Has Jesus found Mr. Speaker? Or is the Madigan opponent just too silly for would-be Latino voters to take serious?

I’m intrigued by all the political speculation taking place these days over the fact that Jesus Garcia (as in last year’s failed mayoral candidate) is endorsing the re-election bid of long-time legislator Michael Madigan to his Illinois House seat.

Should it be a mystery that Jesus ...

Madigan, also the speaker of the Illinois House and Illinois Democratic Party chairman, is facing an opponent in Jason Gonzales who is trying to take advantage of the fact that many more Latinos now live in the 22^nd Illinois House district down by Midway Airport, and envisions a Spanish-speaking hoard of voters who’d rather have “one of our own” rather than some crusty old Irish guy living in the past.

COULD GARCIA – THE former alderman, state legislator and current county commissioner – actually wind up giving Madigan a boost to help him keep his political posts.

And since Madigan has never really been much of a Garcia backer in the past, what did he give up in exchange for the endorsement?

All the political geeks who spend far too much of their lives pondering such details are convinced that Garcia (who has hinted he’d like to succeed David Orr as Cook County clerk) must have cut a deal for Madigan’s support toward that goal – in exchange for holding his nose while saying we should vote to keep the House speaker in the Legislature.

I found it interesting to read that Garcia told Crain’s Chicago Business “there were no quid pro quos,” and that it was Madigan who specifically asked Garcia to make a public announcement.

BUT I HAVE never heard of any political person who gives up something for nothing. I’m sure there is some expectation, even if nothing has been put in writing. Because if it gets put in writing, some wag will make the argument that it constitutes a bribe and a conspiracy – and that’s the kind of talk that gets ambitious federal prosecutors all worked up.

... took Mr. Speaker more seriously ...

It may well be that Gov. Bruce Rauner is responsible for this political coming together of politicos from the Little Village and Clearing neighborhoods.

For the fact is that Rauner, with all of his hostile talk toward Democratic politicians and his willingness to try to stir up the rest of Illinois against anything having to do with Chicago, may be the unifying force.

Our political structure in Chicago has so many different factions and people who can’t stand each other that it is a wonder the so-called “machine” can work at all. I’ve always said the difference between Republicans and Democrats in this state is that the former is capable of unifying together to work against Chicago.

... than some kid politico ...

WHILE THE LATTER has so many people who inherently can’t stand each other it is no wonder there are times when nothing gets accomplished.

But Rauner has created an environment that may be the unifying factor – even if it is us against HIM – which will certainly create an interesting 2018 election cycle when Rauner would have to face re-election.

Rauner won the 2014 elections largely because many Democratic interests were downright apathetic about the presence of then-Gov. Pat Quinn that they couldn’t be bothered to vote.

Is a Garcia-supporting-Madigan move just evidence of how they’re willing to work together to achieve the ultimate goal – which is dumping the guy who wants to view their existence as a criminal conspiracy that must be taken down!

IN WHICH CASE, a Garcia/Madigan alliance may not be at all unusual. It may even be good to see the political party that has so many different factions finally realizing there is a need for them to consider working together.

It may even be a better Chicago without all the constant in-fighting.



... who compares to a holiday meal?

Of course, there could be one other reason why Garcia would choose to back Madigan – probably the same reason why many Latinos will back Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid.

They want to be on the side of the winner, who they think will wind up being the incumbent. And maybe Garcia, on some level, just thinks that Gonzales is too much of un pavo to take seriously.

  -30-

Should we care about ’17 budget when we still don’t have one for ’16?

Gov. Bruce Rauner gave us his budget proposal for state government’s 2017 fiscal year (which begins July 1), yet I have to confess to not caring in the least about the specifics of what he put forth.

These two still can't ...

For we’re now in month eight of a 12-month year of Fiscal ’16 without a balanced budget for our state government.

WE SEE THE ineptitude of our government officials to do the one basic duty that underlies the entire operation of our state. Why should we think the upcoming fiscal year will be any different than the current one?

... see eye to eye on budget issues

We also have to see now that the totally absurd, ridiculous conspiracy theory based in paranoia that some predicted early on has a very real chance of coming true.

Illinois Fiscal 2016 (which ends June 30) likely will become the year that Illinois government went without a budget. Which resulted in serious catastrophe for certain state agencies and programs.

While some functions of state government have court mandates to keep operating regardless of the state Constitution’s requirement that a balanced budget be in place before any money can be spent, there also are those that do not.

OF COURSE, MANY of those are the social service programs and the funding for higher education that enables colleges and universities to operate (no, the tuition charged to students is not the primary funding source that keeps those institutions alive, no matter what some students think).

DUNKIN: Dared to challenge the Speaker

The programs that some people of a certain ideological bent want to believe are a drain on government funding are the ones that are going down the drain. I don’t doubt some people are hard-hearted enough to think we’re better off without them.

I, however, am of the belief that our governments (at all levels) have certain obligations that must be fulfilled. Doing nothing amounts to failure.

Maintaining a government that does nothing serves no purpose – unless we really feel the need to puff up the egos of those officials by giving them titles and letting them run around thinking they’re all important.

SO OUR SITUATION is that the governor is presenting a budget plan for this year, when his plan for last year went over so badly that nothing happened. Even Rauner himself conceded the irony of the situation prior to giving his budget address.

STRATTON: Is her campaign political payback?

I really don’t know how this situation is going to resolve itself. Will we have some sort of break that causes our government officials to work together – regardless of political party?

Fat chance! No matter what President Barack Obama said to the Illinois Legislature during his address to them in Springfield earlier this month, we have partisan beasts at the Illinois Statehouse.

We’re at the point where our political people are locked into their positions so tightly that there’s no way either side can alter its stance without looking foolish. Also, I suspect that by this time it is important for both sides not just to win, but that they be able to crush their opponent and dance around their rotting corpse while singing out, “I win, I win, I win!”

IT’S BEING REFLECTED in the local elections this year. State Rep. Ken Dunkin, D-Chicago, the legislator who dared to thwart Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s legislative control, is facing a serious challenge in the Democratic primary by Juliana Stratton – director of the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Center for Public Safety and Justice.

GONZALES: Can he dump almighty speaker?

While Rauner’s financial influence is bolstering the campaign of Jason Gonzales – who is showing the unmitigated gall to run against Madigan himself in the Legislature’s 22^nd district on the Southwest Side and nearby suburbs.

Personally, I think both incumbents will wind up prevailing – particularly in the Illinois House 22^nd, where the locals think it gives them more influence to have Madigan himself as their local representative. Even though the speaker is so absorbed with larger issues, I suspect he doesn’t give much thought to those local concerns.

And in the end, we may wind up moving into Fiscal ’17 without a budget. If we let our political paranoia run amok, we may also get budget-less fiscals ’18 and ’19. Now that’s a real nightmare.

  -30-