Rahm/Rauner behind the scenes

In public, Rahm Emanuel and Bruce Rauner are squabbling. In private, that's another matter. The two Napa Valley Winery buddies share a common dream. Use the current manufactured budget crisis to vanquish the CTU. 

While Rahm continues to posture, the governor, who can't seem to get anything done Springfield  and who is more politically isolated than ever, wants everyone to know that he and the mayor have a thing goin' on. 

Just listen:

Gov. Rauner: “At this point Mayor Emanuel has made a number of requests of our administration and of the state government to assist the city of Chicago, and there’s not a single request that he’s made so far that we haven’t said that we are willing to pursue.” 

Unfortunately, in private, it’s a pretty constructive conversation. In public it’s not. We’ve got to take things to the next level. We are willing to do everything so far the mayor has asked us to do, but we have got to get reforms for the state as part of it.”

By "reforms", Rauner means limit CTU's right and ability to bargain effectively on behalf of its membership.

Rahm and his new schools chief Forrest Claypool, agree. Instead of bargaining in good faith on a new contract with the CTU -- even on a 1-year agreement -- and then going to Springfield together to fight for adequate state funding for CPS, they are playing games with Rauner and pressuring the union to pick up the entire tab on pension payments. That won't happen and they not it. Just more posturing.

I'm waiting to hear Jesse Sharkey's response today.