55 Comments - Anonymous - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 12:22 pm: how can the gov. want to cut pay when his people make more than quinns did.he wants to balance the budget then start with the high payn jobs first. o wait he cant do that he made a promise to them like he did the whole state knowing he cant fix Illinois like a business. gov. needs to buck up - Anon - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 12:29 pm: While waiting for press conference to start, the image of an empty Governor’s office seems especially appropo. - Harold's Left-wing Dinner - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 12:31 pm: Overheard on the governor’s iPod. Whoa! One hot summer night I made a bet That I could catch Mike in my net I’ll lead Dems to their deathbed Turn the map from blue to red Doctor, Doctor Give me the news: How many workers have the fed wage due? Gap bill ain’t gonna cure this ill So hurry, count them…before they sue I wrote a note, was buffing AFSCME’s nuts To mask the fact that I’m pushing cuts You think I’ll lose and deepen my frown Mama, this state will turn around Doctor, Doctor Give me the news: How many workers have the fed wage due? No judge is gonna want to budge So hurry, count them…before they sue - ihpsdm - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 12:39 pm: Pension reform…where have we heard this before. At least the lawyers will get a steady stream of legal fees. - Norseman - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 12:39 pm: Reform bills before budget. Embracing Durkin tax vote call. Talking about sham actions Governor? - Dee Lay - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 12:40 pm: Rauner: If Democrats don’t want to take up my reforms, then they should pass a tax hike to pay for their budget. This. This is the ballgame he wants to play. Reforms or a tax hike….my way or the highway. - One to the Dome - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 12:40 pm: Did the Gov. mention that the pension bill would be “consititional?”…or did I miss that. - Anonamous - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 12:42 pm: Looks like no pay on the 15th. - anon - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 12:42 pm: So Dee Lay, what should the Guv do to right this runaway freight train? - Norseman - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 12:44 pm: Gov says he doesn’t know why AG is doing what was done in 2007. Evidently he doesn’t read Cap Fax. - anon - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 12:44 pm: Rauner isn’t going to get burned the way Reagan did by taking the dems at their word - burbanite - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 12:47 pm: If good high paying jobs are critical to our economy wouldn’t you think he would support unions? - ihpsdm - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 12:47 pm: One to the Dome - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 12:40 pm: Did the Gov. mention that the pension bill would be “consititional?”…or did I miss that.==== I don’t think he cares. He just wants it passed. - Norseman - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 12:47 pm: Hey State Workers, Gov says one way or another you’re going to get paid. Do we say sham promise? (Demoralized: IOU for your sham jar.) - Norseman - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 12:49 pm: Gov doesn’t want Madigan blaming somebody else. Cough, cough. - Me too - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 12:49 pm: His consideration model is different from the old one guys. It takes away current benefits, then gives them back if you accept tier two. It might pass constitutional muster. God I hope not, but still, stripping vacation and seniority is a bit harsh dude. No matter what though, I doubt it’ll have enough takers, and it sure as heck won’t save 2b a year for many many years. Yet another phony reform whose real intention is to step workers rights. - Me too - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 12:50 pm: Step on workers rights - Norseman - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 12:50 pm: Communication good. Speaker bad. - The Dude Abides - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 12:51 pm: As I’ve said before I think there’s a chance at some compromise on some of the Governor’s agenda, most of that agenda contains some anti worker poison pills, remove some of that and there’s a chance something could be worked out. - thunderspirit - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 12:51 pm: Governor Rauner wants to get workers paid, but “it wasn’t worth it” to go through the budget the GA passed line by line. (Even though that’s what the line-item veto *is*.) Okay then. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 12:52 pm: 12:50 PMTwitter ChiTrib Clout Street @ChiTribCloutSt Most IL voters didn’t cast a ballot for Speaker Madigan. But Rauner was on statewide ballot last fall. 12:50 PMTwitter ChiTrib Clout Street @ChiTribCloutSt Most IL voters didn’t cast a ballot for Speaker Madigan. But Rauner was on statewide ballot last fall. CK - is that you speaking through @statehousechick? - ??? - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 12:52 pm: Wait…did he just say he wouldn’t need to sign a tax hike bill if it passes? Why would it be different than any other bill that passes the General Assembly and needs to be signed by the Governor? - Chicago Cynic - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 12:52 pm: I keep asking who’s winning this fight. Based on his “Madigan’s in charge” comment by the governor, I now know who is losing. Wow. - burbanite - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 12:53 pm: Doesn’t want to negotiate in the media? ROFL! - GOPGal - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 12:53 pm: Did I hear that right? Did Rauner say that Mike Madigan is in charge of Illinois? Wow. - Norseman - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 12:56 pm: Bottom line: - Juicy stories for reporters - Idle promises for state workers - More dead trees for press release bills - Speaker gets another media availability - Cullerton calls Madigan and says, I’m not triangulating you - Demoralized sham jar gets more coins - RNUG’s October prediction is looking f….. golden! - - Elo Kiddies - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 12:57 pm: Did he say where his reform bills are? Does he mean the five bills filed by Durkin and Radogno on May 22, or are there others? - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 12:57 pm: Whichever reporter got the “last” question in on collective bargaining, Cannoli for you! Well done. “Why?” Welp, we know now, there are Union “poison pills” in one of the Bills. What a bright spotlight - RNUG - put on those Union “poison pills”. Rauner wants Madigan to wear the jacket, that’s the bottom line. I’ve never seen an Illinois Governor own so little of the job he was elected to do. - ihpsdm - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 12:57 pm: How does taking away bargaining rights from local unions generate billions of dollars? What does that have to do with the budget? - Wensicia - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 12:58 pm: State workers’ salaries aren’t “worth” the effort? Translation: “Madigan has to take charge because I’m a failure at this job.” - @MisterJayEm - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 12:59 pm: “He’s in charge” Can’t wait to see how @statehousechick spins that shameless abdication of responsibility into some kind of profile in courage… – MrJM - How Ironic - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 1:02 pm: Hi Rich! I just wanted to clarify Bruce’s comments during the press conference. Of course Bruce is the Gov, and he’s making the ‘tough’ decisions. But if you need to talk to who’s really in charge, please call MJM. I mean, no strike that. Bruce is the head honcho. He’s just soooooo busy taking arrows for his runaground agenda that he’d rather MJM just take over for a while. I mean, wait that came out wrong. Bruce is a strong leader, and when he finishes his balanced budget plan he’ll put it out for debate. We’re thinking sometime in 2017. Best, ck! - How Ironic - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 1:04 pm: I sure hope the unions start running ads with state workers stating how they are struggling w/out checks. Then impose Rauner talking about how they were not ‘worth it’ going through the budget to secure their paychecks. They guy is unreal, but consistently unreal in his treatment of workers. - Mason born - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 1:05 pm: “Why didn’t you preserve payroll when you vetoed the bills first time?” “Because I messed up. I’d like to apologize and ask that the g.a. send a payroll bill back to me.” That is what you should have said genius. Eat some crow and look contrite not “not worth the effort.” Dumbbut. Chief executive of anything is a bad place for on the job training. - Anonamous - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 1:09 pm: Well, he said he’d support a continuing appropriation for state employee pay. Who gets the ball rolling for that? - nona - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 1:09 pm: Partisan finger-pointing instead of taking responsibility. Hardly shaking up SOP. - Me too - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 1:10 pm: Lol at least Blago said he was in charge. This guy doesn’t wear the jacket on anything. - Tournaround Agenda - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 1:13 pm: “Everything is Madigan’s fault, he runs the state,” said the man the state of Illinois elected to the office of chief executive. And then he brings up the unpopular right-to-work zones idea again just because. - Commonsense in Illinois - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 1:14 pm: Maybe I missed this, but the Governor towards the end of his remarks said something along the lines of “either it’s reform or a tax hike”. What I missed was whether anyone asked if the General Assembly took him up on the either/or…and chose tax hike and no reforms…is Rauner going to sign the tax hike? Help anyone? - Commonsense in Illinois - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 1:16 pm: …By the way, if the Governor is actually introducing new bills, each will need three legislative days in each chamber to pass…unless of course the Governor expects the legislature to suspend the Constitution. - Wensicia - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 1:16 pm: He will veto a tax hike and ask Madigan’s supermajority to pass the budget containing one. Rauner has abdicated his “throne” for now. - Commonsense in Illinois - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 1:20 pm: Thanks, Wensicia. Do you think Governor Rauner knows structuring a bill like that could likely make the tax hike challengeable under the single subject clause…but that’s a civics lesson and we don’t necessarily follow those, now do we? - The Captain - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 1:20 pm: He’s managed to get people to focus on his individual soundbites, which is a credit to his messaging but I can’t seem to make sense of his logic on the budget from beginning to end. He says the Dems need to pass a budget, but he’ll veto it if they do. He says it’s Madigan’s fault there is no budget but he vetoed the one Madigan passed. He says that state employees need to be paid but he vetoed the bill(s) that would pay them, lost in court trying to get them paid without a budget and promises to veto the one-month temporary budget due up for a vote that would pay them. He says the state needs a budget, it’s not his fault there isn’t one, refuses to even start negotiating a budget until the GA passes legislation that has repeatedly gone down in flames this session and then says that if the Dems want a budget they can go ahead and pass one but he’ll veto it (also they already did this once before and he did veto most of it). I tend to believe the Governor is willing to hold the state, the budget, the people of Illinois hostage until the GA passes his billionaire agenda eroding the rights of workers and victims of injury. The Governor swears that’s not true if you take him at his word. But if you take him at his word it’s not a very convincing or logically consistent case. - anon - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 1:21 pm: MJM and Cullerton will have to compromise, the Guv isn’t going to cave. He is not going to get duped by the dems saying they will “make some of those changes down the road.” It’s up to them if they want to keep state employees from suffering. - Anon - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 1:24 pm: –my way or the highway– Since day one. Rauner. The self-proclaimed baddest enemy anyone can ever have. Oh, and he never loses. - greenie - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 1:25 pm: ==Gov says he doesn’t know why AG is doing what was done in 2007. Evidently he doesn’t read Cap Fax.== ~ Norseman Nor, the Illinois Constitution. - Former State Employee - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 1:33 pm: I was very tempted to begin my own drinking game….a drink for every time the guv mentioned Madigan in a less than pleasing manner - but then if I had, I wouldn’t be able to write this now. - cdog - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 1:33 pm: Headline– Rauner Makes No Sense. Illogical Assertions Baffle Many. Today, Gov Rauner implied that his five newly submitted reforms would close the $4 billion hole in the 2016 Illinois budget. As onlookers watched, he continued to link his “reforms” as the answer to the revenue deficit…. - Anonymous Redux - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 1:36 pm: MJM and Cullerton will have to compromise, the Guv isn’t going to cave. He is not going to get duped by the dems saying they will “make some of those changes down the road.” It’s up to them if they want to keep state employees from suffering. - Anon No…you are totally mistaken… it’s totally up to Governor Rauner…He’s the Governor…He’s in charge?…unless He is saying Mike Madigan is taking his position? - Anonymous Redux - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 1:47 pm: Headline– Rauner Makes No Sense. Illogical Assertions Baffle Many - edog I was tilting my head to and fro… along with my similarly bewildered canine pal Scooter…we had to go outside simultaneously… we may have detected the same odor? - Grandson of Man - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 1:52 pm: I thought Rauner dropped the anti-union reforms. He was soundly defeated in local government hearings and in the House. Why is he dredging up this garbage again? We made it clear that we don’t want union stripping in Illinois. Move on. - Anon - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 2:12 pm: I have to believe that joe public who is passively watching this guys that Madigan is a big part of the problem, but I also think they think he is a reasoned leader who has had to deal with charlatan governors since Ryan. At the same time, I believe that same person is beginning to see through governor rauner’s charade. It’s clear that this man isn’t serious about the job, and it’s obvious that he doesn’t really care about state workers or those who are in need of government services. How long can governor Rauner continue to contradict himself from day to day with a straight face? Seriously, is he more delusional than Blago? - Bob Hicks - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 2:29 pm: Just give Rauner the budget he proposed and go home. Think there are any GOP votes for it? Would Rauner sign it? - Juvenal - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 2:31 pm: Who had June 8th in the pool for when Rauner would abdicate all responsibility? It’s time for Radogno and Durkin to step in. This guy is drowning in his own rhetoric. - anon - Wednesday, Jul 8, 15 @ 2:52 pm: not sure who had June 8th, but it doesn’t matter because it is July 8th Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.