* Before Gov. Rauner signed the budget this morning…
Three Years Later, Rauner Sidelined to Get the Job Done
Chicago, IL – As Bruce Rauner sits down to sign the first budget of his governorship, let’s take a look back at the crisis-drive agenda, stubborn demands, and failed leadership that brought us to this point:
2015: A CRISIS-DRIVEN AGENDA
Rauner makes his motives abundantly clear with the now infamous, “Crisis creates opportunity. Crisis creates leverage to change … and we’ve got to use that leverage of the crisis to force structural change.” He proceeds to veto a budget passed by the General Assembly while presenting no realistic alternative.
2016: CHANGING DEMANDS, DELAYED NEGOTIATIONS
After waiting six months into the budget crisis to meet with Democrats in 2015, Rauner waits four months into 2016 to sit down with legislative leaders. The failed governor brings to the table an ever-growing and ever-changing list of demands with columnists saying, “Rauner has made one politically unrealistic demand after another” and “Gov. Bruce Rauner is holding up critical state budget negotiations over his desire for term limits? Unbelievably, yes.”
2017: THE BIPARTISAN OVERRIDE
Bruce Rauner drives the state into a 736-day budget crisis, decimating the state economy, forcing social services to cut programs or close their doors, and jeopardizing public education across the state. After Rauner derails one budget and vetoes another, bipartisan legislators come together to override the failed governor’s veto and finally bringing Rauner’s crisis to an end.
2018: RAUNER SIDELINED
Having learned their lesson, leaders in the General Assembly sidelined Bruce Rauner from the budget process, ignoring the unbalanced budget he presented. The Chicago Tribune writes, “Rauner’s top priorities sidelined in final budget talks of his first term.” With the General Assembly getting the job done as Bruce Rauner faces re-election this year, the failed governor will sign a budget for his first time in office.
“Bruce Rauner finally agreeing to sign his name on a budget crafted by the General Assembly, three years into his time in office, won’t change the massive amounts of damage this failed governor has done to this state,” said Pritzker campaign communications director Galia Slayen. “It shouldn’t take legislative leaders sidelining the governor and the threat of re-election to get a budget done. It’s abundantly clear Illinois can’t afford another four years of Bruce Rauner.”
* During today’s presser…
* After he signed the budget…
After Three Years of Rauner Budget Chaos, What Changed?
Illinois Working Together Campaign Director Jake Lewis released the following statement in response to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s approval of the state budget:
“For three years, Gov. Bruce Rauner has refused to sign a state budget unless it included his own personal agenda. The governor spent much of that time holding the budget hostage while the students, seniors, and economy of the Illinois suffered catastrophic damage.
“Now it seems like the governor has had a radical change of heart, signing the Fiscal Year 2019 budget that includes none of his personal agenda and none of his own major budget proposals. So the question must be asked: what changed? And why did the students, seniors, and economy have to suffer for years before Rauner’s sudden shift?
“Bruce Rauner put the people of Illinois through crisis after crisis in pursuit of his own personal agenda. Today we find out that all of that chaos, all of the devastation was for nothing. So, governor, what changed? The people of Illinois deserve answers.”
* DGA…
What Was the Point of Rauner’s Three Year Budget Crisis?
The Democratic Governors Association releases the following statement through spokesperson Sam Salustro regarding news that Governor Bruce Rauner signed the first budget of his term after forcing the state to endure three years of crises:
“Bruce Rauner’s budget signature is three years too late. Thanks to Rauner’s failed leadership, Illinois’ debt soared, credit rating dropped, and services were slashed while jobs and people continued to leave the state. Rauner failed the people of Illinois and the state is worse off because of it.
“Rauner’s decision to wait for an election year before finally signing a budget is just one more insult to the people of this state. Bruce Rauner forced Illinois to endure three years of budget crises and voters want to know, what was the point?”
* Pritzker campaign…
A Moment Three and a Half Years in the Making
Chicago, IL – It’s a moment three and a half years in the making: Bruce Rauner finally learned how to pick up a pen and sign his name.
They also attached a snarky GIF. Click here.
- 47th Ward - Monday, Jun 4, 18 @ 10:57 am:
Somebody forgot to tell Leader Brady that today was a tie day.
- Roman - Monday, Jun 4, 18 @ 10:58 am:
Harris is right. Without last years tax increase, there is no FY19 budget.
Would be nice if the Chicago media would report that. Instead they’ve been going with the lazy “it’s-an-election-year” cliche when explaining how the budget got done.
- Anon - Monday, Jun 4, 18 @ 11:02 am:
Who else attended the signing? Was the Speaker there?
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Jun 4, 18 @ 11:04 am:
Bruce Rauner validated and certified that the 32% tax increase was 100% required for budgets to get signed… by Bruce Rauner.
By nearly every measure, Bruce Rauner is a defeated soul. If you were to tell Governor-Elect Rauner that one day he’d sign a budget, requiring a tax increase, and getting nothing in return, and that budget was passed with overwhelming bipartisan veto-proof majorities, sidelining him and making him look less in charge than Pat Quinn… I’m sure Rauner woulda phony laughed
Governor, that’s what happened today.
Congratulations.
- Steve Rogers - Monday, Jun 4, 18 @ 11:04 am:
It’s amazing how much easier it is to balance a budget when you have proper revenue coming in. Imagine where we might be today if the Quinn tax increase didn’t sunset.
- @misterjayem - Monday, Jun 4, 18 @ 11:05 am:
“Bruce Rauner finally learned how to pick up a pen and sign his name.”
To be fair, Bruce also signed his name correctly on HB-40. (If you don’t believe me, just ask Cardinal Cupich.)
– MrJM
- PJ - Monday, Jun 4, 18 @ 11:05 am:
Tom Demmer looks like a very sad panda back there.
- Trapped in the 'burbs - Monday, Jun 4, 18 @ 11:05 am:
Rauner is correct, he’s not in charge.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Jun 4, 18 @ 11:06 am:
===It’s amazing how much easier it is to balance a budget when you have proper revenue coming in. Imagine where we might be today if the Quinn tax increase didn’t sunset.===
Meh, I’d take that up with Gov. Rauner, who as Governor-Elect not only asked for it to sunset, applauded the no action to make it permanent.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Jun 4, 18 @ 11:07 am:
PJ, Demmer was instrumental in getting this budget done.
- the Patriot - Monday, Jun 4, 18 @ 11:08 am:
Rauner gets complete credit. He elected not to negotiate with a madman who can’t be trusted in Madigan and told the kids to go back to their room and work it out among themselves. He manipulated the master Manipulated.
Rauner gets the Jedi Mind trick award for 2018!
Ok, maybe not, but I bet we see some great spin in the next 5 months.
- Huh? - Monday, Jun 4, 18 @ 11:10 am:
1.4% just completed the most onerous task of his entire administration - signing a budget that is built on the 32% tax increase.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Jun 4, 18 @ 11:10 am:
Here’s the real to today.
The 99th GA Raunerites?
“I’m frustrated too, but taking steps to reform Illinois is more important than a short term budget stalemate.
The 100th GA?
“We need to save Illinois from Bruce Rauner. Override.”
“Governor, we’ll take it from here. Don’t even think about a veto. You’re signing it, you’re eating it, you own this.”
That’s the real.
- Anon221 - Monday, Jun 4, 18 @ 11:11 am:
From Rauner’s tweeting- “Today’s bill signing demonstrates that we can put the people of Illinois ahead of all other concerns.”
Now I call that a “TurnAround” for him. I wonder how nostalgic he is now for the crises such as the Good Friday Massacre that he helped orchestrate. His spinnin’ of bein’ a conciliator and compassionate leader is just beginnin’ folks.
- don the legend - Monday, Jun 4, 18 @ 11:13 am:
Rauner has elevated incompetence and failure to a new level. So sad that so many were so hurt for so long and nothing to show for the pain.
May these next five months pass quickly and we can begin to heal our broken state.
- wordslinger - Monday, Jun 4, 18 @ 11:13 am:
“Yay, budget…. yay, Greg Harris….”
- Steve Rogers - Monday, Jun 4, 18 @ 11:17 am:
OW: yep, that’s my point. If Governor Nonfeasance hadn’t abandoned the state at the altar of fiscal irresponsibility the last four years, imagine where we might be today.
- Grandson of Man - Monday, Jun 4, 18 @ 11:19 am:
Rauner is a lame duck. He played himself out, in his arrogance and obstruction. This is being clever by half, where one thinks he or she is so smart but turns out to be doubly dumb, so to speak.
Rauner signed a Madigan budget (no offense to great bipartisan work) with a Madigan tax hike in it. Now he’s supposed to run against Madigan? He’s supposed to bring back Illinois and fight for home? To the right wing, this looks like Rauner totally caved.
- A guy - Monday, Jun 4, 18 @ 11:19 am:
Maybe coulda waited a day to unleash some of this stuff.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Jun 4, 18 @ 11:39 am:
I’m a bit torn on Madigan’s and Cullerton’s absences.
Then again, as glaring as their absences… with ZERO disrespect to Leader Brady who I respect and thank in his role here and as caucus leader….
… the absences of Madigan and Cullerton are only overshadowed by the absence of former Leader Radogno.
That is also the legacy of the 99th GA and Bruce Rauner and his role to cripple and destroy Illinois, and what this 100th GA has done, bipartisanly, these two budgets, without Bruce Rauner, and saving Illinois from Bruce Rauner twice.
- Jocko - Monday, Jun 4, 18 @ 12:28 pm:
Does the BTIA realize that…with his signature…it becomes the “Rauner Tax Hike”?
- Chris Widger - Monday, Jun 4, 18 @ 12:54 pm:
I would have preferred a veto. Those bashing Rauner for signing the budget in this thread make their intent clear: they are unprincipled, uninterested in facts, and celebrate Illinois’s continued demise. We need sanity in our budgets, and we failed again.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Jun 4, 18 @ 1:00 pm:
States need budgets.
Deciding to arbitrarily veto budgets or not have budgets isn’t governing.
60, 30, signature.
“Those” thinking a veto was the best move have no idea how governing works.
- Demoralized - Monday, Jun 4, 18 @ 1:03 pm:
==I would have preferred a veto.==
You must have been among those cheering when we didn’t have a budget. You’re the problem. Not the budget.
- wordslinger - Monday, Jun 4, 18 @ 1:48 pm:
–I would have preferred a veto. Those bashing Rauner for signing the budget in this thread make their intent clear: they are unprincipled, uninterested in facts, and celebrate Illinois’s continued demise–
Excuse me, professor, but are you not, in fact, bashing Rauner for signing the budget? So that would make you….
Did you get your harrumphs mixed up?
- Taxedoutwest - Monday, Jun 4, 18 @ 3:34 pm:
Rich, I hope I can cut and paste a quote from CF to your blog:
“Look, this state government has a whole lot of problems - the main ones being that its revenue base is far too narrow while its spending base is far too wide.”
The Liberals continue to want to outspend their tax increases…when will it stop? NOT in the next 4 years when JB increases his taxes and further bloats government spending.
- Demoralized - Monday, Jun 4, 18 @ 3:39 pm:
==The Liberals continue to want to outspend==
Only a partisan simpleton who hasn’t paid any attention to budgeting in Illinois would make such a ridiculous statement.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Jun 4, 18 @ 8:47 pm:
To this… and only this to the Pritzker response…
===“Bruce Rauner finally agreeing to sign his name on a budget crafted by the General Assembly, three years into his time in office, won’t change the massive amounts of damage this failed governor has done to this state,” said Pritzker campaign communications director Galia Slayen. “It shouldn’t take legislative leaders sidelining the governor and the threat of re-election to get a budget done. It’s abundantly clear Illinois can’t afford another four years of Bruce Rauner.”===
Really choice cuts there.
Let’s break this down.
“…”Bruce Rauner finally agreeing to sign his name on a budget crafted by the General Assembly, three years into his time in office, won’t change the massive amounts of damage this failed governor has done to this state,” said Pritzker campaign communications director Galia Slayen.”
Right there. That’s the ball game. That’s chopping it up and serving it cold. If you have to give the elevator breakdown, that’s it. Tasty.
Continuing…
“…“It shouldn’t take legislative leaders sidelining the governor and the threat of re-election to get a budget done. It’s abundantly clear Illinois can’t afford another four years of Bruce Rauner.”…”
I like this. It’s critical to the moment, and gives real insight why Rauner was frozen out… but let’s look at that first part, alone again…
“…”Bruce Rauner finally agreeing to sign his name on a budget crafted by the General Assembly, three years into his time in office, won’t change the massive amounts of damage this failed governor has done to this state,” said Pritzker campaign communications director Galia Slayen.”
Making the stinging truth to the governing, whew, that’s keeping it where it is most true, that Rauner failed Illinois. Deliciously bitter to the honesty.
The political angle, while the second prong, tough NOT to have it, but reading that Patterson-Esque brevity wity the potentcy… that’s the statement. That’s about as good as it gets, that open.