62 Comments - 105th Blues - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 9:45 am: Nothing. As the State Leg. would be in recess if Pat was in charge since a budget probably would have been completed on time. - Patriot - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 9:50 am: Rejoicing!!! - Little Egypt - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 9:50 am: I agree completely with 105th. Quinn would not have proposed the universal health care to begin with, which is a known fact to be DOA but Blago refuses to acknowledge. Quinn would have rolled up his sleeves and negotiated in good faith during session, thus eliminating the need for OT for SS. Madigan would have been able to steamroll Quinn, just as he is doing Blago, but Quinn would have been smart enough to never put himself in the position of checkmate in the first place. I would love to give Governor Quinn an opportunity at a budget for the next 3 years. - Wumpus - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 9:52 am: Teabagging the electric co.’s A budget may not be done yet, but I am sure he would be willing to work and would have spent real time in Springfield trying to get one done. I am no fan of Quinn’s politics, but I am sure he’d do fewer press conferences and more work than Blago. - Rich Miller - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 9:57 am: LOL. Some of you have short memories. I thought this question would be entertaining when Paul suggested it. Try to remember some history and not let your Blago hatred override your common sense. - Skeeter - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 10:00 am: Mocking Emil for being too friendly with ComEd. We would still have a mess, but it would be the Speaker and the Gov. against Emil. - Squideshi - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 10:00 am: I like the idea of universal healthcare, so long as it is single-payer, which has been shown to be more efficient and effective at delivering healthcare. I think what Blagojevich is proposing hardly deserves to be called universal healthcare, as it is just a band-aid solution keeping in place the same patchwork of bureaucratic for-profit insurance companies. As far as Pat Quinn, this is the guy that pushed the Cutback Amendment to the Illinois Constitution, which eliminated the system of proportional representation that we once had in place. - Carl Nyberg - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 10:09 am: If Blago resigned b/c of legal problems I expect we’d be writing about Blagojevich’s problems, not Quinn negotiating the state budget. - Wacker Drive - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 10:10 am: We wouldn’t of had a so-called budget crisis. None of this silliness would have happened. And Governor Quinn and the legislature would be enjoying their summer. All these scare tactics are in Blago’s little pinhead. - Wumpus - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 10:12 am: So Pat Quinn is for smaller governemnt? Imagine, this special session-palooza could be costing us closer to $70,000 per day. Squid, do you see that Cutback as a good thing or no? - Buffnut - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 10:13 am: Better question would be. Where would we be if JBT would of won? We all know how tight she is with a dollar. In this case that might not have been all that bad of a deal. - Gene Parmesan - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 10:15 am: That cutback agreement pretty much shut out any other party besides the Republicans and Democrats. It ingrained the two-party system into Illinois government by making districts winner-take-all seats. Proportional representation is almost essential in establishing a system of multiple political parties. - Jerry - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 10:17 am: The right wingers on this site would be screaming bloody murder after Illinois introduced the first ever living wage law, stronger environmental laws, amongst other hopes and dreams of liberals. On the other hand, downstaters would be happy after Quinn forced through an electricity rate freeze, and perhaps even got a budget done. - Little Egypt - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 10:19 am: Rich, with age and experience, in most instances, comes maturity. The scenario in my mind is IF Quinn were to be Governor after Blago gets indicted or IMP’d. Had Quinn been elected on his own, he would be a far different governor than the one who would follow in Blago’s footsteps. - Anonymoose - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 10:22 am: Moving to Kentucky. - North of I-80 - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 10:22 am: … we be doing RIGHT now…. as opposed to what we’re doing WRONG now? Sending tea bags to someone, not fighting over how to pay for socialization of IL and a general ho-hum boring period as we wonder if Emil of MJM were really running everything. What would we be doing if Judy was there is a more interesting q. - It's 5 O'clock somewhere - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 10:23 am: Stuffing CUB flyers in electric bills - Siyotanka - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 10:25 am: Most likely getting ready for Gov’s Day at the State Fair… - OH YES - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 10:34 am: Enjoying the summer. - Polly - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 10:36 am: having a press conference. or three. - Ron Burgundy - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 10:43 am: We’d all be serving on some Taxpayer Consumer Board Commission Thingy or another, as every industry that’s ever had a complaint from a consumer ever would have one. - Carl Nyberg - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 10:44 am: What if JBT won? Might as well ask, “What if Rich Whitney won?” - Moderate Repub - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 10:51 am: I don’t think we would be in overtime. Whatever would have transpired during the session would not have been good for business. What business doesn’t realize (or maybe they do) is that Blago may be bad, but at least he will cut a deal. Quinn would wake up every morning of his 16 to 18 hour work day, truly believing big business is the polluted vein of society’s existence. Not to mention his work ethic would hard to keep up with to say the least. No more part time governor that’s for sure. I am sure lawmakers of both parties would hate him, the ethic reforms he would push Illinois out of the Wild West campaign finance stigma we have now. Pat Quinn is a true believer, and I think if this Governor is indicted Quinn will be a formidable candidate for Governor because his reform policy (which will be real, unlike the current status) I think the people will love him. Lisa will have to rethink a run if that happens. (It won’t though). - Truth - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 10:52 am: Swimming - Moderate Repub - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 10:54 am: I forgot to add, electric rate freeze would have already happened, and it would be in the courts as we speak. - shermans ghost - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 10:59 am: Happy that an adult was back in the gov’s place. - Moderate Repub - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 11:04 am: Unbelieveable that all the commentors would welcome PAT QUINN into the Governors mansion, a man who BOTH parties have hated for over two decades. Lets not forget this is the guy who destroyed 3 member disctricts under the guise that it would spread out the power vacumm, that worked well (yeah right). Just shows how bad the current GOveror is. - Jaded - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 11:12 am: Listening to Mike Boland speak on behalf of the Governor instead of Jay Hoffman. As big as his head is, I would rather listen to Hoffman. - Stuck with Sen. CPA - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 11:18 am: Amen, Polly. By now, Gov. Quinn would have burned so much airplane fuel holding three news conferences a day throughout the state that he would make Blago’s airplane fuel bill look small. The Legislature, by now, would have been so fed up with Gov. Quinn (my hand shakes as I write this) that a special session would be needed with all three sides looking for some advantage. - JW - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 11:25 am: He would at least have a PLAN! He would be working hard on the electric rate issue and ending special session by passing a negotiated budget. Come on Fitzgerald how much evidence do you need. - Bill - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 11:52 am: We would all be paying 5% income tax and a regressive sales tax on all services and internet purchases. - VanillaMan - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 11:54 am: The budget would be done. An electric freeze would have taken place. He would be fighting with Emil Jones and siding with Madigan. He would have either called a new Constitutional convention or have had his Recall Initiative enacted into the Illinois Constitution. He would be tilting at windmills regarding universal health care, because he believes in socialism and centralization. He would be getting rave reviews from Lear Jet Liberals who have no clue to reality. He would be about a 1000% improvement over what we have now. - RMW Stanford - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 11:55 am: He be trying to cut down the size of the State General Assembly to 2 Senators and 4 Reps. - Jake from Elwood - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 12:05 pm: Everything would be handled in an orchestrated Sunday afternoon press conference. - NI80 - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 12:14 pm: Quinn would have probably advocated major cutbacks in the budget. He is quite the penny pincher, so there likely would be some major haggling over how much of a pay raise anyone in the state deserves, and who he can fire. - NI80 - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 12:15 pm: And of course, as most everyone else has said, and I choose to echo, there would be a press conference about how much money he’s saving the state. And new ways to be eco-friendly. - Values Matter - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 12:33 pm: He would be keeping his ego in check and trying to compromise, unlike the current Governor. - The Conservative - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 12:56 pm: Keep it up dems, I enjoy the show. - Papa Legba - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 1:03 pm: We wouldn’t be reading stories about Roddy Boy invoking the wrath of God at the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church. - Jechislo - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 1:06 pm: Painting the Mansion green. - Justice - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 1:06 pm: We would be celebrating positive change and would once again have hope for the greatness of this wonderful state to shine through. - Silent Majority - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 1:16 pm: I don’t agree with his politics but he is intelligent and mature enough to do much better than what we have seen recently. He’s been in politics a long time and I don’t remember any major scandals either. - Burton Wheezy - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 1:18 pm: Bill — how did you divine Quinn’s Internet purchase tax plan? Would be interesting to see how he’d balance his thrift with his broad social agenda. - game plan - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 1:26 pm: Well, GRT wouldn’t have been thought of as plausable and would not have taken up everyones time. - babs - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 1:53 pm: We would be having a good laugh - remember the Blues Brothers tribute to George Ryan? And Lisa would already have announced her candidacy. - Clara "The Clairvoyant" - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 1:58 pm: Exhibiting some pride in our state government and it’s workings. I am a Republican but I would have no problem with Pat Quinn as our governor. He is a decent guy who would conduct himself in a manner that would not be self-serving which is what we have come to expect from our current governor (and senate president). He would also hold both parties to a much higher standard than they have had to meet so far. - Cogito - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 2:03 pm: If Pat Quinn were Governor we would be spending our time right now speculating as to who the party would be running against him in the next Dem. primary. - Team Sleep - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 2:15 pm: We would have a budget that included a surtax on citizens making over $200,000 and a closing of corporate loopholes to cover the cost of doing business. We would have electric rate relief and an increase in funding for the RTA and CTA. We would have a ban on pay-to-play politics and he would have signed a real ethics bill. We would have a (pseudo) capital bill and a slight increase in education. And I really believe we would be at least caught up on our Medicaid payments. Once all that was complete, we would all be eating hot fudge sundaes and poisting somewhat positive comments on the Capitol Fax Blog. - Team Sleep - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 2:19 pm: As a side note, it’s the party structures that dislike Quinn. Obviously the Democratic party base - which is supposed to be the most important entity within a party - thinks enough of him to have made him both the State Treasurer and the Lieutenant Governor. And God only knows why the GOP can’t stand him. He’s a stand-up guy who has a good feel of what the people want. - Up North - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 2:31 pm: Everybody would be home, with a balanced budget. For all his hot rhetoric, Quinn is a gradualist. He eats his cake one piece at a time–a little health care reform here, a little tax reform there. Pretty soon, you’ve got some real change for the better. - Captain Amrerica - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 3:09 pm: I’m sure there would have been subsantial friction between Vallas or Quinn or whichever Democrat might have been Governor and Madigan just to determine who was top dog. But I think the extreme level of dysfunction and enmity/acrimony that has occurred is primarly attributable the Governor and his advisers. It is unprecedented in the annals of Illinois government. Quinn or any other governor woulld have compromised with the legislative leaders on his budget prosposals, and we would have had a budget before the May 31 deadline,since there was no genuine budget crisis that might have precipitated an impasse. I agree with Cogito’s observation that if Quinn were to become governor, the best sport in town among us political junkies would be watching the scramble among other Democrats to unseat him in the next primary. Quinn is the most universally disliked Democratic elected official(other than the governor) among other Democrats holding elective office. But I think he’s honest and capable and would do a good job myself. Some much-needed reforms would be implemented in a Quinn adminsistration. I imagine he would sponsor some interesting and successful policy initiatives too. I like Rod Blagojevich and his wife personally, and I think the current state of affairs is really very sad. My gut instinct tells me that soemthing is really very wrong. It must be tough to have your lifelong dreams and aspirations shattered by all the legal problems and other pressures the Governor is experiencing. Despite my many critical and satrirical remarks about the current state of affairs I think it’s a real Amercian tragedy that for some reason Rod could never make the transition from campaigning to governing. I really hope he doen’t get indicted! But when there is so much smoke in terms of the myriad of investigations, there may some illegal indiscretions somewhere along the line. Hopefully his personal faith, his optimism, and his love for his wife and his children will sustain him through his current political travails, any personal probleam that he may be experiencing right now, and any legal problesm that might subsequently ensue. - Reading on Walden - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 3:15 pm: Governor Quinn would be hosting a victory party at his new home, the Governor’s Mansion, to thank the legislative leaders of both parties for passing a budget that: fully funds education, lowers property taxes, raises the state income tax (and raises some sales tax items), saves the day for public transportation including areas outside Chiicago, stabilizes state pension funds, freezes utility rates for the short term, until they can fully discuss the matter in the next session. Everyone’s input appreciated. Former Senate President Jones and former Speaker Madigan sent their good wishes, but unfortunately, couldn’t make the celebration. Oh, what an exciting time. For one brief, shining moment, a budget is passed with “the works.” Alas, it is only a dream. - annon - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 4:40 pm: if he just showed up would be more than ole’ boy blago has done in his entire term. i think i hear the “impeachment” vigilanties heading towards {almost said Spfld}…more like chicago or the nearest airport - Rich Miller - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 4:43 pm: “Annon” you need to get your hearing checked. Don’t delude yourself about impeachment. Ain’t gonna happen with what we have in front of us today. - annon - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 4:56 pm: No deception of mind at this end. My hearing is just fine…thanks for asking. Your right too with what we have in front of us today probably the last thing on the legislatures agenda …. very serious problems that aren’t getting fixed should be the 1st. Folk are just frustrated with what goes on down there. The only deception of mind by some is thinking they can govern. - ArchPundit - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 5:11 pm: It strikes me that the impeachment talk is rather silly. If you really want to take the Governor down, the Republicans should work with Madigan and some in the Senate to pass a veto proof budget and override him. Given Emil’s position that would be hard to impossible, but it’s more likely than impeachment. - Anonymous ZZZ - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 5:22 pm: We, the “little people” of the State of Illinois would be invited to join a contest to see who could craft the best budget and then, once the best one is chosen, every citizen in Illinois would be urged to sign a petition urging the Governor and General Assembly to pass it. - Squideshi - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 6:31 pm: “Squid, do you see that Cutback as a good thing or no?” No. The Cutback Amendment was not a good thing. It was a step backwards for democracy–replacing a system of proportional representation with winner-take-all plurality elections. There is no reason that a candidate should be entitled to 100% of the representation in a district, especially when it’s possible to win with as little as 34% in a three-way race. If you want to cut back the size of the General Assembly, make it a unicameral legislature. We don’t need two houses–abolish the Senate. - Squideshi - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 6:35 pm: “What if JBT won? Might as well ask, ‘What if Rich Whitney won?’” I think that’s an excellent question to ask. Blagojevich did a little greenwashing following the election; but ironically, he missed the entire message of the Whitney campaign, which was not just ecological wisdom but also clean government, accountability, and a better way to make decisions. - Disgusted - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 7:20 pm: First there would be “dancin’ in the street.” Then we would be tightening our fiscal belts, and coming up with a budget that keeps the state working while not increasing monies to anything non-essential to the taxpayers. No raises for legislators and no earmarks. No loopholes for the rich or big business. A tolerable raise in state income tax and a plan to include the rank and file workers in coming up with cost saving ideas and having them implemented. Campaigns to be funded by the candidate and no federal or contributions. We should all live to see it!!! - Recall Ryan - Monday, Jul 9, 07 @ 9:33 pm: Quinn did more as a private citizen, whether you like every action or not, than this Governor has done as a SITTING GOVERNOR of the state of Illinois. From starting CUB - Citizens Utility Board for you House interns, to the Cutback Amednement - a grassroots petition drive in 1982 that gathered more signatures in the history of Illinois than any other Illinois peittion drive, the guy is really with the grassroots people of the state. The ordinary PEOPLE voted on the cutback amendment after Quinn petitioned it on the ballot with his troops. Nowadays there isn’t an organizer in the state of Illinois who can touch Quinn’s abilities. “Grasroots” sadly means blogging for most political junkies - not getting out and meeting people. Who could get over 400,000 signatures today ? NOBODY ! David Wilhelm told me Quinn got him to move to Illinois to be in politics in the early 1980s - this is Bill Clinton’s 1992 Campaign Manager and former head of the DNC. Ditto Foest Claypool and many others. I think most Illinois pols are really lacking in intellect, organizing skills, and are not the true cream of the crop in the state of Illinois. Quinn is one exception - a truly brilliant political guy who got into politics instead of hedge funds. He deserves to be governor because he actually isn’t someone’s son, daughter, relative, or cousin but somone who has proven over 30 years a commitment to honestly trying to make the lives of our Illinois residents a lot better. If he were governor, we would be treating our returning soldiers like the true heroes they are, and the concept of integrity would be something not forgotten as some inconvenient political value. at the national and local level i am severely dissaointed in the quality of leadership and think the best and brightest just go into private sector endeavours. Quinn is one exception. As Governor - my bet is we would be talking about how Quinn was voted the BEST most innovative Governor in the United States. Some here may for personal reasons dislike Pat, but even many of those would concede there is some truth to that he probably would be a great governor. - Criminal Enterprise Called Illinois - Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 9:13 pm: Pat Quinn would make an EXCELLENT governor. I have LOVED him since the early 1980s. He is the real deal. Bring him on! Please! Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.