The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to take up an appeal over electoral districts in Wisconsin after a lower court ruled that the state’s Republican-drawn map constitutes an “unconstitutional partisan gerrymander.”
It’s the first time in more than a decade that the nation’s highest court will take up the issue of partisan gerrymandering, or drawing voting districts with the aim of strengthening one political party.
And it gives the court an opportunity to formally determine a metric on what constitutes unlawful gerrymandering, which could have major implications for the way voting districts are drawn in other states.
The Supreme Court has weighed in on the issue of race and congressional district-drawing, most recently last month when it rejected two North Carolina districts, as The Two-Way reported.
But the court has not ruled on “purely partisan gerrymanders” since 2004, as NPR’s Nina Totenberg reported:
“In 2004, a four-member Supreme Court plurality all but ruled out challenges to even extreme partisan gerrymanders, while four members of the court would have allowed some limited challenges. Justice Anthony Kennedy cast the fifth and deciding vote, declaring that he might someday embrace a challenge to a partisan gerrymander if someone could come up with workable standards.”
* The Question: Should Illinois abandon partisan legislative district maps? Click here to take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
Although Chicago property tax rates jumped 10 percent in 2016, they still aren’t close to the oppressive property taxes being paid in some of the poorest south suburbs.
While the average property tax rate for a home in the City of Chicago is 7.14 percent, homeowners in Ford Heights — one of the poorest communities in the state — were paying the highest tax rate in Cook County at 38.5 percent. The property tax rate in Park Forest was second highest at 35.8 percent and homeowners in Chicago Heights are paying a property tax rate of 34.18 percent.
The average property tax rate in the south suburbs, according to Cook County Clerk David Orr’s office, is 13.3 percent, nearly double the tax rate in Chicago, while homeowners in the north suburbs are hit with an average tax rate of 9.2 percent.
Gov. Bruce Rauner has repeatedly called for a property tax freeze, which would be nice for Chicago property owners, but would do nothing at all for people living in some of the poorest communities in the state — which happen to be located in south Cook County. For more than a decade they’ve been hit with the highest property tax rates, often driving the few businesses they have across the border to Indiana.
* The county party meets Thursday to hear from potential candidates and this one is now on the radar…
If Cook County Clerk David Orr seeks an eighth term next year, he could be facing his first Democratic primary challenger in more than two decades.
Recorder of Deeds Karen Yarbrough on Friday said she plans to run for the office that Orr has held since 1990. […]
“I plan to submit my credentials to the Cook County Democrats and hope to win the support to get the endorsement,” Yarbrough said. “I will be running.”
Orr, 72, in recent years has hemmed and hawed about running again, according to sources who say he now intends to seek re-election. In political circles, it was thought Orr would step down and County Commissioner Jesus “Chuy” Garcia would be appointed to get a leg up in the next election, but that didn’t happen. Attempts to reach Orr were not successful Friday.
Voters folded Yarbrough’s office into the clerk’s office last year. Orr was in favor of the merger, while Yarbrough opposed it, so you reap what you sow, I suppose.
Some central Illinois Statehouse races may be taking shape.
DILLON CLARK, 25, a Litchfield resident and Democratic Montgomery County Board member, says he’s running for state representative in the 95th District, now represented by Rep. AVERY BOURNE, R-Raymond. Clark had earlier considered a run for the House in the 13th Congressional District.
“The (general) election is well over a year away,” Bourne said in response, “and I’m focused on our work at hand — reaching a bipartisan solution on a balanced budget, enacting term limits, and reforming the way we fund our schools.”
And in the 99th House District, now represented by Republican SARA WOJCICKI JIMENEZ of Leland Grove, retired state police Master Sgt. MARC BELL, 53, of Chatham, said he is considering running as a Democrat.
Jimenez also said she is also focused on the legislature’s work and as for the election, “there will be time to talk about that at a later date. I am not focused on that right now at all.”
A nonprofit designed to help with upkeep at the Illinois state fairgrounds plans on selling naming rights to fair buildings to help pay for improvements.
The Illinois Fairgrounds Foundation is in negotiations with corporations for naming rights to various buildings, Chairman John Slayton told The (Springfield) State Journal-Register (http://bit.ly/2sw4P7K ). The foundation hopes to raise $3 million to $5 million a year to pay for improvements, he said.
“It will start to pick up soon,” Slayton said. “The naming rights are going to be our biggest dollars.”
Almost all of the 170-plus buildings on the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield and the more than 20 on the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds have structural damage that will cost an estimated $180 million to repair.
To fund some of the repairs, the Illinois Fairgrounds Foundation is offering naming rights for damaged buildings.
John Slayton, chairman of the Illinois Fairgrounds Foundation, said many of the buildings need new roofs and shingles, and there are plumbing and electrical issues as well.
Slayton said the foundation has started talking to corporations about naming rights or sponsorships that will allow them to place their name on certain fairground buildings.
State fair naming rights in Iowa and Oklahoma have often been cited as potential models for the Illinois State Fair, though the question remains whether a private foundation for fairs in Springfield and Du Quoin has that authority.
Discussions continue with potential sponsors — including for the iconic Coliseum in Springfield that’s been closed by safety concerns since October — while attorneys for the Illinois Fairgrounds Foundation explore the legal issue.
“We’re waiting on an opinion out of the governor’s legal office,” said John Slayton, chairman of the foundation board.
The key question is whether approval for naming-rights sales is required from the Illinois General Assembly, according to Slayton. The hope, he said, is to avoid the kind of legislative standoff that prevented approval of a state-sanctioned fair foundation.
Gov. Bruce Rauner had been set to be there and, in fact, was billed as the star of the evening. But he’s now canceled. Rauner’s office says it’s because of the special legislative session on the budget that begins the day after tomorrow, but perhaps he also doesn’t want to be too closely associated with some of the health care and other votes coming down in Washington.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Pritzker campaign…
Just hours before a GOP fundraiser, Bruce Rauner abruptly canceled his appearance. Rauner was billed as a “special guest” for the event and his attendance was announced weeks earlier.
Rauner’s team cited the special legislative session as the reason behind his withdrawal from the event, but the special legislative session was scheduled last week and conveniently doesn’t start until Wednesday.
It seems that Rauner was scared off by the backlash of a failed governor attending a high-dollar cocktail fundraiser 719 days into a budget crisis of his own making, and days before important health care votes in Congress. With the planned protest outside and the fact that Rauner refuses to take a stand on the GOP health care bill that many attendees support, it is not exactly a recipe for a great evening for Rauner.
“The Illinois GOP is getting a taste of what working families across the state have been dealing with for years. When it comes to following through on commitments, Bruce Rauner will be a no show every time,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Bruce Rauner is in it for himself and when the going gets tough, Rauner gets going in the other direction. Throw in some cowardice, special interest politics, and failed leadership and you get a Rauner cocktail of destruction and devastation in Illinois.”
[ *** End Of Updates *** ]
* SEIU Healthcare…
While the healthcare and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Illinois citizens remain at great risk due to Republican policies, Governor Rauner and the entire Illinois Republican Congressional Delegation will gather for a fundraiser in Rosemont dubbed “Cocktails with the Congressmen.”
Illinois already is in a state of crisis after more than 700 days without a budget, but the American Health Care Act (AHCA) threatens to take the chaos to a new level, chiefly via a $40 billion cut in federal support to Illinois via Medicaid.
In May, Congressmen Roskam, Davis, Shimkus, Bost, Kinzinger, LaHood, and Hultgren all voted for the AHCA and against the interests of the health of the people of Illinois. Governor Rauner - whether it’s because he stands to gain a tax windfall of $6.6 million or he doesn’t care about damage to the Illinois budget and the 700,000 Illinoisans who will lose coverage - has remained silent. The U.S. Senate could vote on the AHCA at any moment.
Citizens from over a dozen local organizations will gather on the sidewalk outside the fundraiser to demand Governor Rauner and Illinois Congressional Republicans do their jobs and save healthcare.
* DGA…
Tonight, Governor Rauner’s reelection campaign gets a boost from a fundraiser with Illinois’ Congressional Republicans. Some would avoid the optics of fundraising with the people who brought us Trumpcare, but not Bruce Rauner. Despite repeated opportunities, Rauner never stood up in opposition to Trumpcare and never caused trouble for Congressional Republicans.
The effects for Illinois of the House Republicans health care overhaul are well known – a devastating $40 billion budget blow, 700,000 kicked off their insurance, and the threat of higher rates for people with pre-existing conditions.
Now the Senate is deep in negotiations on their own bill, but have so far refused to release details to the public. In response, a bipartisan group of governors, including three republicans, released a letter in opposition to the current health care overhaul bill. Conspicuously absent from the letter is Bruce Rauner.
With Rauner unwilling to stand up to his own party, Illinois Congressional Republicans find it easier to support Trumpcare.
For Rauner, this is politics before people.
“Bruce Rauner played a silent partner with Trumpcare supporters, and now he’s being rewarded with a reelection fundraiser,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “While Congressional Republicans debate and debated the fate of our health care system, Bruce Rauner stayed silent, a stunning failure of leadership on his part. Illinoisans face devastating consequences from Trumpcare, but Governor Rauner chose to play the politics and sit on the sideline instead of fight for Illinois families.”
* Pritzker campaign…
On Friday, a bipartisan group of governors criticized the House GOP’s health care bill. Republican Governors John Kasich of Ohio, Charles Baker of Massachusetts, and Brian Sandoval of Nevada all signed on to a pointed letter to the Senate Majority and Minority leaders.
Absent from this bipartisan effort by governors to represent the best interests of their states? Bruce Rauner.
Rauner’s silence follows a familiar trend of the failed governor ducking and dodging the Republican health care bill, which would have a disastrous impact on Illinois.
If the House health care bill were to pass, Illinois could lose 46,000 jobs by 2026. State premiums could spike by $1,242 by 2018. Older Illinoisans would be completely devastated by the law. A 64-year-old Illinois resident with an income of $26,500 could see premiums skyrocket by over $14,000 by 2026.
This may explain why, despite celebrating the law when it first passed, even Donald Trump called the legislation “mean” last week. Given the impact this bill would have on Illinois and the governor’s continued silence, it must be asked, does Bruce Ruaner support the bill?
“Bipartisan governors are speaking out against the Republican health care bill, but Bruce Rauner is nowhere to be found,” said JB Pritzker. “This legislation is a direct attack on Illinois working families and seniors and would be devastating to a state economy already on the brink of collapse. Bruce Rauner’s silence is a stunning abdication of his responsibility to represent all Illinois families. This is cowardice and it is the most vulnerable Illinoisans that will once again have to pay the price for their failed governor.”
It’s also a lot of money for a state that already spends far more per student on education than any other state in the Midwest and the 13th-most in the nation. Illinois spends 40 percent more than Kentucky, 37 percent more than Indiana, 32 percent more than Missouri, and 16 percent more than Wisconsin per student.
They say that like it’s a bad thing.
Look, we have serious problems with education bureaucracy here. No doubt. But to use Kentucky as a model for education spending seems a bit, well, unwise.
* From the Illinois Policy Institute’s news service…
A compromise budget plan introduced by Illinois Republicans earlier last week includes a spending bill that funds more than $169 million in capital projects in lawmakers’ home districts across the state, an Illinois News Network review revealed.
State Rep. David McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills, called the appropriations “earmarks” and “wasteful.”
“I was shocked to see Senator Bill Brady’s recently filed SB 2216, which is described as ‘FY 18 Member Initiatives’,” McSweeney said. “Special earmarks lead to wasteful spending and potentially corruption. I strongly oppose special insider earmarks.” […]
McSweeney said Brady’s capital spending bill “appears to be a part of a strategy to pass a massive tax increase.” He called on the Legislative Audit Commission to “do a full review and investigation of every earmark in the bill. Every member who has requested an earmark in the bill should be identified and required to testify at a public hearing.”
The lawmaker questioned several specific items in the bill, saying, “I can’t wait to hear the explanation” for the following:
$19,700 to the City of Morrison for renovations to the Farmers’ Market Facility;
$25,000 to Elk Grove Township for street sign improvements;
$31,923 to the Preservation and Conservation Association of Champaign for renovations to the Harwood Solon House;
$65,000 to the Institute for Puerto Rican Arts & Culture for construction of a “world class museum and Fine Arts Center;”
$18,750 to the Village of Royal Lakes for “costs associated with capital improvements to Royal Lakes Community Center and gym.”
$245,000 to St. Charles for new construction or infrastructure improvements.
* Mark Brown takes a look at Chris Kennedy’s own Cook county property tax assessment study, which Brown says “wasn’t thorough enough for me to draw definite conclusions,” but was still eye-opening…
Kennedy’s results closely mirrored the findings of a more extensive investigation published recently by the Chicago Tribune, which concluded the property-tax assessment system is fundamentally flawed, to the detriment of those owning the least expensive homes. […]
Unlike the Tribune, Kennedy also looked at the assessments on major downtown commercial properties, which, to my mind, does a better job of making his case that the “system is rigged.”
Kennedy’s study shows it’s not uncommon for major Loop skyscrapers to sell for more than double the market value pegged by the assessor’s office.
“As bad as the residential inaccuracies are, the commercial inaccuracies are greater,” Kennedy told me. “The magnitude of the problem is much larger and the effect on everyone else much worse. These are big dollars.”
* For weeks now, I’ve tried without success to convince the comptroller’s office to provide a timeline of when everything blows up. At what point does Illinois not have the cash to pay crucial statutory-mandated bills? They know about how much revenue to expect every week and what the huge scheduled payments are (like pensions, school aid, bond payments, etc.), so that shouldn’t be too difficult. Yes, the Medicaid lawsuit throws a major wrench into the calculations, but, still, let’s see the numbers…
During the 2-and-a-half years Illinois has gone without a state budget, the previously little-known office of comptroller has had the unenviable job of essentially sitting at the kitchen table trying to figure out how to pay the bills.
Like any household, there are some items that must be paid first. A mix of state law, court orders and pressure from credit rating agencies requires Illinois to make its debt and pension payments, for example, and issue state worker paychecks and some money for schools.
Now Comptroller Susana Mendoza is warning that new court orders in lawsuits filed by state suppliers that are owed money mean her office is required to pay out more than Illinois receives in revenue each month. That means there would be no money left for so-called “discretionary” spending – a category that in Illinois includes school buses, domestic violence shelters and some ambulance services.
“I don’t know what part of ‘We are in massive crisis mode’ the General Assembly and the governor don’t understand. This is not a false alarm,” said Mendoza, a Chicago Democrat. “The magic tricks run out after a while, and that’s where we’re at.”
* This door-hanger was distributed in the Peoria area over the weekend. Notice anything missing from his priorities? A budget maybe? I mean, it’s not like it’s mid-June or anything…
Even so, it is interesting that they have people going door-to-door already - even if it is just a blitz piece.
…Adding… A Peoria-area reader just sent me pics of the same door-hanger, along with this…
Attached is the door hanger given to me by a 20-something walking my very GOP neighborhood Saturday. He asked what the biggest issue facing the state was, suggesting property taxes before I interjected the budget impasse. He said he’d heard that and asked if I thought it was mostly Rauner’s fault, Madigan’s fault or even. I declined to answer as a state employee. He then offered to put me on a mailing list for future Rauner events in the area, which I declined cuz I already get the local GOP announcements.
This is unusual for so many reasons, earliness being the most obvious. Never remember a statewide canvasser before in my neighborhood either. Just thought I’d share
*** UPDATE *** Pritzker just posted a little tweet storm on the door-hanger…
A $94 million online health insurance system has some Illinois state employees and agencies flummoxed and Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration scampering to rid the system of bugs, according to interviews and documents reviewed by The Associated Press.
State workers have complained of a gummed-up system that has rejected coverage without notice and inexplicably stopped payroll deductions. The head of the Teachers Retirement System, where 106,000 retirees count on the program for insurance, points out that neither the specifications nor the system accounted for Medicare coverage.
Georgia-based Morneau Shepell was the only company to respond to a quickly executed November 2015 request from the Department of Central Management Services to design a web-based portal for managing health insurance options. The request was posted for only 26 days. Documents show CMS staff members were told to proceed without following guidelines for ensuring minority-owned business participation.
The state has paid the company $375,000 but owes $9.4 million for more than a year’s work. CMS hasn’t submitted a voucher for the entire fiscal year that ends June 30. Officials said that’s because of the two-year stalemate over a state budget that’s resulted in too little money to cover state bills. But from four accounts designated for covering Morneau Shepell costs, CMS has paid more than $29 million for other bills in fiscal 2017.
As a father of six children, I taught my kids to be proud of their home. Illinois is where I grew up and where I chose to raise a family; it has always been so important to me that my children know how special our state is and all that it has accomplished.
That’s why I ran for Governor.
As my children grew older, I couldn’t continue to watch career politicians ruin our state. When I accepted the job of Governor, I did so with our state’s future, the children of Illinois, in mind.
Now, the very future of our state is at stake. This past week, I called a special session to bring the General Assembly together in Springfield to pass a balanced budget with real, lasting reforms for our state.
On this Father’s Day weekend, I ask you all to join me as we create a more prosperous Illinois. Sign here to show your support for real reforms and a balanced budget so that we can secure a brighter future for our children and grandchildren.
We’ll never stop working to bring back our state, and your support will continue to fuel our progress.
* Sen. Daniel Biss…
When Daniel first started as a state legislator years ago, and when Elliot and Theodore were very small, Daniel used to write notes to the kids for each of the days he was gone. The kids called them Daddy letters.
Daddy letters were Daniel’s way of letting our children know that no matter how crazy a day he’s having, he’s always thinking of them. Sometimes the letters were sweet. Sometimes they were a little goofy. Sometimes they just brought much needed smiles.
Whatever they said, these letters were just one of the many ways Daniel showed he care about them. And, whether he was on the road or not, he always made sure he made quality time a priority. Here’s Daniel playing blocks with Theodore:
That’s the kind of guy he is: loving, selfless, and willing to do the little things that make a big difference. Daniel has always been there for me and the kids, and I know he’ll do the same for Illinois.
Let’s make Father’s Day one to remember. If you haven’t signed our card, will you wish him a Happy Father’s Day today?
Illinois Senate President John Cullerton said House Democrats and Republicans should take a good look at the Senate Democrat-passed budget package approved last month and contended GOP lawmakers need an “intervention” to overcome Republican Gov. Rauner to end the state’s historic stalemate. […]
“I think we might be at a point where we need kind of a compromise between Durkin, Madigan, Radogno and myself, and we can pass this. And by definition, anything you pass is veto-proof so it might be time for an intervention,” he said, noting the extraordinary voting requirement needed to pass legislation.
“Jim Durkin is the key guy here. I understand, from his point of view, (it’s) tough working with the speaker, they fight each other over elections every November. He wants to probably be the speaker someday,” Cullerton said, adding that Rauner, a wealthy former equity investor, heavily funded GOP legislative campaigns last year and has more money to spend next year.
“I know that’s a really big influence. But if those guys over there realize they’re going down with the ship when this governor loses next year and that they probably should just pull away, do a deal with the speaker and us and Sen. Radogno and I, I think that’s probably the best, most likely and most optimistic way of looking at what could happen down there.”
“For over 30 years, Congressman Gutierrez has been a fierce advocate and fighter for our immigrant communities and the most vulnerable in Illinois. I am honored to receive his endorsement and humbled to have him standing with me in this campaign,” said JB Pritzker. “As governor, I will work with Congressman Gutierrez to pass the TRUST act, ensure DREAMers can graduate and contribute to the economy, invest in quality education for all Illinoisans, and support small businesses and access to capital in the communities that need it most. Most importantly, I will partner with Congressman Gutierrez to stand up to Donald Trump and Bruce Rauner’s fear-mongering and attacks on Illinois families. Rauner refuses to stand up to Donald Trump’s hate and has decimated funding for immigrant services in Illinois. The nearly 1.8 million immigrants in Illinois deserve a governor who will fight for them and I look forward to standing with Congressman Gutierrez to be that governor.”
“I am proud to endorse JB Pritzker for governor because I know that he will bring people together and fight for what’s right in Illinois,” said Congressman Luis Gutierrez. “JB has spent his life lifting up our most vulnerable communities and fighting for Illinois families. But our current governor has failed our families and refuses to stand up to Donald Trump’s attacks. Unlike Rauner, I know that JB will be a partner and a friend to our immigrant communities in Illinois and he will never be afraid to stand up to Donald Trump. JB has the background and the values to take on Bruce Rauner and ensure that Illinois is a state that always welcomes and protects immigrants. JB will be a great governor for our state and I look forward to standing with him in the fight ahead.”
*** UPDATE 3 *** Kennedy campaign…
This afternoon, at Captain’s Hard Times Dining, longtime U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush endorsed Chris Kennedy as the next Governor of Illinois. Congressman Rush hailed that Kennedy would bring “radical change” to Illinois’ state government, with a focus on helping the middle class and poor families who have been neglected under Governor Bruce Rauner.
“Governor Rauner’s days are numbered,” Congressman Rush said. “He has been more cruel and coldhearted than any governor in our history. He has slashed the social safety net, ignored gun violence and cut funding for Chicago Public Schools. We need change. I stand with Chris Kennedy because I believe in Chris Kennedy and I know Chris Kennedy. He is the best candidate to restore the promise of the American Dream for millions of Illinois residents. He will work for those who are left out and for those who do not have access to the American Dream. Chris will bring a radical approach to state government and give us a state government that works for every family in every neighborhood.”
Congressman Rush went on to address political dynamics in this election. “The Democratic establishment here in Illinois wants to package up with ribbons and deliver the nomination to the candidate of their choice. My message to them is that you cannot gift wrap the gubernatorial nomination because it is not yours to give. It belongs to the citizens of the state of Illinois. Chris is in and Chris will win,” added Rush.
Kennedy thanked Congressman Rush for his endorsement. “I am humbled that Congressman Bobby Rush has chosen to stand with me and support my campaign. His work has not only inspired me but my whole family. He is a longtime public servant who has worked to better the lives of everyday people, hardworking middle class and poor people who deserve a government that does not push them away but instead welcomes them here. Illinois state government needs radical change and Congressman Rush has long advocated for radical change. I am honored to stand with him to ensure that we keep the promise of our state, and restore the American Dream as the dream for all Americans,” Kennedy said.
The key [Bobby Rush] quote: “You can’t gift-wrap the nomination. It’s not yours to give. It belongs to the citizens of Illinois…Chris is in and Chris will win.”
That’s a clear shot at Pritzker, who has been much more active in getting help from Madigan and others to line up endorsements. Of course, the endorsement of Bobby Rush is, um, an endorsement, but Kennedy said he won it on his own without anyone giving orders to anyone.
Illinois has waited almost two and a half years for Gov. Bruce Rauner to propose a “real” budget. He didn’t do it in 2015 (although he claims he did). He didn’t do it in 2016. And he didn’t do it again in 2017, preferring all the while to let somebody else tell the truth that everybody in Springfield knows: Solving this crisis is going to create real pain by way of higher taxes and/or deep spending cuts.
Finally, after nine credit downgrades that have put state government just one notch above junk bond status and hurled five public universities into actual junk bond status, after scores of social services providers have closed or drastically reduced vital services to the most vulnerable among us, after doing real and lasting harm to small businesses that deal with the state, after doing perhaps irreparable damage to the state’s already horrid reputation and after Senate Democrats took matters into their own hands and passed a budget with the cuts and the revenues to mostly balance it, the governor got behind a budget plan on June 14—a mere 884 days after he was inaugurated.
Hooray! Give him a cookie.
The exclamation point was added by my editors, by the way.
Rauner didn’t announce the new budget plan himself, of course. That would be too politically risky. Instead, he dispatched some Republican legislators to lay out the new plan and take questions from reporters. The next day, Rauner appeared in a video supporting the proposal with no pesky reporters around to ask questions.
It’s not like Rauner has been alone in his cowardice. House Speaker Michael Madigan refused to prevent the 2011 income tax hike from automatically reducing itself from 5 percent to 3.75 percent at the end of 2014, and the Democrat has refused to pass a balanced budget with new revenues ever since. Madigan didn’t want to place his more politically vulnerable members at risk, and he wanted Rauner to wear the tax-hike jacket instead.
One of the hottest rumors making the rounds among Statehouse types last week was that the governor and/or the Illinois Republican Party will be sending “trackers” to Springfield for the upcoming special legislative session.
The rumor, which was everywhere, was that the trackers would follow Democrats around to try and get them to say silly things or record them doing stuff that might not look good to the folks back home.
House staff was even telling Democratic members to watch out for the trackers. And some Democrats were privately demanding that their party respond in kind.
So, I went to the very upper echelons of Team Rauner and asked whether the rumors were true. I was told in no uncertain terms that the rumors are totally untrue.
Nasty rumors thrive in the pea-soup fog of fear and loathing that pervades every Statehouse molecule these days. At one time or another it seems like everybody has fought everybody and now nobody trusts anybody.
Heck, the far-right Illinois Policy Institute is even running Facebook ads whacking Gov. Bruce Rauner and legislative Republicans for their “$5 billion tax hike.” Rauner used to be a large contributor and often sought advice from and palled around with the group’s leader.
The governor’s party last week proposed what appears on the surface to be a fairly reasonable budget plan (pending further review) with some much-needed tax increases. But they couched the unveiling in such overtly partisan and demanding terms that it looks like a trap to many eyes on both sides of the aisle.
“We’re calling a special session so lawmakers can pass the Republican’s compromise balanced budget plan w/ reforms,” Gov. Rauner tweeted just before he officially called the special session. Rauner has obvious comprehension problems with the concept of “compromise.” A plan drafted by one party and then presented as an all or nothing demand doesn’t quite fit the traditional definition of the word. Then again, the Democratic majority has also done this on countless occasions.
But at least Gov. Rauner is finally starting to own something. You gotta give him that. Although, if the governor had just laid his tax hike cards on the table two and a half years ago we might not be in this rotten heap of a mess today. Senate President John Cullerton has said almost from the beginning that the only way a tax increase will pass is if the governor asks for it and sets the rates.
And there’s so little trust right now, some Democrats (and some Republicans, who’ve also been burned by this guy) still want the governor to specifically say out loud that he will sign a personal income tax rate of 4.95 percent and new service taxes on things like landscaping which are included in his proposal.
But it’s not just the rumors or the proposals or the press conferences. Other recent events have thoroughly rattled many Democrats. For instance, on June 9th Gov. Rauner contributed $1.5 million to the Illinois Republican Party and the follow following day the state party passed through $850,000 to the House Republicans’ campaign committee.
In other words, to some Democratic eyes, Rauner gave his Republicans big bucks to either vote for tax hikes or stay mum.
It’s also pretty much impossible to pass a tax hike without votes from Chicago Democratic legislators, who don’t have to worry about general election challenges. Yet, the Republican proposal included what seemed to Chicago Democrats to be an obvious poison pill: Vote to raise taxes while simultaneously shortchanging funding for Chicago’s public schools.
And then Illinois Republican Party negative mailers started hitting various House Democratic incumbents.
“Fred Crespo and Mike Madigan may let Illinois collapse,” blared a mailer that landed last week in Rep. Crespo’s suburban turf. “Fred Crespo teamed with Mike Madigan to: Block a balanced budget; Bail out Chicago Public Schools; Prevent a property tax increase; Reject job-creating reforms.”
Last Friday, Rauner began airing TV ads attacking Speaker Madigan and his “puppets” for letting the state “crumble” and for wanting to raise taxes “by billions.”
Well, the House Democrats do stand alone as the only caucus without a budget plan. It’s not at all inaccurate to warn Illinoisans that the House Dems may “let Illinois collapse,” because they haven’t yet done anything concrete to keep the government from collapsing.
But Democrats are left wondering if Rauner is trying to intimidate them into voting with him or setting them up to take the blame for a plan that wasn’t ever going anywhere. We’ll find out soon.
* I have to admit I’m getting a kick out of the Illinois Policy Institute’s response to the “Capitol Compromise.” From their news service…
Lawmakers will be back for a special session next week and on the table will be a proposal backed by leading Republicans to increase taxes by $5 billion. Some warn that would lead to a continued exodus of Illinois residents and businesses and could backfire politically.
Because lawmakers blew through the May 31 deadline to pass a budget with a simple majority, it now takes a three-fifths vote in both chambers to pass legislation, including a budget. That means for a tax hike plan to pass the House, only four Republican “yes” votes are needed to reach that threshold if all Democrats are on board. […]
State Rep. Jeanne Ives, R-Wheaton, said she will not be one of those “yes” votes.
“We need a budget that spends only what we take in and we need to give the governor full authority to realign and redo all of the programs under the state’s umbrella and spend what we take in,” Ives said, adding that she’s disappointed by GOP leadership for being willing to exchange a tax increase for some reforms she said don’t go far enough. […]
Jason Lee, owner of Springfield-based New Age Tattoos, said last month that piling taxes on his industry and his income is more of the same.
“We’re not the upper class, we’re the middle class, and the middle class always gets our neck stepped on and I think that’s just a commonality in the state of Illinois,” Lee said. […]
Ives said she’s worried the proposed temporary tax increases will lead to continued outmigration of businesses and citizens.
She also has a warning for her fellow Republicans.
House Speaker “Mike Madigan may just very well call their bluff and make Republicans look like they just capitulated to a $5 billion tax increase,” Ives said.
[Bumped up to Monday for visibility and comments re-opened.]
* I’ve been tweeting about this new Bruce Rauner TV ad and I finally got it…
They’ve got that Madigan issue and that property tax issue and they’re sticking to ‘em and I don’t blame them. The stuff works. Not gonna help pass a budget, though.
* Transcript…
Mike Madigan will do anything to keep power, even take down Illinois.
Madigan’s puppets blocked the budget, stopped property tax relief and now want to raise taxes by billions.
Madigan and his cronies reject reform, and let Illinois crumble.
We elected Bruce Rauner to reform Springfield. That’s why Rauner’s pushing a balanced budget and long-term property tax freeze to grow jobs. It’s a new path to save Illinois, because Rauner means reform.
It’s time we rebuild Illinois.
*** UPDATE 1 *** From the mayor’s office…
STATEMENT FROM ADAM COLLINS, SPOKESMAN FOR MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL
The last thing Illinois needs is the only thing we’ve gotten since Bruce Rauner took office, more TV ads and still no budget. The governor isn’t having a policy debate, he’s playing politics and the entire state is suffering as a result.
In the past six months alone he publicly said he supported a grand bargain, then privately killed it. He promised to veto an education funding bill that by his own calculations gets him 90 percent of what he wants. Then last week he called a special session to negotiate a budget with legislative leaders, and next week he’s going to launch an ad campaign attacking those same leaders.
The Governor needs to take the ad down, and finally put a budget up.
I’ve asked the mayor’s office if this applies to others running ads as well.
*** UPDATE 2 *** From the Rauner campaign…
People deserve to know the truth about what is going on in Springfield. There’s a compromise budget in front of them. Now, it’s up to Speaker Madigan.
Cullerton also said new ads from Rauner’s campaign, attacking Madigan and Democrats, aren’t helpful if the goal is to achieve a compromise deal to end the state’s historic budget impasse.
“It’s like if you and your wife are trying to make some major decision in your life about where to send the kids to school or something like that and you’re sitting down to go negotiate, you don’t really want to start out by saying, ‘You know, before we start, I just want to let you know that I always really hated your mother,’” Cullerton said.
