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* Some Illinois Republicans pat themselves on the back…
Illinois legislators are facing tough budget problems and many are asking if our minority party could follow in the footsteps of Wisconsin and Indiana’s. However to some of them walking out just isn’t an option.
“I may lose that battle but at least I go on the record and I fight for my community,” says Illinois’ 34th District Senator Republican Dave Syverson.
Republican senators in Illinois have been the minority party for nearly a decade. In that time a walkout has never been staged and according to some senators it will never happen.
“They understand that their job is not to run away even when the decisions are hard. The people send them down there to have debates about the issues and stand up for what they believe in,” says Illinois’ 35th District Senator Republican Christine Johnson.
It’s pretty easy to say you wouldn’t follow in others’ footsteps when you are barred by law from doing so. The minority party simply doesn’t have the option of walking out in Illinois. Our state Constitution requires only a majority be present and accounted for, unlike the extraordinary majorities in Indiana and (on fiscal matters) Wisconsin. So, unless a whole lot of Democrats are missing, the Republicans cannot halt business by bolting the chamber.
I’m not sure what the quorum rules were in the 19th Century, but Abraham Lincoln infamously jumped out a window during a failed attempt to prevent an Illinois House quorum call. Lincoln was eventually elected the House Minority Leader.
* After taking a kinder, gentler approach to fleeing Democrats earlier in the week (and getting blasted by his party’s right wing for doing so), Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels changed his tune yesterday…
Indiana House Democrats stayed away from their desks for a second day on Wednesday in an attempt to block a proposed law curbing union power, prompting Gov. Mitch Daniels to say they were showing “complete contempt” for the Democratic process.
“You know, if they persist, the Democratic Party of Indiana will need a rebranding effort because this is as anti-democratic as behavior can be,” Republican Daniels said.
Like their counterparts in Wisconsin, most House Democrats left Indiana for Illinois to prevent the Indiana house from voting on “right-to-work” and other Republican-sponsored legislation. The measure would have made it a misdemeanor for an employer to require workers to become or stay members of a labor union.
* More…
“I can tell you I don’t know what will happen,” Daniels said. “I can tell you what won’t happen: We will not be bullied or blackmailed out of pursuing the agenda we laid in front of the people of Indiana. That agenda is going to get voted on. If it takes special sessions from now to New Year’s, we will hold them. We will send the bill to (former) Speaker Bauer and to the Democratic Party of Indiana.”
How far apart are they? Miles.
[House Minority Leader Pat Bauer, D-South Bend] called House Bill 1003, the voucher program for private school tuition, and Senate Bill 575, the bill limiting teacher collective bargaining to only wages and wage-related benefits, “deal breakers.”
Daniels called those bills “non-negotiable.”
* Gov. Pat Quinn has apparently reached out to welcome some of the fleeing Democrats. The governor was asked again about the situation yesterday…
Gov. Patrick Quinn of Illinois seemed to delight in the new arrivals, some of whom said Quinn, a Democrat, had telephoned them to offer his personal welcome.
“We believe in hospitality and tourism and being friendly,” Quinn said Wednesday, quickly adding: “I also believe in unions.”
While its proximity made it the obvious choice, Illinois seemed a fitting hideout. As Republicans seized control of many statehouses in the Midwest in November, Illinois was one of the few where Democrats had held on to theirs.
“It seems like very friendly territory,” said state Rep. Win Moses, 68, one of the Indiana Democrats who say they have been meeting in a hotel conference room, working on business as usual (so far, they have drawn up 105 amendments to the Republicans’ proposed state budget), dining at the Cracker Barrel and waiting for some sign from Indianapolis that efforts to limit unions would be dropped.
* Quinn’s remarks…
* At least we don’t have to worry about our southwestern border being breached…
The situation in Missouri is much different than Wisconsin’s. From a practical standpoint, Missouri does not allow collective-bargaining for public employees like teachers and firefighters. Another difference: Teachers, firefighters and police in Missouri have separate pension agreements with school districts and local governments that don’t count on any financial contributions from the state government.
The other big difference between Missouri and Wisconsin? Missouri has a Democratic governor who has no desire to challenge the state’s unions because they are likely to be key in Gov. Jay Nixon’s quest for re-election in 2012.
* But the Wisconsin standoff - and our “guest” situation - continues…
The 14 wayward Wisconsin lawmakers have given no hint about when they might return, even amid recall threats, a Senate rule change that forces them to appear in person if they want to receive their paychecks and the GOP-controlled Legislature returning to work on other business without them.
Gov. Scott Walker has implied that if the Democrats don’t come back soon, they’ll be responsible for thousands of state workers losing their jobs because Wisconsin won’t be able to refinance its debt.
* Ohio has the same sort of quorum rules as Illinois, so their Democrats won’t be arriving soon…
Ohio Republicans edged back on a plan to strip public workers of their union rights while their counterparts in Wisconsin slogged ahead on a similar proposal, pushing through a punishing debate that stretched into its third day in the state Assembly. […]
Republicans in Ohio offered a small concession on Wednesday, saying they would support allowing unionized state workers to collectively bargain on wages — but not for benefits, sick time, vacation or other conditions.
That Ohio GOP “concession” was Wisconsin’s starting point. Wow.
…Adding… I forgot to post this one from the News-Gazette…
A majority of the Democratic members of the Indiana House of Representatives have temporarily moved to an Urbana hotel in an effort to prevent votes on bills they consider to be bad for teachers, workers and families.
“This is not a walkout; it’s a seminar that is taking place in a lovely place: Urbana, Illinois,” said Indiana House Minority Leader Patrick Bauer of South Bend.
I’ve been wondering whether they’re ordering food from Jimmy John’s.
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 9:25 am
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I miss the good old days when the lt gov could be fomr a different party and was ever prepared to cease power if the gov left the state….
Comment by Ghost Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 9:44 am
What a joke. First of all, the Republicans couldn’t wait for the Democrats to do things like raise taxes, and it was the first tax increase Republicans didn’t help pass.
Second of all, Republicans are often absent, e.g. Bill Brady during the campaign. It’s just never for any “principled” reason.
Once again Republican lawmakers demonstrate they really don’t care about taking their jobs seriously. It’s all just about trying to score cheap political points via stunts and games.
Comment by just sayin' Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 9:45 am
Just sayin
Yeah because the dems show up all the time. Like when B Obama was running for the US House and then the senate he was in Springfield and didn’t miss any sessions.
Comment by Fed up Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 9:50 am
Now that Daniels has caught up with the latest on this issue and returned to his senses, I reaffirm my Tuesday night posting.
My union needed to have bought off both parties, with their contributions. By marrying the Democrats they left themselves wide open. The moment this thing went politically against them is the moment they lost our benefits.
I have been harping on this stupid move for years. We are branded as partisan Democrats instead as nonpartisan citizen focused public servants. It was only a matter of time and now it is here.
This is becoming a piffle of a story. But an utter catastrophe for us. We need new union leadership after this Waterloo.
Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 9:53 am
Perhaps we could use Wisconsins model for a new Tourism Campaign….Escape To ILLINOIS
Comment by SO IL M Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 9:53 am
Fed up, what’s your point? I’m no fan of Obama’s by any means, but I don’t recall him ever patting himself on the back for showing up for work.
Comment by just sayin' Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 9:55 am
What dopey story from WIFR. Sens. Syverson and Johnson were awfully kind (yeah, that’s it) not to inform the knowledge-challenged reporter that a minority-party walkout would mean oogots in Illinois.
However, since all those GOP legislators are bravely standing fast in Springfield, how about breaking out the old pencil box and presenting an alternative budget — even just basic revenues and expenditures on the back of an envelope, since you’re going to be there anyway.
Assembly Dems in Madison have been up 46 hours straight and counting in continuous session offering amendments to the Walker budget. How’s that for earning your pay?
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 9:58 am
Vanillaman
That is an interesting way to look at it. That’s why big business and lobbyist throw bags of money at both partys so no matter who is in charge they are taken care of. Hopefully if unions survive this better strategy come foward. Taking on important issues instead of blindly following a party would do all of us some good
Comment by Fed up Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 10:00 am
I’m confused over the thread headline here. Republicans can refuse to show any time they please. The consequences for no showing differ.
Comment by Louis G. Atsaves Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 10:02 am
Just sayin
You went after bill Brady for missing sessions when in reality it’s both partys that do this all the time you made it partisan.
Comment by Fed up Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 10:03 am
So what if Missouri already has many of the collective bargaining provisions that Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana are trying to enact, how come they have a budget shortfall?
Comment by lincolnlover Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 10:05 am
Which republicans should “the unions” support?
Bill Brady who wanted to make Il a right to work slate? Tom Cross who introduced a bill to decimate public employee pensions? Chris Radogno who refuses to support any borrowing until she is able to blackmail the Senate into gutting the social safety net?
If any republican comes up with a viable budget plan to save the state the unions will be there. There just aren’t many worthy of any support by unions or anyone else.
Comment by Bill Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 10:09 am
The WH is backing away. The stalemate is old news. We peaked Monday and it is now a quiet political snuff job. By fighting this public battle we exposed ourselves instead of working the backrooms, taking a hit, regrouping and returning when we could to regain what we lost.
We set ourselves up. This could have been avoided. There seems to be some kind of romance favoring strikes and a 20th Century mentality that just doesn’t work in the 21st. We needed to be smarter and more politically diverse. We needed to be less narrow minded.
Our lack of diversity is our downfall. Thank god this is Illinois. We have four years to adapt because this will come here too.
Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 10:09 am
Public employees didn’t cause the budget problems and they shouldn’t be blamed for something that’s not their fault. Attorney General Madigan should sue Goldman Sacs and all the other companies and big banks which caused the Pension Funds to lose all their value on behalf of all the public pension funds in Illinois. She sued companies for credit card interest rate schemes, she
filed lawsuits against debt settlement companies for engaging in deceptive marketing practices, she sued tobacco companies for refusing to pay millions owed under settlement agreements, she now needs to sue those responsible for the pension fund losses. Taking away employees rights is just wrong, any way you look at it. Go after the cause of the problem, not some scapegoat.
Comment by A Voter Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 10:14 am
Voter, you said it! And while we are on it - here is my reply to those who say “government should be run like a business”. If it were, the bosses in Springfield we be in jail, just like Bernie Madoff, for running a huge ponzi scheme! Borrowing to pay debt, then taking the money from pensions to pay the loan, then borrowing to pay debt, then taking the money from pensions…….
Comment by lincolnlover Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 10:19 am
Now we see how important the 2010 election for Illinois Governor really was. All the other states bordering or near Wisconsin have Republican governors (Iowa, Minnesota, Indiana, Michigan). If Brady instead of Quinn had been elected governor, the Democratic Senators from Wisconsin would have had nowhere to flee to. They would have had to stay in Wisconsin, giving that body a quorum and allowing Governor Walker to enact his anti-union legislation.
Comment by Quiet Sage Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 10:20 am
Wrong Fed up. R lawmakers have done nothing but make this partisan. They started it long ago. The IL GOP is even trying to raise money off the issue. I’m merely pointing out that those Rs don’t have a leg to stand on.
And as far as Bill Brady, I really don’t care if he reports for work or not. Pretty much does nothing when he is there.
Comment by just sayin' Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 10:20 am
QS, doesn’t Minnesota have a Dem governor?
Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 10:23 am
The decision to become Democratic partisan predates the current GOP lineup. Had the Union not screwed up we would not have the current anti union GOP line up would we?
The current political tone today did not have to be. We have been witnessing this building for years but just fought harder not smarter.
We are supposed to be above petty politics not shouting out slander and jibberish. We work for everyone not just Democrats! We are bipartisan friends but not bipartisan politically? How short sighted.
We are going to need an entirely new 21st Century leadership for our union. What we got now is obsolete. Obama can not save our bacon. He knows it and is giving us a polite brush off. He is moving to Plan B. We need to do the same.
I am tired of seeing us play defense. That is all a strike is.
Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 10:26 am
Sayin’,
Replace your Rs with Ds, GOP with Dem, and Brady with Quinn and your posts would make a lot more sense.
Comment by Joe from Joliet Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 10:28 am
PS love you Rich.
You have done a great job presenting this news in the best spin possible.
But you know you are witnessing a radical shift too and you have to be seeing us losing this.
Quinn bought us time. We can not waste it with the nonsense we are seeing in our border states.
We have to change. We have to make the change work for us now.
Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 10:32 am
If the State legislators really want to be taken seriously about shared sacrifice, they would cot their pensions and benefits to be no more than the formula used for regular state workers. Serving the state for 4 years should not create more pension costs to the state than an average state employee that works 15 years. They can’t even lead by example. All of the budget problems are squarely the our elected official’s fault, from years of missmanagement, unfunding pension obligations, borrowing from the pension fund, basically, as lincolnlover called it, “a huge ponzi scheme”. No one in Springfield or Madison is man enough to accept the blame.
Comment by A Voter Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 10:41 am
===they would cot their pensions and benefits to be no more than the formula used for regular state workers. ===
Or require state workers to contribute as much as they do.
Just sayin…
Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 10:44 am
Gotta love ILGOP….they would leave IL because they are some of public employee unions most dependable slugs…and they might lose their hefty per diem.
Fire, Aim, Ready
Comment by CircularFiringSquad Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 10:59 am
Regardless of his personal feelings Gov. Quinn should try to remain a little more hands-off and low key in his approach to this Wisconsin/Indiana budget battle and all its externalities. Our own fiscal issues are far more dire than most of the other Midwestern sister states. He already has a statehouse majority and the strong backing of the unions which matter here. He won the recent election, but after a brutal campaign and against the geographic backdrop that a large majority of counties in Illinois voted for someone else.
As the good folks on this site regularly point out, Quinnie already has a lot of baggage, communication and and leadership issues. This would be such an opportune moment for him to show some actual statesmanship and demonstrate that he serves as the governor for all the people of a state in peril– instead of looking like a toady. And it would not be at all difficult to do, or lose him any Eeam D cred. All Quinn has to do is figure out a mature and benign reply to reporters’ queries and use it. His “Look! bunnies” statements such as the one highlighted above do get quotes in the news. But they also suggest a lack of seriousness with respect to the crisis he and all his fellow governors must try to ameliorate in their own states and in their own ways.
Comment by Responsa Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 11:04 am
Republican senators may not have walked out, but they have been excluded from discussions; kind of like being locked out.
When will all these politicians stop acting like children?
Comment by Bman Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 11:11 am
The mentality seems the same whether you are a drug addict on state aid, a college educated state office worker, a State Senator, or a millionaire going down on the Titanic, “surely this disaster isn’t going to effect me, right?”
Perhaps it is human nature to hope you won’t be the one facing an ugly inevitability. Someone else. “I can wait. I can ride this out.”
So any state leader thinking that they will be spared from making sacrifices in the coming years should start thinking differently. Right now. They need to lead by showing their citizens how to make sacrifices. They may find themselves tossed out of the life boats along with the folks they threw out.
Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 11:12 am
I’m surprised the IL GOP hasn’t called for the filibuster in the state senate. Since Republicans are so fond of it in the US Senate, you’d think it would be a useful GOP tool here, too.
Comment by reformer Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 11:27 am
Rich, you’re right. Mark Dayton is the Democratic governor of Minnesota since January (I was thinking of Pawlenty).
Comment by Quiet Sage Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 11:28 am
As I have said before, I have no problem with the Wisconsin and Indiana Democrats standing up for what they believe in, even if they have to run away to do it. The reality of the situation is that time and money is not on their side. Sooner or later, they will run out of one or the other.
Comment by Jaded Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 11:29 am
VM there are a number of Dems the union bailed on, including the speaker and some of his people.
The unions didnt just pick dems because they were dems, the union piked union friendly canidates, including a few GOP folks.
Comment by Ghost Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 11:32 am
On a side note, the dang lede has hotel california stuck in my head now, even if it was unintentional…thanks Rich.
…You can check out any time you like but you can never leave….
Comment by Ghost Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 11:36 am
If you’ve gotta get a song stuck in your head, that is a great one!
Comment by Jaded Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 11:42 am
Ghost, that would’ve been a better hed. Darnit.
Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 11:43 am
OK, so I realized that I had it in my power to change the headline all by myself (duh). So I did. Now everybody will have that song in their heads. Ha!
Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 11:46 am
:>
Comment by Ghost Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 11:52 am
===Gotta love ILGOP….they would leave IL because they are some of public employee unions most dependable slugs…and they might lose their hefty per diem.===
You think they could organize an out of state trip?
Comment by Obamarama Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 12:44 pm
Better headline. Just played it on my ITunes to reinforce it.
Comment by Louis G. Atsaves Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 1:04 pm
If this was already posted and I missed it I apologize. Rasmussen poll shows 50-50 split on having public employee unions, but 2/3 oppose legislators fleeing to avoid a vote. Note this is a national poll. But with an apparent dearth of reliable WI specific poll data these results are interesting.
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_politics/february_2011/67_disapprove_of_legislators_fleeing_wisconsin_to_avoid_vote
Comment by Responsa Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 1:12 pm
Responsa, it was posted the day it was published, and another poll with entirely different results was also published yesterday, as well as a Wisconsin poll conducted a few days ago.
Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 1:27 pm
“So what if Missouri already has many of the collective bargaining provisions that Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana are trying to enact, how come they have a budget shortfall?”
And why does Texas have a $27 B shortfall despite its ban on collective bargaining for public employees.
Comment by hisgirlfriday Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 1:36 pm
Be wary of Rasmussen polls. Nate Silver @ http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/23/decoding-the-wisconsin-polls/ has some good comments.
Comment by Geek Marine Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 1:40 pm
This anti-union stuff is pure demagoguery. The IL unions need reigned in a bit, but the idea the unioization is bad or overly costly is pure nonsence.
Case in point, non-union managers get huge bonuses,some in the millions of dollars (even for bankrupt newspapers). The overall cost of payroll, benefits, bonuses and stock options in the private sector is not any ore frugal or cheaper, it is just restructered so that instead of providing health insurane and retirement, the CEO gets 80 million a year in bonuses, on top of thier 50 million a year salary.
Comment by Ghost Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 1:44 pm
===even for bankrupt newspapers===
You should’ve written “even for bankrupt, non-union newspapers.”
Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 1:47 pm
Rich, the poll I linked above just came out today I believe, and is from pollster’s questioning over the last couple days (Tues. Wed.) I do remember seeing a different Ras poll on Monday covering similar but slightly different territory.
Comment by Responsa Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 2:08 pm
==Or require state workers to contribute as much as they do.==
People say this as if workers who “contribute” to their pensions are somehow more meritorious than those who do not. If I were negotiating with the state, and could choose between receiving $50,000 a year and contributing 10% to my retirement, or receiving $45,000 per year and contributing $0, I’d take the $50,000. Either way, I take home the exact same pay today, but when I retire, my pension will be based on $50,000, not $45,000.
Comment by Pat Robertson Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 2:41 pm
I’m sorry I don’t know how union concessions in Wisconsin will help the budget deficit, but like many of you, I know that public unions in that state are willing to give whatever Republicans want, cuts-wise, except for collective bargaining.
If the budget numbers look reasonable for public unions upon making concessions, I think Obama shoud address the nation and help his side of the aisle by stating that yes, public unions need to make concessions, but if they make concessions in the manner that they are in Wisconsin or something similar, that can show budget results, severe limitations on collective bargaining are unacceptable.
Comment by Grandson of Man Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 3:25 pm
The reason I made my previous post is because I was thinking about poll numbers and American opinion on collective bargaining, concessions and public unions, per some posts here.
Comment by Grandson of Man Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 3:34 pm
Shame, don’t the IN legislators care enough about Indiana Businesses to have their conference in their fair state? Why not an impovershed area like Gary? Don’t they like minorities?
/snarky
Comment by Wumpus Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 4:39 pm
If I may point out something from the conversation yesterday between Gov. Walker and “David Koch.” Be forewarned, content is both ignorant and stupid.
Gov. Walker, on his own, advanced the absurd proposition that Pres. Reagan’s actions in firing the PATCO workers who struck illegally somehow led to the fall of the Soviet Union. Here he goes:
–”Ronald Regan and I said you know this may seem a little melodramatic but 30 years ago Ronald Regan whose 100th birthday we just celebrated the day before had one of the most defining moments of his political career, not just his presidency, when he fired the air traffic controllers and I said to me that moment was more important than just for labor relations and or even the federal budget, that was the first crack in the Berlin Wall and the fall of Communism because from that point forward the Soviets and the Communists knew that Ronald Reagan wasn’t a pushover.”–
What. A. Dope. I’m quite certain, long before the PATCO action, that the Soviets knew that the American people were made of stern stuff.
I’ve read books where the Soviets were quite impressed with the whole invading and conquering Western Europe stuff.
After that, through their blood and treasure, the American people stood down the Soviet gangsters from the Berlin airlift through the Truman Doctrine through the Marshall Plan through Korea through the Cuban Blockade through Vietnam and through threatening the destruction of urban Russia via nuclear-warhead-armed projectiles.
Gov. Walker, to compare yourself to Reagan, and your actions to beating the Soviets, reveals an ignorance, stupidity and narcissism that’s beyond explanation.
By the way, Rupert Murdoch is going to give you a call at 10 p.m. EST. (Einstein Standard Time). Pick up on the third ring and say the codeword “Whhhhaaaaatt?”
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Feb 24, 11 @ 5:13 pm