Posted by Barton Lorimor (@bartonlorimor)

The set-up…

Rauner contended Tuesday that backers of the new initiative had learned from that experience, and hence joined the term-limit proposal with the other proposed reforms. While cutting the size of the Senate from 59 members to 41, it would expand the House to 123 from 118 members, which Rauner argued would make races more competitive.

Rauner also proposes changing the number of votes needed to override a governor’s veto to two-thirds from three-fifths. He said that would give the governor a stronger role and bring Illinois in line with Congress’ checks on the presidency.

Reaction to the proposal was almost immediate. The Tribune editorial board, for example, fell in love with the proposal within hours after it was announced…

Voters are disgusted with entrenched politics here. The Paul Simon poll found 79 percent favored term limits, a number consistent with previous polls.

Asked what they believed would be the best way to curb corruption in state government, voters responding to a Tribune poll in 2010 put term limits at the top of the list.

They do want to take back their state. First step: Find a petition. Second step: Sign it.

Scott Reeder and the Illinois Review piled on.

Illinois already has one of the more powerful chief executives thanks primarily to the amendatory veto. Critics have suggested this would make the Governor even more powerful. They may easily be right. Also…

University of Illinois Professor Chris Mooney says Bruce Rauner’s petition drive to limit lawmakers to eight years in office is savvy in its three-pronged approach. The Winnetka venture capitalist’s proposal would not only limit the length of terms but also cut the size of the Senate and make it harder to override a governor’s veto.

I’ll let you discuss in comments whether that is the correct way to go or not.

Regardless, it would appear as if Bruce Rauner is all in on this one…

Last month, Rauner launched the Committee for Legislative Reform and Term Limits, a ballot initiative PAC that operates differently from a campaign committee in that it has no limit on contributions. Rauner has not yet put any of his own money into the endeavor, but already secured more than $200,000 from investors — including $100,000 from Howard Rich and another $100,000 from former Tribune Co. CEO Sam Zell. Rauner said the initiative would operate completely independently from his campaign with its own staff. Asked whether he would appear in commercials promoting it: “We’ve never even discussed that,” he said, adding that he believes there’s so much public support that ads may not even be needed.

And that just might put opponents Bill Brady, Dan Rutherford, and Kirk Dillard in a tough spot given their tenures in the Legislature exceed the 8-year limit in Rauner’s proposal.It also makes the situation interesting for Gov. Quinn…

Brady says he would support 10-year term limits and has proposed term limits previously. He suggests that Madigan might be more inclined to support the measure now given that the 71-year-old Madigan won’t likely serve more than 10 more years.

Brady has been serving in the legislature for 20 years, the last 11 in the Senate.

Candidate Bruce Rauner’s political action committee plans to ask voters to impose term limits in a November 2014 referendum. Governor Quinn pushed for term limits when he was state treasurer, until the Illinois Supreme Court stopped a ballot initiative.