Yesterday, the House Republicans protested the fact that the House Democrats had scheduled appropriations committee meetings in Chicago next week. Not only were they upset that the meetings would be held at the Thompson Center instead of the Statehouse, they were seriously bummed about having to attend hearings during what was supposed to be a week away from legislative work.

The House Dems claimed that this was no big deal because the House held off-day approp meetings in Chicago when George Ryan was governor and nobody complained at all.

The House GOPs displayed this poster during the brouhaha:

QUESTION: Is this much ado about nothing? Or should people be concerned when hearings are not held in Springfield?

       

31 Comments - Salcoratti - Friday, Mar 3, 06 @ 8:53 am: If dinner and drinks at Maggiano’s is only costing you $50, then you must be a horrible tipper. - VanillaMan - Friday, Mar 3, 06 @ 8:57 am: The problem is not holding appropriations meetings in Chicago, instead of the state capitol. The problem is that this governor continues to cost us a lot of extra money by demanding he be accommodated for his preference to live and work in Chicago instead of the state capitol. He brought this on himself. Does it matter? Not necessarily on it’s face, but the accumulative effect of having an AWOL governor does. - Backyard Conservative - Friday, Mar 3, 06 @ 8:58 am: Well, some good may come of it to get more exposure from Chicago media but don’t bet on it. Here is some baseball baseball. Pix of SOX: http://backyardconservative.blogspot.com/2006/03/ sox-grinder-rule-162.html - In the Land of Silos and Cows - Friday, Mar 3, 06 @ 9:20 am: It was big enough of a problem to have MJM in the chair late last night and this morning …The Velvet Hammer also stated he was ready to go to war if this kept up … so I guess it was big enough of an inside baseball situation to make the Speaker get involved …it doesn’t help that the “Guv doesn’t live in Springfield, now the House is going to Chicago too?” … guilt by association I think the Repubs are trying to hang on the Dems - Budget Watcher - Friday, Mar 3, 06 @ 9:28 am: Two points: 1.You can’t attribute blame to the Governor for scheduling House hearings in Chicago, because he doesn’t schedule General Assembly hearings. The House majority party does the scheduling. Bloggers, if displeased with the Chicago venue, should look at the Speaker’s staff. 2. My former agency would fly 8 - 10 people down from Chicago for two days so that they could sit in the audience and never say a word. They were there “just in case”. So now, for the two traveling Springfield staff that may actually testify, the state will probably save money by having the hearings in Chicago. It’s cheaper to fly or Amtrack these staff for one day than it was to fly 4 times that number to Springfield and pay for hotels for multiple days. - Anonymous - Friday, Mar 3, 06 @ 9:51 am: Reality is that most of the population is in Chicago area, and almost all of the buisness is done up there. If it makes it easier for the majority of people,then why not do it. - Skeeter - Friday, Mar 3, 06 @ 9:53 am: This is great. Nothing quite says “We have no plans for this State and no issues on which to run” as throwing a fit over the location of a meeting. Also, why are the budget-conscious Republicans staying at The Drake? There are some budget hotels in Chicago. Why not just admit defeat and move on? - These are our choices? - Friday, Mar 3, 06 @ 9:58 am: State House Press Corps. Not Corp. They aren’t a corporation. - So-Called "Austin Mayor" - Friday, Mar 3, 06 @ 10:10 am: I’m confused… Are none of the members of the State House Press Corps licensed to drive? And if that’s the case, couldn’t they just rent a bus? Or are they all under State House arrest? Am I missing something? - Wumpus - Friday, Mar 3, 06 @ 10:32 am: Well, this just makes it official it being held in Chciago. The problem with that is the fact that the capital is still Springfield. Regarding Maggiano’s, maybe they got the family style meal and it is likely that they could get a lot of food and drinks for $50 a pop. - Anon sequitur - Friday, Mar 3, 06 @ 10:36 am: The way everyone is reacting, from the Springfield Press Corps to the House Repubs, you’d think the world revolved around Springfield. In reality, there are only two important political orbits in Illinois, around DuPage County and around Chicago. - nickname1 - Friday, Mar 3, 06 @ 10:51 am: Yes, it’s true, the statehouse press corps could theoretically drive to Chicago and cover these hearings. But of course they won’t. The statehouse press corps is different from their Chicago colleagues. There might be government reporters and political columnists based in Chicago, but there’s a special kind of knowledge you gather when you spend all day, every day, reporting out Springfield. If I were trying to pull some legislative B.S., you definitely want to do it in front of a crowd of Chicago journalists (with Andy Shaw screaming out irrelevent, quasi-informed questions from the back) instead of with Doug Finke, Aaron Chambers and Ray Long around — them and their friends know more about the inside baseball than anyone should. Also, those Springfield folk, because they’re so specialized, can sometimes afford to sit in on hearings and other events just to keep an eye out, even if there’s no final published account of it. Chicago-based writers probably don’t have that luxury. - Anonymous - Friday, Mar 3, 06 @ 11:03 am: Rich and Silos, So Madigan is starting to worry that they won’t get done on the expedited schedule? What is the main hangup, the black caucus stuff? - CrossOver Dem - Friday, Mar 3, 06 @ 12:00 pm: I gotta believe that some downstate democrat reps are going to be facing some attack ads over this. . . and some might lose their seats. Downstate already hates Blago (he’ll not get more than 20 votes below I-80, except for people who work for him), and now the legislative branch is going to move up there too? Doesn’t sound like a good move to me. On the other hand, anyone who second guesses Speaker Madigan is usually wrong. . . hmmmmmm. . . . - Hon. John Fritchey - Friday, Mar 3, 06 @ 1:03 pm: Folks, this really is not a big issue. It may be an inconvenience for some legislators who had planned to have a week off to spend with their families or campaigning, but we’re in session and this comes with the territory. I respect my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, but I think that if you spoke to them in confidence, you would probably find out that this issue was more sizzle than steak. - In the Land of Silos and Cows - Friday, Mar 3, 06 @ 1:34 pm: With all due respect to the “gentleman from Cook”, the Speaker taking the chair, and saying he would go to war, and THEN taking the chair this morning, that sizzle made MJM take notice to pull the chain of the mushrooms and make them heel. Is it going anywhere, nope, but the Speaker made it stop, not the will of the minority just giving up because they felt their point was made, rather…their sizzle…fizzled. Just like kids who back down from their parent who had enough, the kids push the envelope and declare victory after being put in their place more times then crossing the line. If they could make more hay, the Repubs would have, but the Speaker reminded them the tail does not wag the dog. - ron - Friday, Mar 3, 06 @ 2:17 pm: hon. john fritchey- why don’t the democrats have this conference downstate, say carbondaleor metro east? you can save money on meals, hotels/motels, parking, and drinks. there are some real fine hotels, first class dining and an outstanding convention center in the metro east area. plus you get to see the rest of the state. for those wanting to fly, you can land at our $300,000,000 airport in st. clair county. don’t worry about delays, because only one airline is using the boondoogle facility, since it opened about 8 years ago. those “sizzling” steaks are pretty good downstate. i just love how you try to justify/spin this. makes me kind of sizzle!!! - Northside - Friday, Mar 3, 06 @ 4:35 pm: This is “pure political puffery” by the House GOP. Fritchey is right, this is much ado about nothing. Hearings happen at the JRTC all the time when the GA isnt scheduled to meet in Springpatch. The state rate is less than $200 a night. I love that these House GOP guys, electeds and staff, love to bash the City of Chicago. These are the same guys who go out to the Viagra Triangle, Division St. , Lincoln Ave. et al, and make drunken fools out of themselves. STOP BASHING THE CITY! If it wasnt for Chicago, Illinois would be a rung below Arkansas. - grand old partisan - Friday, Mar 3, 06 @ 4:35 pm: In many ways, this is a physical representation of a serious issue. Consider that 3 of the 4 Appropriations Committee Chairs are from Chicago, almost an exact inversion of Chicago’s share of the state’s population. Through in the fact that both the Speaker and the Majority Leader are from the City………as well as the Senate President, Governor, Lt. Governor, AG, SOS, and Comptroller. Get the picture? So while it may not substantitively matter where the meeting takes place, but the symbolism and perception are powerful. Dumb move by the Dems, if you ask me. - SenorAnon. - Friday, Mar 3, 06 @ 4:44 pm: Oooh, a Mastercard “Priceless” spoof. Man, you just can’t stop those crazy cats from coming up with the freshest material. I can’t wait to see what’s next…perhaps a Nancy Kerrigan-Tonya Harding gag? OJ in the white Bronco? I haven’t laughed that hard since a Max Headroom joke make me spill new Coke all over my acid-washed denim jacket. - duggie southern illinois - Friday, Mar 3, 06 @ 6:38 pm: For once I would like to read that the governor is holding meetings at Marion, Carbondale or Mt. Vernon in Southern Illinois. Hey you Republicans out there who are running for state office, don’t forget Southern Illinois. It would be nice if you all had an office located down south instead of always in Springfield and CHICAGO. - NIEVA - Friday, Mar 3, 06 @ 6:45 pm: And what’s wrong with Arkansas? Low property taxes,good schools,great fishing,concealed carry,and no Chicago. As soon as I retire from my state job I think I will retire there! - MJW Minion - Friday, Mar 3, 06 @ 8:35 pm: yes, it reinforces the notion that Chicago Democrats are taking everything over. Not much substance, true, but image could be problematic. by the way, Budget Watcher, perhaps if your people spent more time on the floor, in committee, followed the process and actually talked with members instead of hanging out in the gallery the flap over issues such as the pension deal might have been smoothed over better. Again, I am struck at how many of the governor’s people are clueless about the legislature. No, it is not simply up to the liason. Better awareness would produce better policy. - Budget Watcher - Friday, Mar 3, 06 @ 10:16 pm: MJW Minion, I used to spend hours with approp staffers in all four chambers. I met with legislators, testified in approp committees, met with committe chairs, and I was in the room when the House Dem’s appropriations chief, early in the last year’s session, suggested that short-funding pensions should be an option. I was not, however, a policy-maker - I was an analyst. My staff and I, when allowed, provided assistance and information to appropriation staff from all four party caucuses. What the policy-makers did with that information was up to them. FYI, last year’s budget was essentially stalled until about three days before the session ended. At that time, the Speaker ended his 2 year alliance with Frank Watson, and used the pension deferral to give the Governor a chance to avoid another overtime session. By deferring the pension obligation for two years, the Governor temporarily had some room to promote his agenda, and both the House and Senate Dem leaders demonstrated party unity and thus, positioned themselves to gain even larger majorities in the upcoming election cycles. The pension solution was a political decision necessary to avoid the overtime inclusion of the Republican minority - it had nothing to do with good fiscal policy. Wasn’t the first time - won’t be the last. - Downstate D - Friday, Mar 3, 06 @ 10:33 pm: GOP - give me a break. First, there are 5 House appropriations committees, just so we’re being factually accurate, and two chairs are not from Chicago. Wanna keep beating that tired drum about all the constitutional officers being from Chicago? Why not pick that fight with the voters of Illinois - they’re the ones who elected them and they knew where they were from, or did you forget the failed “All My Children” crying campaign your party tried four years ago? You act as if there is some grand master who appointed these evil city dwellers against the will of the people, when in fact it was the people that elected them. Having been born and raised in central Illinois I will always be partial to downstate, but shut up already. Rich Miller has it right. This approp committee issue from the House GOPs is total insider baseball. Powerful? Why don’t you knock on the average voter’s door and express to them with outrage about how the big bad Democrats are having appropriation hearings in Chicago. No mileage. If these are the “serious” issues you have, enjoy the scenery as the minority party - again. Cheers. - dumb o' country boy - Saturday, Mar 4, 06 @ 5:08 am: Budget Watcher… an anaylst huh ??? Glad your not still anaylizing, because the budget sucked last year and looks like the “walk on water Dems” and Lord Bountyful are going to continue to rob peter to pay paul once again. Nice work, glad your analyizing abilities are done on the computer nowdays, so you can spew excuses and be a spin analyst for your party.. One must remember, Chicago and the collier counties do not house all the voters of this great state. Give me a break, voters gave Lord Bountyful a chance last election, looking for a glimmer of hope to chance the system, he failed miserably. But the gov and the dems obviously think voters are stupid, you think they would have learned from the gop, you will get punished for thinking that way. I guess once you are in office and have control, you think your above all others and untouchable….NOT TRUE, mark my words, Hot Rod and some Dems will get touched, by the voters and by the Feds as well !!!!! - grand old partisan - Saturday, Mar 4, 06 @ 10:10 am: Downstate D – Sorry for the confusion. The meetings flap only concerns 4 of the committees, that’s what threw me off. You are right that there are 5 total, 3 of which (60%) have chairs from Chicago – despite the fact that Chicago only makes up 23% of the state’s population. As far as the statewide officers go, you are again right to point out that the people elected them; My reference of that was merely for the point of context. But the disproportionate power that Chicago has in the House leader generally, and the appropriations committees specifically, is a certainly a point worth mentioning. And the people of Illinois did not elect Speaker Madigan, who controls the chair appointments. And I thought this was pretty clear in my post, but I’ll say it again, more explicitly: I admit that if you knocked on the average voter’s door and talked about ONLY the location of the meetings, you wouldn’t get any mileage. But it’s part of a broader context. The location is a city that controls 60% of the appropriations process in the House, but only represents 23% of the state’s population. Dismiss it as a “crying campaign” all you want, but I grew up in Chicago, and I still think it’s outrageous. - Reddbyrd - Saturday, Mar 4, 06 @ 11:14 am: Since we are still beating this dead horse, let’s note: —- GOPs(as in MOPEs) did not compalin when the committees met in Chicago in ‘02 on non session weeks. — few if any reportersver approp committees (which is their mistake) —fewer if any editors devote space to approp hearings ….to many facts. — value of stunts (”50 signs”, speeches on pensions, etc. ) Zip Zero Nada Sorta makes you feel sorry for the staffers who have to work on these crappy ideas while TomCross&TheEmptySuita and “HalfDay” fly off to the sun to “fundraise” - MJW Minion - Saturday, Mar 4, 06 @ 3:07 pm: Budget Watcher: good! I am glad someone over there was meeting with legislators and following the process. I was specifically refering to the “8-10 others that were brought down ‘just in case’” There seems to be a disconect between the work you did and these others. I was merely suggesting that we may have been better off as a party if these “8-10″ were brought into the meetings and met with legislators as you did. As for your statement “Dem leaders demonstrated party unity and thus, positioned themselves to gain even larger majorities in the upcoming election cycles. The pension solution was a political decision necessary to avoid the overtime inclusion of the Republican minority” I hope you are right about even larger majorities. So far, the press coverage would indicate otherwise. Our members are taking a beating for voting for that thing. I also think Madigan would have been better off continuing to work with Watson and Cross. That way, the blame for the painful choices would be spread out. - Anonymous - Sunday, Mar 5, 06 @ 12:22 pm: I’ve lived in Chicago and now in Springfield. I’m not a politician or a staffer. Don’t underestimate the wiley farmer or mine worker or even state worker. Just because they don’t live in Chicago doesn’t mean they’re dumb or uninformed. However, in their dealings with people, they are kind, polite, non-derogatory and will lend a helping hand to anyone in trouble. This used to be the same way in Chicago years ago but the city has become filled with black-clothed cynics who think themselves more sophisticated, intelligent and just plain better than the rubes outside the collar counties. Don’t bet on it. The emperors are without their clothes in most cases, in both both political parties and in many urban dwellers. - Anonymous - Sunday, Mar 5, 06 @ 12:55 pm: Is it the black-colored people or the black-clothed people that you find offensive? Good to hear that everyone in Springfield is pure and gentle, unlike those ruthless bastards up in the dark dangerous city. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.