Latest Post | Last 10 Posts | Archives
Previous Post: The 3 year pension itch
Next Post: “This will not be for the faint of heart”
Posted in:
* My Sun-Times column…
Remember that Soca Boys song, “Follow the Leader,” which went: “Jump for the left, jump for the right”?
That’s probably the best way to sum up what Democratic state legislators have been doing for the past six months. They’ve been following their leaders first in one direction and then the other.
In December, the General Assembly approved a bill legalizing civil unions. Days later, legislators abolished the death penalty, then they increased the income tax rate.
It was perhaps the most intensely liberal few legislative weeks in more than 40 years, back to when Illinois created the income tax and vastly expanded the role of state government.
It was also probably among the most unpopular few legislative weeks in Illinois. Too much change too quickly can make people very nervous and angry.
While most Illinoisans don’t oppose civil unions, polls show a majority does believe that the death penalty should be used — at least in some instances.
And tax increases are almost never a politically safe vote unless they’re done in such a bipartisan way that nobody takes the heat. The Republicans refused to put any votes on the bill, so the Democrats were forced to “own” it all by themselves.
The public reaction was not pretty. Which brings me back to that Soca Boys song, which stole a line from Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three: “The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire!”
But instead of letting the [expletive deleted] burn, the Democrats reached for the fire hose, figuring they’d better “go back to the right.”
The rightward move is more prominent in the House, which is run by Michael Madigan, who literally lives for his House majority. There are plenty of Democrats in the Senate who also want to get with the rightward program, but their leader, Senate President John Cullerton, is more liberal than Madigan. Cullerton is far from stupid. He knows how bad things are but appears to be shunning too much of a course correction.
After the liberal lurch, Madigan teamed up at least temporarily with the House Republicans to push for an austere state budget and significant public employee pension reform. Their budget spent a billion dollars less than the Senate proposed, which also was far less than the governor proposed.
The House’s pension bill emerged Thursday. If it becomes law, state workers, teachers and Chicago and Cook County employees will pay more every paycheck to stay in the current system; some will pay lots more. The workers have an option to move to a far less generous — and cheaper for them — “defined benefit” system or enroll in a 401(k)-style plan. Cullerton thinks the bill is unconstitutional, but he won’t stop it from coming to the floor.
Madigan even allowed a bill to the floor which would have legalized concealed carry in Illinois. The bill came up just a few votes short.
Cullerton has pushed hard all year for workers compensation reform. Business has complained for years about the often morally corrupt, too-expensive system. Madigan has gone one step farther and threatened to abolish the entire system if he didn’t see any real progress in reform negotiations.
The Senate also managed to pass a historic education reform bill, which mainly focuses on reining in the teachers’ unions, particularly the Chicago Teachers Union. Madigan had initially pushed for a much harsher bill, but he backed away when Sen. Kimberly Lightford (D-Maywood) negotiated a deal that won national praise and almost unanimous support in both chambers.
I think I need a neck brace after this political version of whiplash.
We’ll find out if the voters buy it next year.
* The “radio friendly” video…
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, May 27, 11 @ 6:29 am
Sorry, comments are closed at this time.
Previous Post: The 3 year pension itch
Next Post: “This will not be for the faint of heart”
WordPress Mobile Edition available at alexking.org.
powered by WordPress.
Is Christine Radogno writing your column now, Rich? DOLLA DOLLA BILL, Y’ALL!
Comment by South of Sherman Friday, May 27, 11 @ 8:03 am
It’s been an amazing six , especially when you consider the previous gridlock due to Blago and the waiting game for the 2010 election.
Comment by wordslinger Friday, May 27, 11 @ 8:28 am
The “whiplash”, as you refer to it, has to do with the lack of a spine on the part of Democratic leadership. This goes all the way up to the President. They are driven by what they perceive to be public opinion that is really astroturf opinion not real grassroots opinion. Example, Obama always negotiating with himself before he ever engages in negotiations with Republicans. Another example: Madigan assuming that national health care reform is unpopular when, in fact, much of the negative polling results are due to people that wanted a stronger bill with a public plan option. If they’d grow a spine, you wouldn’t have whiplash.
Comment by Will County Wiseguy Friday, May 27, 11 @ 9:26 am
===that is really astroturf opinion not real grassroots opinion===
Apparently, you slept through early November, 2010.
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, May 27, 11 @ 9:27 am
Rich, I think the Rock Master Scott & The Dynamic Three version of The Roof is on Fire is better, not sure if there is a radio safe version.
When you disagree with me it’s astroturf, when you agree with me it is fine Bermuda bentgrass
Comment by OneMan Friday, May 27, 11 @ 9:56 am
Jumping left OR right makes any sensible incumbent nervous in a remap year.
Regardless of the “data” that tells you you’re in a safe seat, most members rely equally if not more heavily on what their gut tells them about how their voters will react to a controversial vote.
When you’ve got 20,000 voters you’ve never met, you’ve got no gut to check.
And when you’ve got a whole bunch more new primary voters, jumping to the right makes you ESPECIALLY nervous.
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Friday, May 27, 11 @ 9:57 am
Senator Radogno quoting Raekwon? Rich Miller quoting Rock Master Scott? What’s next, the Speaker quoting Dr. Dre? I turn my back on you guys for a minute and Springfield turns into a house party.
Comment by Hon. John Fritchey Friday, May 27, 11 @ 10:19 am
They really must fix the chokehold that the Speaker has on bringing bills to the floor. This is still technically a democracy, which means that the representatives of the people are supposed to get to vote on important issues.
The way the Legislature is organized, with the committee structure and limits on what can receive a vote does a disservice to Illinois. This is just as bad as Quinn going to court over the freedom of information request issue. Keeping secrets, denying democracy, hiding major legislation in secrecy (like the pension bill) have us on a course that is becoming, I hate to say it, Nixonian.
Comment by DuPage Dave Friday, May 27, 11 @ 11:55 am
@DuPage Dan -
It still IS a Democracy. The Rules Committee votes to assign bills and amendments by a majority vote.
If the body-at-large doesn’t like the Rules Committee’s decision, then a majority of the House can overrule them.
It’s MUCH better than the old days, when any member could file amendment straight to the floor. All KINDS of shenanigans were going on.
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Friday, May 27, 11 @ 2:26 pm