48 Comments - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 1:36 pm: Dear House Democratic Press Shop, When the most inept Gubernatorial press shop in recent memory continually beats you like a drum, daily, and you then have ridiculousness like a non-continual “continual Wednesday session” and a “missing” Speaker be how you want your message framed… … You are failing the Speaker and the Democratic members of the HDem Caucus. You are being drilled… every day… by Rauner’s 1962 Mets Press Shop… - Linus - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 1:37 pm: None of these goofs deserves a free pass. That means equal time for dinging both guys: Madigan, for declaring “continuous session” and then reneging, but also Rauner. After all, the Guv himself refuses to call a special session because he acknowledges there’d be nothing for legislators to DO in Springfield, at this point. Reporters should not allow him to ooda-loop himself out of responsibility on that. - AC - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 1:38 pm: Poor messaging on the part of Illinois Democrats is a case where “because Madigan” actually makes sense. - Georg Sande - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 1:41 pm: Negative earned media! It’s about time because all of that was factual. - Formerly Known As... - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 1:41 pm: Not the Speaker’s first unforced error this session. He has a few of them now. - Formerly Known As... - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 1:43 pm: =“A spokesperson told us he couldn’t track down the Speaker, either.”= Paging Chuck Goudie. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 1:44 pm: Maybe Madigan should say he will call them back to session as soon as Rauner meets his constitutional duty to present a balanced budget proposal. - AC - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 1:45 pm: Is this deliberate? If the Democrats get a true supermajority in the house this fall then Madigan would be expected to own the tax increase mathematics requires. - Mr. Smith - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 1:52 pm: Speaker Madigan is not helping his own cause much these days. He may hold the House in his hand, but Rauner is getting the better of him consistently in the spin wars. And believe me - people are noticing. I wonder how Madigan’s numbers would match up with the Governor’s using the same poll cited yesterday here and elsewhere that put Rauner’s unfavorables at 60%… - Union Dues - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 1:54 pm: We need less concern by politicians, reporters and the Governor’s office over “gotcha stories” and more concern relating to passing a budget. Focus. - Lucky Pierre - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 1:54 pm: Where is the vote for the stop gap budget and pension reform legislation Senator Cullerton proposed? How is it the Governors fault that the democrats won’t call their own bills the Governor said he would sign? - Formerly Known As... - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 1:54 pm: This is the first time in at least fifteen years the House has fewer than 40 Regular Session days between January 1 - May 31. Canceling every session in June; when the House has just worked the lightest schedule in at least 15 years; while the state lacks a budget; is not helping incumbents. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 1:56 pm: - Lucky Pierre - There’s a bill on the governor’s desk to help, lots of GOP votes on it too. Why no signature? Think on that, get back to us. - JS Mill - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 1:57 pm: =You are being drilled… every day… by Rauner’s 1962 Mets Press Shop… = I wonder about that a lot. Why on earth, in such a target rich environment, do they not hammer back. So many easy targets, so many flip flops and contradictions. Is it possible that MJM et al are simply allowing the Rauner cowboy enough rope to hang himself? We all know Rauner is horrible of script so, is MJM just waiting for Rauner to do irreparable damage to himself? - Anonymous - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 1:57 pm: Lucky, simple. They disagree as to what should be in a pension bill and stop gap budget. Bills have more than titles. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 1:57 pm: ===MJM, holding Illinois hostage—still!!=== The Governor can always call special session. Why won’t he? - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 1:59 pm: - JS Mill - Yep. That and/or getting membership down to 65-68 HDem members. Take some lumps, get out of the fallacy of Super-Majority… Gotta crack some eggs, or in this case lose some seats, to make an omelette(?) - Formerly Known As... - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 2:03 pm: =his constitutional duty to present a balanced budget proposal.= The GA has not passed a balanced budget in 4 years. Why would they change now for Rauner’s sake? Democratic or Republican governor, full tax increase or reduced tax increase, it is irrelevant to the GA. They have apparently become incapable of passing a balanced budget. - Georg Sande - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 2:04 pm: –The Governor can always call special session. Why won’t he?– Because he doesn’t have to, Silly. Madigan committed publicly to a “continuous session” amounting to each Wednesday in June. He’s failed to follow through -see above- and now the Governor is capitalizing on that misstep. In sum, the Gov. is playing the Speaker’s game better than the Speaker these days. Try and keep up. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 2:10 pm: ===Madigan committed publicly to a “continuous session” amounting to each Wednesday in June. He’s failed to follow through -see above- and now the Governor is capitalizing on that misstep.=== Yep. Exactly this. Nothing to keep up, it’s rhetorical, as is when Rauner talks about the income tax expiring, but Rauner asked for it to expire, and the Democrats “obliged” It’s called “pointing out the obvious”… … also why the HDem Press Shop is consistently losing the messaging with a better message. I know you think you made a point, - Georg Sande -, but your lack of self awareness made my point about this going way over your head and the income tax expiring and Rauner losing that pivot exactly the same way. But, you moved on from drive-bys, so that’s fun. - MOON - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 2:12 pm: I understand the criticism of Madigan for not holding House sessions on Wednesday as he said he would.However, why waste the time and State money if there is nothing to be done without a compromise. Madigan and Cullerton could meet every Wednesday or even 7 days a week with the Gov. But ,until the topic is limited to a budget it would be a unproductive. - Georg Sande - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 2:15 pm: Oh, now it was rhetorical. Lol. The income tax hike expired by its own terms, Silly … under the bill sponsored by Madigan & Cullerton & signed by Quinn. There was nothing to ask about; it just expired as designed. Try and keep up. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 2:20 pm: ===The income tax hike expired by its own terms,… under the bill sponsored by Madigan & Cullerton & signed by Quinn. There was nothing to ask about; it just t expired as designed.=== Nope. Rauner asked, and thanked that it expired. Rauner inserted himself in the expiration. Again, - Georg Sande - showing how you lack here. - cgo75 - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 2:27 pm: This seems to be unfair criticism of the Speaker. If he felt that it would be beneficial, I’m confident he would ensure the Wednesday meetings took place. He isn’t going to ask them to work if it’s totally unproductive. - Lucky Pierre - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 2:40 pm: OW because it the bill just addresses social services and not be rest of the budget. - Birdseed - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 2:41 pm: === - cgo75 - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 2:27 pm: This seems to be unfair criticism of the Speaker. === Unfair? How? The Speaker said he would meet EVERY Wednesday in June. He has not met ANY Wednesday in June and there is only 1 Wednesday left. Big blunder. Fair game. - My op - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 2:43 pm: Madigan’s political operation has many, many strengths. Playing the modern media game is not one of them. They’ve gotten away with it until now, will see if that will last. Interesting that Cullerton did not make the same mistake of scheduling summer session days — shielding his members from some of the heat Dem House members are exposed to. I also think Cullerton has projected a reasonably solid image as a willing-to-compromise problem solver in his few media appearances. The Dems would be better served if Cullerton took a higher profile. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 2:45 pm: ===…because it the bill just addresses social services and not be rest of the budget.=== So people suffering is a Rauner choice. Got it. Thanks. - austinman - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 2:57 pm: Will the Governor ever stop campaigning and get into governing? Maybe that’s what the Speaker should say. - Chicago Cynic - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 3:06 pm: HUGE mistake to schedule session days. Bigger mistake to cancel. Just hold the damn session. Have some hearings highlighting how horrible the lack of budget is hurting people. But none of this is surprising. With all due respect to Steve, this is so not their forte. They have totally ceded the message to Rauner. Where is our counter-message? Where is our destruction of his turnaround agenda? I’ve been saying this for sixteen months now. UGH. - Arthur Andersen - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 3:07 pm: I’m certain there is some annonymous big picture strategy game at work here. We just don’t have the proper decoder ring to figure it out. - facts are stubborn things - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 3:14 pm: Yes, true indeed, however, what matters is Rauner runs state wide and has huge negatives while MJM runs in a district and is still popular among members because he protects them and keeps a large majority. Having said that, it is about time the Dems hold a major event where they stand with the budget hostages and ask Rauner to let the hostages go and come to the table and negotiate a budget. - facts are stubborn things - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 3:18 pm: Why is it that both sides agree there needs to be an income tax increase, however, the Gov refuses to negotiate a budget with increased taxes until he gets his turn around agenda. The Gov. has already said we need increased revenue, so in exchange for what both sides know to be true the Dems are to agree to the turn around agenda and then get blamed for the tax increase. - Lucky Pierre - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 3:40 pm: Wllly you missed it but the democrats can’t even agree among themselves what their proposal is so is it any wonder Rauner can’t make a deal with them? - Arock - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 3:45 pm: “He isn’t going to ask them to work if it’s totally unproductive” They have been unproductive all year but that did not seem to bother Madigan back then. - Mama - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 3:47 pm: It is my understanding that Rauner still wants the Dems to pass a Stopgap budget for “?”, and a full appropriation for P-12 Ed.. Plus kill the unions’ right to bargain. That is not going to happen. If Rauner wants to pass P-K, he can remove the poison pills. - UnionThugGramma - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 3:51 pm: If the house does go into session, all legislators that show up get paid for their time, mileage, per diem, right? So, if Madigan knows they are not going to be voting on a budget at this time and doesn’t call them in, which saves the state money, he’s still wrong??? - Arock - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 3:53 pm: “Nothing to keep up, it’s rhetorical, as is when Rauner talks about the income tax expiring, but Rauner asked for it to expire, and the Democrats “obliged”” He asked for reforms but suddenly the Democrats supposedly had a conscience and said no so it looks like it is not mandatory to oblige him so they can take that excuse and stuff it. They had three years after they passed the temporary increase to make it permanent with out needing a super majority to do so and they did nothing. They did nothing in the time frame to work to bring future budgets into balance. All they did is watch Illinois sink farther into the abyss. - A Modest Proposal - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 4:00 pm: Willy, I guess my question is, say Rauner signed a bill that made income taxes 4.25%, instead of letting the increase expire like the democrats designed, would that have been a tax increase or a tax decrease? - Ottawa Phil - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 4:00 pm: As mentioned earlier and in other posts, this has not been a good year for Madigan. I think Rich has written on it before, but these mistakes are becoming more noticeable and beg the question: Has Madigan lost it? - AC - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 4:11 pm: ==if Madigan knows they are not going to be voting on a budget at this time and doesn’t call them in, which saves the state money, he’s still wrong???== You’re confusing the message and bad messaging which makes for news coverage like that cited above. Sadly, substance means little, unless it can be turned into short and easily understood snippets that are easily understood. Right now, too many people think blame is completely equal between Rauner and Madigan, when only one of them is standing in the way of a balanced budget. - wordslinger - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 4:21 pm: –OW because it the bill just addresses social services and not be rest of the budget. – If I understand your post correctly….. The K-12 approp. The non-GRF approps. for local governments and the lottery. The emergency higher ed approp. In each of those cases, “it the bill not be the rest of the budget,” as you put it. What makes social services so special that the governor keeps adding new conditions after the fact to partially honor contracts that his administration signed? Just kidding. “Squeezing the beast” is the policy, not an accident. He should have told all those GOP legislators before he hung them out to dry, again. - Paul - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 4:24 pm: If we allow the negative Madigan media to continue, then the local dem reps can jump on the anti-Madigan bandwagon too. It has been proven that the Madigan tie has been unsuccessful in the past so demonizing Madigan won’t hurt local reps. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 4:43 pm: State income taxes were 67% more from 2011 till the end of 2014. State income taxes for approximately the last 1.5 years are 25% greater than they were in 2010. That is a bunch of juice taken from the taxpayers. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 5:32 pm: ===…would that have been a tax increase or a tax decrease?=== What I would’ve done to have a deal for the FY2015 and FY2016 budget would’ve been the following… Propose a tax at the level of the “expiration” to continue thru FYs 2016 and 2017. Reduce the tax for FY2018 at the difference between the new high and the original tax rate and for FY2019 fall back to the original rate. It answers your questions as to its a new increase leading to a substantial and incremental tax increase. That never happened, but that’s how I would’ve went about it. Hope that helps. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 5:33 pm: “It answers your questions as to its a new increase leading to a substantial and incremental tax decrease.” Ugh. My bad. - Union Man - Wednesday, Jun 22, 16 @ 7:51 pm: There is no way Madigan is going to enact a budget without the Governor’s approval. Ain’t gonna happen. - Keepin' Track - Thursday, Jun 23, 16 @ 9:08 am: Just goes to show how utterly diabolical the Speaker is. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.