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*** UPDATED x1 *** Madigan tries again to schedule legislative leaders meeting
Saturday, Jun 24, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller * Speaker Madigan talked to reporters today. Here’s some of what he said…
I’ve reached out to the press people for the two Republican leaders to see what their response to this invitation is, but haven’t yet heard back. I’ll let you know. *** UPDATE *** From Leader Durkin…
* This is raw audio from Madigan’s availability and it doesn’t get going until about the 1:30 mark, so skip ahead. Many thanks to our buddy Dave Dahl for the file. Madigan starts by sparring with the Illinois News Network’s Statehouse correspondent because the INN is a project of the Illinois Policy Institute… Just for the record, I have lots of beefs with the Illinois Policy Institute, but their Statehouse guy Greg Bishop works hard and asks tough questions. He’s not a Republican Party operative, as Madigan more than just implied today. If he was, he’d be actively supporting or downplaying the governor’s proposed tax hikes. Instead, he’s one of the only Statehouse reporters who has written some in-depth stories on the governor’s actual proposals. You’d barely know the governor was backing a 33 percent income tax hike by reading most of the stories filed from Springfield this week.
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- wordslinger - Saturday, Jun 24, 17 @ 3:16 pm:
–You’d barely know the governor was backing a 33 percent income tax hike by reading most of the stories filed from Springfield this week.–
LOL, how’d that happen, after the roll out and road show with the governor pushing his “plan?”
I’ll believe it when I see the TV spot and direct mail flogging it.
Rauner doesn’t hide his light under a bushel when he wants to get his message out.
I’d love to be proven wrong, but right now I’m certain that Rauner’s silence about his own “plan” is just an ooda-loop.
He has a million ways to blow it all up and then “Because…. Madigan.”
Then squeeze the beast will continue.
- Rich Miller - Saturday, Jun 24, 17 @ 3:27 pm:
===LOL, how’d that happen===
A sparse press room, some of whom are more interested in catching a legislator golfing than reporting on what’s going on.
===He has a million ways to blow it all up and then “Because…. Madigan.”===
Totally agreed.
===Then squeeze the beast will continue===
We’re actually gonna move into “kill some of the beasts outright” mode come July.
- Chitown - Saturday, Jun 24, 17 @ 3:27 pm:
Bishop may work hard but the firm he works for is as non-partisan as me. They are an extension of the Republican party.
- Rich Miller - Saturday, Jun 24, 17 @ 3:29 pm:
=== They are an extension of the Republican party. ===
Again, if they were, then they’d be writing glowing stories or zero stories about Rauner’s tax hike plan.
- Oswego Willy - Saturday, Jun 24, 17 @ 3:35 pm:
I guess the game now is “who calls the meetings, who cancels on the meetings”.
I still have a great deal of respect for those “left” covering the statehouse.
My frustration is that the Editorial Boards appear to ignore the reporting that is going on when waxing poetic on days that reporters have stories counter to their editorials.
- wordslinger - Saturday, Jun 24, 17 @ 3:41 pm:
–We’re actually gonna move into “kill some of the beasts outright” mode come July.–
I wish I could say that’s not the plan.
Rauner is a successful guy who spent a lot of money for the gig. He ain’t incompetent, stupid or crazy.
I can only conclude that he know’s what he’s doing.
And he’s done a magnificent job on laying all this destruction off on the incompetent, stupid and lazy Dem communications effort.
Two and a half years now, and those guys can’t find their tukkus with both hands.
- Pelonski - Saturday, Jun 24, 17 @ 4:23 pm:
The IPI is an extension of the “purity” wing of the Republican party that thinks anyone who doesn’t agree with their views are “RINOs”. Rauner is not in that wing of the party. He is in the Rauner wing. They share many of the same goals, but there are differences.
- Moe Berg - Saturday, Jun 24, 17 @ 4:37 pm:
With respect, Rich, I really don’t see the evidence that Rauner is “backing a 33 percent income tax hike.” All I’ve seen is the governor say that he’ll support revenues if he gets the “structural reforms” he wants. That’s not the same thing in two senses. One, he hasn’t outright endorsed any particular tax plan. Two, as is becoming pretty apparent and the Speaker’s moving the goalposts comments indicate, the reforms keep shifting such that there will never be anything that’s acceptable to Rauner.
So, why is Rauner doing this? First, he’s a hard core Ayn Rand libertarian. To the degree he believes in anything besides himself, he believes taxes should be very low and government very small. Next, he’s trying to stay within the bounds of acceptable discourse and to seem reasonable sort whose trying his best, but for that gosh darn Madigan who just won’t compromise (please discard the Speaker’s 40 previous years of compromising with Republicans, for some reason he won’t anymore we are to believe). That’s important for the sake of the swing voters in the burbs and the mainstream business community that, on some level, does understand an Alabama economy actually doesn’t do too much for their financial prospects.
For the sake of Rauner’s public image and the constructed persona of the regular man who just loves to ride his Harley, go to the high school basketball game, and do a little fishin’ and huntin’ like any other good ‘ol boy, he cannot possibly be straightforward about his true aims - a shrunken state that provides very limited services.
This supposed contretemps with IPI is a ruse. Total stagecraft. Helps IPI raise a few bucks from the rubes and ultimately, the prodigal son Rauner will “come home”, having seen the light of the Koch network’s true faith, which only burnishes his credential as he plots his national ambitions.
We really haven’t seen someone like Rauner in our state before, definitely not in high office, and that’s why it seems to be so hard for most to recognize, much less accept, that an arsonist occupies the governor’s seat. Every social service provider that folds, every student who needed a scholarship and can’t go to school, every bond downgrade, etc. is just a little more gasoline to make the flames leap higher. And, Gov. Firebug shows the world a somber, determined face while the grin in the mirror gets wider and wider.
But then, Wordslinger has had the right of it from jump. And, in far fewer words.
- Proof Reader - Saturday, Jun 24, 17 @ 4:48 pm:
The role of the IPI is to create the illusion that Rauner has proposed a tax increase.
- Oswego Willy - Saturday, Jun 24, 17 @ 4:50 pm:
To the Durkin “Update”
Until I see a Republican revenue bill, Republican sponsorship of course, and 30 HGOP votes for that revenue…
… it’s honestly tough to take Leader Durkin seriously.
Sorry.
- Sonny chiss - Saturday, Jun 24, 17 @ 5:47 pm:
Moe, that’s a very dark picture. Sadly, I think it’s on target. The destruction of labor is also part of that dark vision.
- UISer - Saturday, Jun 24, 17 @ 6:03 pm:
Bishop is a quality journalist working for a garbage organization.
- Boat captain - Saturday, Jun 24, 17 @ 6:26 pm:
I always thought he was biased on his radio show but if he is good with you he is good with me.
- Union thug - Saturday, Jun 24, 17 @ 6:36 pm:
Heard bisop on the air for years and was independent. That is untill he worked for IPI and rauner. He became a parot of them. Lost all respect and had to stop listening. I know it’s negative of me bu IPI is rauner either trying to blow things up or trying to establish cover for election season.
- Markus - Saturday, Jun 24, 17 @ 7:51 pm:
OW @4:50p X2.
But nobody cares yet; e.g. at least nobody in numbers enough to require movement. News coverage throughout the state is pathetic and embarrassing. August or September should bring about enough turmoil to spawn some real action. Until then, each side is just blowing smoke, waiting for the uncontrollable wildfire to threaten their house until doing something.
- JLR - Saturday, Jun 24, 17 @ 8:29 pm:
When Illinois goes down, a whole lot of Legislators will go down also. And justly deserved, both sides.
- NorthsideNoMore - Saturday, Jun 24, 17 @ 8:53 pm:
Moe “madigan has compromised” with the republicans when? Perhaps in 1992 the rest of the time its been GOP leaders negotiating against themselves and they had Pate Philip as GOP backstop. Outside of the George Ryan Capitol bill with largesse for all the GA members, its been his way or no way when there was any modicum or control. The rehtoric on the tax increase has been out there for well over a year now. Who wears the coat is the only thing at stake.
- cdog - Saturday, Jun 24, 17 @ 11:22 pm:
Sounds like there will be a meeting of two.
Seems reasonable.
Don’t blow this Madigan, Durkin. Baby steps.
This isn’t that hard, unless you really intend for the fiscal MOAB to detonate.
- Rabid - Sunday, Jun 25, 17 @ 3:03 am:
$192,000 question, is this a budget special session or a turnaround agenda special session govenor, that you have keep people in the dark over?
- Downstate - Sunday, Jun 25, 17 @ 6:10 am:
I agree with Pelonski. IPI/INN is as right wing as it gets. Rauner is not. He just happens to own the state party.
They are right wing enough to be ticked off at their own not-so conservative Gov when he goes moderate on taxes even when everyone near this impasse gets that it will take require a tax increase (worse by the day).
- Bothanspy - Sunday, Jun 25, 17 @ 9:45 am:
This is just so bizarre. Durkin imploring Madigan for a meeting today and two days ago declaring on the record that this should be done on the floor. I know our memories are short but c’mon.
- Bishop - Monday, Jun 26, 17 @ 8:37 pm:
Thanks again for the kind words, Rich!