* We discussed this column yesterday, but let’s circle back…

And when Democrats skipped pension payments for two years after that, and borrowed repeatedly to paper over deficit spending, Republicans should have said, hell no. They didn’t. The unfunded liabilities have soared. […]

[Rep. David McSweeney’s] departure from the General Assembly means there will be one less person in Springfield riding herd on fiscal sanity.

Um, Rep. McSweeney was one of just a tiny handful of Republicans who voted to override a 2016 Gov. Bruce Rauner veto that allowed Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to delay hundreds of millions of dollars in increased pension payments. He said at the time he voted to override the veto in order to spare Chicago a massive property tax hike. But he really just helped the mayor delay a big day of reckoning until after Rahm Emanuel was out of office.

State law at the time required Chicago to start paying all normal costs to the pension funds plus whatever would be sufficient to get the fund assets up to 90 percent of total actuarial liabilities by 2040. The new law, passed with McSweeney’s vote over Rauner’s veto, delayed the start of that steep ramp to tax levy year 2020 and delayed the end date to 2055.

Gov. Rauner’s response to the override…

“It’s unfortunate that the legislature voted again to allow the City of Chicago to borrow $843 million at an interest rate of 7.75% from their pensions, putting an additional $18.6 billion on the backs of taxpayers.”

The Tribune editorial board often bemoans the increased pension payments that new Mayor Lori Lightfoot is faced with. Well, that 2016 veto override contributed heavily to the hole she’s in now.

* Meanwhile, states with early presidential primaries usually hold two primaries: One for presidential candidates and then another for everyone else. South Carolina, for instance, is holding its presidential primary on February 29th, but then the rest of the candidates down the ticket in that state will have their own primary on June 9th, with a runoff on June 23rd.

Illinois has a unified primary where all candidates compete. That primary is set by statute…

(10 ILCS 5/2A-1.1) (from Ch. 46, par. 2A-1.1)
Sec. 2A-1.1. All Elections - Consolidated Schedule.
(a) In even-numbered years, the general election shall be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November; and an election to be known as the general primary election shall be held on the third Tuesday in March;

Notice the word “shall.” Biennial primaries are mandatory.

* With all that in mind…

Republican leaders in South Carolina, Nevada, Arizona and Kansas are reportedly poised to scrap their primaries and caucuses, Politico is reporting. That has Trump’s long-shot opponents — including former Illinois congressman-turned-conservative radio show host Joe Walsh — crying foul.

While it’s not without precedent, canceling a presidential primary also isn’t typical, so The Spin checked in with the Illinois GOP to see where the local party stands.

State Republican Party Chair Illinois Tim Schneider said, “I don’t think there’s even a question,” about whether there will be a GOP primary in March. “No, we’re not going to do that,” he said of the four states opting out. “We’re just going to follow our typical process with the primary, including the important job of electing delegates.”

Schneider couldn’t cancel the primary even if he wanted to.