* House Speaker Michael Madigan…
“The bipartisan working groups of legislators will meet three times this week, continuing their efforts to achieve a compromise on the state budget. Governor Rauner has been supportive of these groups’ efforts, and I agree with his recent comments that until there is a compromise budget, lawmakers should not be brought back to Springfield.”
“The working groups’ efforts should be allowed to move forward, continue their progress toward compromise, and work to end the budget impasse as soon as possible. ”
*** UPDATE 1 *** From the ILGOP…
“It’s become painfully obvious that Mike Madigan’s declaration that the House will remain ‘in continuous session’ and meet each Wednesday was a lie. Madigan is hiding behind the working groups because he is afraid that rank-and-file Democrats actually want to compromise and work with their Republican colleagues. If Madigan were interested in getting a deal done before the election, he would call legislators back to session immediately. Instead, he has decided that holding school children, government operations and prisons hostage is okay if it means he can force a massive tax increase and a bailout of CPS with no reform. Madigan has driven Illinois into the ground for three decades – it appears he is content to do that for yet another year.” – Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Steven Yaffe
*** UPDATE 2 *** Finke…
After learning the House canceled Wednesday’s session, Rauner said lawmakers are shirking their duties.
“They’ll come back if we demand, if we the people of Illinois, demand they come back,” Rauner told an audience in Bloomington Tuesday. “They should be doing their jobs. They should be there today, tomorrow, Thursday working this out.”
Rauner has said the House should be in session more than once a week in June. He has also threatened to call special sessions to force lawmakers to return but has not said anything about that option recently.
Rauner repeated his contention that Democrats don’t want to pass a budget before July 1, which is the start of the new fiscal year. He also said Madigan wants to keep schools in limbo with no budget.
- JP - Tuesday, Jun 21, 16 @ 10:17 am:
Another cancelled session? Message board implosion in 3…2…1
- Huh? - Tuesday, Jun 21, 16 @ 10:19 am:
Cue the canned press release of faux outrage from 1.4% and his toothless attack dogs.
- Norseman - Tuesday, Jun 21, 16 @ 10:20 am:
Press conference scheduled for …
New robot calls start at …
Mailers being printed.
- Sue - Tuesday, Jun 21, 16 @ 10:24 am:
The slow walk continues from his majesty
- Keyrock - Tuesday, Jun 21, 16 @ 10:24 am:
Madigan is really losing the messaging now. However dishonest and misleading Rauner’s messaging is, it’s much more pervasive and persuasive.
- Hamlet's Ghost - Tuesday, Jun 21, 16 @ 10:27 am:
This headlines go together well.
1. Rauner lays out his minimum requirements
2. Madigan again cancels session
A simple yet clear narrative is emerging.
- Tick Tock - Tuesday, Jun 21, 16 @ 10:31 am:
Running out of Wednesdays aren’t we?
- JP - Tuesday, Jun 21, 16 @ 10:35 am:
I fully expect (as most if not all others do) that next weeks final Wednesday session in June will also be cancelled. Not sure why they string it along from week to week. There will be no session next week.
- Hamlet's Ghost - Tuesday, Jun 21, 16 @ 10:35 am:
@Keyrock
Governor Rauner isn’t acting like a guy who thinks he’s winning. At least IMHO.
- Just Sayin' - Tuesday, Jun 21, 16 @ 10:38 am:
**If** the working groups are actually getting closer together for a possible budget, I agree with this move. Lets them focus on the most important matters without being bogged down by the other non-budget bills they would be working on tomorrow.
- Keyrock - Tuesday, Jun 21, 16 @ 10:58 am:
Ghost- I agree that, in general, Rauner has been losing the chess match. But his messaging the last few weeks is running rings around Madigan’s and the Dems’.
- Annonin' - Tuesday, Jun 21, 16 @ 11:41 am:
Another well crafted Yaffee Yodel. Carries the day
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Jun 21, 16 @ 11:46 am:
If Madigan is not calling session in fear that his members will vote with Gov. Rauner, then maybe Gov. Rauner should call a session and prove it.
- Annonin' - Tuesday, Jun 21, 16 @ 11:49 am:
Almost Proft like
- SweetLou86 - Tuesday, Jun 21, 16 @ 11:52 am:
“Rank-and-file dems are afraid of the Speaker”
“The Speaker is afraid of rank-and-file dems”
“The Unions are actually in charge”
Do they even have a Comms shop? 3 different messages, all on the same day, none of which are true.
- BBG Watch - Tuesday, Jun 21, 16 @ 11:53 am:
A special session should be called immediately! If so many Dems will vote with the Governor, by all means call that special session. Lets be done with this.
- illini97 - Tuesday, Jun 21, 16 @ 11:57 am:
SweetLou nailed it. Is Madigan afraid of his memebers? Are the members afraid of him? Is Madigan the dictator? Are unions dictators?
All I hear in that word salad is that one man has no power at all and that man lives in the Governor’s mansion. But…here’s the punchline…he wants to be powerless for another four years, too!
- Huh? - Tuesday, Jun 21, 16 @ 11:58 am:
Heard the predictable faux outrage from the Statewide party. Now we need the hot air from the Republicans in the GA and 1.4%.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Jun 21, 16 @ 12:23 pm:
– Madigan is hiding behind the working groups because he is afraid that rank-and-file Democrats actually want to compromise and work with their Republican colleagues.–
How is it possible that anyone could think that sentence makes any sense at all?
- SweetLou86 - Tuesday, Jun 21, 16 @ 12:55 pm:
Wordslinger, you’re right on point. He’s hiding behind a bipartisan group working to compromise because he’s afraid that a bipartisan group will form to work on a compromise? Really?
- Demoralized - Tuesday, Jun 21, 16 @ 1:44 pm:
These are nice political soundbites but there’s no reason to waste everyone’s time if there is nothing to discuss or vote on.
- SIH - Tuesday, Jun 21, 16 @ 1:44 pm:
I thought the GOP wanted the working groups to do their thing? At least, that’s what I was told around the time of SB2048. Right?
Or am I seeing more inconsistency?
- illini97 - Tuesday, Jun 21, 16 @ 2:44 pm:
To the update:
Governor Rauner seems to thrive on the general public’s ignorance of the Illinois Constitution.
To whit, Article IV, Section 5(b). The Governor could order a special session if he really believed what he was telling those in attendance.
- Huh? - Tuesday, Jun 21, 16 @ 2:47 pm:
Heard from the ILGOP and 1.4%. Just need the blather from the GA GOP and we will have the three of a kind.
- illini97 - Tuesday, Jun 21, 16 @ 2:51 pm:
Hmm. Seems I used the wrong for of whit vs. wit. My bad.
- Mama - Tuesday, Jun 21, 16 @ 4:49 pm:
Why pay the House and Senate to come to Springfield when the leaders don’t have enough votes to pass a budget or a stop-gap budget?
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Jun 21, 16 @ 5:36 pm:
Rich, to the Rauner update:
Finke’s 6-21-16 story appears to be a reprint of a 6-7-16 Finke story.
Check out the dates on the links:
http://www.galesburg.com/news/20160621/rauner-criticizes-decision-to-cancel-wednesdays-planned-illinois-house-session
http://www.sj-r.com/article/20160607/NEWS/160609678
What’s up with that? None of the Superstars are making a heroic effort to point that out?
Because it’s steppin’ on the message the governor delivered on 6-14-16:
“To have them come when they’re not ready to vote is a waste,” Rauner told reporters after addressing the annual meeting of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce at the Palmer House Hilton. “It’s a waste of time, and it just gets everybody’s emotions ragged. We don’t need that. Emotions are already running a little bit too high.”
http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/rauner-emotions-too-high-budget-crisis-drags-on/