* Let’s revisit yesterday’s House debate on the stopgap bill for social services and higher education…
As the House debate dragged into a second hour, some of the statements got pointed. Rep. Christian Mitchell, D-Chicago, referred to Gov. Bruce Rauner as the “sugar daddy” of the Republican Party who is demanding lawmakers approve his campaign promises in exchange for a budget. Rep. Scott Drury, D-Highland, said none of the Republicans “has had the spine to stand up to your leader.”
Rep. Peter Breen, R-Lombard, countered that “Republicans want to turn Illinois around. Democrats want to burn Illinois down.”
As we’ve already discussed, Republicans have in the past voted for stopgap funding bills.
* With that in mind Rep. Drury’s comments are worth expanding on here. Drury was one of the lone voices against the stopgap budget bill last year. And so the only Democrat not to vote for Speaker Madigan’s reelection rose to hammer the Republicans for being too afraid to stand up to Gov. Bruce Rauner…
I try to be the one in the chamber that calls it like it is. And I have to say, listening to the debate from the Republican side today is just grotesque. It is just absolutely grotesque.
And let me tell you why. First of all, there is no Republican plan… So to say the Democrats have a plan to burn it down and you have a path to prosperity? Well, last year, there was one person in this chamber who was talking about pressure cookers and letting things boil over and I’ll tell you what, it wasn’t on that side of the aisle. It was me. And the votes were 115-1, 116-1. But your leader, who none of you are willing to stand up to, said, “Today, you should vote this way.” And now your leader has changed his position and he says “Hey, that pressure cooker thing sounds good, let’s try it.”
So, it’s wonderful that you want to come here and pretend that you have some plan, and pretend that you have a backbone. But there is no one on that side of the aisle, no one on that side of the aisle in the last two years who has shown the spine to stand up to your leader. Allright?
There is one person on this side who has. And I can commiserate with you, I can tell you what it’s like, if you want to know what’s going to happen. But in a lot of ways it’s like the shackles being off.
So I encourage at least one of you, instead of talking about all the nonsense that you’re talking about, to grow a spine, do what you think is the right thing. But to stop sitting here and pretend that you have some sort of plan and that the Democrats don’t. Do you what you think is right. Just do you what you think is right. And maybe it’ll come back and shine on you. But as long as you have these lame excuses, I just don’t know how you sleep at night. I really don’t.
That transcription was sent to me by somebody who was greatly impressed with Drury’s speech. And Rep. Drury did make some good points.
But when the bill was put on the big board, Drury didn’t vote one way or the other. Click here to see the roll call.
- hot chocolate - Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 12:05 pm:
Just look up the definition of the word duplicity. If Scott Drury’s picture isn’t next to it I’ll be surprised. His words, followed by his inaction yesterday, makes him not just a bad Representative for his district, it makes him a bad person.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 12:09 pm:
===I try to be the one in the chamber that calls it like it is.===
“It’s not about me… but it’s about me and how bad my colleagues are… ”
That Drury.
He should sit with the HGOP, lol.
To Drury not even voting… “Absentee Legislstor”?
- Norseman - Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 12:09 pm:
He’s got so much in that superior brain, did he have a memory lapse? /s
- AlfondoGonz - Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 12:11 pm:
Yea Scott, it’s you vs. the world. Good luck.
- lake county democrat - Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 12:21 pm:
FactCheck.org says, in defending Barrack Obama over 129 non-votes, that it’s understood as a “no” vote, not a duck (as Republicans were charging) but expresses a particular objection. The same posts quotes the New York Times as saying this is “relatively common.”
Maybe they’re wrong and they should have been harder on Obama, otherwise I don’t get the big deal here if the NV is so commonplace. Also, the votes/nonvotes in that link only add up to 110 -apparently there were some additional nonvotes.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 12:24 pm:
As far as voting to make sure people know Drury votes “his” conscious and “he” can sleep at night… Drury gives a great speech.
#LipPublicService
- lake county democrat - Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 12:26 pm:
The NYT article quoted in by FactCheck also notes that the non-vote can allow a pol to avoid getting pinned with an unpopular “no” vote on a bill - at least to me this bill doesn’t seem so notorious that Drury would be worried about that (especially given his clear position).
- Rich Miller - Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 12:28 pm:
===I don’t get the big deal here if the NV is so commonplace===
Hi, Scott.
lol
The “big deal” here is that he rose in debate to forcefully attack the other side and then didn’t bother to vote one way or the other.
Yes, it is common. It happened on the nursing bill, which we’ll discuss in a bit. But people don’t usually speak on a bill and then take a walk.
You can’t possibly be that dense.
- Jocko - Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 12:33 pm:
Rich, are you sure it’s the full transcript? I don’t see his mentioning being a former federal prosecutor./s
- lake county democrat - Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 12:51 pm:
Rich, you underestimate me!
I do like Drury, though I don’t always agree with him. Maybe I’m not feeling the outrage because it doesn’t seem like he was trying to have it both ways with the non-vote, and the “Illinois Beltway” seems to have it out for him. It’s a fair criticism.
- wordslinger - Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 1:01 pm:
–Drury villifies Republicans for lacking a spine, then doesn’t vote–
You can’t make that stuff up.
Even more bizarre given his navel-gazing tantrum, Drury’s “non-vote” effectively counts as a “no” vote — which is how the GOP members voted.
- Deft Wing - Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 1:05 pm:
Didn’t vote after that self-serving diatribe? Hmm. The record will reflect Drury voted no at least once on prior stop gaps.
His arrogance is maybe eclipsed, maybe, by his hypocrisy.
- Anon221 - Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 1:06 pm:
Was he in the back of the room doin’ a Dunkin??? Was his Green button broken??? Is he colorblind and can’t tell the difference in the button colors??? Drury, Drury, Drury. It’s getting really old, man, this shtick of yours. Wonder where he’ll be when the override vote needs to be taken?
- Joe Bidenopolous - Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 1:18 pm:
Feckless
- zatoichi - Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 1:26 pm:
TALKING doing
- Stark - Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 1:27 pm:
Did you guys know he’s a former federal prosecutor?
- Oh Boy - Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 2:02 pm:
Maybe he was just trying to earn his clock.
- anon2 - Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 2:03 pm:
Ridiculing colleagues while bragging about your singular and superior insight and courage is an effective formula for alienating others.
- phenomenon - Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 3:23 pm:
Drury gives speech about how Drury is the only one who has the courage and moral fibre to stand up and do what is right. This is news why?
In a normal general election the non vote might not hurt him. In a Democratic primary, failing to vote for an emergency budget could hurt a little bit. That and the picture of him standing behind Rauner. That and the money he gets from Ken Griffin. That and his personality.
- Just saying.... - Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 3:42 pm:
McCann…
- Michelle Flaherty - Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 4:42 pm:
He’ll blame the Speaker for conspiring to not push his button.
- Obamas Puppy - Monday, Apr 10, 17 @ 9:11 am:
Drury was the kid in class who tells the teacher how great he is. Here is word Scott “humility” look it up it might help people take you seriously.