* Rick Pearson has a long story in the Tribune today about the impasse entitled “Can budget deal ever get done with Rauner, Madigan at the table?” It’s pretty good, so you should go read the whole thing. I’ll probably circle back to it later today, but let’s focus on this part for now…
Illinois is likely to see “a series of what we’ve done the last couple of years — temporary patches, stopgaps and fixes, and that’s not ideal,” said a Rauner confidant who spoke on the condition his name not be used. […]
[On the Senate’s grand bargain] “It came down to three things: workers’ comp, parity in (the length of) the income tax and property tax and budget cuts. Cullerton’s position is ‘This is the deal, take it or leave it’ and as far as we’re concerned, it’s dead and there’s nothing more for us to do because we’re not going to take a bad deal and neither is the Senate (Republican) caucus,” he said.
But Democratic Sen. Kwame Raoul, a lead negotiator, said “it’s hard to figure out” if Rauner truly ever wanted to strike a deal.
“I think he applies this sort-of maybe venture-capitalist approach to deal making where you try to squeeze every bit you can without respect to good faith negotiations that good public policy negotiations require,” said Raoul, whose district includes Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood. “I think certain tactics that may be very useful in another forum undermine the ability to kind of do things cooperatively in government.”
- JohnnyPyleDriver - Friday, Mar 24, 17 @ 9:09 am:
==‘we’re not going to take a bad deal and neither is the Senate (Republican) caucus==
Aren’t they the ones that negotiated it??
- Truthteller - Friday, Mar 24, 17 @ 9:10 am:
Seems like simply agreeing on a budget would do much more to restore Illinois’s fiscal health than anything else. Rauner’s extraneous demands might salve his outsized ego, but would not do much for the state’s economy. Just because he thinks it would doesn’t make it so. We’re all paying a heavy price for the governor’s misguided thinking
- Anon - Friday, Mar 24, 17 @ 9:10 am:
===without respect to good faith negotiations that good public policy negotiations require===
What? Refuses to negotiate in good faith? Well, I never.
- My New Handle - Friday, Mar 24, 17 @ 9:13 am:
“…with Rauner and Madigan at the table.” There’s a table?
Of course, Rauner doesn’t want a budget, never has, and that is squarely on the shoulders of those who prop him up. I see you, Jim Durkin.
- wordslinger - Friday, Mar 24, 17 @ 9:15 am:
Geez, did he sell Radogno down the river or what?
Going forward, who is supposed to trust this guy and why?
- Demoralized - Friday, Mar 24, 17 @ 9:18 am:
==and neither is the Senate (Republican) caucus==
That’s a pretty direct statement throwing Leader Radogno under the bus.
==Cullerton’s position is ‘This is the deal, take it or leave it’ ==
I believe he said this is the best that you are going to get if you want my caucus to vote for it.
==there’s nothing more for us to do==
I wasn’t aware they’ve been doing anything to begin with.
To me this episode has been the clearest indication yet that the Governor has no interested in getting a deal. The Senate grand bargain was the most movement we’ve had in two years and the Governor killed it at the 11th hour because he didn’t get everything he wanted. He wants the “perfect” and not the “doable.”
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Mar 24, 17 @ 9:20 am:
===…it’s dead and there’s nothing more for us to do because we’re not going to take a bad deal and neither is the Senate (Republican) caucus.===
Wholly disingenuous.
Bruce Rauner personally undercut Leader Radogno to the actual point of isolating her from her entire Caucus so Leader Radogno has only herself willing to find common ground
Let’s read this again, so context of thought…
“it’s dead and there’s nothing more for us to do because we’re not going to take a bad deal and neither is the Senate (Republican) caucus”
So, what Rauner is saying is Rauner chose to not deal.
Trying to say it’s a bad deal when Illinois has not had a budget going on a 3rd budgetary cycle, Rauber is more than willing to have no deal than work for A deal.
Bruce and Diana Rauner are paying millions to ensure that Illinoisans are hurt until Bruce gets all he wants, which includes destroying labor, raising taxes, blaming Democrats for both things, and if some social service agencies close, Diana Rauner calls that s business decision.
That one sentence is so telling to the mentality of the Rauners…
They are willing to hold hostage everyone, because a deal that Leader Radogno was working on was too close to happening.
Two years, the Rauners ensuring Raunerites do as their told, not what needs to be done for a better Illinois.
- Chicago_Downstater - Friday, Mar 24, 17 @ 9:25 am:
“I think certain tactics that may be very useful in another forum undermine the ability to kind of do things cooperatively in government.”
This all day, everyday!
A lot of folks assume that business prowess is a good indicator of political prowess. It is not. The core motivating principles of business and government are different therefore strategies that are successful in one are not always successful in the other.
Now, that’s not to say that a business person can’t be successful in politics or a politician can’t be successful in business. I’m just saying that the skill sets are not a one-to-one comparison, and we should all be careful not to conflate the two.
Thanks Sen. Raoul for pointing that out.
- Central_IL - Friday, Mar 24, 17 @ 9:27 am:
So what happens now? Do we just wait for schools to close and homeless shelters to board up? This situation isn’t “creating a crisis” it is a crisis.
- don the legend - Friday, Mar 24, 17 @ 9:30 am:
No, we had a problem… and uh, we tried to do everything we could.
Jimmy Conway: What d’you mean?
Vinnie: Well, you know what I mean. He’s gone, and we couldn’t do nothing about it.
This can apply to the Grand Bargain as well.
- @MisterJayEm - Friday, Mar 24, 17 @ 9:32 am:
“I think he applies this sort-of maybe venture-capitalist approach to deal making where you try to squeeze every bit you can without respect to good faith negotiations that good public policy negotiations require.”
Ya think?
– MrJM
- William j Kelly - Friday, Mar 24, 17 @ 9:44 am:
If registering the domain William J Kelly for Illinois was enough to scare Rauner away from raising taxes than it was worth the 10 bucks.
- Earnest - Friday, Mar 24, 17 @ 9:47 am:
Nice article–long time to read as the page kept loading new ads and it was a wait to page down. Still I shouldn’t complain since I was able to access it for free without being a subscriber.
Minor quibbles aside, it’s a good summary of where we’re at. It certainly is a bleak picture for the state. I don’t see much of anything changing until Rauner either loses re-election or is re-elected plus gains control over the legislative branch. Though I haven’t seen anything yet, I would assume he’ll also begin working on the judicial.
- Jocko - Friday, Mar 24, 17 @ 9:47 am:
==there’s nothing more for us to do==
For starters, why don’t you ask Uncle Brucie where he’s going to come up with that missing 4.6 billion.
- Lucky Pierre - Friday, Mar 24, 17 @ 9:48 am:
A two year property tax freeze with no structural changes to state government in exchange for a permanent income tax hike would never fly.
The leader of the Democratic party-Speaker Madigan is hiding under his desk afraid to take questions from the media.
The Speakerhas broken his promise to work cooperatively and professionally with the Governor to solve the #1 problem in the state of Illinois, the budget deficit.
He has also forgotten his 2012 statement :
Speaker Madigan admits in 2012 “most of us recognize the current state of Illinois pension systems are financially unsustainable. Everyone pretty much acknowledges that and that there has to be some kind of change.
So I would simply ask everyone let’s not get swept up in the emotion of the minute, lets keep our focus and continue to try and educate ourselves on these issues and move towards good solid decisions as to how we can solve these problems.”
How he thinks we can solve the #1 problem in the state of Illinois, as well as Chicago and CPS- the budget deficit without passing Senator Cullerton’s pension bill would be a good question for someone to ask the Speaker next time he meets the press.
- Mason born - Friday, Mar 24, 17 @ 9:55 am:
So in other words the Grand Bargain is only slightly more likely than Mark Sanchez winning a Super Bowl for the Bears?
Although the Butt Fumble is a good analogy for Rauners term so far.
- The Dude Abides - Friday, Mar 24, 17 @ 10:04 am:
Just when the GOP Senate caucus appeared ready to take the deal Rauner ordered them not to, or else. That’s why there isn’t GOP support for the deal any more. From the start I figured that all the hard work that Cullerton, Radogno and both GOP and Democrat members were doing in their committees were doing was a waste of time because at the right moment Rauner would step in and squash it and that’s what he did. I think the Administration realizes that Democrats are just philosophically opposed to too many of his reform ideas to give him what he wants so he’s willing to let the state limp along on life support for another two years if necessary. He’s desperate for just enough money to keep the crisis from completely blowing up so that’s why he is asking the Supreme Court to take up his case against AFSCME and hoping for a ruling in his favor. I talked to someone on the AFSCME bargaining committee last week and he told me that he doesn’t expect to see a full balanced budget while Rauner is Governor.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Mar 24, 17 @ 10:08 am:
- Lucky Pierre -
Two things;
We’re all talking about the Senate Grand Bargain
Brucd Rauner undercut Leader Radogno, crushing the Grand Bargain, and now wants no deal with the Illinois Senate.
Please keep up.
- Lucky Pierre - Friday, Mar 24, 17 @ 10:11 am:
Yes I am keeping up OW, did you miss the part about the Speaker not committing to pass the Grand Bargain?
Kind of messes up your false narrative that Rauner is to blame for everything doesn’t it?
- WellNeverMakeIt - Friday, Mar 24, 17 @ 10:12 am:
So as WWI tactics continue in Illinois, the refugees are leaving this war torn state. Anyone that can easily leave is leaving now. If it wasn’t for or immigrant population influx we would be losing even more population.
I like what Rauner is trying to accomplish, but this battle is going to bring the state into ruins. Of course I blame the majority on Democrats for the decades of decadence, but someone has got to give a little. There is too much slash and burn tactics and not enough compromise.
Dems needs to realize the state’s predicament wasn’t created when Rauner was elected. And Rauner needs to realize that nothing is not better than accepting some fixes. This state will not re-elect him if he is only a all or nothing Governor.
In the immortal words of Gulliver’s Travels Glum, “We’ll never make it!”
- austinman - Friday, Mar 24, 17 @ 10:14 am:
The Senator is spot on, the Governor doesnt want a deal, he doesnt want a budget, never did….. Unless its totally his way. Kudos to Leader Radogno, for trying, and the other Senate Repubs should be upset that the Governor folks are all up in their internal workings.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Mar 24, 17 @ 10:17 am:
===Speaker not committing to pass the Grand Bargain===
The bills are in the Senate. One problem at a time.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Mar 24, 17 @ 10:21 am:
===…did you miss the part about the Speaker not committing to pass the Grand Bargain?===
You make no sense.
Rauner is against the Grand Bargain. It can’t even get a vote in the Senate, due to Rauner.
If you were even a bit honest, you’d WANT the Senate to pass the Grand Bargain to force Speaker Madigan’s hand.
Why aren’t you for that?
- Cubs in '16 - Friday, Mar 24, 17 @ 10:27 am:
===I like what Rauner is trying to accomplish===
What, in your mind, is he trying to accomplish WellNeverMakeIt? Serious question. And please don’t simply repeat Raunerite talking points. The Governor has never been able to show how the items on his agenda will have a significant financial impact on the state. His own numbers showed an insignificant financial ROI even if all of the Turn Around Agenda items were instituted. So that leaves us with union-busting. That’s what he’s trying to accomplish. Why do you like that in the context of financial impact on the state?
- Lucky Pierre - Friday, Mar 24, 17 @ 10:30 am:
Ok then, the most powerful Democrat in Illinois, the Speaker of the House is not committing to pass the Grand Bargain. No big deal.
Do you think the Speaker saying he was in favor would give some cover to nervous Senate Democrats? I do
If the past is prologue, The House would never accept the Senate Grand Bargain proposal- see budget from last year as an indicator.
I do want the Grand Bargain to pass but with some more balance in terms of permanent income tax hike in exchange for permanent property tax freeze subject to referendum
Or perhaps easier to pass temporary income tax increase and temporary property tax freeze.
- Demoralized - Friday, Mar 24, 17 @ 10:45 am:
LP:
We’re talking about the SENATE and the process in the SENATE. I understand it’s impossible for you to make a statement without saying “yeah, but Madigan” but you could at least try instead of your day in and day out press release statements that could have come directly from the Governor himself.
- Anon - Friday, Mar 24, 17 @ 11:01 am:
=== A two year property tax freeze with no structural changes to state government in exchange for a permanent income tax hike would never fly. ===
Yet Rauner and Durkin expect their proposal to fly for a one-year CPS pension contribution in return for a permanent pension reduction. That’s called wanting to have your cake and eat it too.
- sal-says - Friday, Mar 24, 17 @ 11:27 am:
And, as a point of reference for Raunner & the SuperStarts, after two and one-half years, a ‘bad deal’ is far better than NO deal.
- red raider - Friday, Mar 24, 17 @ 12:06 pm:
The grand bargain is a plan that has originated in the Senate and has stayed there during negotiations. Is it really that difficult to stay in one lane? Governor Rauner is very LUCKY to have people like PIERRE
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Mar 24, 17 @ 12:11 pm:
===Ok then, the most powerful Democrat in Illinois, the Speaker of the House is not committing to pass the Grand Bargain. No big deal.===
That’s the House. Again, we’re talking about the Senate. Keep up.
To the bargain, you say… lol…
===I do want the Grand Bargain to pass but…===
Yeah, I’m going to stop your drivel right there.
Rauner, like you, saw the Senate was close and undercut Leader Radogno, “luckily” for the same reasons you do. I’m shocked.
You’re not for the Grand Compromise, you don’t want to put Madigan in the box if it passes, and you continually only see Madigan… in the Senate deal.
Willfully ignorant, blissfully unaware?
You are using EXACT Rauner rationale why you and Rauner don’t want a Senate deal,
So, blissfully unaware is out, lol
- Anonymous - Friday, Mar 24, 17 @ 1:37 pm:
Trying to talk sense to people like Lucky is like trying to reason with Trump supporters.
- Anonymous - Friday, Mar 24, 17 @ 3:41 pm:
“Trying to talk sense to people like Lucky”
Take it easy on him, he clearly has a bee in his bonnet today. I am guessing the person in front of him in the grocery line bought something with their SNAP card that he did not approve of.