The same “blind spot” that triggered Gov. Bruce Rauner’s timid response to a racist cartoon prompted his veto of a bill rewriting a school funding formula that “punishes” poor and minority students, Mayor Rahm Emanuel charged Wednesday. […]
“Everybody that looks at that cartoon can see that cartoon for what it says. And that same blind spot led a governor to a veto of an education bill that doubled-down on the failure of the most inequitable funding of education. It’s wrong and it’s time the Legislature override the governor,” the mayor said Wednesday. […]
Emanuel made those remarks after joining forces with mayors from Democratic suburbs to turn up the heat on the General Assembly to override the governor’s veto of a school funding reform bill that the governor has condemned as a “Chicago bailout.”
Robert J. Nunamaker, mayor of Fox River Grove, was asked why he was supporting a bill that would give $300 million to the Chicago Public Schools.
“We’re smart enough to know that Chicago is the economic driver of northern Illinois and, if Chicago is sick, we all catch cold someplace along the way. And Chicago is not gonna be great without good education. You have to see through that,” Nunamaker said.
* Not everyone sees the cartoon as racist, however…
PROFT: Tom Demmer is stepping out to criticize the Illinois Policy Institute, to pile on and to provide again the political cover for the Democrats because that’s what so many Republicans do in this state, provide political cover. You point your finger, poke your finger in my chest and I fold. And Tom Demmer is a good example of why Republicans are the super-minority party in the state. Just as those 15 Madigan Republicans who voted for the Madigan tax increase without spending reforms are a good example of why Republicans are the super-minority constituency in the state. And why there’s an enthusiasm gap right now between Republicans and Democrats in Illinois, looking forward to the 2018 election.
And, boy, I gotta tell you, if you wanna ensure another generation of Madigan and Cullerton lordship. You wanna switch out Rauner for one of the fungible Chicago Democrats that are running for the Democrat nomination for governor? You know what you do? You entrust the Republican Party to the likes of Tom Demmer and those 15 surrender Republicans who voted with Madigan on the tax increases. And you won’t have to worry about the Republican Party being in charge of anything in Illinois again.
HUGHES: Yeah, and I remember when Tom Demmer ran the first time and he was very young, supported by the local party because he’d been sort of a volunteer and all that good stuff. I supported and you supported another candidate back then and I’m really sitting here today wishing mightily that that other candidate had won. And I’m wondering whether or not there should be someone else to run against Tom Demmer in this next cycle.
PROFT: Well, I gotta tell ya, I think we have enough dinks in the Republican caucus. We don’t need any more and we need to excise those that we have.
Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan canceled a Wednesday House session — and a planned override of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of a school funding measure — “in light of progress” made during lengthy leaders’ meetings about school funding reform.
Leaders met for more than five hours in Madigan’s office on Tuesday. The speaker last week said he’d call for an override of Rauner’s school funding reform veto. The Illinois Senate last week voted to override the veto. […]
Last week, Madigan – on a day intended to celebrate Rauner at the Illinois State Fair — vowed to keep fighting for the measure and held a test vote of Rauner’s amendatory veto. That was intended to be a public showing of the lack of support for his changes.
The speaker last week urged “reasonable Republicans” to join Democrats in overriding the veto “as they did on the budget making.”
Durkin said it would be up to Madigan to decide whether to go ahead with an override vote in the House Wednesday. Brady, however, said it would be a gesture of good faith on Madigan’s part to delay the vote.
It’s likely the veteran speaker didn’t have the votes to override Rauner on Wednesday anyway. Not only would Madigan probably have to put all 67 House Democrats on the override, but he would need at least four Republicans to break ranks with their governor. The minimum to override is 71. So far, no House Republicans have publicly said they’re willing to do so on the schools bill.
* Politico has some details, but keep in mind that some of this might be wishful thinking by the Democrats and the whole situation is very fluid at the moment…
Scholarships — On the table to bring Republicans on board SB1 in the House: $75 million in private school scholarships. Under serious discussion is a 75-cent-on the dollar credit to families choosing private schools, with a five-year sunset on the program. That reflects the desires of Cardinal Blase Cupich and other advocates of the program, sources tell POLITICO.
SB1 — the funding boost for Chicago that Gov. Bruce Rauner detests, remains intact; SB1 itself changes very little, except for Democrats open to adding unfunded mandate and property tax relief.
Negotiations continue, but time is running out. Democrats don’t have the numbers alone to override Rauner’s amendatory veto, but believe eight Republicans are leaning heavily toward an override — even without the scholarships. That’s after various degrees of pressure for SB1, including support from superintendents statewide. Democrats point to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s education proposal, which didn’t get a single “yes” vote last week. Every day another member announces he or she won’t seek reelection, leaving behind a potential for more brazen voting. Add tanking poll numbers and ongoing turmoil in Rauner’s office and you have a governor holding a weak hand. The worst-case scenario for Republicans is for another override to happen and they have nothing to show for it.
