Today’s quotables: Rauner vs. Madigan
Monday, Apr 20, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Amanda Vinicky on Gov. Rauner’s legislative agenda…
Gov. Bruce Rauner says bills are ready. “We will introduce those when the leaders say we should introduce ‘em,” he said at a recent editorial board appearance.
But it’s unclear who — or when — the bills will get the go-ahead.
Senate President John Cullerton, a Democrat, says “we haven’t seen any language. We haven’t seen any bills of any of his other Turnaround proposals.”
It’s the same for other leaders, according to sources and spokespeople.
It may seem like a technicality, or inside baseball, and Rauner supporters say even without legislation, the leaders can negotiate with the governor on the broad terms of his agenda. But without actual bills, the legislature can’t take any action. And Rauner says he won’t contemplate a tax hike, or reverse course on his proposed budget cuts, until his Turnaround package is passed.
* The governor said the same thing to Fox Chicago’s Mike Flannery last week. Flannery caught up to House Speaker Michael Madigan shortly afterward…
FLANNERY: Are there any parts of his agenda that you could support?
MJM: Well, again, we need to know the details of what he’s talking about. I know he’s talked a lot about generalities. I know that, and that’s fine.
FLANNERY: But he’s said that he’s already drafted six bills that have his agenda there and he says, and I said ‘Well, could I have the bills?’ and he said ‘As soon as the General Assembly says it’s OK.’
MJM [looking puzzled]: Those bills haven’t been filed. So, I don’t, you don’t know what you’re, you’re, I’m not being nasty, but nobody knows what he’s talking about until we see the bills as filed.
FLANNERY: He says he’s already drafted the language.
MJM: But they haven’t been, they haven’t been given to us and they haven’t been filed.
FLANNERY: So you can’t really talk about it until you see specific bills?
MJM: Right, yeah, yeah. […]
FLANNERY [in studio]: The governor, though, appears determined not to introduce those bills any time soon. It would, of course, give the Democratic super-majorities who control both chambers in the General Assembly a chance to very quickly vote down Rauner’s proposals. His reluctance to get into the, take things onto the floor of the General Assembly certainly does increase the odds that this spring session will miss the May 31st deadline and go into overtime. And that means any eventual deal on the 2016 budget and the governor’s agenda will require a super majority to pass it in June or July or December.
Thoughts?
- too obvious - Monday, Apr 20, 15 @ 10:47 am:
Rauner not being straight with people. Shocker.
- Quill - Monday, Apr 20, 15 @ 10:52 am:
Sick of human services and the social safety net being held hostage to a turnaround agenda that doesn’t help the poor.
- Wordslinger - Monday, Apr 20, 15 @ 10:52 am:
Maybe the peeps the governor relies on for information could play him the “I’m just a bill” cartoon.
- Anonymous - Monday, Apr 20, 15 @ 10:55 am:
Rauner comes of pretty aloof. It seems pretty clear what Madigan wants in order to proceed, show him the damn bills already.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Apr 20, 15 @ 10:58 am:
The question then becomes who benefits slow-playing the governor’s own agenda?
No matter what Dopey @statehousechick repeats for Raunerites, budgets, legislative agendas, anything that will/does need Executive oversight or direction is a governors.
If Rauner has trouble getting 23, how do they plan to lecerage more Dems, with ZERO flexibility for “tough votes” demanded?
If anything, slow-playing by Dems will allow them to dictate, no, demand, more flexibility away from the rigid Rauner Legislative agenda, let alone the budget fiasco and the Rauner Cuts.
Things I did learn?
WordPerfect and PowerPoint are acceptable “Bill” formats.
Rauner and Madigan see the process considerably different.
It appears Rauner has no Floor Leaders outside the GOP Leaders, and both GOP Caucuses are way too quiet to be “excited” about turning around Illinois.
…and 23 is still…Rauner’s “magic number”…until it gets much higher and harder to be stringent.
- Complainer Store - Monday, Apr 20, 15 @ 10:59 am:
At this rate, it’s going to be a long, long summer…without an agreement from Dem leadership on a Bill, Republicans will need to file something at some point or they will have punted again on the State’s budget. Rep. Sandack’s municipal nankruptcy budget appears to be a part of the “turnaround agenda” - it would be the nice to get the rest on paper so Dems can make a decision on whether or not they can live with and pass the cuts Rauner and the Republicans are proposing. until a Bill is filed, however, it’s all pointless speculation.
- Anonymous - Monday, Apr 20, 15 @ 11:01 am:
Chess-Master meet the Used-Car Salesman …
- Arsenal - Monday, Apr 20, 15 @ 11:09 am:
” It would, of course, give the Democratic super-majorities who control both chambers in the General Assembly a chance to very quickly vote down Rauner’s proposals.”
Yeah, but no one’s gonna vote FOR them before they’re introduced.
- papa2008 - Monday, Apr 20, 15 @ 11:10 am:
The AFSCME contract with the state runs out on June 30. I predict the bills will be forthcoming on July 1.
- Anonin' - Monday, Apr 20, 15 @ 11:18 am:
Seems hard to negotiate without details
BVR wants to make sure biz does not pay for injured workers. Fine. So the worker drags himself/herself to emergency room and we all get “turnedaround” with higher health care costs.
Cities get less LGDF cash, frozen tax levies and whack jobs voting any worker contracts.
Who do we call to report a fire — Citadel? Uline? Brincat?
- 47th Ward - Monday, Apr 20, 15 @ 11:18 am:
===“We will introduce those when the leaders say we should introduce ‘em,”===
Governor, you’re doing it wrong.
He seems to think the Democrats are going to be the first to propose a tax hike, and in exchange, he’ll force them to also adopt his U-turn Agenda. Have Durkin and Radogno finished putting Rauner’s budget into bill form as they promised back in February? No? We’re still waiting for that too I guess.
The first payroll of FY-16 should come about mid-July. I wonder if we’ll see these bills and maybe a budget before then. If Rauner is waiting for the Democrats to ask him to introduce his bills, he’s going to be waiting an awful long time.
Who knows, maybe he thinks missing a payroll would be fun, sort of like the GOP shutting down the federal government every so often when they don’t get their way. How does that usually work out for them?
- Langhorne - Monday, Apr 20, 15 @ 11:24 am:
===rauner supporters say even without legislation, the leaders can negotiate with the governor on the broad terms of his agenda===
Are you kidding me? Like the GA should pass his press release? Read the legislative article, PLEASE
==rauner says no tax increase or budget restorations until turnaround agenda passes==
You really are new around here. They go hand in hand, step by step, right up to the edge of the cliff. Thats if you have an agreement. Its not all or nothing. It is up to rauner to introduce his draft proposals, not the Repubs. Actual bills.
- PublicServant - Monday, Apr 20, 15 @ 11:25 am:
===Rauner supporters say even without legislation, the leaders can negotiate with the governor on the broad terms of his agenda===
Yeah, that’ll happen because the 26 million in additional cuts weren’t a surprise to anybody…Get it in writing Mike. Hey Bruce, show us your bills, otherwise your turnaround agenda is just so much bloviation.
- walker - Monday, Apr 20, 15 @ 11:28 am:
Have Radogno or Durkin got the proposed language? Are they the “leaders” Rauner mentioned?
Are the legislative staffers working with the gov’s staff on specific language?
Time’s a wasting.
Certainly hope this doesn’t turn into some sort of ALEC-type operation where out-of-state lawyers draft idealized bills, edited for Illinois, and just hand them to legislators.
- Langhorne - Monday, Apr 20, 15 @ 11:39 am:
Cmon, introduce the bills, so the demonstrations can start. 3,000 or more union members in matching tees vs what? 5 interns from IPI?
Who will testify in favor, outside of admin out of staters? Mokena village board?
- A guy - Monday, Apr 20, 15 @ 11:52 am:
=== walker - Monday, Apr 20, 15 @ 11:28 am:
Have Radogno or Durkin got the proposed language? Are they the “leaders” Rauner mentioned?
Are the legislative staffers working with the gov’s staff on specific language?====
Per usual, these are the best questions. I’d be interested in knowing the answers to these.
- carbaby - Monday, Apr 20, 15 @ 11:58 am:
June will be a very interesting month if no budget is passed and there are no contracts for providers statewide to sign and have in the Comptroller’s office by 6/30/15. July/August will prove even more interesting if there will be no provider payments going out.
- VanillaMan - Monday, Apr 20, 15 @ 12:41 pm:
This is how an administration fails.
It only looks new to us and a bit confusing since we’ve never seen it before.
Rauner is a solo act. He has attracted no support. In fact, he has lost more political support since his election in November, except for Aaron Schock.
This is how an administration crashes and burns, folks.
Bruce Rauner listens to few, reads nothing, compromises with no one and the regular politicians in Illinois are sure what he wants.
He is looking increasingly like a man who bought a huge Streamliner travel trailer, but refuses to drive anything capable of towing it anywhere. So, it remains sitting in the showroom and people expecting it to be paraded through the streets have stopped waiting and left for beer.
Folks, this is how an administration dies.
- Annon3 - Monday, Apr 20, 15 @ 12:47 pm:
Walker nailed it ALEC is working hard as we wait
- Demoralized - Monday, Apr 20, 15 @ 1:24 pm:
==Are the legislative staffers working with the gov’s staff on specific language?==
That would be a good question if not for the fact that the Governor said “bills are ready.”
- jt(aka Nancy P.) - Monday, Apr 20, 15 @ 1:50 pm:
they should pass it then read it.
- downstate comissioner - Monday, Apr 20, 15 @ 2:43 pm:
Hard to believe that he thinks that something will happen without introducing a bill. It is simple parlimentary procedure, folks, just like some of us were taught in FFA. Oh, he probably missed that taking business courses on how to screw people, I mean be a successful businessman…
- BlameBruceRauner - Monday, Apr 20, 15 @ 2:45 pm:
Hes going to slip them to them and expect a vote almost immediately. When the Legislature takes time to read and digest them, he will lambaste them for not acting quick enough to address the Crisis in time. FEAR MONGERING wont work BVR. You will get gored by the bulls horns, and have no one to blame but yourself. Turn around Illinois BVR has an agenda for you…..wink wink
- veritas - Monday, Apr 20, 15 @ 2:46 pm:
Nicely crafted VanillaMan
- Belle - Monday, Apr 20, 15 @ 3:52 pm:
V-Man came up with a great description.
The interview was like reading a portion of “Catch 22″ — it was frustrating.
- Sun Tzu - Monday, Apr 20, 15 @ 3:55 pm:
Grasshopper: What will the speaker do if Bruce Rauner does not introduce his Turnaround Agenda before May 31?
Master: He will pass Bruce Rauner’s introduced budget.
Grasshopper: What about the pension payment holiday that would result?
Master: What about it?
- Jerry 101 - Monday, Apr 20, 15 @ 5:32 pm:
Seems like he’s stalling. End game is government shutdown.
He’ll hold the bills as long as possible to help ensure the shutdown and create a bigger crisis.
- RNUG - Monday, Apr 20, 15 @ 7:00 pm:
== Seems like he’s stalling. End game is government shutdown. He’ll hold the bills as long as possible to help ensure the shutdown and create a bigger crisis. ==
As good an explanation as any I’ve heard. If he plays it right, Rauner can blame the corrupt / Democrat majority in the House and Senate for not passing his budget … and causing the government shutdown.
Or, in the alternative, he could be trying the Obama budgeting method … get the General Assembly to just pass a continuing resolution / appropriation that Rauner can then jack around any way he wants to. Hey, it’s more or less worked that way at the national level since the end of Bush’s last term.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Apr 20, 15 @ 7:03 pm:
- RNUG -,
All true, but a gamble.
These are the Rauner Cuts and the Rauner Budget, and promising to get thugs done with a shutdown is Rauner’s fail.
Big gamble.
- Wordslinger - Monday, Apr 20, 15 @ 7:50 pm:
The line item and reduction veto powers of Illimois governors are way powerful. Maybe the peeps that
Rauner relies on for,information can fill him in.
- RNUG - Monday, Apr 20, 15 @ 8:18 pm:
- Oswego Willy -
I’m beginning to think that Rauner is nothing more than a riverboat gambler with 5 aces up one sleeve and a derringer up the other.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Apr 20, 15 @ 8:29 pm:
- RNUG -,
Great image, and think about gambling with the GA and they find those Aces up his sleeves? Yikes.
- RNUG - Monday, Apr 20, 15 @ 8:36 pm:
- Oswego Willy -
Yep. Most riverboat gamblers did not come to a good end …
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Apr 20, 15 @ 8:52 pm:
- RNUG -,
lol, that is also true. I’m laughing through my nervous fear.