48 Comments - Peoria Guy - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 10:33 am: I suspect more strategy than pep talk. - out of touch - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 10:34 am: Wonder if he’ll overtly or tacitly threaten their jobs if they don’t toe the line. That’s his M.O. - A guy - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 10:36 am: o o t, you are out of touch. “his” cabinet. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 10:37 am: Note to cabinet members; If you’re seated at a large round table, and Governor Rauner discusses his love of baseball, and “teamwork”… Look. Out. - Peoria Guy - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 10:38 am: State cabinet members are there to serve the Governor just as federal cabinet member serve the President. That is the way it works. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 10:39 am: - A Guy -, Rauner’s M.O. is to be threatening; The Woman who worked for him, the GOP GA, they work(ed) for Rauner, threats ensued. - Austin Blvd - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 10:39 am: His cabinet will soon learn in a more pronounced way that a venture capitalist obtains strength by intimidation and inflicting pain on others. Fortunately, our democratic process has anticipated such tyrannical behavior with statutory checks and balances. Wonder if these people realized that this is what they signed up for. - Snucka - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 10:43 am: Relax, people. These are Rauner’s top people. They are on his side, and know (or should know) that in order to keep their jobs, they need to promote the Rauner agenda. That’s the way this stuff works. Anyway, Rauner didn’t exactly pick directors based upon their willingness to stand up to him and give him “constructive feedback”, in case you haven’t noticed. - walker - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 10:47 am: Seriously hope they spend more time talking about how to settle this budget impasse, than about how to exploit it. - Norseman - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 10:47 am: === Pep talk before the war? === Public portion = Dog and pony show to trash the Dems and talk about how they will have to deal with the horrible, corrupt, irresponsible, special interest loving, taxpayer hating budget. Private session = info on expectations from directors in dealing with this period of strife. Reminder not to deal with the corrupt and evil lobbyists unless it is a blessed Rauner-loving lobbyist that has a free-pass. - Mama - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 10:48 am: Rich, do you think the guv is going to tell his people to get ready to administer a lock-out of all agencies except DOC & ISP? - Mama - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 10:49 am: Walker, exploiting is his game. - Austin Blvd - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 10:51 am: Orange whip for you? Orange whip? Orange whip? - Cassiopeia - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 10:51 am: This meeting will simply to get everyone involved in the next round of cuts that will be laid out in his amendatory veto. I think he will simply cut out whatever exceeds revenue. The Dems have actually handed him the knife. - A guy - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 10:51 am: Willy, if someone’s head gets splattered with a baseball bat at the conference table, I will immediately join your side of the argument. If that doesn’t occur, I’d welcome you to my side of the argument. lol. If that does happen, he’ll certainly owe some member of AFSCME or SEIU a debt of gratitude for cleaning up the blood. - AC - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 10:53 am: Will the floggings continue? Will morale improve? Find out on the next episode of, as the billionaire spins. - Aldyth - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 10:53 am: Rauner will be handing out the flame throwers for the Scorched Earth Project. - Soccertease - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 10:56 am: An unnamed IL elected official in the ’90’s had a mandatory ’summit’ meeting at the Capitol on a Friday night. The assistant pulled out a bottle of whiskey and required staff to drink a shot. Almost threw up-don’t do shots. Rauner’s meeting reminded me of this bad memory. - MrJM - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 11:00 am: Rauner: “I didn’t get a ‘harrumph’ out of that guy!” Schrimpf: “Give the Governor a ‘harrumph’!” Department head: “Harrumph!” Rauner: “You watch your…” – MrJM - Demoralized - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 11:04 am: I dislike the Governor’s politics as much as the next guy, but this really is continued contingency planning. People can’t sit on their duffs waiting to see what happens on July 1. - Eugene - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 11:09 am: So this is basically a free media event. Whatever. On another front, where are awe TV ads? Have there even been media buys? On ABC Rauner dismissed talk of TV ads as a “rumor”. What’s that about? - A Jack - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 11:10 am: While the budget is $3 billion out of balance, it’s hardly a crisis since it’s only 3 1/2% of the total budget of FY 2015 of 87 billion. If the governor signs the budget as is, the State can make it most of the way through FY 16, before their is actually a crisis. And that gives the State plenty of time to look for revenue or additional cuts. - Michelle Flaherty - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 11:12 am: A-1 Stratton Building? Really? Was the garbage dumpster at the Capitol’s south loading dock booked? - Demoralized - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 11:12 am: A Jack: Please tell me you are joking. If not you have a woefully inadequate understanding of the state budget. - Frenchie Mendoza - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 11:14 am: — So this is basically a free media event. Whatever. On another front, where are awe TV ads? Have there even been media buys? On ABC Rauner dismissed talk of TV ads as a “rumor”. What’s that about? — Rauner has them in the can, I’m sure — but he can’t air them for another week or so. Otherwise it was clear he was producing them while he was “negotiating”. - Downstate - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 11:16 am: A little of an aside - I just finished the book on Blago - “Golden”. The biggest shock was to realize that Blago didn’t meet with his cabinet for years at a time. - Austin Blvd - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 11:17 am: “If they send me a budget, I’m going to veto it. If they don’t send me a budget, we have to make cuts. Either way, we’re going to make cuts, unless they pass my turnaround agenda, see? And they won’t, so just get ready to make more cuts. And if your constituencies are concerned, tell them to call their legislator and tell them to pass my turnaround agenda, see.” - Joe M - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 11:23 am: Perhaps strategies to deal with Madigan and Cullerton who aren’t going along with his agenda. Perhaps he will use his previous strategies for dealing with those who don’t go along. “I will bury them” ; “They have families don’t they?” - Been There - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 11:38 am: ===Anyway, Rauner didn’t exactly pick directors based upon their willingness to stand up to him and give him “constructive feedback”, ==== Snucka, I agree 100% with you. From the few directors that I have met they are all true believers. They sing the Turnaround agenda to the tune of the hokie pokie. - Ease Dropping - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 11:41 am: ===A-1 Stratton Building? Really? Was the garbage dumpster at the Capitol’s south loading dock booked? ==== And its awfully close to the speakers issue staff offices. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 11:42 am: == If the governor signs the budget as is, the State can make it most of the way through FY 16, before their is actually a crisis. And that gives the State plenty of time to look for revenue or additional cuts.== Former Governor Quinn, is that you?? - Wensicia - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 11:43 am: ==Note: Only governor’s remarks at beginning of meeting will be open to the public.== After which he’ll walk out of the room and Cabinet members will be instructed not to speak to the media as they carry out his orders. - Hedley Lamarr - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 12:13 pm: “I’ll take care of everything, but never forget I did you a favor. “ - A Jack - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 12:24 pm: I am hardly Governor Quinn and didn’t much care for him even when he was Lt. However, a 3.5% shortfall is hardly a crisis at this point and won’t be till next January. Although I suspect Rauner wants Illinois to think so so he can push his agenda. But instead it’s up to him to either cut out the 3 1/2 % from his budget or since the GA gave him spending authority, just spend it and then blame the GA when the money runs out. And of course he can cut part of it and find the rest of it through all the waste he says there is in state government. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 12:29 pm: ==However, a 3.5% shortfall is hardly a crisis at this point and won’t be till next January.== So you suggest repeating the same budget strategy as last year, only this time with twice the deficit. Brilliant. - Finally Out (and now very glad to be) - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 12:37 pm: “No additional media availability.” Is anyone surprised? - Langhorne - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 1:17 pm: This is a rah-rah public stunt: we hate hate hate to have to do this, but give me your cuts, be brave, I will take the arrows, blah, blah. Closed doors: the superstArs will give you your orders and list of cuts as you leave. Maximize fear and anguish, but be in full sympathetic, regretful persona. NO LOBBYIST CONTACT. Remember, crisis = leverage. - Ha! - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 1:19 pm: ===A-1 Stratton Building? Really? Was the garbage dumpster at the Capitol’s south loading dock booked? ==== Some how it became necessary to shampoo all of the carpets in all the statehouse committees rooms today. Wonder how that happened? - Frenchie Mendoza - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 1:33 pm: Drinking game for Livestream: “I have your backs” and “I’ll take the arrows” Drinking game for private meeting: “Essential employees”, “Partial shutdown” - Michelle Flaherty - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 2:33 pm: Ha! If only the gov had a mansion or a major office in the statehouse. - Demoralized - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 3:21 pm: ==However, a 3.5% shortfall is hardly a crisis at this point and won’t be till next January. == *sigh* You need to brush up on budget knowledge because you don’t know what you are talking about. It’s not a 3.5% shortfall. It’s more like 20%. - A guy - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 3:52 pm: % does not = Billion, does it Demo? I found that one more than a bit confusing myself. Oy. - A guy - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 3:53 pm: Hey, who knows. Having this meeting close to the Speaker’s door might be a good idea or part of a plan. Wouldn’t that be nice? I’ve heard of a lot worse things happening in places with adjoining doors. - thoughts matter - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 8:29 pm: So did anything important come out of this meeting, or was it more political posturing. Did he stay once the press left? I read this was his 2nd cabinet meeting since taking office. Am I the only one that thinks he should be meeting with these people more regularly than that? - B4L - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 9:23 pm: I just watched the opening remarks. My takeaway is to plan for a shutdown. - steve schnorf - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 9:23 pm: My best estimate is most Governors of the past 40 years haven’t averaged much more than one Cabinet meeting a year - Juice - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 10:58 pm: Second what schnorf says. Cabinet meetings are not that common, nor do they need to be. Meetings with individual or small groups of directors need to happen on a regular basis, but not all of them in a group. But inviting the press to when the Governor is there, and kicking them out once the Governor leaves and people are then free to talk freely is just goofy. - Norseman - Wednesday, Jun 3, 15 @ 11:15 pm: These are press pops, not cabinet meetings. It’s part of the Govs optics program. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.