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Just a few things… * Updated x2 *

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Illinois

* Governor Blagojevich had heard during the statewide tour last week that y’all were giving me a bit of grief here about getting on the bus. So, at the beginning of an on the record interview he played a little practical joke on me for your benefit…

[audio:flip_off1.mp3]

[And, yes, I did flip him the bird.]

* My syndicated column this week is about the bus trip…

I was probably more surprised than anyone when I was invited to tag along on Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s road trip last week. The governor toured the state to push his universal health insurance plan and his gross receipts tax on business. I was on the bus with him for three days, and we talked for countless hours.

I had a cordial relationship with Blagojevich back when he was in the Illinois House, but that was a long time ago. Over the years, the governor granted interviews to almost every other news bureau in the Statehouse, but I was excluded. He has visited the editorial boards of every major, and quite a few minor, newspapers in the state — but I was kept away. During one press conference a few years ago, Blagojevich refused to answer any questions from me at all, so I whispered my questions to a couple of willing Chicago TV reporters who relayed them on my behalf, knowing he couldn’t ignore them.

That’s not unusual. I wasn’t given much access to George Ryan. One of Ryan’s top aides once threatened to put my political newsletter out of business. I was granted almost no access at all to Jim Edgar, and one of his former aides once helped draft a piece of legislation designed to put the company I wrote for back then out of business.

And also includes this bit…

He does seem to grasp the political dangers of the gross receipts tax. He admitted he knew that his proposed $7 billion tax hike could make him another Richard Ogilvie, the Illinois governor who was ousted in the 1972 election after imposing a brand new income tax. Blagojevich said he was willing to “wear the jacket” and take all the blame for his tax increase.

If Blagojevich’s approval rating was higher, that would be a much easier task. Legislators could simply hide behind his political skirts. But since his ratings are so low, particularly downstate, he can’t provide legislators much, if any, cover. He may be willing to lose his job over this tax hike, but most of them aren’t.

* And the Tribune’s John McCarron has a thumb-sucker today about how Pat Quinn ought to negotiate a tax hike compromise…

So who is going to step up and unravel this mess? Not any of the obvious candidates. The governor appears satisfied to star in his own road show, indifferent to whether anything actually gets accomplished. Speaker Madigan is a master poker player, but that doesn’t help when the other players are dealing their own games. President Jones, unlike Madigan, at least communicates with the governor, but his veto-proof Senate majority exists mainly on paper. When the heat gets turned up for a tax increase, his Senate soldiers from swing districts likely will run for cover.

That leaves Quinn, who as the “lite” governor, has no votes or vetoes, but whose populist credentials are unassailable. He just might relish the role of peacemaker as he burnishes his record for a possible run at the governorship in 2010. Like former President Richard Nixon going to China, Quinn might be able to convince business Republicans that they do, indeed, need to pay a bit more. Not the $7 billion sought by the governor’s mega-gross receipts tax plan, but maybe half that.

Quinn has no vote, no veto and, therefore, no seat at the table. The legislative leaders and the governor won’t let him into the back room. And it’s wishful thinking, to say the least, that the business groups will somehow try to work through him.

Knowing Madigan and Jones as I do, I seriously doubt they’ll listen to him. And after spending a few days with Blagojevich last week, I can tell you that he’s in no mood to bring Quinn in, either.

Anything can happen, of course, but Pat Quinn negotiating the final tax deal is probably not something you should bet your house on.

*** UPDATE *** Completely off-topic, but I’m trying to avoid work, so I’m putting it here. Ald. Joe Moore has a new TV ad that takes some big whacks at his opponent Don Gordon.