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Pot, meet kettle
Friday, Feb 12, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller * From Senate GOP Leader Christine Radogno’s Facebook page…  * This should’ve been expected after Senate President Cullerton was quoted as saying “I don’t think any schools should be funded until Chicago schools are funded fairly.” The use of the term “hostage” is more than a little ironic for two reasons, however. First, Leader Radogno and her entire caucus voted against the K-12 appropriations bill last year. Second, she’s been openly and fervently supporting the governor’s own budgetary “hostage” strategy. But, whatever. Nobody ever expects consistency in politics and this is no different. And Cullerton did, indeed, endorse a hostage-taking strategy on more than one occasion. So be it.
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- illini97 - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 9:05 am:
Yeah. The Republican caucus should probably just avoid using the term “hostage” anywhere.
- Anon221 - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 9:09 am:
Yellow and Red buttons have consequences. Cullerton at the City Club speech, “Well, here’s my Turnaround.”
Feb 17th here we come!
- The Dude Abides - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 9:09 am:
LOL, I wonder who Cullerton learned this tactic from?
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 9:11 am:
Cullerton made an error, I believe, giving the “gift” of putting himself in the Raunerite “hostage-taking business.
I’m so puzzled that the Cullerton Press Shop thought rolling out the “hostage-taking” counter to… “hostage-taking”.
That SDem Shop is so much better than placing the President in these type of positions, and now the GOP, including the SGOP can make hay, while they, themselves, indeed play “Pot” to Cullerton’s “Kettle”
This does not help. Cullerton & Vrew didn’t help, and the SGOP aren’t helping ignoring the hypocrisy.
- AC - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 9:13 am:
It’s nice to see Radogno oppose hostage taking, presumably she will be consistent and begin opposing holding the budget hostage for the turnaround agenda.
- Whatever - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 9:14 am:
With everyone taking hostages, our state seal should probably be changed to show a picture of Cleavon Little holding a gun to his own head in “Blazing Saddles,” with the new state motto, “Nobody moves or the [hostage] gets it!”
Maybe a bleeped version off utube to send us out for the weekend?
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 9:14 am:
Also, if I were the ILGOP, any use of a bailout also is a horrible way to frame this, because it gives the Dems the slam-dunk “Bailout” term for any and all “Chicago and CPS reorganization” plan.
Short-sided response that could really backfire when people might be paying closer attention
- Gooner - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 9:15 am:
Let’s see how her mostly white middle class constituents respond to this. So far, they seem to have been fine with the hostage strategy. We will see if this bother them.
- Wensicia - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 9:17 am:
If you use the same political strategy as your opponent, you’re justifying their use of that strategy. Bad move by Cullerton.
- Original Rambler - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 9:19 am:
Cullerton should have said “Chicago and other underfunded school districts.”
- wordslinger - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 9:21 am:
There was no useful purpose to Cullerton’s rhetoric. K-12 is funded through the school year (whether or not the money is there for the full approp. is another story).
I guess he was trying to be clever. But he just provided another “look, a kitty,” distraction for the “squeeze the beast” crowd to continue their planned fiscal destruction of state functions.
- Earnest - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 9:25 am:
Here’s my take on the hostage strategy: leave no one behind for FY17. K-12 doesn’t get funded without a full budget being passed. Leave no one behind. However, probably not the best strategy politically.
- cdog - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 9:26 am:
This gets to the question, “what is the truth?”
Is Cullerton truthful implying Chicago schools are not funded fairly?
Or, is Radagno truthful saying Chicago schools receive more than their share?
If educating and elevating all students, whether wealthy-suburban-white or poor-interCity-black, is THE GOAL, they both need to choose whether they are part of the solution or part of the problem.
I say Cullerton wins this round of “True or False.”
- Emily Miller - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 9:28 am:
As a rule, let’s move forward with the common understanding that holding children hostage is bad.
That could be an excellent starting point. We could then branch out to reach consensus on the poor taste of holding any person hostage.
- James - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 9:30 am:
=I guess he was trying to be clever=
Cullerton might have been angry and just blurted the hostage threat out. I can’t picture him following through on it.
- Independent retired lawyer, journalist - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 9:30 am:
Some days, a politician wakes up and they’re Mongo. Some days, they’re the horse.
- James Knell - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 9:31 am:
This is why the whole hostage taking strategy should be considered out-of-bounds. You only need half a brain to game it out.
- Anonymous - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 9:36 am:
As the Rauner term continues, I can see the makings of a big fight between he and GOP members on the pension shift to suburban and Downstate schools.
That may be the time we’ll see “bipartisanship” among Madigan, Cullerton and Rauner.
Give it a think, from Rauner’s perspective. A pension shift would:
– take some pressure off the huge deficit he’s building in GRF.
– ramp up fiscal pressure on local school districts, perhaps making citizens more amenable to his bankruptcy and gutting collective bargaining agendas.
Squeezing local governments certainly wouldn’t be out of character for the governor.
His budget proposed grabbing a big share of their income tax revenues, and he held onto their non-GRF money as long as he could, until some GOP House members signaled they were ready to buck him.
- 360 Degree Turnaround - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 9:42 am:
Cullerton talks too much. But, Radogno’s response is weak, a Facebook post? Meh
- South of Sherman - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 9:42 am:
Mongo just pawn in game of life.
- veritas - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 9:43 am:
Good political move by Radagno. The general public is easily confused and may draw a moral equivalency between the real hostage takers and Cullerton’s misspeak.
- JS Mill - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 9:55 am:
=K-12 is funded through the school year (whether or not the money is there for the full approp. is another story).=
This is on point. Unfortunately no one will notice because of how poorly the governor is treating other important groups by withholding their funding. Even when they approve a budget it isn’t real.
Man is this messed up.
- Bogey Golfer - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 9:57 am:
@Gooner. In total agreement…as speaking as one of her constituents. To the Senate President, gasp your ankle with both hands, slowly remove the foot currently lodged in your mouth, afterwards come up with a better proposal to seek CPS funding, as you have allowed them to previously act independently of the other school districts.
- wordslinger - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 9:58 am:
JS, in your situation, what are you on track to actually receive, compared to what you should have expected from the appropriation bill the governor signed?
- wordslinger - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 10:03 am:
pardon, 9:36 was me.
- Louis G. Atsaves - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 10:16 am:
The word “hostage” has been severely misused on this website and sadly it has spread to other Illinois media. Now anyone demanding state funding for any purpose can claim a “hostage” situation.
Tone. It. Down.
So Democrats can tee off on Rauner by stating he is holding “hostage” ____________ (fill in your own blank). Republicans however are not permitted or are criticized when they state that Cullerton is holding “hostage” _________ (fill in your own blank).
Now add the word “children” to both blank lines.
The message of President Obama about how mean spirited politics have become in this country fell on deaf ears this past Wednesday.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 10:18 am:
=== and sadly it has spread to other Illinois media===
Oh, stop.
The Senate Republican Leader’s Facebook page is not “other Illinois media.”
- Louis G. Atsaves - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 10:21 am:
@wordslinger 9:36 a.m. Why would GOP legislature members abandon Rauner and gravitate towards the Democratic side of the aisle at this point in time? Because none of them would remember how shabbily the Democrats have treated Republicans pre-Rauner?
What is the gain or plus for them to do this right about now or in the near future? Rauner actually helps to empower them now, which must be a far different feeling than prior to January, 2015.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 10:23 am:
- Louis G Atsaves -
Insisting that the Turnaround Agenda must be part of the discussions before a budget IS holding the budget hostage.
There’s really no word to describe holding up something until something happens besides hostage.
Rauner wants hostages, and now we see that having the hostages wither and fade away is perfectly fine with Rauner and discussed and expressed that “some have to go” by others as the plan too.
Rauner requires pain, hostages are pain. Leverage creates crisis, Rauner’s own words demanded crisis.
Rauner wants unions decimated, the poison pills hold hostage bills that can pass without poison pills. Rauner demands GOP members vote “yellow” or “red” to keep hostages, until Rauner gets his wants.
You know this. You ignore this. Rauner… demands this… “hostage… until”
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 10:30 am:
===Why would GOP legislature members abandon Rauner and gravitate towards the Democratic side of the aisle at this point in time? Because none of them would remember how shabbily the Democrats have treated Republicans pre-Rauner?===
Because Raunerite ideals are not Republican ideals and governing to “do the doable” can mean getting “something for something” as opposed to demanding “everything” only to find “nothing” gets done.
Rauner does NOT want a budget. You say all the time, “Democrats should have a budget”, but Governors make budgets, and their agendas, wants, needs are weighed and measured and given a monetary value.
GOP GA members vitibg against Illinois, thetr districts, social services… they should want a budget, and since Rauner is inept at crafting one, why not work, in a bipartisan way to get a budget to actually govern?
That’s why.
=== Rauner actually helps to empower them now, which must be a far different feeling than prior to January, 2015.===
Rauner doesn’t empower them, Rauner controls their switches at Rauner’s whim, even if it means voting in a hurtful way to be double-crossed.
See the K-12 funding Approp.
How was that empowering?
It wasn’t.
- Daniel Plainview - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 10:31 am:
- how shabbily the Democrats have treated Republicans pre-Rauner? -
What, this is all about fee fees now?
Keep cashing those checks, Louis. You’re twisting yourself in pretty impressive knots to earn them.
- wordslinger - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 10:31 am:
–@wordslinger 9:36 a.m. Why would GOP legislature members abandon Rauner and gravitate towards the Democratic side of the aisle at this point in time? Because none of them would remember how shabbily the Democrats have treated Republicans pre-Rauner?–
Louis, you obviously didn’t read my post before commenting, because it bears no relation to what I wrote and makes no sense.
I wrote that I could see a time when Rauner would join in a pension shift with Madigan and Cullerton, something they already support, and outlined the reasons for it.
If you’re not going to try, don’t shake my tree.
- wordslinger - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 10:36 am:
–Now anyone demanding state funding for any purpose can claim a “hostage” situation.–
You mean “anyone” like those who have contracts with the state that are not being honored?
You mean “anyone” like state universities and community colleges.
You’re not even trying.
- Kasich Walker, Jr. - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 10:40 am:
I don’t think this will be enough to get those wanting changes in state Dem leadership to take a long look at those leading their own pack….or listening to Rauner before trying to act like leaders.
- Anonymous - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 11:08 am:
Schools failing to open, as a result of Democrats after so many months without a budget, would be the final straw for many parents in assigning blame.
The backlash against them at the ballot box would be legendary.
- Gumby - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 11:12 am:
“There’s really no word to describe holding up something until something happens besides hostage.”
Extortion is another word that comes to mind.
- lake county democrat - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 11:14 am:
–Because Raunerite ideals are not Republican ideals and governing to “do the doable” can mean getting “something for something” as opposed to demanding “everything” only to find “nothing” gets done.–
I think “priorities” works better here than “ideals.” Just what GOP rep today doesn’t want redistricting reform (for unnoble reasons, but they want it)? Term limits? (ditto) Keep the income tax raise to a minimum? And yes, push-back on unions. Maybe in the pre-Dem-gerrymandered-supermajority days there were enough swing district and/or Combine Republicans who cared more about mega “Build Illinois” programs, and part of the party cares as much about social issues as union busting (though those fights are largely lost now), but they share Rauner’s agenda far more than Madigan’s.
- lake county democrat - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 11:17 am:
If the GOP wins the presidency, I expect the anti-Raunerites here to be vociferous in their calls to the Dem minority in the senate not to “take hostages” with their fillabuster power.
- JS Mill - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 11:28 am:
@Wordslinger-
We are expecting 100% of approved GSA (actual entitlement prorated at 92%)
MCATS are where it gets pretty fuzzy. Top date we have recieved 1 MCAT payment for:
Regular and Vocational Transportation
Special Ed Transportation
Special Ed- We have 5 catergoricals in this group
We budgeted for 2 in all areas(no official ISBE guidance but we are supposed to get 4 per year) So far we have received 1 payment (normally would have 2 by now). They have gone so far as to change how the payment schedule and entitlement shows up in FRIS. Your total entitlement no longer appears in the system (we noticed this in October and took it as a bad sign) along with a payment schedule. That all changed.
Transportation is a biggie for us. In the entitlement formula the full entitlement is now prorated (reduced) twice to come up with an actual number. First it is prorated by 70% and then a few lines later it is prorated at 80%. So we are approved for about 47% of our claim if you combine regular and special ed transportation and expect about 50% of that. Interestingly enough, they went back and adjusted the formula a week or two ago.
Just crazy.
- Anonymous - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 11:30 am:
When is Cullerton introducing the new taxes or cuts he wants to pay for this?
Please, do tell Senator.
- Gooner - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 11:42 am:
Anon 11:30,
You will get that after Rauner agrees to a long list of completely unrelated demands.
Apparently that’s how things work now.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 11:45 am:
” - Anonymous - ” (Ugh)
===When is Cullerton introducing the new taxes or cuts he wants to pay for this?===
Rauner’s own budget online needed over $2 billion to fund his whole budget.
Rauner’s budget outline required a revenue increase. Required.
Your drive-by does not answer anything when both sides require revenue for budgetary necessities.
That’s require, not optional.
- X-prof - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 11:59 am:
Cullerton continues to mystify me. The positions he takes from one day to the next seem random and inconsistent. The present episode is an obvious misstep. The only explanation I can come up with that explains it all is incompetence and the absence of a coherent governing philosophy or strategy. That’s what I would conclude if he were a novice rank and file senator, but he’s Senate President. He must have some chops to obtain and hold that position. Right? Perhaps I’m being naive.
- thoughts matter - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 12:07 pm:
I don’t know. Maybe both sides using the ‘hostage’ strategy might work…. can’t work any worse than one side doing it has so far. Let’s figure out what ‘hostages’ might be important to Rauner. Gov Rauner, that is…. because Mrs. Rauner presumably cares about the children that Gov. Rauner is holding ‘hostage’ now.
Think about it, in TV shows (silly comparison, I know), the way to get both sides to stand down is for them both to be in a position of being able to hurt the other side.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 12:07 pm:
- X Prof -
I think - 47th Ward - tried to explain, and did well trying to explain a possible motive the other day, and while - 47th Ward - and I may see this differently, if Cullerton is using this leverage strategy to break the dam, the Facebook post is an example how taking hostages is going to backfire by lumping Cullerton with Rauner in the political prism of “Pot-Kettle” and I felt the misstep runs counter to isolating Rauner, the hostage-taker.
Give - 47th Ward -’s remarks on the quote a “search”, they’re with the read. The strategy? We now see some fallout, today, but what about after March and beyond?
Tough position.
- wordslinger - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 12:22 pm:
–If the GOP wins the presidency, I expect the anti-Raunerites here to be vociferous in their calls to the Dem minority in the senate not to “take hostages” with their fillabuster power.–
You stay on that. It’s important and relevant to what’s going on here.
- Matt Vernau - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 1:21 pm:
I too think Cullerton is right in suggesting that school funding be held “hostage” pending a complete rewrite of that funding process. that tangled process and its results have been a sore point for years. Is there a reason we don’t want to fix it?
Rauners next move is to sit on his hands and blame the same old political hacks for a mess he never made. Rinse and Repeat. If come next August every Mom and Dad have to start wondering what to do with the kids are they calling Cullerton or the Governors Office?
I would rather have Emily Miller’s spirit than my own. How you do a thing is as important as what you try to do. But I would not choose Emily as my champion for a game of “are you there Moriarity?”
What forces Rauner to talk about budgets and fixing problems?
- Anon221 - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 2:50 pm:
Matt Vernau- “What forces Rauner to talk about budgets and fixing problems?”
****
Figure that one out, and you might just be in line for a Nobel Award in economics:)
- Michelle Flaherty - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 2:55 pm:
Is this the same Senator Radogno whose 1997 vote killed Gov. Edgar’s school funding overhaul in committee because she didn’t like what it did to her schools? Please, tell me more about big picture diplomacy.
- X-prof - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 3:00 pm:
Thanks, OW. I read again 47th Ward’s posts from Tuesday. Taken in isolation, Cullerton’s latest moves might make sense as a flubbed attempt to put up a Dem counter proposal backed by, “You like to play hardball? Well, we can play that game, too.” That, plus creating more chaos than Rauner can sustain as a means to force a resolution is my interpretation of 47th’s suggestion. Possibly right, but it’s the series of Cullerton’s moves that I can’t follow. An incomplete list:
Cullerton backs SB-1 Pension reform: Throws unions and all state workers under the bus to fracture Dem base, but avoids taking the heat for a tax increase. Ruled unconstitutional. Main result: Angry unions vote against their self interest and Rauner is elected.
Rauner launches union-busting TA agenda and holds budget hostage. Cullerton and Madigan support of unions and refuse to go along. Fractured Dems reunite to some extent.
A few weeks ago, Cullerton floats deal with Rauner to try pension reform again based on a shaky interpretation of consideration. C slaps unions and state employees again, reopening the old wound of SB-1. Presumably, this also offends Madigan. This time Rauner flubs the announcement to scuttle, or at least delay, the deal.
C says the pension reform deal with Rauner, minus the union busting, is still on the table for later action
C hits Rauner with the latest school funding hostage thing.
How does this all add up to a coherent strategy? C’s treatment of state workers (I’ve got to smack you; I’ll protect you; but no, I still have to smack you; etc.) reads like something out of a domestic abuse case file.
Is there a coherent strategy in all this, or just a loose canon?
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 3:08 pm:
- X Prof -
I don’t know, exactly.
I’m counting on - 47th Ward - and those knowing more to help me. That’s not meant in any way as snark, I have great respect for - 47th Ward - and look to him in times like this when I can’t see what the end game might be with this tact.
Thanks again, OW
- Last Bull Moose - Friday, Feb 12, 16 @ 3:44 pm:
Wednesday, when the Governor submits a Budget starts the next round. Cullerton signaled a willingness to play hardball. I think his hostage approach is flawed. I also think he has been playing softball in the belief he can cut a deal.
Next week we will see the new scenario. Either the Governor pivots or it gets a lot more brutal.