Not
that I’m sure anything of significance was said. Or that the call was all that
essential – unless you’re one of those who needs the mental picture of Quinn
being vanquished, kneeling before his new master!
WHICH,
WITH ALL the problems state government faces, strikes me as being a very petty
concern.
But
the two have talked, at least for a few minutes. According to both the Chicago
Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune.
The
latter indicates the two men talked about the Affordable Care Act, while the
Sun-Times indicates that Rauner aides characterized the conversation as “cordial.’
Don’t
we all feel enlightened now?!?
I
AM AWARE of the fact that some people felt like Quinn snubbed Rauner when he
refused to make a concession statement publicly on Election Night. Although I
always like the idea of a political person who keeps his mouth shut, rather
than blathering on with a lot of verbal nonsense.
Rauner
appears to have won the gubernatorial election with a solid margin (we won’t
officially know until Dec. 9, but it would be a miracle if enough votes turn up
to overcome the unofficial totals we learned last week).
Which
means his staff is now in transition mode, trying to move from becoming the
people who spout out a lot of cheap talk about Quinn to being the people who
actually have to come up with solutions to the state’s problems – then try to
figure out how to implement them despite having an executive branch of the
opposition political party.
And
one that would be inclined to be hostile toward anything Rauner might want to
do.
THERE
WAS THAT whole debacle where Rauner tried to give the impression on Nov. 4 that
he reached out to the General Assembly’s leaders to talk about the future. When
all he really did was have his aides try to make cell phone calls to aides of Illinois
House Speaker Michael Madigan and state Senate President John Cullerton, both
D-Chicago.
That
also would have been a case where a political person would have been better off
keeping his mouth shut. Rauner could have made an equally-boastful victory
speech without mentioning either Madigan, Cullerton or the legislative process.
I’d
have to say he brought whatever ridicule he has received in recent days upon
himself.
But
back to the latest call – the one between the two “leaders.” If there’s
anything that Quinn should do in coming weeks before he leaves office in early
January, it’s probably nothing.
AS
IN HE should try to stay out of the way – just as if he were an incoming
governor who would not want someone else trying to impose remnants of their
will upon his desires.
There
is a certain amount of cooperation that should occur between the respective
staffs of Quinn and Rauner so that the people who actually do the work of
government know the basics of procedure and routine.
Although
somehow I suspect Rauner is going to be the type who’s going to go about
claiming he doesn’t care about the way things are done, because he wants them
done his way.
Which
would be the way a CEO would behave in overseeing a business interest.
BUT
SINCE GOVERNMENT is not a business, there will be a certain amount of
oversight. Which will come from Madigan, with assistance from Cullerton. People
wishing to prevent Rauner from overstepping boundaries ought to expect those
two to keep the new governor in check, rather than thinking Quinn has much more
to say.
Because
it will be up to Madigan and Cullerton who will decide if there are any “final
actions” (ie., a minimum wage hike?, etc.) to take place when the soon-to-be
former General Assembly has its final veto session later this month, and its
final days of existence in early January.
Cheap talk now merely complicates things
later, when they really matter.
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