* The Tribune has finally uploaded the video from its editorial board “debate” between Gov. Pat Quinn and Comptroller Dan Hynes. You can watch the two-part video by going to the main editorial page and looking at the lower right side.
I excerpted one pretty testy back and forth between Hynes and Quinn. Hynes is usually a pretty placid guy, but he went off several times during this exchange and really showed some passion. The excerpt is definitely worth a look and it gets more interesting as the video goes on, so stay with it…
* Some of that back and forth had to do with Hynes’ refusal to approve Quinn’s $500 million short-term borrowing plan. ABC7 ran a story yesterday about an AARP press conference that you should definitely watch. For some reason, I can no longer get the station’s embed script to work, so it’s just words on this end again today…
The state of Illinois, with an estimated $11 billion to $13 billion deficit, owes an estimated $4.5 billion to its vendors. AARP says the creditors include 200 agencies around the state that serve the elderly that could be forced out of business within weeks.
“I have no funds to make payroll next week for my staff,” said Champaign Senior Care Provider Carol Acord.
“For our last payroll, our family had to deplete all of our savings,” said Norman James of Family Home Services, Inc. “So that we can keep our employees out there working and providing the service that the seniors need.” […]
But the worst-off providers want the state to use whatever means to pay what it owes now and save the politics for later.
“Put aside our partisan differences, our political aspirations, and take emergency action now,” said Democratic Rep. Greg Harris who represents Chicago.
* Comptroller Hynes claimed in the above Tribune debate video that fully a third of state revenues will have to used to pay off existing short-term loans come March and April. And as I told you yesterday, S&P downgraded Illinois’ general obligation debt and retained its negative outlook on the state’s credit. More on that from Reuters…
S&P said the negative outlook was retained because of the state’s “questionable” willingness to implement difficult and politically unpopular measures to restore a budget balance.
“There’s been very limited action on addressing the shortfall,” said Robin Prunty, an S&P analyst.
In its downgrade affecting $19 billion of outstanding Illinois GO debt, S&P said Illinois rolled its fiscal 2009 budget deficit into fiscal 2010, which in turn was balanced “with various spending reductions and a plan for debt restructuring to provide budget savings; the savings from both are uncertain at this time.”
The state also turned to one-time measures, such as a plan to issue $3.5 billion of pension notes to raise money for its fiscal 2010 payment to pension funds. That “might create out-year budget pressure,” S&P said.
The governor says in the excerpted Tribune video that the financial situation here is “stable.” Hynes responded: “If that’s stability, I’d hate to see chaos.” How right he is.
Umm… in that Trib debate, did Hynes really say, “That’s your job” to make cuts, and not the legislators?
Really, Dan Hynes?
Hynes was blatantly lying in that debate. Quinn’s introduced budget DID include cuts.
I would love to Hynes actually say how he would cut his way out of this mess, or how he would have cut his way out of the mess last year. Because his plan sure wouldn’t have done it.
Frankly, I’ve been involved in Democratic politics for nearly 30 years and it’s embarrassing after Blago was impeached and convicted that democrats couldn’t come together with a reasonable budget plan.
Quinn spent months acting like he didn’t understand what executive leadership required by appointing social service administrators to run state agencies. Then, Madigan gave up and became suicidal when he demanded republican votes on any tax increase.
After eight years of complete democratic control of state government, Illinois is a basket case with a 50% budget deficit and the worst credit rating (other than CA) in America.
Will voters next fall decide they have “Had Enough?”
My sense is that Democratic candidates shouldn’t be making any long term career plans.
- Will County Woman - Friday, Dec 11, 09 @ 7:46 am:
Notice to all social service providers and agencies on the brink of death:
Maybe if Quinn hadn’t been so busy closing the Thomson deal before he actually bothered to roll the idea out to the people of Illinois and fundraising for his campaign in Washington, D.C., maybe he could have been overseeing that his borrowing plan was going off without a hitch and on its way to being signed off on SEVERAL WEEKS AGO. That is instead of waiting until the very last minute, with the calendar year deadline here, to notice and care about it. Maybe if he had made actually being governor and governing his priority, as opposed to running for governor all this year, Illinois wouldn’t be suffering for lack of effective leadership. This is directly related to the reason why so many of you social service providers and agencies and vendors are hurting. Are service providers and agencies aware that the Quinn administration as recent as the middle of last week had not even presented a final borrowing plan to the treasurer’s office, let alone the comptroller? When did Quinn start angling for the short-term borrowing plan part 2, late septmeber/early october?
-next-
Hynes, and just about every economist on the planet, looks at the financial situation that Illinois is in now and rightly concludes that short-term borrowing is not a good option; and, in fact just makes things worse (quinn knows this too). By the way, what did governor edgar do in 1992 when Quinn, as treasurer, refused to sign off on a short-term borrowing plan? obviously Quinn survived to see another political day, so should Dan Hynes. After all, Quinn reportedly made the decision to refuse to sign off as a matter of principle. He was looking out for what was in Illinois’ economic interest. So, Quinn or anyone else should not come crying now that Hynes uses the same or similar rationale. To his credit, for years Hynes has been trying to warn everyone that Illinois was headed for fiscal ruin.
-finally-
From march 19, 2009 on everything that has happened, and happens, in this state is on Quinn, fiscally speaking. he can’t cherry pick his way through this year and take claim for what he considers are the good things, while trying to ignore or disavow the bad (e.g., his repeated mishandling of state fiscal matters). Then he wants everybody to “help” him to govern, yet when it is convenient for him he takes credit when things go right, often no thanks to him.
this year has really been an eye-opener as to what quinn is all about and what he is not. of course it is true that the national economy and political corruption are factors, but illinoisans are not helped by Quinn’s weak governing style and inability to effectively lead (in crisis). he has made no adjustments this year, expect for those that have been politically expedient and in his political interest. As a case in point, earlier this week it was mentioned on the blog that in order to become a good political campaigner, Quinn had to quickly adjust his attitude toward fund-raising. And, he sure has. Yet, as governor has he made adjustments? No. He goes back to the same tired plays such as, playing on, and exploiting, people’s emotions to generate fear and pandemonium. This didn’t work during the budget stalement or during his effort to force legislators hands on MAP, so why resort to this play again? Apart from it not working, it is just the wrong thing to do to people who are scared and hurting period! These people are looking to Quinn for solutions, in other words leadership, not to be used as political pawns to bolster his election efforts.
-finally part 2, or finally for real this time-
Indiana is in a similar situation with a shortfall in projected revenue. Instead of getting hysterical, resorting to political theatre, and trying to take the easy out by short-term borrowing what did Mitch Daniels do? He assessed the situation and adroitly took command of it. Last friday, Daniels was straight up with the people of his state, during ONE, and only ONE, press conference, rather than flying around the state pretending to be doing something. Daniels promptly announced that cuts in state funding of universities would be made, and warned the people of his state to anticipate more cuts in government spending. Granted Indiana’s overall fiscal condition is nowhere near as bad as Illinois’ and cuts alone will not solve Illinois’ problems, but the point here is how a governor leads and handles problems. Daniels is not creating more problems in trying to deal with problems, and he takes swift and decisive action, and he is honest. Daniels doesn’t let things get out of hand and then come crying.
:)
- Jonathan Goldman - Friday, Dec 11, 09 @ 8:13 am:
There has been a lot of rhetoric, especially on Dan Hynes’ part, about how we can’t afford to borrow more money, or to take on more debt. What seems to be getting lost here is that the State is already in debt for this money, and is simply borrowing it from the vendors, and in some cases it’s borrowing from the vendors’ employees who are going without paychecks.
This is not a case of borrowing money to balance the budget, it’s a case of deciding who you’re going to borrow the money from. The status quo of delaying the payments is hurting non-profits and businesses, and is causing people to lose their jobs.
It’s true that the short term borrowing would cost the State additional money in interest payments, but it’s morally indefensible to borrow money without interest from the vendors, many of whom are having to borrow (and pay interest out of their pockets) in order to pay their bills!
If we want to talk about gimmicks, what Hynes is doing is actually the worst, because he is supporting the use of an accounting trick to keep the backlog of bills off of the State’s balance sheet and therefore pretend from an accounting perspective that they don’t really exist.
Hynes keeps on “being right.” Quinn keeps “getting caught.” Quinn is still comfortably ahead in the polls. While the republicans can’t get their act together.
That is why Rich Whitney is going to take 93% of the vote in the general election!!
Nothing will stop this political juggernaut who chased Lisa Madigan from the governors race from taking the governor’s mansion!
It’s gonna happen!!!
Nothing can stop this!!
- Will County Woman - Friday, Dec 11, 09 @ 8:26 am:
btw…of course paragaph 1 contradicts 2&3. for I understand that short-term borrowing is sometimes a necessary evil. if it is to be used I think it should be used sparingly, not as a first and often resort which it has become in Illinois. my previous post is really just counter-arguments to the lines of attack from Quinn and his camp.
Good to see Hynes with some passion. The sooner we realize that Pat Quinn is great if you want to get your petition signed and that he is just not cut out to govern, the better off this state will be.
JG, good points. Regularly stiffing our vendors is bad. Real bad.
But here’s the rub, as I see it - we’ve relied heavily on borrowing, which provides political cover and the ability to kick the can down the road indefinitely. When does this practice end? I’m not particularly comfortable with Hynes leveraging it as a campaign weapon, but maybe the ends justify the means in this particular case.
If you can make a convincing argument that this next proposed round of borrowing, or the one after that, will be the final one, I’m on board.
Did Governor Quinn just have his John Mccain moment of this campaign? “The state is stable”, sounds alot like “the economy is sound” I think we will see that quote in an ad somewhere!
A little fire from Hynes; I like it! I was under the impression that a Hynes/Quinn debate would be the most painful experience on Earth but maybe I was mistaken.
Dan does make a good point about Quinn not looking at making cuts before pushing for a tax increase pre-GA budget passage.
- Big Policy Nerd - Friday, Dec 11, 09 @ 10:13 am:
So when are social service agencies going to get paid? Back in September of 2005, Hynes called for $2 billion worth of borrowing to pay the medicaid and social services backlog. It is the the holiday season for crying out loud and the people who depend on these services are the one’s getting screwed. All sides need to get in the room and figure this out. If not, more people are going to be out of a job and in the streets if this drags on until February.
It is great to see a side of Dan Hynes this downstater has never seen before.
WCW—sorry, but my ADHD kept me from reading that book you posted
- Pot calling kettle - Friday, Dec 11, 09 @ 10:43 am:
Quinn should have thrown open the fiscal doors back in February, made a HUGE deal about the mess Rod left us in, tossed a bunch of Rod appointees for being “fiscally inept” and insisted that the legislature pass a temporary tax increase until everything was set straight.
If he had done that and stuck to his guns and flown around the state hammering the same points, he would ave gotten a tax increase and had no primary opposition. “Blame it all on Rod” was perfect cover for Quinn and the GA to set thing right last spring; it was an f—ing golden opportunity, and he (and they) blew it.
Instead, by hemming an hawing and hiding things and changing his story at least once a day, Quinn has made the fiscal (and other) problems he inherited more and more his own. If he makes it through the primary but continues with his current tack, his Republican will have a lot of fodder for the summer and fall.
On the plus side for the state, if Quinn is not reelected, his successor will have the golden ticket for a “temporary” tax increase that can be blamed on the inept Quinn.
After watching this video, my inpression is Hynes understands the dire straits the state is in. Quinn does not. He talks as tho he’s got all day and tomorrow just to finish a sentence.
- dave - Friday, Dec 11, 09 @ 6:33 am:
Umm… in that Trib debate, did Hynes really say, “That’s your job” to make cuts, and not the legislators?
Really, Dan Hynes?
Hynes was blatantly lying in that debate. Quinn’s introduced budget DID include cuts.
I would love to Hynes actually say how he would cut his way out of this mess, or how he would have cut his way out of the mess last year. Because his plan sure wouldn’t have done it.
- Louis Howe - Friday, Dec 11, 09 @ 7:09 am:
Frankly, I’ve been involved in Democratic politics for nearly 30 years and it’s embarrassing after Blago was impeached and convicted that democrats couldn’t come together with a reasonable budget plan.
Quinn spent months acting like he didn’t understand what executive leadership required by appointing social service administrators to run state agencies. Then, Madigan gave up and became suicidal when he demanded republican votes on any tax increase.
After eight years of complete democratic control of state government, Illinois is a basket case with a 50% budget deficit and the worst credit rating (other than CA) in America.
Will voters next fall decide they have “Had Enough?”
My sense is that Democratic candidates shouldn’t be making any long term career plans.
- Will County Woman - Friday, Dec 11, 09 @ 7:46 am:
Notice to all social service providers and agencies on the brink of death:
Maybe if Quinn hadn’t been so busy closing the Thomson deal before he actually bothered to roll the idea out to the people of Illinois and fundraising for his campaign in Washington, D.C., maybe he could have been overseeing that his borrowing plan was going off without a hitch and on its way to being signed off on SEVERAL WEEKS AGO. That is instead of waiting until the very last minute, with the calendar year deadline here, to notice and care about it. Maybe if he had made actually being governor and governing his priority, as opposed to running for governor all this year, Illinois wouldn’t be suffering for lack of effective leadership. This is directly related to the reason why so many of you social service providers and agencies and vendors are hurting. Are service providers and agencies aware that the Quinn administration as recent as the middle of last week had not even presented a final borrowing plan to the treasurer’s office, let alone the comptroller? When did Quinn start angling for the short-term borrowing plan part 2, late septmeber/early october?
-next-
Hynes, and just about every economist on the planet, looks at the financial situation that Illinois is in now and rightly concludes that short-term borrowing is not a good option; and, in fact just makes things worse (quinn knows this too). By the way, what did governor edgar do in 1992 when Quinn, as treasurer, refused to sign off on a short-term borrowing plan? obviously Quinn survived to see another political day, so should Dan Hynes. After all, Quinn reportedly made the decision to refuse to sign off as a matter of principle. He was looking out for what was in Illinois’ economic interest. So, Quinn or anyone else should not come crying now that Hynes uses the same or similar rationale. To his credit, for years Hynes has been trying to warn everyone that Illinois was headed for fiscal ruin.
-finally-
From march 19, 2009 on everything that has happened, and happens, in this state is on Quinn, fiscally speaking. he can’t cherry pick his way through this year and take claim for what he considers are the good things, while trying to ignore or disavow the bad (e.g., his repeated mishandling of state fiscal matters). Then he wants everybody to “help” him to govern, yet when it is convenient for him he takes credit when things go right, often no thanks to him.
this year has really been an eye-opener as to what quinn is all about and what he is not. of course it is true that the national economy and political corruption are factors, but illinoisans are not helped by Quinn’s weak governing style and inability to effectively lead (in crisis). he has made no adjustments this year, expect for those that have been politically expedient and in his political interest. As a case in point, earlier this week it was mentioned on the blog that in order to become a good political campaigner, Quinn had to quickly adjust his attitude toward fund-raising. And, he sure has. Yet, as governor has he made adjustments? No. He goes back to the same tired plays such as, playing on, and exploiting, people’s emotions to generate fear and pandemonium. This didn’t work during the budget stalement or during his effort to force legislators hands on MAP, so why resort to this play again? Apart from it not working, it is just the wrong thing to do to people who are scared and hurting period! These people are looking to Quinn for solutions, in other words leadership, not to be used as political pawns to bolster his election efforts.
-finally part 2, or finally for real this time-
Indiana is in a similar situation with a shortfall in projected revenue. Instead of getting hysterical, resorting to political theatre, and trying to take the easy out by short-term borrowing what did Mitch Daniels do? He assessed the situation and adroitly took command of it. Last friday, Daniels was straight up with the people of his state, during ONE, and only ONE, press conference, rather than flying around the state pretending to be doing something. Daniels promptly announced that cuts in state funding of universities would be made, and warned the people of his state to anticipate more cuts in government spending. Granted Indiana’s overall fiscal condition is nowhere near as bad as Illinois’ and cuts alone will not solve Illinois’ problems, but the point here is how a governor leads and handles problems. Daniels is not creating more problems in trying to deal with problems, and he takes swift and decisive action, and he is honest. Daniels doesn’t let things get out of hand and then come crying.
:)
- Jonathan Goldman - Friday, Dec 11, 09 @ 8:13 am:
There has been a lot of rhetoric, especially on Dan Hynes’ part, about how we can’t afford to borrow more money, or to take on more debt. What seems to be getting lost here is that the State is already in debt for this money, and is simply borrowing it from the vendors, and in some cases it’s borrowing from the vendors’ employees who are going without paychecks.
This is not a case of borrowing money to balance the budget, it’s a case of deciding who you’re going to borrow the money from. The status quo of delaying the payments is hurting non-profits and businesses, and is causing people to lose their jobs.
It’s true that the short term borrowing would cost the State additional money in interest payments, but it’s morally indefensible to borrow money without interest from the vendors, many of whom are having to borrow (and pay interest out of their pockets) in order to pay their bills!
If we want to talk about gimmicks, what Hynes is doing is actually the worst, because he is supporting the use of an accounting trick to keep the backlog of bills off of the State’s balance sheet and therefore pretend from an accounting perspective that they don’t really exist.
- Richard Afflis - Friday, Dec 11, 09 @ 8:21 am:
Hynes keeps on “being right.” Quinn keeps “getting caught.” Quinn is still comfortably ahead in the polls. While the republicans can’t get their act together.
That is why Rich Whitney is going to take 93% of the vote in the general election!!
Nothing will stop this political juggernaut who chased Lisa Madigan from the governors race from taking the governor’s mansion!
It’s gonna happen!!!
Nothing can stop this!!
- Will County Woman - Friday, Dec 11, 09 @ 8:26 am:
btw…of course paragaph 1 contradicts 2&3. for I understand that short-term borrowing is sometimes a necessary evil. if it is to be used I think it should be used sparingly, not as a first and often resort which it has become in Illinois. my previous post is really just counter-arguments to the lines of attack from Quinn and his camp.
- wordslinger - Friday, Dec 11, 09 @ 9:16 am:
I don’t get the “stable” comment. It undercuts his position that heavy-lifting needs to be done to right the ship.
Things are tough all over — why pretend otherwise?
- Obamas' Puppy - Friday, Dec 11, 09 @ 9:48 am:
Good to see Hynes with some passion. The sooner we realize that Pat Quinn is great if you want to get your petition signed and that he is just not cut out to govern, the better off this state will be.
- The Doc - Friday, Dec 11, 09 @ 9:48 am:
JG, good points. Regularly stiffing our vendors is bad. Real bad.
But here’s the rub, as I see it - we’ve relied heavily on borrowing, which provides political cover and the ability to kick the can down the road indefinitely. When does this practice end? I’m not particularly comfortable with Hynes leveraging it as a campaign weapon, but maybe the ends justify the means in this particular case.
If you can make a convincing argument that this next proposed round of borrowing, or the one after that, will be the final one, I’m on board.
- Wow - Friday, Dec 11, 09 @ 10:01 am:
Did Governor Quinn just have his John Mccain moment of this campaign? “The state is stable”, sounds alot like “the economy is sound” I think we will see that quote in an ad somewhere!
- Obamarama - Friday, Dec 11, 09 @ 10:02 am:
A little fire from Hynes; I like it! I was under the impression that a Hynes/Quinn debate would be the most painful experience on Earth but maybe I was mistaken.
Dan does make a good point about Quinn not looking at making cuts before pushing for a tax increase pre-GA budget passage.
- Big Policy Nerd - Friday, Dec 11, 09 @ 10:13 am:
So when are social service agencies going to get paid? Back in September of 2005, Hynes called for $2 billion worth of borrowing to pay the medicaid and social services backlog. It is the the holiday season for crying out loud and the people who depend on these services are the one’s getting screwed. All sides need to get in the room and figure this out. If not, more people are going to be out of a job and in the streets if this drags on until February.
- Vote Quimby! - Friday, Dec 11, 09 @ 10:37 am:
It is great to see a side of Dan Hynes this downstater has never seen before.
WCW—sorry, but my ADHD kept me from reading that book you posted
- Pot calling kettle - Friday, Dec 11, 09 @ 10:43 am:
Quinn should have thrown open the fiscal doors back in February, made a HUGE deal about the mess Rod left us in, tossed a bunch of Rod appointees for being “fiscally inept” and insisted that the legislature pass a temporary tax increase until everything was set straight.
If he had done that and stuck to his guns and flown around the state hammering the same points, he would ave gotten a tax increase and had no primary opposition. “Blame it all on Rod” was perfect cover for Quinn and the GA to set thing right last spring; it was an f—ing golden opportunity, and he (and they) blew it.
Instead, by hemming an hawing and hiding things and changing his story at least once a day, Quinn has made the fiscal (and other) problems he inherited more and more his own. If he makes it through the primary but continues with his current tack, his Republican will have a lot of fodder for the summer and fall.
On the plus side for the state, if Quinn is not reelected, his successor will have the golden ticket for a “temporary” tax increase that can be blamed on the inept Quinn.
- Sinister - Friday, Dec 11, 09 @ 1:20 pm:
Wow…Hynes has emotions.
- Emily Booth - Friday, Dec 11, 09 @ 8:52 pm:
After watching this video, my inpression is Hynes understands the dire straits the state is in. Quinn does not. He talks as tho he’s got all day and tomorrow just to finish a sentence.