58 Comments - Defeated - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 9:22 am: This blame game is tiring. Why don’t the House and Senate GOD draft their own version of the budget?? When I worked for the GA many years ago, they did. Even if they knew it wouldn’t pass or get called for a vote by Madigan, at least they could say they tried. This group of do-nothings is an embarrassment. - Defeated - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 9:23 am: Oops. GOP,not GOD. Far from it, in fact. - Aldyth - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 9:23 am: I think that the Governor has already been tested and found wanting. - Gooner - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 9:24 am: Wow, a Republican doesn’t like the Speaker. Sure glad he told us. We were all wondering how he felt. We should just shorten the process by having Lance Trover handle those questions directly. - Ghostbusters - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 9:27 am: Rauner paid Murph almost $600 a word to say that. Apparently $8,000 just doesn’t buy the fun & interesting GOP mad libs quotes it used to… /snark - Just Saying .... - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 9:27 am: Why is the Senate GOP so fixated on Madigan? Worry about the votes in your own chamber. They are troubled by the fact that now they know they have to put votes on a final package. - out of touch - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 9:28 am: Dear Senator Murphy: The well is open. Feel free to file your balanced budget any time. Otherwise, turn the finger of blame back toward yourself. - A guy - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 9:29 am: It’s concise and accurate. - Bored Chairman - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 9:29 am: Another day, another Madigan worship fest on Cap fax blog. - The Captain - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 9:30 am: The Governor is refusing to even talk about, much less negotiate, a budget until the GA passes things that this GA will never pass. Right to work, workers comp with causation and a probably unconstitutional pension plan that essentially does away with organized labor aren’t going to pass. Even if Mike Madigan and John Cullerton were the most enthusiastic yes votes in the history of yes votes on those three pieces of legislation they wouldn’t pass. The Republicans are trying to smokescreen this by laying it all at the feet of Madigan, and they’re doing better on this messaging front than they should be, but it’s mostly a red herring. - Defeated - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 9:33 am: Bored Chairman, who is worshipping Madigan here? No one. We’re just saying that the GOP could put forth a little effort, too. The only lifting they’ve done is lift their finger to press the “No” or “Present” button. - Team Sleep - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 9:33 am: I know the MJM stuff gets old, but let’s not forget that just last week a Senate Dem threw MJM into the mix as well. It makes me wonder what the Senate Dem caucus actually thinks of him. http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/2015/07/08/bertino-tarrant-updates-plainfield-residents-on-state-budget/ak4kkcz/ - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 9:37 am: I’ve always liked, and still very much like Sen. Murphy. I’ve nominated him for Golden Horseshoe(s), I think Sen. Murphy has been, and can be, a solid voice of reason within that Caucus. This statement, however, really is more about “Fire Madigan, 2.0″ mentality than looking at each card played by the Governor, and the corresponding response by the Governor. * The phantom call on Election Night * Letting the income tax expire * The Unbalanced Budget the Governor himself proposed * The Union Busting / Resolutions campaign * The Poison Pills * “Sham” / Twittering / “Yellow” lights * $400K hours before a vote * $2 million in unhelpful Ads * Overt Triangulation * The $26 million in Good Friday Massacre cuts * No-Shows at House hearings * No AVs but litigating state employee pay * Introducing a 500 page Bill with questionable constitutionality * The Illinois State Museum Those are all on the Governor. Choices that Speaker Madigan was responding in teaching, not testing proactively. It’s as though this programming of Rauner not being responsible for his Executive decisions in governing must in complete balance be placed at the doorstep of Madigan to deflect choices, good or bad. I respect Sen. Murphy greatly, I also understand the purity of the politics at play. I truly do, and why singing off the same hymnal is critical, especially for the Governor. But, at what point is it a narratibe of farce to just say, “because… Madigan”? Are we there yet? - walker - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 9:40 am: Sounds good but little substance. Very Matt Murphy. Too bad because he’s smarter when not spokespersoning. This is surely about much more than someone wanting to test someone. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 9:40 am: ==The Governor is refusing to even talk about, much less negotiate, a budget until the GA passes things that this GA will never pass. == Then the GA should pass a budget that’s actually balanced,?or push thru a tax hike over a veto - Michael Westen - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 9:41 am: OW, Fire Madigan 1.0 was so astoundingly successful, why wouldn’t you try 2.0? - burbanite - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 9:42 am: This is accurate: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/doug-ibendahl/rauner-remains-in-blatant_b_7787110.html - Mason born - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 9:42 am: Sorry Bored Chairman we will alll say 5 hail GOP and light candles that the blessed st. Rauner might forgive us. Ok two men and their ego is dragging this whole thing out. One of them is MJM one of them is Rauner. If you prefer the gop team you blame MJM if you prefer the dems you blame Rauner. They’re both at fault. No one wears the white hat here. Well except in staged trap photos. MJM could have found some area to work with gov before july. Rauner could scale back his asks to doable levels. Instead both have chosen to play chicken. - Very Fed Up - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 9:43 am: 1) Term limits 2) Fair maps Never again have a Madigan 2.0 to drag down this state again. - Team Sleep - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 9:46 am: OW & Walker - but isn’t that now part of Senator Murphy’s “duties”? The official “attack dog”? I remember when VP Biden was named as President Obama’s running mate. The media was quick to note that he was the perfect “attack dog” for a then young and fairly new U.S. Senator: an old guard Senator who could skin the other side up and down (but with a smile on his face). I get that an argument should also have some substance, but in the still somewhat new world of Twitter it’s okay to go for quick sound bites and phrasologies. - Wensicia - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 9:46 am: Says the Do Nothing but Vote Present paid spokesperson for the state GOP. - Norseman - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 9:47 am: I can’t say it any better than Willy. Gosh I wish he would have won instead of Rauner. - Timmeh - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 9:47 am: “Mike Madigan always wants to test the new governor” Test #1: Can this Governor get out of campaign mode? - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 9:48 am: “- Anonymous -” In divided government, such as we have now, only structured roll calls to pass significant legislation (budgets, for one) will work in getting anything to signature. Dems know that, so why do the lifting of the Governor will veto and then the Dems vote again to override? You dont, they won’t. Then… then there’s Jack Franks… but that’s governing in the reality of numbers, not the Pollyanna ideal of “well, well… they have 71… and everything… so do it…” Nope. Being a realist IS governing. - Might be the A Team - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 9:49 am: - Bored Chairman - So true. It’s sad how the challenge to the Speaker has made that the number one priority for a few on this blog. - Arsenal - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 9:51 am: If Mike Madigan never existed, the Republicans would have to create him. Put any other Dem in his chair and the impasse would remain right now. The Turnaround Agenda goes after unions, trial lawyers, and the Dem caucuses directly. Democrats *can’t* vote for that. - VanillaMan - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 9:51 am: “Mike Madigan always wants to test the new governor, dragging the state with him,” Murphy said. So here we have a veteran state senator telling us that we don’t live in a democracy. It seems that he has accepted a belief that Illinois is under the thumb of one individual who has amassed more power than any governor in history. The GOP wants us to select them in elections, yet they repeatedly talk like wimps who have resigned themselves to ridiculous fantasies which have no logic, bearing or common sense. The GOP is not to blame for it’s wimp status, they claim. We are, because we don’t vote for them. Michael J. Madigan has been an elected official for two generations. If this was a kingdom, that would probably mean something. Yet, being a democracy means that Mr. Madigan has had to go before constituents every two years during that time. Then he had to be elected to the House leadership positions he has held. Mr. Madigan is a veteran. Accusing Mr. Madigan of being a puppet master because of his electoral longevity is only acceptable if Illinois was the same as say, Venezuela or Cuba. An elected state senator should recognize these differences, shouldn’t he? You don’t give your children the keys to your car until they demonstrate an ability to be responsible to what happens to it and them, as a driver. Even with an elected governor, the Illinois GOP is more comfortable shunning responsibilities, and more comfortable claiming they haven’t any. We have had no functioning governor since 1999. So who has been governing Illinois for the past fifteen years? The party out of power want to claim that Illinois has been ruled by its speaker of the house and that our problems are due to him. It isn’t. We have the three, and now four, Illinois governors elected to office who has been either criminally incompetent, or just flat-out incompetent. One of them was a GOP governor, now out of jail. Neither party wants to tell us the truth or admit that their governors put us where we are today. Instead, like mindless lemmings, they want us to blame the guy who has survived all these years, but had never been governor, (more like a governor-regent), due to over a decade of gubernatorial maladministration. I don’t mind hearing the guys down at the gym finger point at MJM as some kind of political dictator, because they don’t know. Yet, I do chafe when someone holding a state senator position says it. He knows too much to play the fool here. We don’t need more politicians in Illinois. We need elected leaders who know how to govern. Politics is what you do when you don’t know what you are doing. Governing is what we need now. When the GOP is lead by leaders, they will find out that they don’t have to talk like wimps anymore. - Soccertease - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 9:51 am: Just saying, in a different way than Mason born, it’s a tinkling match between Rauner and Madigan. How dare Rauner try to threaten my IL government that I’ve owned for 30 years. - William - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 9:52 am: There’s nothing inaccurate with that quote. - Muscular - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 9:53 am: Wyllie, A slight inaccuracy in your post. The election night phone calls were real. Voice mails were left and a message communicated. Bruce Rauner shared this message with his supporters. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 9:54 am: - Team Sleep -, I refer you to… ===I respect Sen. Murphy greatly, I also understand the purity of the politics at play. I truly do, and why singing off the same hymnal is critical, especially for the Governor.=== I do understand, but when does the hard work of governing begin, and the DC-Style of posturing end, even as an attack dog? I mock The Owl Sandack as much as he has has become someone he wouldn’t have been 3 years ago, to what the posturing and speaking isn’t helping in the governing. It’s the absolute difference… between Bill Black and Ron Sandack. That’s how far this has gotten. - Norseman -, I let you down, you did all you could. Woulda been a heck of a ride. - Might be the A Team - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 9:55 am: - Arsenal - Put another Dem in the chair and you wouldn’t have the one person most responsible for the issues still sitting in the chair. But you passed go, collect your Speaker chip for the future. - Norseman - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 9:55 am: Muscular, Rauner said that he called not staff. - Wordslinger - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 10:06 am: Another victim heard from. Murphy is an excellent example of the kind of Republican the “National Review” recently dubbed “Whinos.” Lot of that going around here in recent years. I thought Murphy was best suited as the contrasting partner to the dynamism and erudition of Andy McKenna Jr. - Mason born - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 10:07 am: I am not sure that Madigan isn’t enjoying this. I can’t think of anything better to raise his popularity with dems than standing up to an out of control gov. Who cares about sb1 he is fighting Rauner!!! “Never wrestle a pig in mud, you end up filthy and sooner or later you realize the pig likes it.” - John A Logan - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 10:08 am: The Governor is not a a bad person. He spent millions of his own money to win a job that is thankless and could just as easily be off the coast of the South of France right now. He also seems to truly believe in his mission to turn around Illinois. For that I appreciate him. What I don’t understand is how badly he miscalculated the time frame within which he thought he could “turn around” Illinois. These first two years should have been spent forming relationships and getting some things done on the margins. Madigan and Cullerton know that they helped create this mess, and they would probably have helped fix it, especially if they could have trusted the new governor to take some heat for them. Why should Rauner have let himself take the blame? Because it would have allowed the Majority Party to participate in the process of actually fixing the state, while not putting their own necks in a noose. Why should Rauner have done that? Because it would have put the people first, and political gain later. Rauner still could have mustered his troops and money for State Rep and Senate races in 2016. Hopefully he would have won some elections in the next cycle, broke the super majorities, and then started demanding larger structural changes. Instead we have what we have, the same old hateful dug in politics that in reality do not reflect the large majority of Illinoisan’s want from their government. It reminds of the scene in predator for some reason, when Jesse Ventura says “dig in like an Alabama tick.” I imagine Madigan as Ventura, and the rebel fighter on the ridge as Rauner. - Wordslinger - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 10:10 am: Much of the media continues to portray what’s going on in Springfield as a budget “impasse.” But the governor has made it very clear that he’s not going to deal on the budget until his unrelated agenda is addressed to his satisfaction. You can’t have a budget battle when the executive branch isn’t even in the ballgame yet. - Arizona Bob - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 10:15 am: My guess is that Rauner left some unbalanced spending in his original budget to allow for negotiating for a billion or two “revenue enhancement”, and expected that he could work with Madigan to fill the gap. Didn’t happen. Madigan isn’t going to take the heat, or use HIS political capital, for a tax increase of any sort. He wants a big bite from the taxpayers to protect his patronage base, and he wants to use Rauner’s fangs to take that bite. What does Rauner do now? I think he needs to work with the GOP GA and propose a truly balanced budget, and find a way to lay the lack of compromise for increased tax revenues on Madigan. Tough job, but politically he can’t propose new taxes, but he may be able to agree to one proposed by Madigan and Cullerton. But they want to push Rauner’s nose in the doo doo to show him who’s boss. It seems the Guv has to line item veto his way into a balanced budget, but say that he would consider SOME increased tax revenue if proposed by Madman and Cully. Let’s see if that’s the way it’s played… - thunderspirit - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 10:20 am: Well said, VM. Arizona Bob, if Governor Rauner wanted a balanced budget, he had the opportunity to line-item veto the one the General Assembly passed. He declined, which does nothing but lend credence to the appearance that he does not want a budget without his agenda being passed. - walker - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 10:23 am: Team Sleep: Thank you for your comment. Murphy does have that PR role to play. Just wish he’d go a little deeper. - downstate commissioner - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 10:25 am: Too Many Repubs are too interested in the “us versus them” game to care about what they are doing to the state. Had an occasion to speak to Sen. Bill Brady about some comments he made about the Democrats-he was very unapologetic, basically saying that “it is our turn, we are going to fight the Dems, right or wrong.” Unfortunately, we don’t have Republicans anymore, they have all turned into Raunercrats… - Team Sleep - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 10:37 am: Walker, I always appreciate the dialogue. I really think it’s time for each side to start imitating old NWA-style (wrestling, not the rap group) promos. That would be awesome. And why not? It would at least be entertaining. - @MisterJayEm - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 10:44 am: Too Many Repubs are too interested in the “us versus them” game to care about what they are doing to the state. While it’s is certainly the case today, that political sin is definitely one with which the Illinois Democrats are very, very* familiar. – MrJM *Twenty-five additional “verys” omitted in the interests of legibility. - Hamlet's Ghost - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 10:47 am: MJM might be the Corey Crawford of IL Dem politics, but any of Lou Lang, Barbara Flynn Currie or Sara Feigenholtz could step up and be Scott Darling if need be. IL GOP lacks similar bench depth. - Pete - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 11:02 am: Would Rauner have any leverage and justification to veto the budget if the Democratic GA passed a balanced budget? I think we are missing that point. The budget passed by the GA gave the Gov. leverage because it did not meet constitutional muster. If the legislature doesn’t like the situation, don’t pass deficit spending. This has been going on for years. We were here when Blago was cutting GOP projects. I recall on project that had bi-partisan support and each have was picked up by a Dem and Rep. The Dem secured half the funding and the GOP didn’t. Then we had a repeat with Quinn when he tried to withhold the paychecks. The situation isn’t new. Most of the key players are the same. When our GA does it’s job and passes a balanced budget, the governor can get back to his job of being the executive. I look forward to a day when our Gov. can go out and compete with neighboring states. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 11:06 am: - Pete -, Simple question; Was Rauner’s February proposed budget balanced. It’s “yes” or “no”… - CrazyHorse - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 11:18 am: ==I really think it’s time for each side to start imitating old NWA-style (wrestling, not the rap group) promos. That would be awesome. And why not? It would at least be entertaining.== ^^^Best idea I’ve heard in months. I wonder if Tony Schiavone is still around to do the interviews. Madigan could use Ric Flair’s line: “Hey Bruce! In order to be the man, you’ve got to beat the man!” LOL - VanillaMan - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 11:26 am: My guess is that Rauner left some unbalanced spending in his original budget to allow for negotiating for a billion or two “revenue enhancement”, and expected that he could work with Madigan to fill the gap. Rauner is governor now. It is unnecessary to cover for him with your guesses. Rauner has survived this long politically by observer’s excuses. I’ve given him a lot throughout the campaign. He has been in office long enough to expect some level of professionalism and some semblance of governing. His mistakes are his own. Giving him excuses for his maladministration and bad politics is like claiming the town drunk had more than he could drink that night. No more excuses. - A guy - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 11:41 am: === Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 11:06 am: - Pete -, Simple question; Was Rauner’s February proposed budget balanced. It’s “yes” or “no”…==== The answer is obviously “no”. Has he demonstrated a willingness to raise revenue (very much against his will) to fill the gap? It’s yes or no. - Ben Franklin - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 11:45 am: The Budget starts with the GOV and he is required by law to submit a balanced on. That requirement has still not been met. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 11:46 am: - A Guy -, It’s yes, because, no budget, his or the Democrats can’t work without it. Can’t have leverage for a needed commodity. Rauner proposes a budget not in need of revenue, that IS leverage. Both budgets needing revenue, that’s ZERO leverage. Need choices are different than Elective choices. - pundent - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 11:59 am: =What does Rauner do now? I think he needs to work with the GOP GA and propose a truly balanced budget, and find a way to lay the lack of compromise for increased tax revenues on Madigan.= Rauner couldn’t wear the jacket of $25M of budget cuts. What possibly makes you believe that he and the GOP could propose a balanced budget? - @MisterJayEm - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 12:57 pm: “I really think it’s time for each side to start imitating old NWA-style wrestling promos.” Hard times call for “Hard Times” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9py4aMK3aIU&feature=youtu.be&t=59s – MrJM - Team Sleep - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 1:12 pm: Dusty Rhodes…may be rest in peace. - Facts are Stubborn Things - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 1:17 pm: Murphy’s comments seem extreme. - CrazyHorse - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 5:26 pm: ==Dusty Rhodes…may be rest in peace.== I wonder who would play the role of the American Dream. Lou Lang? - RNUG - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 5:28 pm: == a probably unconstitutional pension plan == Definitely unconstitutional based on the conditions released to date. Maybe the actual bill will be different, but it will have to be filed before it can be analyzed. - Soccertease - Wednesday, Jul 15, 15 @ 7:43 pm: ^^^Best idea I’ve heard in months. I wonder if Tony Schiavone is still around to do the interviews. Madigan could use Ric Flair’s line: “Hey Bruce! In order to be the man, you’ve got to beat the man!” LOL Catching up on earlier blogs-sorry for the lateness. Was it Macho Man Randy Savage that said: “Hey Mike Madigan, I don’t like you, and I don’t like Springfield; and I ain’t leavin till I get both.” Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.