* There’s more to it than what I wrote today, but things were changing so fast yesterday that I didn’t have time to get to it all before my deadline. Anyway, here’s my Sun-Times column…
Maybe now that Lisa Madigan has decided to stay put as Illinois’ attorney general, Gov. Pat Quinn can finally relax a little and get down to the business of governing.
When Quinn was sworn in after Rod Blagojevich’s impeachment and removal, he seemed like a guy who wanted to do what was right, regardless of the political consequences.
He proposed an unpopular tax increase because he knew it was the only real and honest way to comply with the state’s Constitution and balance the budget, despite the continued protestations of Fantasy Island naysayers.
He demanded serious pension reforms that freaked out the teachers unions and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees — two enormously influential interest groups.
He proposed a couple of steep budget cuts that enraged the Service Employees International Union, which has been one of the top players in Illinois politics for most of this decade.
Quinn made it abundantly clear that he was prepared to sacrifice his own political future to do what he believed was right. Whether you agreed with him or not, the new governor’s attitude was quite refreshing.
But then, things started going haywire in a hurry.
He’s not a very capable manager, and it really showed. He is, by all reports, an inexperienced, stubborn micromanager who refuses to listen to sound advice.
And, for whatever reason, he’s one of those guys who doesn’t seem to realize that he loses credibility when he abruptly changes position. After he infuriated the teachers unions by demanding that their members pay another two percentage points from their paychecks into the pension fund, he backed off during a speech to a teachers union rally. But he never got anything from the unions in return, so it was a pointless gesture.
The same thing was true about his tax increase proposal. He refused to budge off a big tax increase for corporations, then offered to drop most of it, even though nobody had ever agreed to support the revised plan.
Quinn’s flip-flops are becoming legendary. He said he’d sign the public works bill right away, but then changed his mind and tried to use the job-creating bill to pry votes loose for his income tax increase. He testified in favor of the Senate Democrats’ tax increase plan, then a few hours later said he was for a different plan. He made his reputation as a government reformer, then wholeheartedly agreed to a woefully inadequate reform bill, then privately indicated that he might veto it.
People around the governor say some of this can be blamed on the threat that Lisa Madigan posed. He knew he was finished if she ran, even if he somehow managed to beat her in the primary. Her father, the House speaker, would’ve made Quinn’s life unbearable. The threat meant the governor just wasn’t thinking right.
Quinn’s news conference earlier this week was described by the Sun-Times editorial page as “confusing and bewildering.”
He looked to me like he was melting down in front of our very eyes. I was actually worried for him.
But, lo and behold, just one day after Lisa Madigan decided to run for re-election, Quinn looked like he was pulling himself together.
First, he announced he would sign the massive public works bill that has been awaiting his action for weeks.
Then, he bowed to the harsh Springfield reality and said he could accept a temporary, five-month budget, even though it could mean he has to sign a tax increase into law a month before his own Democratic primary.
Maybe, just maybe, he’s finally starting to settle down and really govern. Let’s hope so. It was all getting too weird, even for me.
- Deep South - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 8:46 am:
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.
- Downstater - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 9:00 am:
This is all good news for the Republicans. Madigans backing out of the Govenors race seems like and indication she could lose the general election. 2010 could be a bad year for democrats in Illinois. Lisa is young enough to sit back as AG, assuming she wins, and live to run for Gov. or Senator another day.
- Six Degrees of Separation - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 9:00 am:
A cynic or tinfoil hatter might say: a deal was cut, LM agrees not to run for gov, and PQ agrees to take his cues from MJM. And even though I believe it’s more complicated than that, appearances are everything in this bidness.
- Born in the USA - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 9:01 am:
I agree 100% However I am tired of the hold that the Madigans have on this state….people need to stop feeding their egos….and vote them out.
- Levois - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 9:07 am:
This was weird? Can he hold a candle to Ousted governor?
- Rob_N - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 9:09 am:
Born, There are only 2 Madigans in state office and one of whom is representing a single, solitary House district (meaning only a few thousand people decide whether to keep him or not).
Admittedly, by way of indirect parliamentary voting, he does “represent” the entire state as Speaker of the House… but you and I (unless you’re a State Rep) cannot “vote him out” of that office.
And as Attorney General the only other Madigan in state office doesn’t exactly have a “hold” on the state. The fact she was rejected by the State Supreme Court when she attempted to remove Blago by reason of insanity is just one illustration of that.
You may dislike the Madigans, but at least be honest about what power they do or don’t have, and whether you and I can or cannot “vote them out”.
–
Downstater,
Witless national pundits kept saying every Obama misstep during 2008 “was good news for McCain”…
And several Illinoisans during 2006 thought everything bad about Blago was “good news for the GOP”.
November, 2010 is a long way off. Who knows what will happen between now and then.
And, no, Lisa Madigan deciding to run for re-election is not an indication she might lose in the general if she ran for Gov.
It’s an indication she has a toddler and a kindergartener.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 9:12 am:
Six, your conspiracy theories are getting old. We’ll address them soon.
- Cassandra - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 9:12 am:
While he is working on his governing skills, and should a 5-month budget be implemented, perhaps he could use the time to marshal his Blago budgeteers in the direction of finding alternatives to his highly regressive income tax increase. Even if such a tax is needed, it could be smaller or could be made less regressive as by putting the exemption back up where it was or even increasing it further. The recession is unlikely to be over until the end of 2010 at the
earliest. Taxpayers need a break as long as possible.
Of course, the budget analysts should already be doing this, but that takes motivation and competence. Changing the computer to increase the personal income tax is so much easier. And once implemented, it’ll be an endless cash machine for the Dems.
He could look at those corporate loopholes again and restore the proposed corporate tax to the highest possible in tandem with a revised income tax proposal. He could look at doing a better job of collecting business debt owed to the state (some have suggested selling the debt), consider upfront tax witholding on independent contractors (California proposal) and consider renegotiating
at least some of the 50,000 or so state contracts(another California proposal). We are all bargaining for lower prices in the real world these days. Should state contractors, whatever their connections to powerful Dem interests, be exempt.
I’m not a budget expert but I pay a lot of taxes and I think it’s fair to ask Quinn’s well-paid staff to do some innovating instead of assuming that the income tax way is the best way and the only way. What’s the harm of thinking, after all?
- beyebs - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 9:13 am:
Politics aside, maybe…just maybe she realized that family is more important and that the family lifestyle she would be sacrificing by taking on the challenges of being a governor is not worth it at this time. I think she is in the driver’s seat for quite some time.
- Anonymous - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 9:14 am:
Rob_N -
I think you are wrong. Lisa running for re-election IS good news for John McCain.
- State Worker - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 9:17 am:
Given the immensely difficult economic and political situations the new Governor has faced, his actions don’t appear weird at all. He was flustered from inexperience, and now seems to have ascended a steep learning curve.
- VanillaMan - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 9:17 am:
Not only does Quinn need to stop melting down and start governing, he also needs to stop making political mistakes. If he continues to stumble, it doesn’t matter if Madigan supports him in Office. It doesn’t matter if the Illinois Democrats rally around him. He will still find himself edged out of office by a competent GOP candidate, or a combination of candidates siphoning Cook County votes and splitting the ticket in that county. (Paging Reverend Meeks - here is your big chance to get some educational issues addressed in your favor!)
Quinn has to stop fumbling. He still has to face the firing squad daily, and walk away without being fatally wounded. He hasn’t been very graceful, and since he is such a huge target, he will need better bulletproofing from his Party.
He will be on the defensive. His 2010 run will be as an incumbant for a failed government. An ability to wallow through every crisis will not be enough if he faces a competent GOP candidate.
It is easy to extrapolate yesterday’s or today’s political environment into the future. For Democrats to do so regarding their political opposition, it would be a big mistake. The GOP might have been a blind pig over the past decade, but the truffle that the Illinois Democrats have become is easily found. The GOP will do what it has in the past - nominate a moderate.
As a result, Quinn must do much, much better. He has to hope voters have an extremely short memory.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 9:18 am:
Cassandra, if you “pay a lot of taxes” then you probably itemize and deduct your state taxes from your federal return. So, please consider this when you brag about the taxes you pay.
- Leave a Light on George - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 9:25 am:
…perhaps he could use the time to marshal his Blago budgeteers …
Or he could get rid of Blago’s holdovers and restore some integrity to state government.
- Louis Howe - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 9:28 am:
Rich…Good summation of the situation in your column….unfortunately, Quinn actually is “an inexperienced, stubborn micromanager who refuses to listen to sound advice” and that won’t change with Lisa out of the race. Quinn has 30 plus years around Springfield, but he seems to have a flat lined learning curve. That’s too bad because he’s a decent guy with very good intentions.
- Cassandra - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 9:32 am:
Well, it seems like a chunk out of my limited budget. Not sure how that is bragging.
However, I want to say again: The Quinn administration needs to do the work and look at every possible alternative to increasing the tax burden on middle class citizens in
a major recession whose length is still uncertain. I don’t believe they have done that work. A five month hiatus would give them the time to do so. Doing a better job of collecting taxes already owed would be a good start.
- Ramsin - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 9:34 am:
Six, a tinfoil hatter might also say that a reanimated Richard J. Daley corpse is haunting MJM at night, Christmas Carol style, rattling his chains and instructing Madigan on how state and county jobs should be used to keep the patronage army around long enough to herald his second coming.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 9:35 am:
3 percent itemized on your federal return ain’t a huge chunk.
- sal-says - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 9:41 am:
The problem with Quinn’s ‘flip-flops’ is that he apparently couldn’t deal with being ‘under pressure’ from Lisa or whatever. He’s been around politics for 30 years; he should have had an inkling of what was to come. Past flip-flops won’t add to his credibility in 2010.
- Six Degrees of Separation - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 9:43 am:
Rich-
I think you know me well enough by my posting history that I am not one of “those” people, and that “these” are not “my” conspiracy theories. I’m just sayin’ the way the events have unfolded have a strong appearance that can be taken advantage of by “those” who are predisposed, and even by the casual observer.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 9:45 am:
Six, after your comment yesterday (not your name, but your IP address), I think it’s safe to say that you’re a conspiracy theorist.
- Six Degrees of Separation - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 9:45 am:
Rich-
I didn’t post yesterday. Honest.
- You Go Boy - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 9:59 am:
Louis Howe: My thoughts exactly. Flip-flops on major issues/decisions breeds an atmosphere where little can be trusted or counted on, which are essential to effective governance. I’d prefer an ass running things effectively than a “good guy” who can’t tie his shoe without changing his mind about it. Time will tell if Rich is right about Pat Q. getting it together…is he capable of that is the question.
- Six Degrees of Separation - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 10:08 am:
Rich-
My credibility means a lot to me.
Yesterday there were 456 posts to CapFax. Please identify the one that is in question. I was incommunicando for almost all of the day yesterday; otherwise, I would have been all over the capital bill discussion, at least. Also, there are others who share my IP, depending on where I post from.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 10:12 am:
Six, I’m sorry if I made a mistake. If you e-mail me, I’ll be happy to send you the link. But as far as I can tell, you’re the only one who ever posts from this particular IP address.
- dupage dan - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 10:12 am:
Saying that PQ has bumbled due to inexerience is silly. The man has been in Illinois politics for decades and has held more than one elected office. No one can say that he doesn’t know who MJM is or how the speaker operates. He may have found his footing but he has lost the confidence of many. This will all be thrown back in his face by primary opponents and the GOP candidate during the general election. How he explains the flopping and flipping will be a flip flop in itself.
In this upcoming election cycle the anger that voters have with the democratic party will be very difficult to surmount. Incumbent parties that preside over crises of their own making are thrown out. Doesn’t matter if they are good or bad - that’s just the way it is.
- Yellow Dog - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 10:13 am:
I think the last six months have proved that the greatest threat to Pat Quinn isn’t and never was Lisa Madigan.
The greatest threat to Pat Quinn is Pat Quinn.
He’s spent the last six months debating, disagreeing and negotiating with himself.
It was only half-jokingly that many commenters on this blog have suggested Quinn might soon announce he’s resigning and running against himself.
Will Madigan’s announcement make Quinn and his staff any less paranoid about MJM’s motivations? Maybe, but I doubt it. Just as Mike Madigan is Mike Madigan, Pat Quinn is Pat Quinn, and the people around him remain who they are: flip-flopping, hesitating, unclear, reactive, and paranoid.
My bet is that the conspiracy theorists at Camp Quinn are trying to decide whether Lisa Madigan bowed out because MJM is secretly backing Dillard, or MJM is using Hynes to get at Quinn.
Nevermind that, as much as Madigan loves his hold on power, he holds onto it because he believes in the Democratic Party. A former precinct captain, the son of a precinct captain, he believes that he and the Democratic Party are the last bastion protecting the common people. Is he a fiscally conservative Democrat? Yes. Does he make choices on issues or legislation that I disagree with, you disagree with, sometimes maybe even the majority of Democrats disagree with? Yes. But he’s still a Democrat. And frankly, I don’t know whom all of its critics think would make a better Speaker or Party Chairman.
Hell, Madigan’s such a good Democrat that he even begrudgingly supported Blago’s re-election. Yet people presume he’s out to cut Quinn off at the knees?
Despite that, I’m sure that Camp Quinn will settle on whichever conspiracy theory involves the most unicorns.
- Dem Observer - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 10:15 am:
RIch,
Great column. I hope Quinn is listening (for once).
- fed up - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 10:21 am:
Yesterday on WLS lisa Madigan stated (Paraphrasing here) that the state needs to go through the budget line by line and deciede what is really neccasary and what can be cut. She stated this has not been done yet. She did say this may not be enough to solve the budget crisis but that it needs to be done before going to the taxpayers asking for more money. Why has this not been done yet and will quinn ever get around to it?
- wordslinger - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 10:45 am:
–He’s spent the last six months debating, disagreeing and negotiating with himself.–
That about sums it up.
Great bomb-thrower, gadfly and thorn in the side of power.
I don’t think he ever expected to have real power and responsibility.
It’s like the farm dog chasing the semi out on the highway. The fun is in the chase. If he ever catches it, he’s likely to end up under the wheels.
- So Blue Democrat - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 11:13 am:
If Lisa Madigan wants the budget reviewed line by line, my question is who makes the decisions? I agree it should be done, but there will be a political war over most of these appropriation lines. The program/grant lines that various state agencies administer were created by the General Assembly. They voted to create these human service programs and voted to expand most of them. Most of these appropriations are fulfilling valid human service needs.
The reason she is not running for Governor (besides concern about her family) is that she does not want to take leadership to make the hard decisions. She also does not want to alienate the Democratic base since she does plan to run for higher political office in the future. It is easy for her to make these general statements without any examples of what she would cut.
- Six Degrees of Separation - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 11:14 am:
Rich-
Sent you a message. None of the posts on the “Daddy Conspiracy” thread of yesterday are mine, either as SDoS or anyone else.
- Ill_will - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 11:19 am:
Six degrees:
Maybe it’s a conspiracy. Lol
I realize this is important to you, and to us all.
- Will County Woman - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 11:25 am:
Rich,
Re: Your Column (Thank you for not suggesting that he inherited a mess, because that is not what his problem IS about)
Hasn’t the damage already been done by Quinn’s lack of leadership? Isn’t it too late? After all he’s given the republicans and possibly any democratic challenger a LOT of ammunition to use against him in campaign attack ads and in debates etc. such as the budget crisis, hysteria and pandemonium among service providers, and because of him the vulnerable and poor are now truly suffering. His inability to lead has caused a lot of chaos, and that was just in two months time. Very unbecoming of a governor or anyone with prospects for being or remaining governor, and all of which I do not think voters are likely to forget any time soon.
I suggest this because we are in a recession, and as people are suffering and likely to be suffering for quite some time it will make it difficult to forget a lot of the unnecessary pain that he has inflicted.
I hate to sound politically cliche, but this was not the year for on the job learning, especially not from someone like quinn who has been around for 30 years. In the very beginning his tax budget proposal was soundly attacked, as flawed. the attacks came from good government groups and other nonparitisan. Many of those attacking, in earnest, offered to help him come up with something better. Did he listen? No. He stubbornly insisted on the tax hike as his first, last and only defense to solving the budget gap. The recent stunts that he pulled with legislators were not good either. He’s lucky that Mike Madigan cannot publicly throw party support to someone else, but…
The governor’s office was his to lose, and I think he has already lost it.
- Lori - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 11:36 am:
Yellow Dog says it best!
- Will County Woman - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 11:53 am:
- So Blue Democrat - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 11:13 am:
paragraph # 2
rightfully nails lisa madigan for the fraud that she is.
so when the going gets tough i Illinois, she runs away from the one job that she has pining over for the last six years. Her exucse the other night when interviewed by carol marin, that she just wanted to take on the corrupt blago was laughable. there is more to her not running, but no one will press her on it, and of course she’ll never come clean about in her own right.
- Ghost - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 12:10 pm:
Rich, I agree. I was picking up a strogn sense yesterday that Quinn was matruing or changing his apporach and was doingmuch better at managing the politics. At the time I thought it was just exp finally kicking in, and missed the corollary to haveing LMad removed as an issue for him. In either event, this gives me hope that Quinn is going to be able o start leading.
=== Madigans backing out of the Govenors race seems like and indication she could lose the general election. ====
LMad family has always been improtent to her, and if you go back and check she has frequently indicated concerns a different position might have on her family. She has a 1 yeard old and a 4 year old. I doubt very very highly that LMad decision was anything other then what she said. Sometimes, a duck is just a duck.
- Rambler - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 12:20 pm:
An informative and balanced review of Quinn’s tenure — interesting.
Cassandra, I’m glad that someone out there is concerned about progressive taxation. Evidently the Dem’s aren’t. I’d be OK with 4.5% for 2 years, if that’s still what Quinn is proposing. It will be interesting to see if the Enabling Act passed by the Senate will have repercussions for its supporters.
- Will County Woman - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 1:11 pm:
@ Ghost,
ok so it was quinn cannot lead because mike madigan is trying to make him look bad so lisa can run for governor.
now it’s quinn couldn’t lead because he was afraid of lisa madigan opposing him.
when the simple truth of the matter is…quinn just can’t lead.
- State Worker - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 1:37 pm:
Re: Quinn’s experience. It’s true he is a veteran of Illinois politics, but governor is an entirely different kettle of fish. Also, he finds himself in an unprecedented situation. Today’s intensity and sense of crisis far exceeds even the Blagojevich years. Everybody is improvising to some extent.
- Six Degrees of Separation - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 1:48 pm:
Rich-
I do not want to leave this as a loose end.
Suffice to say, I do accept your apology “if a mistake was made”…however, if it happened to me where you think someone is who they are not, because of a posting from a corporate or government IP address that could conceivably have multiple users, things could get out of hand. And we do have an environment here where most people are posting anonymously, for whatever reasons. So those posters are somewhat in a trick bag when trying to settle a public question in this manner.
As a long time commenter here, I do admit that my heart felt like a rock when you called me out publicly for what you thought were my “tinfoil hat” comments yesterday. And I provided some circumstantial evidence to you that I could not have been one of the posters in question yesterday. I suppose I could give you some witnesses to depose if you felt so inclined.
However, I suspect this is not something that is as high up on your priority list as it is on mine.
In the interest of protecting the sanctity and ID of the users of this blog, have you ever considered a more secure method of logging on and commenting, where issues such as “Sixgate” are minimized? I have seen some identity hijacking occur here previously, and you were able to sort it out and punish the offender. All the same, if a more secure way of commenting were offered, it might free you up to do what you do best and leave the policing to others.
TIA,
SDoS
- Will County Woman - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 3:04 pm:
@ State Worker - Friday, Jul 10, 09 @ 1:37 pm:
It was quinn who in the weeks prior to blago’s removal publicly professed, “I’m ready to lead.”
leadership requires that one be able to adapt to situations, and certainly not makes matters worse. the current budget crisis is quinn’s doing. It never had to come to all of this. the legislative leaders told quinn that he was moving in the wrong direction, but he didn’t make any adjustments and just stayed on the same failed course. thus, here we are today with STILL no budget.
Obama got some break in saying that he inhereted a mess. But, he doesn’t get a break on how he chooses to handle the mess that he inherited. I think obama understands that fundamental truism of leadership. he has to make the right calls in addressing the hand he has been dealt. His correct thinking on this is when he says in effect that if my approach proves wrong or doesn’t work, then I should not be re-elected.
- Under My Wheels, Baby... - Sunday, Jul 12, 09 @ 12:18 pm:
Wordslinger: Amen.