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Bruce Rauner seems to think Illinois voters are gullible — and he's probably right

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Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and House Speaker Mike Madigan are powerful Democratic politicians. They don't, however, have the power to overrule the state Supreme Court.

But Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner wants voters to think Quinn and Madigan do have the power to checkmate the state high court. He's blaming them for a court ruling that removed a term-limits referendum from the November election ballot.

Never mind that term limits are political snake oil. Never mind that the nation's Founding Fathers opposed term limits. Never mind that even Ronald Reagan saw term limits as an enfringement on the rights of voters. Never mind that term limits would only enhance the power of lobbyists and bureaucrats.

The issue here is Rauner's false claim in a TV campaign spot that Quinn and Madigan "let term limits get kicked off the ballot." He wants you to think that politicians have the authority to negate Supreme Court rulings, and he faults Quinn and Madigan for not exercising that authority.

Here's Rauner's TV ad:

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