* Gov. Bruce Rauner a few days ago…
“My strong recommendation is that we tone down the rhetoric,” Rauner said Friday, when asked about harsh response from Emanuel. “Heated rhetoric doesn’t help. Getting emotional doesn’t help. Pointing fingers doesn’t help. Let’s stay mature. Let’s stay thoughtful. Let’s stay positive.”
* From the almost solely Rauner-funded ILGOP today…
Four More Added to BossMadigan.com
Time for Cullerton, Nekritz, Scherer and Moylan to Prove Their Independence
The Illinois Republican Party this morning made four more additions to BossMadigan.com – Sen. Tom Cullerton and Reps. Elaine Nekritz, Sue Scherer and Marty Moylan.
“Mike Madigan is doing everything in his power to block a property tax freeze, term limits, job-creating economic reforms and a balanced budget,” said Illinois Republican Party spokesman Steven Yaffe. “It’s time for legislators to put a balanced budget and bipartisan reforms ahead of Mike Madigan.”
“Tom Cullerton already betrayed the students in his district by voting to bail out Chicago Public Schools with $215 million in taxpayer money, but Elaine Nekritz, Sue Scherer and Marty Moylan can prove their independence by opposing this reckless bailout and refusing to support Mike Madigan for speaker until he allows votes on bipartisan reforms.”
Tom Cullerton
Just this month, Tom Cullerton betrayed the students in his district by voting to bail out Chicago Public Schools with $215 million in taxpayer money. Before his most recent election, Cullerton voted against the bailout, but he now sold out to Mike Madigan. Tom Cullerton proved that he cares more about Madigan’s Chicago agenda than the families in his own district.
Elaine Nekritz
Elaine Nekritz has voted 7 times to make Mike Madigan the Speaker of the House. In return, she was selected by Madigan to serve on his leadership team. Only the most loyal legislators are named one of Madigan’s top lieutenants, and taxpayers have paid a steep price for Nekritz’s loyalty.
Nekritz voted for Mike Madigan’s reform-free, 67% income tax hike, the largest in state history. She joined Madigan in teaming with Rod Blagojevich on a pension scheme that increased debt by up to $22 billion. And Nekritz even voted for legislation that makes sure she gets paid even if there is no state budget. Now, legislators are using the Nekritz-backed legislation to sue so they get paid before social services receive their funding.
It’s time for Elaine Nekritz to break with Mike Madigan.
Sue Scherer
Sue Scherer’s campaigns have pocketed more than $850,000 from Mike Madigan. So, it’s no surprise Scherer voted repeatedly to make Madigan the Speaker. Scherer also supported Madigan’s broken budget that would increase state debt by $8 billion or force a $1,000 tax hike with no reforms on Illinois families. She also helped enable the current lawsuit filed by legislators that is trying to force they get paid ahead of funding for services for the needy.
Sue Scherer can show her independent by finally opposing Mike Madigan as Speaker.
Marty Moylan
Mike Madigan has helped funnel nearly $1 million into Marty Moylan’s campaigns, and Moylan’s returned the favor by twice supporting Madigan as Speaker. Moylan joined Madigan in trying to hold local schools hostage to force a bailout for Chicago, and he voted for Madigan’s broken budget that would have required a massive tax hike without reforms. Moylan also voted to make sure he gets paid even if the government shuts down.
It’s time for Marty Moylan to put the people ahead of his political patron. It’s time for him to vote against Mike Madigan as Speaker.
…Adding… Meanwhile…
Members of the Illinois House will cast votes in January on whether Michael Madigan will again serve as their speaker. And the state’s Republican Party is warning that if metro-east lawmakers vote the wrong way, it’ll haunt them in 2018.
Republicans have been trying to make an issue of whether downstate House members will vote for Madigan as speaker. Their efforts include a website, www.bossmadigan.com, which singles out Democratic House members from Southern Illinois: Rep. Jerry Costello II, D-Smithton; Rep. Brandon Phelps, D-Eldorado; Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville; and Rep. Dan Beiser, D-Alton.
Costello said he hasn’t made a decision.
“I don’t think I can answer that question until I know who all the candidates are,” he said. “What I have to do is vote in a way which helps me best represent my constituents and my district. I represent roughly 110,000 people, and what I’ve got to do is make sure the vote I cast isn’t an emotional vote — that it’s a vote that allows me to best represent those people.”
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Dec 5, 16 @ 9:33 am:
This is why I absolutely, 100% know Rauber wants pain, agenda, Madigan, and NOTHING else.
Rauner has no intention in governing.
“BossMadigan.Com” tells me so.
- FIREDup! - Monday, Dec 5, 16 @ 9:36 am:
And this is productive….HOW??
- Whatever - Monday, Dec 5, 16 @ 9:37 am:
“Let’s stay mature. Let’s stay thoughtful. Let’s stay positive.”
After long study, and sober and deliberate consideration, I believe it fair to say that I positively detest this approach to governing the state.
- anon - Monday, Dec 5, 16 @ 9:41 am:
A state party doing it’s job. Appalling.
The Democrats proved with the stop-gap last summer that unless they feel political pressure they won’t act. GOP tried playing nice and laying off the Democrats for extended stretches of time over the past 2 years and got nowhere.
Democrats want to stop the criticism? Make a deal.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Dec 5, 16 @ 9:45 am:
===GOP tried playing nice and laying off the Democrats for extended stretches of time over the past 2 years and got nowhere.===
LOL!
Really? When?
Willfully ignorant or blissfully unaware.
Raunerites? Played nice? That’s a hoot.
- Give Me A Break - Monday, Dec 5, 16 @ 9:47 am:
And while all this is going on, human services providers across Illinois are having conference calls to plan for what happens when the stop-gap budget expires.
- Anon221 - Monday, Dec 5, 16 @ 9:48 am:
“While money can’t buy happiness, it certainly lets you CREATE your own formS of misery. And that is my kind of happiness!”
— Rauner Marx
- Not It - Monday, Dec 5, 16 @ 9:48 am:
Meh, I expect overheated rhetoric from a party.
Re: Costello - “other candidates”? Nice job of deflecting there. I can’t wait to see your surprised face when there are only two candidates.
- Demoralized - Monday, Dec 5, 16 @ 9:50 am:
==GOP tried playing nice==
What rock have you been living under?
- Ron Burgundy - Monday, Dec 5, 16 @ 9:51 am:
–“I don’t think I can answer that question until I know who all the candidates are,”–
Puh-leeze. Let me help you. The candidates will be Madigan and Durkin, and you will vote for Madigan.
- AlfondoGonz - Monday, Dec 5, 16 @ 9:52 am:
Our fine governor makes it very difficult to remained measured in our criticism of him. As much as I prefer to limit my criticisms to his job performance, or lack thereof, I’m beginning to be inclined to just call him a banned word and leave it at that.
- Langhorne - Monday, Dec 5, 16 @ 10:00 am:
“Tone down…stay mature…stay positive…stay thoughtful” was a very painful comment to read, due to the hot coffee it made me spew.
OW is correct. The demands are simply cover, while he starves the beast. Crush madigan. Crush unions. Crush goverment at all levels. Remember, he told us he is the most persistent guy you will ever meet.
State employee strike? State govt shutdown? Close a couple universities and destroy their home towns? Winning. The means are an end in themselves. Absolutely no reason to change course.
- Annonin' - Monday, Dec 5, 16 @ 10:32 am:
I cannot believe anyone sees the hopeless in consistency here.
1. “Election is over, put it behind and get on to giving me money to run a government that I can S* the workforce and F* injured workers.”
2. “Askin’ those silly questions about how Trump cuts affect our budget or tax freezes impact the Purvis Plan To Fund Schools is just stallin’”
3. “Where is my money?”
- Rich Miller - Monday, Dec 5, 16 @ 10:36 am:
===silly questions about how Trump cuts affect our budget===
Oh, please. Those are indeed silly questions. Trump isn’t even in office yet. The federal budget year doesn’t begin until next October.
- Chucktownian - Monday, Dec 5, 16 @ 10:39 am:
Shut it down, Mendoza. Refuse to pay anyone. Send the workers home. See how long the standoff lasts then.
- Honeybear - Monday, Dec 5, 16 @ 10:39 am:
Meanwhile NPR in St.louis reported that AFSCME represents 30,000 state employees. It was last at 38,000. What happened to 8000 state employees? Being here I believe that 8000 gave left. Neither CMS or AFSCME will tell me the real number.
- AlfondoGonz - Monday, Dec 5, 16 @ 10:45 am:
“Refuse to pay anyone”
I’m sure I speak for a lot of people whose checks are signed by the Comptroller when I disagree with this well thought-out solution.
- wordslinger - Monday, Dec 5, 16 @ 11:06 am:
===GOP tried playing nice and laying off the Democrats for extended stretches of time over the past 2 years and got nowhere.===
Geez, another contender for whack-a-do comment of the day.
–The governor wants everyone to tone it down.
–Madigan is waiting on Trump for a budget.
–Durkin is “alarmed” by lack of budget progress.
–Radogno is “deep-diving” in local government consolidation, in relation to the $13 billion FY17 deficit.
–LP thinks school consolidation is “low hanging fruit” worthy of a major ad campaign.
I got one: After beating the Niners yesterday, the Bears are still, mathematically, in the hunt for a playoff spot.
I like their chances.
- vibes - Monday, Dec 5, 16 @ 11:13 am:
It would never happen, but I did have a crazy dream last night that Madigan called Rauner’s bluff and Rep. Harris got elected Speaker in January. Guess what Governor? The problems (and the necessary vote count, as OW always points out) would still be there.
- Anon - Monday, Dec 5, 16 @ 11:43 am:
=== Only the most loyal legislators are named one of Madigan’s top lieutenants, and taxpayers have paid a steep price for Nekritz’s loyalty. ===
Rep. Nekritz is the last Democrat who voted against Madigan’s rules. Despite that vote, she was moved into leadership. But that inconvenient truth doesn’t fit the GOP narrative.
- Skeptic - Monday, Dec 5, 16 @ 11:50 am:
“I like their chances.” The Cubs did win the World Series…just sayin’.
- walker - Monday, Dec 5, 16 @ 2:41 pm:
When you start attacking the individual legislators most likely to reach agreement with you, then you really have shown your hand. You absolutely will do anything not to have either a budget or short-term agreements on your turnaround agenda.
We can see, maybe, personal attacks on Madigan as part of an overall communications strategy, with the hope he will ignore them when dealing with you. But individual legislators who have been trying to find solutions?
“Shaking up” becomes simple destruction.
- The Cardinal - Monday, Dec 5, 16 @ 4:25 pm:
As Ozzy sang “Here we go again ….down down..! Mommas gonna worry blah blah blah …..Repeat
- RNUG - Monday, Dec 5, 16 @ 6:46 pm:
Time to put together some silly bills in response as follows:
a) a property tax freeze requiring voter approval for any increases
b) term limits
c) some work comp reform
And then add poison pills to all of them that negate the law if it does NOT achieve x level of growth as measured by the Feds in terms of both jobs and state revenue by the end of the second year PLUS it automatically (e) increases the current flat tax to 6%, (b) presents both a millionaire’s tax amendment and (c) a graduated income tax amendment to the public for a vote.
- facts are sburbborn things - Tuesday, Dec 6, 16 @ 8:17 am:
“My strong recommendation is that we tone down the rhetoric,” Rauner said Friday”
Wow, that’s the pot calling the kettle black.