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* Gee, wasn’t it just the other day that Senate President John Cullerton was worried that Carol Marin’s Sun-Times column would “harm his relationship with the governor during the spring session”? Why, yes, it was just the other day.
Cullerton has apparently changed his mind. The Senate Prez kinda went off on Gov. Pat Quinn during an editorial board meeting with the State Journal-Register…
“Well, it’s not [Quinn’s] strength to work with the legislature,” Cullerton said. “Obviously, he’s got a history of fighting the legislature, right?” […]
“I’ve been here (as president) just a little over three years, and I think that most of the accomplishments that we have had emanated from the legislature, rather than from the governor.” […]
Cullerton said the multibillion-dollar capital bill was “clearly something that came from the legislature” […]
“Well,” Cullerton said of Quinn, “he’s different than those other governors. I think it’s a weakness, if you will. But he’s hopefully getting better.”
It’s not that he’s wrong on the facts. Cullerton is actually right. I agreed with most of what he said in Bernie Schoenburg’s piece, including his positive remarks about Quinn’s much-needed addition of Gary Hannig as legislative chief.
Thoughts?
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Feb 9, 12 @ 9:31 am
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It’s not a good sign for any governor when he doesn’t get along with the legislative leadership in his own party. Without a strong relationship, the governor is likely to be ineffective.
Comment by reformer Thursday, Feb 9, 12 @ 9:40 am
Building a responsible long term budget isn’t like balancing your monthly checkbook.
It’s more like building your dream house.
You may want a swimming pool, your spouse might want a home theater in the basement. You might come to an agreement easily, or you might argue about it vehemently.
You might even vent your frustrations to your sibling or your best friend.
But I would generally advise against posting your frustrations on Facebook.
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Thursday, Feb 9, 12 @ 9:41 am
BTW, that same reasoning applies to the attacks on public employee unions by Republicans, Mayor Daley, and the Tribune editorial board (among others).
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Thursday, Feb 9, 12 @ 9:43 am
The difference between the Marin piece and the SJR editorial board meeting and their relative harm to one’s “relationship with the governor:” it’s one thing to say the governor has a history of fighting the legislature and quite another to say you’re actively recruiting someone else to fight with.
Comment by No Peotone Airport Thursday, Feb 9, 12 @ 9:45 am
=Cullerton said the multibillion-dollar capital bill was “clearly something that came from the legislature”=
I don’t think that is clear at all. If anything, the majority of the money spent in the capital bill were from projects from the Blagojevich days, with exception to the thousands of pork lines (aka member projects) that the legislators added in the final weeks of session in order to get the votes. Heck, besides the member projects & high-speed rail, Quinn & the GA didn’t add much to Blago’s capital proposals from years past. Cullerton is probably right about Quinn, but taking full credit for the capital bill is just silly.
I think Quinn’s standing with the GA took a major hit in his first session as Governor. I believe that his appointment of the very out-spoken Sean Vinck to Legislative Director really turned off the members right off the bat & it’s something that the relationship just hasn’t recovered from. However, Hannig is a huge step in the right direction. Hannig seems like a hard worker, someone interested in getting stuff done & he is respected by most in the legislature (including the speaker).
Comment by TCB Thursday, Feb 9, 12 @ 9:46 am
It’s much easier to throw stones from the outside looking in than it is to actually govern. PQ spent his entire career bashing the very individuals that he needs now to be sucessful. The fact that he has a poor relationship with the legislature should be no surpise to anyone.
Comment by Stones Thursday, Feb 9, 12 @ 9:46 am
I think there’s a big difference.
Cullerton is publicly offering some criticism of Quinn.
Marin’s report linked him to some secret plot to recruit a challenger to Quinn, which he denied.
If shots are going to be taken in your name, you’d much rather take them yourself.
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Feb 9, 12 @ 9:50 am
The difference for me is that its one thing to disagree, point to weaknesses, and heck, take pointed shots, directly or even indirectly.
It’s another thing to be actively involved in recruiting and touting an opponent for another pol, as Marin claims.
This ain’t beanbag, and everyone has agendas and beefs, but to be seen as someone going after someone with another candidate is higer up in the “beef” chain.
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Feb 9, 12 @ 10:03 am
I don’t quite understand the quote: “Well,” Cullerton said of Quinn, “he’s different than those other governors. I think it’s a weakness, if you will. . . .” Those “other governors” were Republicans weren’t they (or Blagojevich)? In a previous quote, Mr. Cullerton said he’d rather have a Democratic governor who wouldn’t philosophically have to veto certain legislation, such as civil unions or the capital bill. I believe George Ryan and Jim Thompson, maybe even Jim Edgar, would gone for the capital bill and probably civil unions (given the tenor of today’s more popular support of that measure). There was no capital bill under the previous Democratic governor. So what is the “weakness” that Mr. Cullerton refers to?
Mr Hannig probably is a good person to have in the Governor’s inner circle, but is he still in the Speaker’s inner circle, too? His presence is certainly a leveraging factor to help control the agenda for either man.
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Feb 9, 12 @ 10:04 am
Cullerton and Madigan are willing to publicly criticize a Democratic governor. That’s something that didn’t happen from GOP leaders while George Ryan was governor.
Comment by reformer Thursday, Feb 9, 12 @ 10:07 am
=That’s something that didn’t happen from GOP leaders while George Ryan was governor. =
That’s because those GOP leaders were just as irrelevant and the GOP leaders today. Why would anyone take anything they have to say serious?
Comment by TCB Thursday, Feb 9, 12 @ 10:26 am
TCB
== those GOP leaders were just as irrelevant as the GOP leaders today ==
Pate ran the senate during Ryan’s tenure in the mansion. How soon we forget.
Comment by reformer Thursday, Feb 9, 12 @ 11:00 am
If the capital bill came from the legislature, why wasn’t there one for several decades until Quinn came into office and said, I want a capital bill?
I bet he’ll say they’ve been focused on pensions forever too.
Comment by Capital Shmapital Thursday, Feb 9, 12 @ 11:11 am
Both Quinn and Cullerton are both irrelevant to the process of governing Illinois - and so are everyone else, until Speaker Madigan is willing to address the revenues fix and modernize how we bring in tax revenue to keep essential services and the pension system afloat.
I would be frustrated too, as either Governor or Senate leader. We’re being held together by budgetary baling wire, and it probably will take the extra income tax revenue 15 - 17 years to catch up on our outstanding bills and pension obligations if we do nothing more in the meantime.
Comment by Capital View Thursday, Feb 9, 12 @ 11:14 am
Capital Shmapital
== why wasn’t there one for several decades until Quinn came into office ==
The last capital bill was under Gov. Ryan. It hasn’t been decades yet, has it?
Comment by reformer Thursday, Feb 9, 12 @ 12:14 pm
Would prefer hearing a new tone before the upcoming budget negotiations. Doesn’t sound like it. Perhaps at least the ILGA will work together and basically go around PQ again this year.
Comment by Shock & Awww(e) Thursday, Feb 9, 12 @ 12:35 pm
At his address at Elmhurst College, Speaker Madigan called Quinn a “gadfly.” The definition of gadfly is “a person who persistently annoys or provokes others with criticism, schemes, ideas, demands, requests, etc.”
I’d say that the term fits and Cullerton was being kind.
Comment by Foxfire Thursday, Feb 9, 12 @ 12:53 pm
I will be very interested this election cycle if Madigan and Cullerton go “Veto-Proof” on Cross and Rodogno and take those majorities to Quinn and say, “Governor, it can be OUR agenda, or the General Assembly’s agenda going through.”
“Veto us, and its going to be overridden. Questions?”
I think if going “Veto-Proof” happens, expect more language like this, all the time.
It’s real nice having that map, isn’t it. A “Veto-Proof” GA is something Quinn should fear, not necessarily WANT to see…
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Feb 9, 12 @ 1:04 pm
===Cullerton and Madigan are willing to publicly criticize a Democratic governor. That’s something that didn’t happen from GOP leaders while George Ryan was governor.===
Yes, I clearly recall George Ryan rolling over and getting a belly rub from Pate during the Safe Neighborhoods special session. Those two were always on the same page and this/close. Pate was never publically critical of Ryan. Yeah, that’s the ticket.
Comment by TwoFeetThick Thursday, Feb 9, 12 @ 1:24 pm
Quinn was wise to bring Hannig on board, but that doesn’t necessarily help out the rest of his staff. I think he needed an overhaul. He barely made it through the primary and election and he had a rough 2011. New blood isn’t bad. I know Quinn is fiercely loyal but running Illinois isn’t much different than running Caterpillar or State Farm or even CME. You need to know when to cut your losses and realize change is needed. Even with Hannig on board, I think Quinn runs the risk of near-complete irrelevancy like George Ryan at the end of his one term and Blago right before his impeachment.
Cullerton has obviously surrounded himself with competent legislative and campaign staffers. I disagree with him on nearly every relevant issue but he gets stuff done and only lost two seats in a bad 2010.
Comment by Team Sleep Thursday, Feb 9, 12 @ 2:02 pm
Sean Vinck did challenge fuzzy thinking among legislators, and told the unvarnished truth. I greatly liked and respected him for this. We need more like him in the process. But perhaps Hannig will do better in deftly dealing with legislative egos.
Comment by mark walker Thursday, Feb 9, 12 @ 5:11 pm
–I know Quinn is fiercely loyal but running Illinois isn’t much different than running Caterpillar or State Farm or even CME.–
Those are all profoundly different businesses — and I’ve done business with them all — and none of them have any kind of relationship to the business of the State of Illinois.
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Feb 9, 12 @ 5:32 pm
Clearly they didn’t print Cullerton’s full quote, that the article would “harm his relationship with the governor during the spring session… before he has a chance to do it himself.”
Comment by SweetLou86 Thursday, Feb 9, 12 @ 8:24 pm