2004

Illinois Budget-Legislative Session

ArchPundit May 29, 2004 5 Comments

The following is from an anonymous reader–I think it is great analysis so pass it along in its entirety:

While there is still no official budget deal yet, there is little doubt that House Speaker Mike Madigan will emerge from the legislative session as the big winner, while Governor Blagojevich has been handed a humiliating defeat. The way Madigan appears to have done this is both simple and brilliant.

Blagojevich spent all session attacking the ?old way? General Assembly. He refused to negotiate on his budget. He demanded that Speaker Madigan and Senate President Jones pass the budget he submitted. He threatened massive cuts and layoffs, overtime session, and/or special session, to ensure he got what he wanted.

In return, Madigan has provided the Governor an important lesson in understanding how government works, and its importance in achieving political goals.

You see, overtime requires a 3/5 majority to pass a budget, and Madigan understood that an overtime session was never going to strengthen the hand of the Governor. It only strengthens the hands of the minority leaders ? neither of whom were members of the Governor?s party or his allies.

Madigan also understood that the 3/5 majority required of an overtime session also happens to be VETO PROOF.

So, while Blagojevich blustered about overtime and made demands of the General Assembly, Madigan spent the legislative session quietly reeling in the two GOP minority leaders from the House and Senate, and making them his allies.

The result has been that, since Thursday, the 3 of the 4 legislative caucuses have been working cooperatively to pass a compromise budget that will attain a 3/5 majority. The only holdout at this point in Emil Jones ? and he?s not holding out for the Governor, rather, he?s holding out for his own spending priorities.

The ?budgeteers? continue to meet through the weekend and are reportedly making good progress toward a final budget. And the Governor?s people aren?t even at the table, nor are they needed, because the budget will have enough votes to become law without the Governor?s approval.

Congratulations, Governor. You just cut yourself out of the process!

The act of crafting a budget that will become law without the Governor?s involvement is a development without precedent in the state of Illinois. It promises to be, quite literally, the most humiliating legislative session for a sitting Governor in recent history.

This might be the appropriate point to crack a joke about the first step to playing with the big boys, is actually making sure you have a seat at the table?.

Really he Meant Lay-off 3100

ArchPundit May 28, 2004 No Comments

Crain’s piles on today nothing that the Blagorgeous’ plan to layoff 5000 state employees comes despite hiring 1900 employees in the last few months.

Critical jobs everyone, I’m sure:

his administration has hired a Spanish liaison for the Lottery

Because, you know, playing the lottery is pretty critical to assist people with.

Not What I Said, What I Meant…

ArchPundit May 28, 2004 No Comments

OneMan will appreciate this one from the Capitol Fax:

BROKEN PROMISES (excerpt) Back when Rod Blagojevich was campaigning for governor, he went on record to slam attempts to tap into the Illinois Fire Prevention Fund as “unconscionable.” The dedicated fund skim bill he now supports would all but empty out the Fire Prevention Fund. He wants to skim $20 million, but the fund only has about $22 million in the bank.

But, hey, that was the campaign, this is now. Last week, the governor explained that when he pledged during the campaign never to balance the budget on the backs of workers, he was referring to workers in general, not state workers.

Ending Business As Usual

ArchPundit May 28, 2004 No Comments

If you count changing who gets the perks from someone else’s friend to your own friends.

I don’t think most of us do.

Bumbling into Durbin

ArchPundit May 28, 2004 2 Comments

“I was misquoted” Charles Barkely on his autobiography

“I read that thing and it kind of irritated me because I don’t speak like that,” Blagojevich said. The Blagorgeous upset about a column under his name.

But Greenberg said it was the governor’s office that solicited the magazine to allow the governor to appear in the “My Turn” column of the St. Louis-based publication.

But what I don’t get is why he brought Durbin into the deal. Is he really trying to anger every Democrat in the state?

Blagojevich questioned the sports loyalty of another Democrat, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin.

“If you hear Sen. Durbin, he’s Cubs, he’s Sox and the Cardinals,” Blagojevich said. “I’m a Cubs fan.”

No Good News for the Guv In the Poll

ArchPundit May 28, 2004 No Comments

Simply bad:

But the latest survey of 600 registered voters, conducted May 21-24 by Market Shares Corp. of Mt. Prospect, showed his job-approval rating falling below a majority of Illinois voters for the first time in his 16-month tenure. Only 40 percent of voters surveyed now view his performance as governor favorably, while almost as many–36 percent–disapprove.

As recently as February, a similar poll found Blagojevich with a 55 percent job approval rating while only 27 percent disapproved. A total of 18 percent had no opinion on Blagojevich’s job performance then, a figure that has risen to 25 percent now.

The graphic passes the interocular test.