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Thursday, Jul 27, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller

* From the Illinois Policy Institute’s news service…

“We’re all here. Speaker Madigan, President Cullerton chose to do nothing,” Rauner said Thursday after both chambers adjourned with no action. “President Cullerton, Speaker Madigan, turn in your homework. … A bill was passed two months ago to fund schools, but they’re hiding it.”

Cullerton said Wednesday that he hoped to meet with Rauner to negotiate changes before the governor uses his amendatory veto powers on it. He said he’d send it to the governor’s desk Monday if that meeting does not happen before then.

Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, spoke to reporters Thursday afternoon and was asked why wait until Monday.

“There’s nothing magical about Monday, you’ll have to ask the senate president that question,” Manar said, adding that Rauner has changed his position multiple times since the Senate first passed the measure in mid-May.

“That makes it difficult for us to understand where and how he wants to land the plane,” Manar said. Sending the bill to Rauner and allowing him to veto it “would put the bill in … final action. There’s no redo on an amendatory veto. That’s a take-it-or-leave it proposition.” […]

“What is so outrageous is to use our children as political leverage,” Rauner said at Thursday’s news conference.

Rauner, interestingly enough, didn’t take questions at that news conference.

* Sen. Manar did chat with reporters, however…

I’ve asked the governor’s office for a list of schools that might not be able to reopen after summer break, or would have to close down soon afterward. So far, nothing.

* Here’s an AP report on that topic…

Without a state funding solution for public education, several Macon County districts could run out of money and turn to borrowing by January or earlier, district leaders said Wednesday. […]

For Cerro Gordo, the answer is 167 days, meaning the district would run out of money by early January, Robinson said. State money makes up about one-third of the district’s $5.1 million budget.

The need for a solution is even more urgent for Decatur Public Schools, which would run out of cash in mid-November, top officials have said. […]

Meridian Superintendent Dan Brue said his district also would consider those options if the state doesn’t come through with funding by mid-January, when his district would run out of money. […]

The Mount Zion district is in a better position than many of its Central Illinois neighbors, Superintendent Travis Roundcount said. The district has just under $11 million on hand, more than the $6 million to $7 million per year that it typically receives from the state.

CPS has said it will reopen in the fall come heck or high water.

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*** UPDATED x1 *** Pritzker lampoon’s Rauner’s “Best team in America” comment

Thursday, Jul 27, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Press release…

Crisis Creatin’ Rauner released a new video today highlighting Bruce Rauner’s so-called “best team in America,” a group of radicals and amateurs, many of whom were hired directly from the Illinois Policy Institute.

After Rauner was asked about his controversial new hires by a Quad City TV station, Rauner said, “we’re building the best team in America.” So far that team has included a staffer fired on his first day for “racially-charged, homophobic and sexually explicit tweets,” and a still employed staffer who “compared abortion to Nazi eugenics.” In total, over 20 Rauner staffers have been fired or resigned in protest and have been replaced by people with little to no government experience and extremist views.

“The only thing Rauner’s new team is ‘best’ at is unleashing crisis on this state,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. ‘‘His new hires will only aid Rauner in furthering the damage he’s done to the state, and their radical views are deeply out of step with the people of Illinois. Surely, even Bruce Rauner and the Illinois GOP can do better than this.”

* The video…

Oof.

*** UPDATE *** That video reminded me of something that a buddy pointed out to me earlier this week and I forgot to post. This is from Gov. Rauner’s recent WSIL TV interview about the hiring and firing of his one-day body man, who, you’ll recall, tweeted out some pretty disgusting things…

REPORTER: But weren’t you involved in interviewing him?

RAUNER: Interviewing?

REPORTER: When he was hired?

RAUNER: No. I met him once.

If you watch the video, “I met him once” was said in an offhanded way.

We already know that the governor’s denial about interviewing his own body man has been contradicted by reporters, including Tina Sfondeles at the Sun-Times.

* And if you click here and let the video run for a few seconds, you’ll see the governor appearing at an event with his body man on the day he was fired. Here’s a screen grab…

I suppose that traveling with the guy for a couple/three hours back and forth to an event in Mt. Zion could be characterized as meeting him “once.” Or maybe he was just hoping nobody would notice.

By itself, on a scale of 1-10 this might rise to a 1.3. Not a big deal at all (which is why this is an update and not its own post). But politicians who establish a pattern of telling little fibs to reporters can often find themselves in hot water down the line.

[ *** End Of Update *** ]

* And this is from the ILGOP…

It’s been over 57 days since Mike Madigan and his machine have taken school funding and the futures of Illinois children hostage for their $500 million Chicago bailout.

Today, the Illinois Republican Party has updated BossMadigan.com with a stopwatch to remind voters just how long the Madigan Machine has taken our children hostage.

On May 31st, SB1 passed the General Assembly. Per the Illinois Constitution, the bill is supposed to head to Governor Rauner’s desk.

But Mike Madigan and John Cullerton are intentionally holding the bill, perverting the legislative process.

It’s a blatant assault on our democracy in order to create pressure for their Chicago bailout.

See the updated BossMadigan page here:

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“Don’t you see how outrageous that is?”

Thursday, Jul 27, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The governor was asked this question during a press conference yesterday…

Governor, the Senate President says he’s holding [SB 1] until Monday in the hopes that you’ll come around and agree to meet with him and to negotiate. Are you unwilling to have that meeting?

* The governor’s clearly angry response, after a long pause, is the headline to this post…

Now, the governor does go on to explain there is a constitutional process here. The legislature passed a bill in May, but haven’t sent it to him yet. The next step in the process is he takes action and then the General Assembly takes further action on his amendatory veto. He’s right about all of that.

But to claim that a meeting with a legislative leader is an “outrageous” demand is a bit much.

…Adding… Roundup…

* Rauner camp calls Cullerton’s ‘mental state’ remark ‘inappropriate’

* Cullerton won’t send Rauner school funding bill until Monday

* Finger-pointing continues as Cullerton says he’ll wait until Monday to send education funding bill to Rauner’s desk

* Sparring continues on school funding bill; nothing resolved

* No movement on 1st day of special session on school funding

* School Funding Special Session Keeps Legislators & Gov. At Odds

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