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Both sides of the governor’s involvement

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Speaking of earnest attempts at real solutions, the idea of a “grand bargain” bipartisan state budget deal in the Illinois Senate is still alive.

You may think it odd that the Senate is on break until Feb. 28, given that it’s only been in session for 13 days so far this year and the state’s crisis almost couldn’t be more urgent. And especially given that the fantasy budget Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner introduced Wednesday literally has a $4.6 billion revenue line in it labeled simply “Working together on ‘grand bargain.’”

But it’s probably a good idea for the rank-and-file senators to be at home in their districts hearing from their constituents while the leadership tries to agree on the sticky details of roughly a dozen bills, all of which must pass for the package to be sent to the House. The alternative would be for them to hang out in Springfield, where nearly every lobbyist and interest group representative is opposing one element or another of the deal.

Keep in mind, all the real progress on the Senate’s grand bargain has been made while the General Assembly was not in session.

Also, rank and file Senate Democrats were pretty darned furious at the governor for creating an ad last week that takes credit for the grand bargain when the attempts to reach said grand bargain were made necessary by the governor’s inability to do a deal himself. Keeping them out of town gives them a cooling off period.

* More on that ad and the Dems’ reaction in the Tribune…

Perhaps most importantly, if the Senate talks fall apart in the coming months, Rauner can nimbly pivot yet again and blame Democrats who control the legislature for not reaching a compromise with him.

In the spirit of the well-funded, Washington-style, nonstop campaigning that has quickly become the norm in Illinois, Rauner’s campaign posted a video after the speech touting that “Bruce Rauner’s plan to balance the budget reforms Illinois, builds a new economy, freezes property taxes, caps spending, pays down the debt and term limits politicians’ power.”

Democrats, however, called out Rauner as a political poser. Democratic Sen. Don Harmon of Oak Park, who’s on the chamber’s leadership team, said the governor’s decision to weigh in on the Senate discussions on a compromise was “just an attempt to disrupt it.” […]

“I saw him trying to appear to be publicly intervening in what is already a successful negotiation in order to take some credit for it. I don’t think that’s going to hold water in the end,” he said. “He’s clearly not been involved thus far, and the more he tries to get involved, the worse it is for the eventual compromise.”

* But the Crain’s Chicago Business editorial board had a far different take…

Last year, in an editorial that came about as close as Crain’s could come to retracting its endorsement of the governor, we urged him to redefine victory by crafting a balanced budget and raising enough sustainable revenue to pay for it. He hasn’t quite done that, but it’s finally clear that he’s at least trying. Rauner isn’t blameless for this mess, nor are we naive enough to think that he won’t find reasons to derail whatever deal might eventually emerge. But for now, as Democrats continue to stonewall, the governor looks like the statesman we have urged him to be all along.

* As did Greg Hinz…

But instead of looking for the good news, Democrats underlined and boldfaced the negative, calling Rauner a heartless, billionaire-protecting hostage-taker.

Maybe none of this will make a difference. Democrats, at least in the Senate, still seem inclined to move forward with their ambitious grand budget deal of tax hikes, spending cuts, expanded gambling, school funding reform and more. Democrats are unwilling to act without a few Republican votes, and there are signs that Rauner’s speech may have been enough to give GOP backbenchers the political cover they need.

But no one has voted in the Senate yet. And there’s still Madigan’s House, a much tougher nut to crack in the best of circumstances, much less ones in which everyone is burrowed in their partisan bunkers. That’s what’s worrying me. In many of the recent comments, I hear a full recapitulation of the widely held view that, like an attack by Star Trek’s Borg, resistance is futile, so give up any hopes of compromise and prep for the 2018 elections.

I hope not. Illinois and, more important, its people are taking huge hits every day we go without a budget. If Democrats follow Rauner down the rat hole when he’s trying to get out, things never will improve.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Feb 21, 17 @ 11:16 am

Comments

Man, you can really overthink this one. If the Grand Bargain passes and Rauner signs it, he’s going to get credit. If it fails, he’s going to get blame. You might be able to nibble around the edges of that, and it would sure help Rauner if Madigan killed it rather than, I dunno, IPI or something, but the bottom line is that chief executives get credit when things go well and blame when they go poorly.

Comment by Arsenal Tuesday, Feb 21, 17 @ 11:24 am
One of the main reasons Democrats will “lose” in this “How dare the Governor take credit!” is that for two (adjective) years Rauner has owned the messaging as to “who deserves what” and Democrats passively refused to respond in any way measurable to Rauner.

Now, parlay that with the positive… “Governors Own”

It appears everyone wants Rauner to own the bad he created these past two years, but if “you” want that, you also get the flip side, the positive side, the good governing side of “Governors Own”

Governors own lower unemployment numbers, companies expanding, even budget deals that still require a governor’s signature.

There are many things governors own that they have zero credit for too. That’s the whole reason why messaging when things are going poorly for a governor, the opposing side (”Pat Quinn failed”, for example) needs to hit home, constantly the governors own.

Right now, less the Crain’s Editorial and Rich pointing out both sides’ lacking, Rauner gets Editorial passes weekly, cheering even.

Senator Harmom,

Thems the breaks. I sympathize with you, the Dems, I sympathize for Leader Radogno most… but governors, when never held to the bad “Governors Own”… those governors still get the good “Governors Own”. That’s how it works. Even if it’s grossly unfair, and especially if being passive allows for a success that governor doesn’t “deserve” taking the credit for in its happening.

Rauner’s Crew continues… 24/7/365… owning the day, and they “own” the good that they won’t have any fingerprints on… because of the “Governors Own” rule.

Y’all need to “do better”, all the while doing better to the governing, which may include doing the Governor’s job too.

OW

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Feb 21, 17 @ 11:32 am
Many wonder what BigBrain is really up to It is clear he wants the cash….but fears getting smacked around….failure to promise to fight primary challengers probably hurts chances

Comment by Annonin' Tuesday, Feb 21, 17 @ 11:36 am
>But instead of looking for the good news, Democrats underlined and boldfaced the negative, calling Rauner a heartless, billionaire-protecting hostage-taker.

I’m just glad the Illinois Democratic Party has finally overcome it’s problem presenting a consistent, clear message. /s

Comment by Earnest Tuesday, Feb 21, 17 @ 11:39 am
In my humble opinion: I don’t think the 2nd floor wants to run for reelection with a huge new tax increase in place..

Comment by Not Rich Tuesday, Feb 21, 17 @ 11:43 am
I like Hinz and I respect the Crain’s Edit Board…but, c’mon guys, go to Springfield and do some actual reporting.

Votes have in fact been taken in the Senate…and it didn’t go well because Rauner was holding back the Republican members. If Rauner was the “statesman” you think he is, he would be working behind the scenes to encourage a handful GOP senators to support the package and promising them he’ll have their back if they vote with Radogno. Instead, he’s allowing his chief surrogates to undercut Radogno and threaten her members with primary challenges if they vote “yes.”

That’s the polar opposite of being a statesman.

Comment by Roman Tuesday, Feb 21, 17 @ 11:44 am
Rauner should have taken Colin Powell’s advice that if you start a war, which Rauner did, you own it. You better have clear objectives and you better have a strategy to win it.
If his objective was “business reform”, he won’t get it. If it was to avoid a tax increase, which has Benn the GOP’s raisin d’etre for decades, he won’t get that either unless the state ends up without a budget.
Either way Rauner is the loser. Having made bold campaign promises, Rauner ends up empty-handed, except for a Republican Party which he has purchased but which returns to political and financial bankruptcy the day Rauner decides he has made a bad investment.

Comment by Truthteller Tuesday, Feb 21, 17 @ 11:52 am
I agree with Arsenal.

The governor owns it either way. The ads just make certain of it.

Comment by Juvenal Tuesday, Feb 21, 17 @ 11:52 am
===…failure to promise to fight primary challengers probably hurts chances===

That’s the ball game.

What “Raunerite” wants to help get the state back on track with a budget to “help” Rauner when Rauner-funded groups …like IPI and Proft… are going to take you out and Rauner …doesn’t have your back?

When Rauner does…

… publicly back the Raunerites in the GA so they know Proft and IPI can’t touch them… or..,

…publicly goes after IPI and Proft in a way that is not phony but a real frontal rebuke… or…

… has the Raunerite State Party go after IPI and Proft publicly and without a question phoniness…

Until one of those 3 occur, Rauner will continue to leave poor Leader Radogno out there, to his own whim.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Feb 21, 17 @ 11:55 am
I sure hope a credible GOP candidate will run as an independent since governor has purchased the party and taken it down a bad path

Comment by Please please Tuesday, Feb 21, 17 @ 12:03 pm
Was really befuddled by the Crain’s editorial. They’ve been pretty sane on this issue so not sure what they’re smoking.

Comment by Chicago Cynic Tuesday, Feb 21, 17 @ 12:04 pm
Truthteller, excellent reminder. Rauner Crew would be well advised to read Powell’s autobiography. They really don’t get OODA loops anyway.
OW-in your words, you are “on it,”

Comment by Arthur Andersen Tuesday, Feb 21, 17 @ 12:10 pm
“IF” the grand bargain ever hits the House, I doubt he and Leader Durkin will like the roll call demands..since BVR gets to spend ALL the tax money, I am sure the roll call demand will start at 50 R 10 D’s.. the more the D’s get back in return, the higher their vote count will get..

Comment by Not Rich Tuesday, Feb 21, 17 @ 12:18 pm
== c’mon guys, go to Springfield and do some actual reporting. ==

Good advice. It’s shocking how poorly Chicago-based reporters and editorial writers understand what’s happening in the state capital.

Credit Rauner’s communications team with taking advantage of this ignorance. His sound bites in support of the “Grand Bargain” get plenty of coverage in Chicago media, but his actions to undermine it are not reported at all.

Comment by phil t. Tuesday, Feb 21, 17 @ 12:42 pm
The “statesman” that Crain’s and Hinz somehow see would have called his attack dogs off Senate Republicans.

Who seriously believes that IPI or Proft would buck Rauner if he even looked at them funny?

Do they have some other multi-million-dollar trough to line up at?

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Feb 21, 17 @ 1:41 pm
Paraphrasing RNUG:

‘I think Crain’s & Hinz have been indulging in some medical herbs.’

== Democrats underlined and boldfaced the negative, ==

Sorta like runners immediate campaign ads? Turn about?

= the governor looks like the statesman we have urged him to be all along. ==

Statesman! Obviously, they lost the definition of ’statesman’. Wow!

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Feb 21, 17 @ 3:49 pm