31 Comments - Pelonski - Monday, May 25, 15 @ 3:52 pm: Illinois voters have been accepting this broken system for at least the last two decades. Given their reading on RTW, I’m not sure the Governor’s staff is the best source of information on what the people of Illinois will accept. - Norseman - Monday, May 25, 15 @ 3:57 pm: Did a Rauner superstaffer abscond with the Speaker? - Norseman - Monday, May 25, 15 @ 3:59 pm: While we’re waiting. I’ve heard complaints that the new press room is a little too small for the folks. Looks nice, but small it is. Makes me wonder if Rauner put in the suggestion for the small room in prep his ascension to the thrown. - Norseman - Monday, May 25, 15 @ 4:01 pm: To Rauner response. God, being a Rauner press aide is so easy. All you have to do is look up the Rauner buzzword guide and you have a Rauner response. No originality. - Wordslinger - Monday, May 25, 15 @ 4:01 pm: Memorial Day, Cubs, Sox, Cards playing, Hawks tonight — the state is riveted by Trover’s statement coming out of Springfield today. - Oswego Willy - Monday, May 25, 15 @ 4:01 pm: “Governor Rauner and the politicians he controls are walking away from the negotiating table and refusing to compromise or focus on a budget that is needed, and instead, Rauner is hampering, where true compromise can be found, by demanding the Turnaround Illinois Agenda. Governor Rauner appears ready to end the regular session with yet another broken budget of his own doing, based solely on the idea his unpopular structural reforms can’t get 30 or 60 votes to pass. The Governor and his Owls in the legislature are sorely mistaken if they believe the people of Illinois will accept doubling down on policies that Illinois doesn’t favor, and hasn’t favored over these past 25 years.” Better. - Norseman - Monday, May 25, 15 @ 4:02 pm: There’s no laughing in the press roommmmm!!!! (said in my best whining Tom Hanks voice) - Norseman - Monday, May 25, 15 @ 4:03 pm: Speakers revenge for all those pesky reporter questions. - Norseman - Monday, May 25, 15 @ 4:05 pm: Another one bites the dust. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNZ5QNHxNZI - Rich Miller - Monday, May 25, 15 @ 4:10 pm: I’m about to fall asleep waiting around for this thing to start. - Oswego Willy - Monday, May 25, 15 @ 4:19 pm: I am happy Lance “responded”, because waiting to actually hear what is going to be said is overrated, and I don’t want my Blackhawks watching interrupted with a “Rauner Bingo” drawing. - Gooner - Monday, May 25, 15 @ 4:22 pm: Wow, Rauner thinks the Speaker is a bad guy who raises taxes. That’s sure something right out of left field. Never saw that one coming. - Norseman - Monday, May 25, 15 @ 4:23 pm: Harken back to my youth David Stockton referencing Speaker. - Norseman - Monday, May 25, 15 @ 4:24 pm: Amusing to hear the reporters ask, David Stockton who? - Gooner - Monday, May 25, 15 @ 4:24 pm: Word, you left the Middlesborough/Norwich match to decide who gets promoted to the BPL off your list. It is was a tough day to be a Smoggie. - Huh? - Monday, May 25, 15 @ 4:24 pm: What is there to negotiate when you are told this is “my way or the highway” discussion. Someone once said that a good compromise is when nobody is happen with the deal. That isn’t what is happening. - Norseman - Monday, May 25, 15 @ 4:25 pm: Asserting one my favorite Rich Miller lines: Google it. - Norseman - Monday, May 25, 15 @ 4:27 pm: === Maybe he took a detour. lol by Rich Miller 4:08 PM === Had to watch the latest on Ray McDonald. - Nony - Monday, May 25, 15 @ 4:32 pm: Pelonski- do you actually hear what you’re saying? - Hawkeye in Illinois - Monday, May 25, 15 @ 4:51 pm: Hmm the last Governor to use that kind of rhetoric about Speaker Madigan was Blagojevich and we know how that came out….might be time to try a gross receipts tax again. - Anonin' - Monday, May 25, 15 @ 5:01 pm: Show of hands Anyone remember LT or BVR persuadin’ anyone to back the “non budget issues”? Looks like loss after loss in city councils and county boards, committee, floor votes. Looks like the “walk aways” were BVR backers. Opps - Oswego Willy - Monday, May 25, 15 @ 5:07 pm: I was hoping for a “ck” report to dovetail all this. Nothin’ like pushin’ an agenda, like rollin’ a rock uphill, and it rolls back and flatens ya. But enough about the failed Press and LLs, let’s talk leverage… - walker - Monday, May 25, 15 @ 5:51 pm: Rauner’s response to Madigan has generalities, because he didn’t wait to see what Madigan actually said — which could have been more specifically reacted to. - Norseman - Monday, May 25, 15 @ 6:21 pm: === Twitter Ray Long @RayLong #Durkin : House Democrats affirmed they don’t want to pass reforms that will fix a broken state government, but only want to raise taxes === When Durkin shows us some real state government reform, I’ll encourage my legislators to vote for them. All Rauner has produced are political gimmicks aimed at the diminution of power for unions and the Dem party. - G'Kar - Monday, May 25, 15 @ 6:45 pm: The questions I keep asking is “what structural reforms?” Pensions–well the ISC seems to say that we simply have to pay–no structural reform there. RTW–Meh. Don’t get me wrong, it is a bad idea, but assuming it was passed, it isn’t going to change state government much or save the government any money. Tort reform? Workman’s comp? — would changes there really be structural reform? Yes, Turnaround Agenda would make it easier for business to exploit workers, but how does it bring about structural reform for the state? No snark meant, I am curious if I am looking at this incorrecty. - G'Kar - Monday, May 25, 15 @ 6:46 pm: Oh, I forgot term limits–that would be structural reform, I guess. - nona - Monday, May 25, 15 @ 7:16 pm: I don’t see anything in the turnaround agenda that would help to balance the FY16 budget. Am I missing something? How about the FY17 budget? Presumably term limits would not be retroactive, so the earliest they could go into effect would be 2024, correct? - Norseman - Monday, May 25, 15 @ 7:59 pm: Change, yes, but reform I doubt it. For term limits to be couched as a reform you have to accept the premise that the newbies will fundamentally act better than previous non-limited Solons. You also have to reject the concern that lobbyists and staffers will play a bigger role in legislation. Eliminating collective bargaining could save small amounts. However, learning to say no during bargaining can be effective too. I also don’t consider it reform when you deprive folks of their rights. Bottom line is that they’re not reforming state govt. simply making it better for businesses. - Dee Lay - Monday, May 25, 15 @ 9:34 pm: So what’s the longest session on record? - SextusEmpiricus - Tuesday, May 26, 15 @ 7:06 am: “All Rauner has produced are political gimmicks aimed at the diminution of power for unions and the Dem party.” Exactly…GOP meta-narrative used to cover up the real agenda of making the rich richer, the poor poorer… - Politix - Tuesday, May 26, 15 @ 9:07 am: =Rauner’s response to Madigan has generalities, because he didn’t wait to see what Madigan actually said — which could have been more specifically reacted to.= They are so reactionary they don’t wait to see what they need to react to. It’s a joke. Totally unprofessional. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.