Dug in deep
Friday, Oct 19, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Gov. Blagojevich’s annual fundraiser was last night in Chicago. He spoke for 15 minutes and the Tribune has this priceless outtake…
Blagojevich said he was proud of his work in the overtime legislative session that has been marked by his sparring with House Speaker Michael Madigan, a fellow Democrat.
“If you measure success on whether or not you are doing things for people, this is the most successful session in years,” Blagojevich said, citing his push for more money for schools and health care.
* Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn’s demand that Gov. Blagojevich urge Senate President Emil Jones to move the “pay to play” bill to the Senate floor drew these responses yesterday…
It’s narrow,” Blagojevich spokeswoman Rebecca Rausch said. “We should pass campaign-finance reform, and we should do it right.”
“We have an alternative bill,” Jones spokeswoman Cindy Davidsmeyer said. “It deals not only with pay-to-play, but with ethics concerning pensions and procurement.”
So, why not move that “alternative bill”? One reason is that Senators vastly prefer the House bill because they know it’s do-able and have been putting pressure on leadership not to call the other proposal.
* Next up, Comptroller Dan Hynes, who took a whack at Blagojevich yesterday, but also had some digs for Speaker Madigan…
Although an overall spending plan has been approved, several companion bills also must pass before all of the money can be spent. Without them, schools can’t get all of the extra money promised them in the budget, and the Illinois State Police could face severe financial shortfalls that could lead to layoffs.
“If nothing else, it would be a show of good faith to say we’ve got to put the personalities aside, we’ve got to put away the personal rancor and really start getting down to business,” Hynes said. “There is a growing sentiment out there among everyday people who normally don’t follow state government that this is ridiculous.”
Those budget implementation bills are being held up by House Speaker Michael Madigan, who wants the Senate to override the governor’s budget vetoes before he’ll release the BIMP bills. More from Hynes…
Hynes also criticized the atmosphere in the Capitol where various leaders hold bills hostage to others. Several lawmakers have said the companion budget bills, a Chicago mass-transit bailout and a capital construction program are all linked and that there must be agreement on all of them before any of them are called for a vote.
“To have this public posturing of ‘We’re not going to pass a [BIMP] bill until this happens,’ or ‘We’re not going to pass a capital bill until that happens’ — everybody gets hurt,” Hynes said.
House GOP Leader Tom Cross, Senate President Emil Jones and Gov. Blagojevich don’t want to act on the mass transit bailout bill until the capital bill is passed.
* Related stories, compiled by Paul…
* Durbin hits state leaders in Peotone airport delay; more here
* Hynes jabs top Democrats with ‘fairy tale’
* Rep. Fritchey: On latest calls for ending pay to play
* Editorial: Allow vote on state ethics bill
* Editorial: Need a cure for culture of corruption
* Editorial: Voters should get the last laugh, but probably won’t
* Rockford mayor urges state to OK capitol plan
- Ghost - Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 9:26 am:
Short version of my past comments, Madigan has to hold up the BIMP to force Jones to honor his promise on the original budget, or Madigan is failing to do the job he was elected to do. If he lets Jones break his word and his deals, then he is not doing what the people elected him to do. Jones and Blago have seized govt, cutting money from those who speak out against them, firing family members of their opponents. In short, Jones and Blago are engaged in the worst sort of political Tyrany and must be stopped. If madigan does not hold Jones to his word and his deals, then he becomes a spineless puppet. Madigan is right to hold up the BIMP until Jones shows a modicum of honor and just lets the vetos be called up for a vote!!!
Anyone who says the work of the people is not being done is niave. The people need Madigan to lead by holding Jones accountable to is word, otherwise Madigan, and our represenatives, are failing the people.
- What's Blago Hiding? - Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 9:43 am:
The governor’s multimillion dollar campaign fund has shrunk since his 2006 re-election to roughly $284,000 as of June 30. The campaign has spent more than $1.1 million in legal fees since the federal investigation ramped up in 2006, but Blagojevich officials have declined to provide details on the payments. That is why House Bill 0001 is dead and will stay dead.
- Ka Ching! - Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 9:51 am:
So how much money did Gov. Blagojevich’s annual fundraiser raise?
More importantly, what deals were made?
- Lotta Liaison - Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 10:20 am:
If the pay to play bill is too narrow, then the Gov should send one his dozens of lawyers to LRB to get something drafted that is broader in scope and present the proposal to the legislative leaders and staff. Enough whining.
- Garp - Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 10:32 am:
Blago just got done blowing his opponent out of the water by outspending with media saturation to the point that the term “What is she thinking” is still regularly referenced in blogs, newspaper columns and by political commentators. The phrase has become part of our vocabulary. This was possible because of “pay to play” fundraising. How can any true Illinois politician think the gov would dump that fund raising vehicle? What is Pat thinking?
- D'Argent - Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 10:36 am:
Was Winston & Strawn at the annual fundraiser?
Plus Winston & Strawn provides legal services to enterprises of all types and sizes, in both the private and the public sector. So how come they haven’t listed Governor Blagojevich of Illinois on their website?
- It’s narrow - Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 10:43 am:
Bet the checkbooks were open last.
First to keep their fearless leader outta prison, secondly to keep themselves outta prison too.
- Napoleon Has Left The Building - Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 10:47 am:
Rich
Did anything noteworthy occur at yesterday’s House public safety hearing on the capital bill? Can you tell anything about which way the House is going?
- GettingJonesws - Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 10:57 am:
All the money goes to W&S. Good to see only 500 mopes were dumb enough to show up
I guess the BlunderBoy Blaggo fogot to mention and, as usual, the Tribune forgot to report that the increased spending for school and health care came from the Madigan budget. Great job guys.
Was Chief of Staff Ronen the opening act?
- Blago's Defense Fund - Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 11:17 am:
Where was the fundraiser? And why wasn’t the press allowed in?
- Cassandra - Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 11:36 am:
Yup, he’s going to run again in 2010. Gotta get started sometime.
- Team Sleep - Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 11:36 am:
It’s interesting that the Governor thinks that not accomplishing anything is actually accomplishing something. Am I missing something here? There are crazy people who stand on the street corner and yell things. Does that mean they are accomplishing anything for society? I don’t think so. Yet Blago is equating inaction with action. Maybe Plato would be proud, but then he would lecture Blago on why civic engagement and intelligent policy are also requirements.
- Northside Bunker - Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 11:59 am:
Team Sleep ~ Don’t-cha-know
“It’s Always Sunny on 2934 West Sunnyside Avenue”
107-0: Illinois House crushes gov’s tax plan but that was a win.
- Fantasma - Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 12:35 pm:
Hmm, one would think the Comptroller of Illinois would realize this: The BIMP bills the House has before it cannot be passed yet. Since Jones backed out on his word, there are irrelevant pieces in the BIMPs that cannot and should not be passed…unless the Senate overrides the Governor’s vetoes. I also found it ironic that all of the blame was placed on Blago and Madigan, I’m sorry, but where was Jones in this mess?
- Captain America - Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 1:02 pm:
Dan Hynes steps up to the plate and hits extra base hits, if not home runs, with his honest observations about our flawed and/or corrupted leaders in Springfield. Hynes scores again with his candid comments about the ills of our body politic.
Average citizens in Illinois are being held hostage to clashing egos and conflicting personalities in Springfield.
Someone other that newspaper editorial writers has to be willing to speak truth to the “powers that be” in Springfield. When will other reponsible political leaders speak out and act to end the stalemate in Springfield.
- Deep Blue Sea - Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 1:23 pm:
Was Tony Rezko permitted to go to the Blagojevich Defense Fund/Fundraiser?
- Captain America - Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 1:48 pm:
I think Blago “plagiarized” Forest Claypool or Mike Quigley with respect to the “perfect storm of taxes” comment. But imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
- Squideshi - Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 1:54 pm:
“Although the media were not allowed inside the event, Blagojevich’s speech could be heard through the open windows on the second floor of A. Finkl’s old personnel offices.”
Did anyone bother to ask WHY the media was not allowed inside? Why doesn’t the media take Blagojevich to task on this?
“A smattering of elected officials attended the event, along with many current administration officials. Also attending were two former top aides to Blagojevich who have since become lobbyists: Lon Monk, his former chief-of-staff, and Joe Cini, his former patronage chief.”
This is what we call the revolving door.
“Quinn and Blagojevich have a chilly relationship despite being running mates. Quinn, however, maintained he simply is on a mission to ensure a stricter ethics bill is passed.”
How has that worked out for Quinn, attempting to work within the Blagojevich, Jones, Madigan Democratic Party of Illinois?
“A spokeswoman for Blagojevich said the governor wants a more sweeping ethics package than what is in the House bill, which calls for contribution limits and prohibits corporations receiving more than $25,000 in state contracts from making campaign contributions to officeholders overseeing those contracts.”
Contribution limits? How about full public financing of public elections? This is what Blagojevich would support if he truly believed in “setting the bar high and making a difference,” as Rebecca Rausch says he does. Baloney.
Rich Miller wrote, “So, why not move that ‘alternative bill’? One reason is that Senators vastly prefer the House bill because they know it’s do-able and have been putting pressure on leadership not to call the other proposal.”
That’s a lame excuse–the same one that legislators always use when they don’t want to support a bill. If they support the bill, they should move the bill, regardless if they think it will pass or not. To fail to do so only makes them the biggest part of the reason why the bill won’t pass, so they still get the blame.
“Hynes also criticized the atmosphere in the Capitol where various leaders hold bills hostage to others.”
Kudos to Hynes on this analysis.
Rich Miller wrote, “House GOP Leader Tom Cross, Senate President Emil Jones and Gov. Blagojevich don’t want to act on the mass transit bailout bill until the capital bill is passed.”
Why are we calling this a bailout? In my opinion, that seems to imply that mass transit has done something wrong and now needs to be “bailed out” just like bailing someone out of jail when they’ve done wrong. Isn’t it just as likely that the General Assembly is to blame? Why not call this mass transit investment bill?
Cross, Jones, and Blagojevich should not be holding this bill hostage for political reasons. If the bill is good public policy, pass it.
“U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) chided Gov. Rod Blagojevich and the state’s legislative leaders Thursday for their ‘inaction’ regarding plans for a proposed regional airport near Peotone.”
Now we see why many people won’t be voting for Dick Durbin, despite his popularity. He holds the standard Demopublican/Republicrat position on this issue–destroy the local community and replace it with an unnecessary and unjustified airport.
“Will County Executive Larry Walsh said in a statement. ‘I agree that further delays could jeopardize the viability of this project, and our residents deserve a final decision on whether this airport is going to become a reality.’”
Wow. Larry Walsh is now actually leaving open the possibility that the airport may NOT automatically be a reality? He must have actually been spending some time in eastern Will County listening to his constituents there. Before now, it was a simply a done deal, with separate Demopublican or Republicat implementation plans. I wonder when Jessie is going to poke his head back into this.
For those of you who don’t know anything about this area, this has become a terrible burden upon the rural communities, people, farmers, and families, surrounding Peotone.
“Is there a doctor - or perhaps a federal prosecutor - who can finally cure us? Our eyebrows are starting to hurt.”
There is a simple cure. Stop resigning to elect a lesser evil and stop electing these people.
“Then, when Election Day arrives, voters should ask as they look at each candidate, whether that individual was part of the solution or part of the problem.”
I agree; and not only that, they should look at each PARTY and ask which were a part of the solution or a part of the problem. Plus, we should have the ability to recall our elected officials when they’re performing as poorly as this.
- Lainer - Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 2:56 pm:
At least one story I read refers to Quinn as Blago’s “estranged lieutenant governor,” which makes them sound like a married couple on the verge of divorce.
- Refreshing - Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 3:04 pm:
Squideshi
Truer words were never spoken, but none of it will ever happen especially while Blagojevich is governor of Illinois.
- A Citizen - Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 5:34 pm:
Excellent post Squid! And not one mention of Green. That’s a first.
- Deep Brown Sewage - Friday, Oct 19, 07 @ 7:22 pm:
Where was Chris Kelly?
- Squideshi - Sunday, Oct 21, 07 @ 12:39 pm:
A Citizen wrote, “Excellent post Squid! And not one mention of Green. That’s a first.”
I knew I forgot something.
Thanks.