Question of the day
Friday, Oct 14, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From Illinois Statehouse News…
From the end of the spring session until now, Quinn and legislators have met to discuss the gaming legislation, said state Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, who sponsored the gaming package in the House.
“We’ve had a lot of conversations, but there’s been no negotiation. The governor’s office is unwilling to negotiate and unwilling to tell us exactly what he wants in a bill,” Lang said.
* AP…
Hawthorne Race Course president Tim Carey says top track officials lobbied Quinn Friday on the bill, which would allow slot machines at their racing venues. They say that’s key to their survival because it would make purses bigger and make them more competitive with tracks in other states.
But Carey says Quinn didn’t divulge his position on slot machines. He says the governor listened to what they had to say.
* The Question: Do you think Gov. Pat Quinn should have been actually negotiating the gaming bill details this past summer, or is he right to wait until the veto session to lay out his positions? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
- wordslinger63 - Friday, Oct 14, 11 @ 12:44 pm:
Since he had a pretty well-stated antipathy to gambling expansion, I guess it’s okay that he’s waited.
But now, he needs to either make a deal or just flat out say he’ll veto any expansion. End of story.
- Gregor - Friday, Oct 14, 11 @ 12:45 pm:
Quinn should have been working on a compromise, but he was too afraid to take a position he’d have to flip-flop on later. He’s also negotiating from a weak position so running out the clock was his strategy.
- Cincinnatus - Friday, Oct 14, 11 @ 12:52 pm:
Instead of negotiating all summer so that a bill can be thoughtfully crafted, we are now in some last minute mode where any compromise legislation will be half-assed.
- The People Speak - Friday, Oct 14, 11 @ 1:00 pm:
Did the senate send Quinn the bill? If not, why would you want your governor to act like a punk? Negotiate what? with whom? about what details? The more Springfield claims things should change, afterall, the last two governors have gone to prison, the more it appears that individuals want things to stay the same … wheeling and dealing …
- Pot calling kettle - Friday, Oct 14, 11 @ 1:01 pm:
Decent legislation comes from negotiation. If he is amenable to any legislation, he should be negotiating. If the answer is a simple “NO” then I suppose no negotiation is necessary.
- Its Just Me - Friday, Oct 14, 11 @ 1:08 pm:
I am so tired of trying to figure what goes on in his head. At least with Blago he was predictable and you knew how to make him happy. Quinn just flounders allover the place and refuses to govern.
- Patrick - Friday, Oct 14, 11 @ 1:10 pm:
Cincinnatus stated it perfectly.
- Way South of I-80 - Friday, Oct 14, 11 @ 1:24 pm:
I would agree that Cincinnatus stated it perfectly. Legislators should be so fed up with Quinn and his refusal to be involved in the process that even those who voted no before would be willing and ready to override him now. He has been an outsider for so long now he is irrelevant to the process.
- Anonymous - Friday, Oct 14, 11 @ 1:37 pm:
==He has been an outsider for so long now he is irrelevant to the process.==
Anyone who has the authority to enact or veto legislation is NOT irrelevant to the process.
- wordslinger - Friday, Oct 14, 11 @ 1:41 pm:
If he were irrelevant to the process, nobody would care what he was doing.
It’s quite possible he just doesn’t want to expand gambling. If that’s the case, then what he’s doing is consistent with his goal.
- Timmeh - Friday, Oct 14, 11 @ 1:42 pm:
Completely agree with Anon 1:37. He has power. He just needs to use it. If he would negotiate on things like these, he’d have a lot more ability to negotiate on other things.
You’ve got to give to receive.
- Anonymous - Friday, Oct 14, 11 @ 2:36 pm:
He should be negotiating - or at least talking. You cannot sit around with your mouth shut on a piece of legislation like this and expect to make your comments at the last minute and have anybody want to work with you. If I were in the General Assembly I would be ready to pounce to override any kind of veto he may issue because he has screwed around for so long.
- Demoralized - Friday, Oct 14, 11 @ 2:36 pm:
Sorry. That was me above.
- dupage dan - Friday, Oct 14, 11 @ 3:06 pm:
I wonder if Quinn worries that he is in over his head and fears being taken advantage of by legislators more sophisticated than he is in the ways of negotiating. He doesn’t seem to be willing to get his hands dirty over the scholarship thing either.
Quinn seems to avoid that process althogether - whassup up wid dat?
- CicularFiringSquad - Friday, Oct 14, 11 @ 3:21 pm:
PQ signed video poker
He is not against more gaming
He shouldsign this too
- Jaded - Friday, Oct 14, 11 @ 3:27 pm:
He is mostly irrelevent, but not on issues that have less that veto proof majorities. This happens to be one of them.
Yes he should have been negotiating all along, but then again I have no idea what goes on in the man’s head. It is hard to even understand what he is saying, so how in the world can you know what he is thinking.
- Logic not emotion - Friday, Oct 14, 11 @ 3:51 pm:
If he hasn’t already, he should have shared his position and indicated what was negotiable and non-negotiable - unless he thought that would have given his opponents more time and ammunition to build their case against him.
- Anon - Friday, Oct 14, 11 @ 4:12 pm:
Why show your hand before it’s time to lay’em down? He’s already in a weakened position… if he showed his hand earlier, they would have just found a way to steamroll him and explain why his ideas were not good (without looking into the merits). He did what he had to do to maintain some sort of control over the process. Trying to “compromise” with this group is like trying to get a rabit out of a wolf’s mouth. If you’re brave enough, all you’ll come away with is a fist full of fur…minus a finger or two. Let’s be realistic here, folks…. even if he wanted gaming expansion, why play their game when you have nothing to gain and even more to lose?