“Revenue, cuts or both?” Kennedy won’t answer
Tuesday, May 2, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* WCMY’s Rick Koshko interviewed Chris Kennedy this week…
Koshko: How would you balance the budget if you were governor right now?
Kennedy: Well, the first thing I would do is I would abandon the need to adopt his Turnaround Agenda first. This isn’t a stalemate, this isn’t a logjam, this is a hostage-taking. Gov. Rauner is holding the state budget hostage for ideas that only he thinks are more important than what the rest of the state believes in. If he gave up on those ideas, there would be a balanced budget passed in Springfield within ten days.
Koshko: Revenue, cuts or both?
Kennedy: I think the legislature would figure that out in these next ten days. If you’re talking about what happens two years from now, I think we need to know what damage Gov. Rauner does. Enormous pile of unpaid bills that he has created under his own management, it leaves the state really at risk and I don’t know how bad it will get.
Koshko: With some Democrats saying, look, it’s Rauner’s job to propose the budget, it would be reasonable for them to say it’ll be your job to propose the budget. So what would you do, how would you propose the budget?
Kennedy: I don’t know what the size of the unpaid bills is. How can I answer that? Could you have predicted that he’d go with $12-14 billion in unpaid bills? Can you tell me what it will be like, you know, two years from now? I’m sorry, I can’t do that. We have one governor at a time. It’s his job. He ought to get it done.
- jerry 101 - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 9:27 am:
Ah, good old political dodgeball.
- illinoised - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 9:28 am:
I am underwhelmed he does not have a handle on the dollar amount of unpaid bills. I like the rest of what he said.
- illinoised - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 9:29 am:
I re-read the post. He has an approximate idea.
- Rogue Roni - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 9:32 am:
To be fair our sitting governor gives roughly the same answer
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 9:34 am:
===I think the legislature would figure that out in these next ten days.===
The mere fact Kennedy, who wants to be the Democratic Nominee wants the Legislature to come up with the cuts and the revenue really puts into focus how unprepared Kemnedy is to run against Rauner?
Bruce Rauner ran a whole $60 million campaign based on “Pat Quinn failed”
Chris Kennedy dumps $250,000 into a campaign that has the answer to the budget impasse that… “I think the legislature would figure that out in these next ten days”?
Words fail me.
Is the Kennedy Crew even prepping Kennedy?
- Anonymous - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 9:37 am:
Was on my list of consideration for a primary vote, it’s gone now. You have to stand for something or I don’t stand for you.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 9:39 am:
I’ve now read it three times over, again…
Kennedy is completely lacking in understanding 1) this is a softball line of questioning 2) Kennedy seems to misunderstand the whole “legislature - governor” dynamic 3) how that dynamic allowed Rauner to go after Quinn to win, and continue to blame the GA for his failures.
Total disappointment by Kennedy.
How can it NOT be?
- Anonymous - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 9:39 am:
It is never a good idea to start at the top in politics. Witness Rauner’s struggles…
JFK served an apprenticeship. So did RFK.
Apart from a stint on the University of Illinois Board of Trustees, what exact public policy experience does Chris Kennedy have?
- ??? - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 9:40 am:
I am completely underwhelmed by Kennedy. He thinks they can come up with a balanced budget in 10 days? Wow.
- Archiesmom - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 9:42 am:
I’m also disappointed. I think the voters of the state, and certainly in the Democratic Party, would appreciate some concrete answers. I don’t think you’re going to get deep in the primary by avoiding the hard questions and the difficult answers. I also don’t like the fact that he doesn’t seem to have a concrete grasp of the numbers yet. I’m betting a lot of people that comment here could give those numbers pretty easily.
- Here we go again - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 9:46 am:
I did not think Pritzker would be sounding more like the “progressive.”
- Ray del Camino - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 9:47 am:
Weak. He’s just embarrassing himself.
- Anon0091 - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 9:47 am:
“How can I answer that?”
Sounds strikingly like, “what have you become?”
They are both astonishingly bad answers. Oh, and Chris, “Can you tell me what it will be like, you know, two years from now? I’m sorry, I can’t do that.” is also a pathetically bad answer. Either you are unaware that GOMB has said we’ll have $28 billion in unpaid bills or you’re not telling the truth. There is no third answer.
Wow. Just wow.
- The Captain - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 9:48 am:
Thinking back to Kennedy in the elevator at the DNC and now this there’s a bit of a theme where he complains that perfectly reasonable questions are unfair to him. It’s a problem. He needs more assertive answers and less the-dog-ate-my-homework types.
- Ok - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 9:48 am:
Why answer a question that Rauner has not even answered?
- Generic Drone - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 9:50 am:
I wont be voting for anyone who wont make a stand. We need to know how the next Governor intends to move us forward.
- A Jack - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 9:50 am:
Mr. Kennedy, if you want my vote, you have to either come up with some solutions or inspire me.
Telling me that getting rid of Rauner will make everything better, while true, is not enough.
Inspire me dude, that is what Kennedys do.
- A guy - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 9:50 am:
This ain’t his bag. He’s not improving and he’s not going to. Not a lot anyway. He’s not cut out for this. Nobody’s even come at him hard yet on anything. The media are still lobbing 16 inchers with an arc on them. He’s still swinging and missing or letting them go by him.
It’s not for him.
- DeseDemDose - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 9:51 am:
Was Kennedy insinuating that the legislature can come up with a balanced budget in ten days after he has been elected our Governor?
- Deft Wing - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 9:52 am:
Profile in courage, right there.
Next.
- Sue - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 9:54 am:
Take away his name and he is a total lightweight
- wordslinger - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 9:55 am:
I’ll believe this guy is actually running if he files. Long way from that.
The book on him (and Bill Daley) is he tries to clear the field by floating his historic name early. Never worked before, sure didn’t work this time.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 9:56 am:
- A Guy -
This is a reflection on his Crew. These are prepared answers.
“How do I know?”
The littering of dropped numbers and sprinkled with word salad silliness, it’s Kennedy being wholly let down and sent out there with embarrassingly awful answers and no clue as how to turn these answers into a narrative.
Kennedy is literally being prepped wrong, and Kennedy is trusting the prep work.
Kennedy has numbers, pivots, slight of hand with a turn of a phrase, it’s prep work… and it’s awful.
- Arock - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 9:57 am:
A GA that has not come up with a truly balanced budget in nearly two decades is going to get it done in ten days?
- City Zen - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 9:57 am:
If Kennedy was governor, why would he need to drop a turnaround agenda that wouldn’t exist?
- Ron - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 10:00 am:
We need to slash spending, freeze wages of state workers being a fantastic way to start. Saves money on wages AND pensions.
- wondering - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 10:04 am:
Why should Kennedy allow himself to be painted into a corner? For whose satisfaction? The G.A., rest assured, can do it in 10 for a governor waiting to sign.
- Norseman - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 10:05 am:
Wow, Kennedy just dropped the MOAB (the mother of all bloopers).
- Cassandra - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 10:09 am:
He does appear to be scared to say the words “tax increase” as in “we’ll need to have a tax increase.” But we should hold all the the candidates to the same standard. Would you support an increase-in the state’s flat income tax-yes or no. The answers, if they do answer, should be, at the least, entertaining.
If I had to guess, I’d say a new governor Kennedy would do what Rauner probably should have done, that is, take a quick look around, declare a massive fiscal disaster caused entirely by his predecessor,and go for an immediate income tax hike.
- OneMan - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 10:18 am:
I would add to that.
Are you in favor of a graduated state income tax, if so what do you do before that would come in effect since that would take at least 2~3 years due to the constitutional process. What would you do if it fails?
- Bigfoot - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 10:19 am:
Scale 1 to 10 give it a 3
Totally inadequate….not major league quality
Need someone that says” I am going to have a tax increase and control spending .”
- Anon0091 - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 10:28 am:
To be clear, I don’t think Willy or Word or I are saying he needs to go that far. But he needs a better answer than “how can I answer that?”
- Six Degrees of Separation - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 10:31 am:
===Need someone that says” I am going to have a tax increase and control spending.===
Pat Quinn, your table is ready.
- JS Mill - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 10:33 am:
Kennedy needs to step it up. This isn’t goona cut it.
Way. Up
- DuPage - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 10:39 am:
@- DeseDemDose - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 9:51 am:
===Was Kennedy insinuating that the legislature can come up with a balanced budget in ten days after he has been elected our Governor?===
Kind of a very weak answer. He might be right though, in the fact that if governor turnaround is removed, a majority vote WITHOUT A VETO could go through relatively fast. There are not enough votes to override a veto, but more then enough for a regular budget. Where and how the revenue increases and budget cuts/cost shifts are done would be decided very quickly, they would probably present the governor with options and get some input on specifics. Kennedy needs to come across much more strongly though, to motivate voters to actually go out and vote for him.
- Responsa - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 10:54 am:
So are the people who are complaining here recommending that Kennedy should boldly campaign on a massive tax increase or not?
- ChrisB - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 10:54 am:
At this point, Rauner should start pulling a McCaskill and low key help Kennedy with his primary.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 10:57 am:
===So are the people who are complaining here recommending that Kennedy should boldly campaign on a massive tax increase or not?===
The only way this comment makes sense is if you think Kennedy hit it out of the ball park with these easy softball questions.
If you don’t think Kennedy hit it out of the ball park, then you understand what I see.
- Anon0091 - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 10:58 am:
“- Responsa - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 10:54 am:
So are the people who are complaining here recommending that Kennedy should boldly campaign on a massive tax increase or not?”
No. Just give a much better answer than “how can I answer that?”
- Rod - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 10:58 am:
“I don’t know what the size of the unpaid bills is. How can I answer that?” Answer, in March it was $12.8 billion, according to the state comptroller. According to the Civic Federation estimate if there is no resolution of the budget impasse the backlog of bills will be approximately $14.5 billion by the end of FY2017. That took all of six minutes to look up. Mr. Kennedy should by this point be immersed in this data and have it at least in his head in a general manner. I am not impressed.
- Responsa - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 11:03 am:
==No. Just give a much better answer than “how can I answer that?”==
I get that and completely agree Kennedy’s answer was horrible. What I am trying to pin down is what people think he *should* have said.
- Pot calling kettle - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 11:09 am:
A much better response would be: “Governor Rauner has put $12 billion on the state’s credit card so far. So, yeah, we’ll need a tax increase to pay of Rauner’s debt.”
Let’s see which Dem uses this first.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 11:13 am:
“The G.A., rest assured, can do it in 10 for a governor waiting to sign.” - They are going to pass a truly balanced budget in 10 days something they haven’t done since what 2001?
- Ron - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 11:23 am:
Pot, nice of you to ignore the previous 40 years of debt accumulation.
- Langhorne - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 11:38 am:
Candidate prep 101, p1, q 3:
A: 2 or 3 good declarative sentences, 2 or 3 nice crisp numbers. Shot at rauner, and an uplifting close.
Either he paid consultants for prep, and didnt study. Or he is a lousy candidate.
- Rod - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 11:40 am:
Ron the question was not about historic structured debt that has been bonded out by both republicans and democrats. It was about unpaid bills. Unfortunately even the grand bargain’s SB 4 which was supposedly going to restructure these unpaid bills into long term debt covers only about half of what is owed by Illinois to vendors, providers, and even school districts.
- Juvenal - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 11:49 am:
=== How can I answer that? ===
Even Bob Daiber can answer that question.
Pritzker, Biss, Pawar have already answered it too.
- City Zen - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 12:08 pm:
==A much better response would be: “Governor Rauner has put $12 billion on the state’s credit card so far.==
I didn’t realize that backlog was down to zero when he took office.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 12:11 pm:
- City Zen -
That backlog, how long was the “turnaround” on those bills?
- Pot calling kettle - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 12:18 pm:
==Pot, nice of you to ignore the previous 40 years of debt accumulation. ==
==I didn’t realize that backlog was down to zero when he took office. ==
Rauner was elected on a promise to fix the problem; instead, it’s gotten much worse. Now, he owns it. This will be the campaign Rauner faces if the Dem candidate is minimally competent at messaging.
- Lucky Pierre - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 12:19 pm:
If past is prologue “let the legislature figure it out” is not what I would call a strong candidate for Governor.
Nothing in the Turnaround Agenda is related to the budget or the tax burden on Illinois families and businesses?
Good Luck with that Mr Kennedy
We don’t need a yes man who can’t confront the legislature or make any tough decisions on spending cuts
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 12:24 pm:
===…make any tough decisions on spending cuts===
Then how can you support Rauner.
Rauner’s own budget director and Rauner’s agency heads refused to name a single cut in committee testimonies.
This is the first time you’re being reminded the Rauner Administration has refused to name any cuts.
- Can - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 12:24 pm:
Hey Kennedy, use this answer next time…
“Revenue. Why? Simple. We’re feeding our most vulnerable people to the wolves…the elderly, the poor, the disabled. And the list goes on and on. Our once world class university system is dying on the vine. We owe companies that provided state services in good faith roughly $12-14 billion.
“It’s easy for politicians to say that they are going to cut your taxes while improving state services. Anyone who says that to you is a liar. You’re smarter than that. And you’re tired of being lied to.
“That is why my balanced budget plan calls for higher taxes. We’re going to look out for the most vulnerable among us, we’re going to restore our public universities to regional and national prominence, and we’re going to pay our vendors the money we owe them.”
For once in my life, if a politician would just admit that they’re going to raise my taxes, I would do backflips.
- City Zen - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 12:46 pm:
OW - I would assume with an extra $5B coming in per year, it would be shorter. This article mentions late fees still continued well into the tax hike. Was it shorter?
http://bit.ly/2oUuCYZ
- Ron - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 12:54 pm:
Convenient to ignore the over $100,000,000,000.00 in pension obligations that have been racked up.
- blue dog dem - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 12:56 pm:
Can/CanT. All most of us want is a blend of revenue vs. Expense cuts. Preferrably a progressive tax, but obviously income tax until we get leadership. This state based K-12 financing has real legs, and the candidate that works up the details has a leg up on the field. If we need additional revenue, how about sales tax on at equipment. Show some courage, people would be shocked at how many conservatives are fed up with preferential treatment the at community gets. To win the Dem nomination, a candidate needs to stand out. This jump on board the progressive/uneducated/radical/anarchist wagon won’t seperate the field.
- blue dog dem - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 12:57 pm:
At….ag.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 12:58 pm:
- City Zen -
http://bit.ly/2pUv5dL
===At the end of calendar year 2014, just before that tax hike expired, the comptroller’s office had $4.36 billion in vouchers on hand. The office estimated there was another $2 billion which hadn’t yet been processed by the Quinn administration, but the comptroller was paying the state’s bills in under 30 days back then. In other words, we had a “normal” backlog - the sort you’d have in your own checking account as you were waiting to pay your bills before their deadlines.===
- Quiet Sage - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 1:05 pm:
More and more, there’s an opening for Pawar or Biss (not both). These are the two to watch.
- A guy - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 1:07 pm:
==- A Guy -
This is a reflection on his Crew. These are prepared answers.===
We don’t disagree Willy. He’s not going to be able to overcome his crew’s shortcomings, and his crew has him convinced they, and he, don’t have any.
It’s just not what he’s wired for. He’s a good guy. And, he’s going to be mostly remembered for this lackluster attempt. I wished better for him, but I’ve suggested this would be the case from the onset.
- A guy - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 1:12 pm:
If this keeps up any longer, we’ll be down to a Billionaire, and several Thousandaires on this side of the ballot.
- ArchPundit - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 1:12 pm:
I just hear the Sad Trombone whenever I see his face on a video.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 1:15 pm:
- A Guy -
The elevator fiasco is about 2/3 Kennedy, a solid 1/3 by a Crew putting him there. Poor work there.
The leaving before speaking in DuPage, the ridiculous statement about endorsements and the Sunmers silliness, then these “prepared” answers, to softball questioning, those are Crew errors, not a personal flaw of Kennedy, or things Kennedy can’t overcome with better Crew work.
It’s May, they need to do so much better, that Crew is sinking Kennedy.
- A guy - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 1:30 pm:
Agreed. If someone could only convince him of that.
- Can - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 1:44 pm:
Blue Dog,
I realize that people want a blend of revenue and cuts…but I’ve yet to see anyone lay out the cuts they’re willing to make. So politicians should just be honest: Tax increases with no spending cuts.
The honesty would be refreshing.
- blue dog dem - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 2:09 pm:
Can. That is the same formula that landed Illinois in the mess that it is in today.
- Can - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 2:29 pm:
Blue Dog,
Not true. If the state raised the appropriate amount of revenue for the services it needs to provide, it would not be $12-14B behind in bills. And if it raised the amount of revenue it needed to make the employer portion of the pension payments, there would be no pension hole.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 2:55 pm:
Can, Illinois is losing population faster than virtually every state in the Union. We don’t need revenue, we need deep, deep spending cuts.
- blue dog dem - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 4:06 pm:
Can. I wish I had your faith that politicians would be faithful to spending our money wisely. Democrat or Republican. name me one public service union in our state that won’t see that extra revenue as an opportunity to get a ‘better’ contract. Name me one politician that won’t try and get more money in is district. I understand more revenue is needed. I refuse to accept the premise that there are no cuts to be made.
- Can - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 4:07 pm:
Anonymous,
What should we cut spending on?
- Can - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 4:11 pm:
Blue Dog,
I understand your concerns, but I must ask you the same question. What should we cut spending on? Education? Medicaid? Aging? Developmentally Disabled?
- blue dog dem - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 4:15 pm:
Can. I have listed nearly $2 billion. But let’s start with the easy stuff. The Munger 23. A certain distinguished fellow. All of DCEO(Intersect Illinois). 10% of LGDF. Aall high school PE and drivers ed(thereby lowering K-12) subsidy. The entire regional superintendents office. 10% higher ed. The ISP staff that administers FOID.
- City Zen - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 5:28 pm:
@BDD - You make a lot of good points. I have little trust in the our elected officials spending money wisely. Are we raising taxes to provide more services or paying more for the same service?
The flip side of the “what would you cut” argument is the “will you be satisfied with a tax hike?” Because I will guarantee you when the tax goes back up to 5%, all these groups complaining today will still complain. Then when there’s a progressive income tax, those same groups will come still say not enough. There is no end game in their game.
Look no further than California insane tax rates and even more insane pension enhancements to see that insatiable appetites are not easily satiated.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 5:57 pm:
For crying out loud, the GA and the governor could come up with a balanced budget in 10 hours if the parties were willing.
There’s no mystery as to how to accomplish that.
- Can - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 7:27 pm:
Blue Dog,
The Munger 23 are in positions that would just be filled by others. Not real savings.
LGDF: Cuts to that would just increase local taxes. Not real savings.
PE & Drivers Ed: Seriously?
ISP staff administering FOID: Come on man.
Now, you did hit upon 2 good ones with DCEO and Regional Superintendents offices. You and the Can could probably reach an agreement on steep … and I do mean steep … cuts in those areas.
(Blue Dog and the Can have officially spent more time attempting to find common ground in one afternoon on a blog than Rauner and Madigan have in multiple years. Sigh.)
- blue dog dem - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 7:33 pm:
I think I Can. I think I Can.
- Can - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 7:49 pm:
LOL
- Lucky Pierre - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 10:02 pm:
Here is how the legislature “figured it out” last year
On the last day of the legislative session, Speaker Madigan dropped a budget on the House floor at 5 PM with no input or debate with the Republicans or consultation with the Supermajority Democratic Senate that was out of balance by 7 billion dollars (3 billion more than the previous year). It was rejected by the Democratic Senate.
The legislature can’t “figure it out” in an entire session much less ten days.
Was Mr. Kennedy watching the news last year?
Why would this year be any different?
Seriously how about some follow up from our intrepid press corp?
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 10:08 pm:
===Why would this year be any different?===
So Rauner plans on a third year with no budget?
But Rauner said things are “real close”. They aren’t - Lucky Pierre -?
Are you saying Rauner is misleading everyone and Cullerton is right?
Are you cheering Rauner’s gross ineptitude?
Kinda reads like you are, lol
- Pot calling kettle - Tuesday, May 2, 17 @ 11:05 pm:
==The entire regional superintendents office. 10% higher ed.==
Regional supts seem like an easy cut, but local districts rely on them for a variety of services. You can cut them, but someone else will need to do the work, and if it is farmed out to each district, it will be less efficient.
Sorry, but Higher Ed has been taking cuts for almost 20 years. The main result is the second largest net loss of freshmen in the country. College grads are one of the biggest, best economic drivers. We cannot afford to lose more.
- Lucky Pierre - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 12:07 am:
OW I guess you think you constant defense of the Speaker’s refusal to compromise with his own party via your whack a mole strategy is winning.
You are wrong
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 6:10 am:
===I guess you think you constant defense of the Speaker’s refusal to compromise with his own party via your whack a mole strategy is winning===
Making it about me isn’t making an argument.
The argument is…
“Pat Quinn failed”… “Bruce Rauner fails”… Ask Candidate Rauner.
With Bruce Rauner polling at 58% unfavorable… ===You are wrong===… seems in denial how Bruce Rauner fails.
Right? Exactly right.