* From an update to a post buried way down the page today…
Gov. Rauner also claimed that the Senate Democrats “caved in” to “the Speaker’s pressure” on the grand bargain. Rauner claimed yet again that Madigan sent interest groups to the Senate to kill the grand bargain.
“We need the members of the General Assembly in the Democratic caucus to not be afraid to stand up to Speaker Madigan,” Rauner told reporters.
I asked for a response from the Senate President’s office.
* From John Patterson, spokesman for Illinois Senate President John Cullerton…
“I don’t know if the governor realizes it yet, but the Senate balanced and approved the budget he proposed. He has an odd way of saying ‘thank you.’”
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
Senator Don Harmon, an Oak Park Democrat and president pro tempore of the Illinois Senate, issued the following statement about the Senate’s votes Friday to significantly reform Illinois’ workers’ compensation system:
“Senate Democrats sent a strong message today that, while we are open to working our partners in the business community to reform the state’s workers’ compensation system, we are not willing to do so entirely on the backs of Illinois workers. We were able to identify sensible reforms on both sides of the equation – the employer side and the employee side – that will help to bring costs down without inflicting additional and unnecessary financial harm on injured workers.
“Workers’ compensation reform is one of Governor Rauner’s demands to sign our balanced budget. We have delivered on that demand and many others. It’s time for him to deliver on ours – that he signs our budget so we can move the state forward.”
- Anonymous - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 2:33 pm:
Rauner can’t go long without blaming someone else for his own failures. Did Rauner work to address these groups’ comcerns? If not, then he can’t blame anyone but himself for their opposition.
- Me Again - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 2:42 pm:
Governor Rauner doesn’t seem to have the slightest idea just what the duties of the chief executive of the State of Illinois actually are.
It is time for the Republican legislators to grow a spine and pair with the Democrats to start passing legislation with veto-proof majorities.
Make Rauner irrelevant for the rest of his term.
Start solving these problems!
All will need to sacrifice!
- Oswego Willy - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 2:44 pm:
===“I don’t know if the governor realizes it yet, but the Senate balanced and approved the budget he proposed. He has an odd way of saying ‘thank you”.===
This is Patterson being an actual spokesman doing the job by making it clear his bosses’ thoughts and call out Rauner for his failures too.
Good stuff.
- pawn - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 2:45 pm:
Top notch response by the SDems.
- Anonymous - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 2:53 pm:
The prefect is always the enemy of the good.
- Precinct Captain - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 3:03 pm:
If they caved to Madigan, then they aren’t on the verge of a deal like Rauner has been saying, right?
Let’s see how long Rauner can keep this story straight.
- cdog - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 3:04 pm:
Cullerton is somewhat right, but get property tax thing done.
Not to appease Rauner, but to help middle class families.
Isn’t that the Dem team mantra?
Looks like work comp kept moving today; hopefully that will be a bipartisan achievement all the way through Gov’s signature.
(Thank goodness that $15/hr nonsense has quieted down, for now. As a downstate business owner, that is lucky to make 2x what avg employee makes, I would have to close if/when that ever passes. No magic math available to ever make that work and the risks would not be worth taking.)
- CrispyCritter - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 3:09 pm:
== Governor Rauner doesn’t seem to have the slightest idea just what the duties of the chief executive of the State of Illinois actually are. ==
Isn’t his duty to VETO EVERYTHING. If he ever presented a balanced budget, he’d probably veto it too and blame someone else. Just sayin!!!!!
- VanillaMan - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 3:11 pm:
Persistent rascals don’t reacognize that things cave in only if they are first buried.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 3:12 pm:
Sore winners… and sore losers… never understand conpromise…
- Real - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 3:20 pm:
cdog
I agree with you partially. Dems need to add the property tax freeze to the budget t deal so to expose Rauner as wanting no deal or to force him to sign a tax hike which will make his reelection harder.
- wordslinger - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 3:25 pm:
Gov. Lucy thinks enough of the people, all of the time, are really stupid.
He’s the definition of bad faith.
- SAP - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 3:37 pm:
Rauner blaming Madigan for killing the grand bargain that was killed by…Rauner. That’s rich.
- Taxation = Civilization - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 3:42 pm:
The House needs to add Property Tax relief. Offer that, and then let Rauner dig his grave by signing the tax increase/budget or by vetoing the budget and crushing IL, even more. Either way, he’s done. Now, if some Republicans would grow spines and vote to end the madness, well that’d be statesmanship.
- sonny chiss - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 4:07 pm:
“The House needs to add Property Tax relief”
That’s an interesting thought. My take is that Rauner has purposely set the bar so high (property taxes frozen unless increased by referendum) so that he feels safe the Dems won’t oblige. If they pass some form of property tax relief I think he will just say that it doesn’t go far enough, it’s not real reform to our broken system, blah, blah blah.
- Flyer - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 4:13 pm:
It becomes more clear each day that the governor has no intention on reaching a budget solution. No matter who steps forward to loosen the logjam, he just pushes back.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, May 26, 17 @ 4:42 pm:
To the Sen. Harmon update,
Need more than a press release.
They all need press coverage and leverage from voters.
We’ll see