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| CULLERTON: Taking the fiscal lead? |
THEN
PUBLICLY PICK it apart in ways meant to bash Democratic Party political
interests for not complying with the hardline, anti-organized labor vision he
has for the state of Illinois.
If
she is quoting Madigan accurately (and I have no reason to doubt she is), then
it does make a certain amount of sense that the Illinois House this spring
refused to even take up budget measures that were under consideration because
the Illinois state Senate went ahead on their own to advance them.
So
what should we make of the fact that the Senate Dems, under the leadership of
President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, think they deserve praise for their effort?
Cullerton
issued a statement on Tuesday saying the state’s financial problems could be
resolved if only Rauner would urge Republicans in the Illinois House to support
the measure he has already created.
“WE
HELD SPENDING to the exact level (the governor) wanted, kept the tax rate that
he asked for, cut $3 billion in spending and ultimately eliminated the nearly
$5 billion deficit in his proposed budget,” Cullerton said.
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| MADIGAN: Sees no point to negotiation |
“The Senate has done its work,” he said. “It’s up to Gov. Rauner and the Illinois House to finish the job.”
Well,
to cite the old cliché expressing sarcasm, “Bully for you.”
As
though the political world of Illinois would be a wonderful place if we’d only
do what we’re told by John Cullerton. Maybe if this had occurred two years ago,
it would be considered a credible effort. It won’t be now.
SO
WE NOW have a split in attitudes between the Democratic leadership; one in
which Madigan is willing to play hardball to counter the hardball tactics being
used by the governor as a deliberate effort to pass a vision of “reform” that
many of us would see as anything but.
 |
| RAUNER: No signs of compromising |
As opposed to the vision of Cullerton, who thinks he can shame the governor into signing off on a budget because he wouldn’t want to be remembered as the governor who prolonged the state’s budget-less status any longer than necessary.
Which
might be a logical way of thinking of things IF political people had any sense
of shame. Yet most of them do not.
I
think if Rauner truly cared about the criticism he has been taking and the fact
that his public legacy is floating around in a pool of water that has developed
at the bottom of a garbage dumpster, this situation would never have developed
back in the spring of 2015.
YET
RAUNER WAS a business-oriented guy who probably thinks that undermining organized
labor’s influence over state government IS more important than the short-term
problems caused by a lack of a budget. Except that the “short-term” has
stretched out to two full years and shows every sign of extending into four –
with the only end in sight being a drastic change in the partisan composition
of Illinois state government following the November 2018 election cycle.
 |
| Where the budget stalemate (sadly) is likely to be resolved |
So
when Cullerton says, “the governor needs to sit down with House Republicans,
come to agreement on this balanced budget and then help make it law,” I can’t
help but snicker. It isn’t going to happen. It’s as absurd an image as that of
Cullerton being able to give orders to Madigan about fiscal matters – or any
other, for that matter.
What
we have in Illinois is a political grudge match between the governor and House
speaker, with both having entrenched themselves so firmly neither is capable of
budging.
Regardless
of which one actually winds up prevailing in the end, the ultimate loser is the
Illinois public – which has to suffer knowing these are our allegedly best and
brightest of minds at work doing “the peoples’ business.” No wonder most people
use that phrase in a mocking tone.
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