From Mike Klonsky’s blog:
No surprise here. It’s the Trib’s Eric Zorn. He identifies with the Republican billionaire’s clout problems.
I didn’t have to play that game with my elder son, who easily tested into Payton in 2004, but I can’t blame many of those who did. “Nothin’ wrong” with asking for a favor, after all, when favors were going to be doled out anyway.
Was it seemly for Bruce Rauner to then drop a quarter-million dollar donation on Payton Prep Initiative for Education in December 2009? Yes. Given the timing, not just seemly but generous, creditable and consistent with his charitable outreach to schools.
Does Rauner have anything to apologize for, other than dropping his “g’s” to try to sound folksy? No. He didn’t break the rules in place at the time and no one broke them on his behalf.
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Zorn makes me laugh.
Rauner didn’t break the rules?
Hell no. Who would of thought of making up a rule that would cover this?
Section D. Article 9
A billionaire shall not, at the request of his child, buy a condo in the city for the expressed purpose of sending said child to a Chicago Public School selective admission hight school. Nor shall that billionaire, upon discovering that his child does not qualify for the selective admission high school, contact the district’s CEO’s wife and have her tell her husband to have the child clout listed in exchange for a $250,000 contribution to the school.
How many people would that rule apply to?
Fred Klonsky 
Rauner bought a seat for his daughter and stole that seat from a deserving city kid who worked for that spot. How could that ever be OK?
Was Eric Zorn always like this? I just don’t remember his right leaning side… am I the clueless one?
His right-leaning side was beginning to be revealed when he said that the “default assumption” in the “Stroller Girl” case was that it was a scam. A toddler is found on the tracks, ten feet beyond the end of the platform, and we’re supposed to assume that her mother (who happened, incidentally, to be Nigerian), threw/placed her there for money? That’s the assumption we should default to???
But he really revealed himself with his digging in and doubling down on the Trayvon Martin case. Zimmerman had, according to Zorn, every right to follow Martin, Martin attacked Zimmerman, so Zimmerman had every right to defend himself, end of story, so sayeth the great Zorn.
No one is perfect, Rauner is what he is. There have been politicians who have done worse things then him. That call to get his daughter into the prep school is very understandable. It helps us understand that he should not be in a position of public trust.
The thing that gets me is the fact there was a fourteen year old kid who worked their
ass off to even be able to hope for a shot at Payton silently crying because this ass
hole bought her slot from the principal.Anyone who thinks this is ok has never tried to explain this travesty to a devastated child , i have.
For a reporter to approve of such actions just shows how out of touch the mainstream
media is with reality.
Rahner made a comment during a
conversation that is sort of a sequel
to Rahm Emanuel’s “25% of students
are hopeless, so I’m not wasting
any more money on them.”
Dr. Diane Ravitch—former Asst. Sec. of
Education under the first George Bush,
and a prominent activist who opposes
privatization and so-called “corporate reform”
of schools—had a rather intense encounter
with Bruce Rauner about the “success” of
his charter school… and also his views on the mission
of public education, and whom it should serve
and whom it should not serve.
Her public airing of this amazing encounter is at:
http://dianeravitch.net/2014/01/16/candidate-rauner-in-illinois-supports-charters-lower-minimum-wage/
Here’s the meat of it:
– – – – – – – – – –
DR. DIANE RAVITCH:
“I had a personal encounter with Bruce Rauner.
“Two years ago, I received the Kohl Education Award from Dolores Kohl, the woman who created it, a great philanthropist who cares deeply about the forgotten children and annually honors outstanding teachers. After the awards ceremony, Ms. Kohl held a small dinner at the exclusive Chicago Club. There were two tables, 8 people at each table. I sat across from Bruce and of course, we got into a lively discussion about charter schools, a subject on which he is passionate.
“As might be expected, Rauner celebrated their high test scores, and I responded that they get those scores by excluding students with serious disabilities and English language learners, as well as pushing out those whose scores are not good enough.
“Surprisingly, Rauner didn’t disagree.
“His reaction: ‘So what? They are not my problem. Charters exist to save those few who can be saved, not to serve all kinds of kids.’
“My response: ‘What should our society do about the kids your charters don’t want?’
“His response: ‘I don’t know and I don’t care. They are not my problem.’
“This was not a taped conversation. I am paraphrasing. But the gist and the meaning are accurate.”