: What are you going to do about that to correct that? Are you going to ask Mr. Giangreco to retract that statement?

Sen. Rauschenberger: This is the first time I have heard it but I think somebody ought to.

Jeff Berkowitz: Would you possibly file a lawsuit against him?

Sen. Rauschenberger: No [Laughter].

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Jeff Berkowitz: If the person were known to be gay, but they weren’t making that the issue of the campaign, would you be comfortable running with that person as the Lt. Governor [candidate].

Sen. Rauschenberger: If you are telling me that they were out there promoting and making sure that everyone knew what their [sexual] orientation was regardless—

Jeff Berkowitz: No, they would be talking about the same things you were but it happened to be known that the person was gay.

Sen. Rauschenberger: I don’t think gay people are disqualified from public service—

Jeff Berkowitz: Statewide?

Sen. Rauschenberger: If they were qualified and I agreed with them on the issues, I wouldn’t have any trouble running with them.

Jeff Berkowitz: Okay.

Sen. Rauschenberger: As long as the central point was not their sex[uality]. That shouldn’t be the focus.
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Jeff Berkowitz: But is it possible that you are wrong—that could happen—and that there is some effect, maybe not as large as the proponents of the ban claim and if so, how are we worse off by having this [assault weapon] ban because at worse, it is ineffective and at best, you actually do restrict the ownership and possession of assault weapons.

Sen. Rauschenberger: Because Jeff there is a constitutional amendment in the Federal Constitution that says the right of citizens to bear arms shall not be abridged. You can’t be much clearer than that. [More precisely, Amendment II of the U. S. Constitution reads, “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”]

Jeff Berkowitz: But we do abridge it and you allow that with the Brady bill , why not allow this [an assault weapon ban]?

Sen. Rauschenberger: In a very narrow fashion, for very specific weapons. I mean it is one thing to make that societal compromise but to pass crappy legislation that doesn’t work because somebody, somewhere thinks it might help is an abridgment.
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Jeff Berkowitz: Is there a schism in the [Illinois] Republican Party and is it Pro-Life and Pro-Choice or is it reformers and non-reformers?

Sen. Rauschenberger: If there is a schism in the party, it is about whether we need to change the Party to move forward-- to reform it-- or whether we are basically OK, we just have to knock on more doors.

Jeff Berkowitz: Well, do you have to change the Party to reform it?

Sen. Rauschenberger: Yes.

Jeff Berkowitz: And [Illinois’ RNC member] Bob Kjellander has to go?

Sen. Rauschenberger: I think Bob Kjellander represents someone that the Public doesn’t take credibly and I don’t know how you move forward as a party if the leaders aren’t credible.

Jeff Berkowitz: You have to get somebody who stands against public corruption, right?

Sen. Rauschenberger: Yeah, I think so. You have to have someone who is experienced, who has faced up to George Ryan, someone who is recognized as an honest legislator, someone who has had their public life on display for thirteen years…

Jeff Berkowitz: You can win the Primary and the General Election?

Sen. Rauschenberger: Absolutely. I am the Republican Party’s best candidate [for Governor].
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Steve Rauschenberger, State Senator and Republican Primary Guv Candidate, recorded on August 28, 2005 and as it will air on the City of Chicago edition of Public Affairs, tonight, Monday, September 19 at 8:30 pm on CANTV, Cable Ch. 21. This is Round 2 of a two show “Public Affairs,” sequence with Gubernatorial candidate Rauschenberger.
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Jeff Berkowitz, Host and Producer of Public Affairs and an Executive Recruiter doing Legal Search, can be reached at JBCG@aol.com
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