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On Wednesday, newspapers across the state, including The State Journal-Register, ran front-page editorials saying enough was enough and that lawmakers needed to end the budget stalemate. [Rep. Tim Butler] said he “didn’t get a lot of input from folks necessarily, but I thought the papers did the right thing.” […]
Sen. Sam McCann, R-Plainview, echoed Madigan and said lawmakers agreed on a spending plan “when we’re focused on a budget and not a lot of extraneous issues.”
He said the newspaper editorials didn’t generate additional calls to the office, but he criticized the idea because, he said, some of the same newspapers ran editorials that have also urged Rauner to not back down on his turnaround agenda.
“So the front-page editorials I found to be a bit hypocritical, quite frankly,” McCann said.
It was a nice little stunt, but by Wednesday morning things were already moving solidly in the right direction. Plus, I told subscribers a couple-three weeks ago that Madigan had told Rauner it was time to start working on a stopgap deal.
The one positive to come out of this is that the impasse finally opened some editorial writers’ eyes to both sides of this problem. They tend to treat politics like a cartoon, with one side being evil and the other side being righteous. We’ll see if that lasts.
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Jul 1, 16 @ 9:50 am
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Previous Post: “We certainly are not undoing the damage that we’ve done to this state by not working together, by not doing our jobs”
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Editorial Boards, while their importance to themselves is… important, it was the unyielding pressure, weeks and weeks of it, from Social Services, municipalities, even businesses like road pavers waiting on the green light for construction projects… Those were the lynch pins married to an unyielding reality of… a calendar.
That’s it. This ridiculous narrative by newspapers, so late to the game the dead fish created to make this stopgap are wrapped in these… editorials… reinforce that what reporters are doing, day in, day out, at the Capitol and honestly covering Illinois politics (not the “fly in” do a 5-minute stand up report “at the Rail types. You know “who” you are) understand the “pressure valve” Leader Trotter is talking about…
… and it ain’t any Newspaper Editorial, no matter how many, or how late they were to all of this.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Jul 1, 16 @ 9:57 am
On Thursday, newspapers across the state, including The State Journal-Register, ran front-page editorials saying enough was enough and that the sun must rise in the east.
The power of newspapers.
Comment by LizPhairTax Friday, Jul 1, 16 @ 9:58 am
Editorial boards (and yes Tribsters, I mean you too),
Ask yourself one question. What did the governor achieve with this deal that he could not have achieved six months or a year ago, without causing so much human suffering? Pssst…the answer is NOTHING. Which leads to Rauner’s reelection slogan.
All pain. No Gain. Rauner 2018!
Comment by Chicago Cynic Friday, Jul 1, 16 @ 10:01 am
=We’ll see if that lasts=
For the editorial writers and the politicians. It might, with any luck.
Comment by Formerly Known As... Friday, Jul 1, 16 @ 10:05 am
I don’t think it had any impact on the final outcome.
What I did see it have an impact on was the general public who seemed to finally realize the impact the impasse was having on their fellow citizens. I chatted with a couple of people who never read Op Ed areas of the SJR, but that headline screaming “Enough” got their attention leading them to read and learn a little more about what was going on.
Comment by Give Me A Break Friday, Jul 1, 16 @ 10:06 am
=== The one positive to come out of this is that the impasse finally opened some editorial writers’ eyes to both sides of this problem. ===(Emphasis added)
Let’s hope these some remember when the problem resumes after the election. As to others, education is not effective when you have closed closed minds.
Comment by Norseman Friday, Jul 1, 16 @ 10:08 am
P.S. Well said Sam.
Comment by Norseman Friday, Jul 1, 16 @ 10:10 am
For me?
The Crain’s Editorial was first, and it’s mea culpa “feel” while recognizing their responsibility going forward shines brighter now, as I look at “Enough” and the glad-handing and pats on the back so very late to the real time problems
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Jul 1, 16 @ 10:10 am
I’d give the newspapers more credit if they’d done this six or 8 months ago. As others have said, there was already a deal brokered, just not executed, by the time they spoke up. If they had done it earlier, maybe some ‘hostages’ wouldn’t have had to shut their doors. As for people not hounding Tim Bulter- they’d been doing that for months and he never responded. I’m guessing his staff deleted all negative email before he reads it.
Comment by Thoughts Matter Friday, Jul 1, 16 @ 10:11 am
If those newspapers and most of the media as a whole had been doing their jobs informing their readers the last 18 months, it may never have gotten this far.
Instead of real reporting of facts and numbers, most coverage has been of “personality conflicts.”
Who cares if Rauner and Madigan don’t like each other? Report on the consequences of their actions. You can read newspapers, every day, up and down the state, that report on the so-called “budget impasse” and never mention a number, or relate how citizens are being impacted by it.
Judging by the lack of coverage, most media in Illinois got pantsed on the United Way report that one in 13 Illinois citizens had lost services during this mess. (If you miss a big story, knock it down or ignore it).
They didn’t have a clue that it was going on. They simply aren’t paying attention, much less doing their jobs.
Comment by wordslinger Friday, Jul 1, 16 @ 10:14 am
Thanks for the post, Rich. The comments that they “didn’t get a lot of input from folks necessarily” and ” didn’t generate additional calls to the office” (from the editorials or otherwise)generally reflect the silence and inattention I’ve seen from many Illinois citizens. Even with the threat of schools not opening, the silence from many was deafening. I don’t know whether that is a reflection of many thinking “someone else is already working on that”, or a presumption that “they won’t let it go that far”, or a true unawareness of the state of the state.
Even though it was too little and too late, I was glad to see many newspapers finally step up and speak loudly.
Comment by Fairness and Fairness Only Friday, Jul 1, 16 @ 10:25 am
Has anyone tallied the number of agencies that have shut their doors, and the number of jobs that have been lost?
Has anyone tied those lost jobs with our rising unemployment rate?
Comment by Soccermom Friday, Jul 1, 16 @ 10:38 am
=== If those newspapers and most of the media as a whole had been doing their jobs informing their readers the last 18 months, it may never have gotten this far.
Instead of real reporting of facts and numbers, most coverage has been of “personality conflicts.” ===
The edit boards were so focused on because Madigan, they disregarded the because Rauner. Many are still in this mode.
Comment by Norseman Friday, Jul 1, 16 @ 10:42 am
- Wordslinger - goes “next level” and takes what the real problem has been with coverage and exposes the shame newspapers should feel, but would choose to ignore.
Great comment.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Jul 1, 16 @ 10:44 am
I think the Chicago Sun Times Editorial was informative:
Illinois, one year later, falling apart by the numbers
http://chicago.suntimes.com/opinion/editorial-illinois-one-year-later-falling-apart-by-the-numbers/
Comment by Mama Friday, Jul 1, 16 @ 10:51 am
These “newspapers” are still doing mailers it appears. Although the July 1 headline seems to be a bit behind the news cycle.
http://swillinoisnews.com/stories/510941858-five-reasons-why-illinois-politicians-should-reject-a-chicago-public-schools-bailout
Backgrounder:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-kelly/election-board-to-review-_b_9446724.html
Comment by Anon221 Friday, Jul 1, 16 @ 10:56 am
If the newspapers really wielded this kind of influence, why did they wait a year?
Comment by Michelle Flaherty Friday, Jul 1, 16 @ 11:46 am
Good question Ms. F. But I’ve never seen such regionwide collusion on a front page editorial.
I suspect they were reacting to their own data in Letters to the Editor and the frustrations of their own beat writers. That’s a guess. I don’t honestly know. Better late than never I guess.
Comment by A guy Friday, Jul 1, 16 @ 12:02 pm
“I suspect they were reacting to their own data in Letters to the Editor and the frustrations of their own beat writers.”
****
Could it be the impetus sprang from the bandwagon was going by and they jumped on so they could be part of the show, too???
Comment by Anon221 Friday, Jul 1, 16 @ 1:01 pm
“Everyone’s a critic”
LOL
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Jul 1, 16 @ 1:38 pm
At least a couple of time a week, I scour Google News looking for information on the Illinois budget situation. Mostly what I find is endless variations on “Rauner and Madigan don’t like each other” and “OMG, Illinois still doesn’t have a budget!” Once in a while, the Springfield SJR or the Chicago Tribune does a story with some actual numbers in it, but that’s about it.
I don’t think the newspaper editorials have much impact. In any event, too many of them are just a lot of rah-rah, “Go Rauner!” bloviating.
Comment by Anon236 Friday, Jul 1, 16 @ 2:41 pm