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[Bumped up and title changed to accomodate today’s other events.]

* 8:52 am - The governor has a 10:30 leaders meeting scheduled this morning. His state plane was supposed to take off at 8:22, but according to our new best friends at FlightAware, it’s still on the ground. I tried to bet one of his people $20 last night that he wouldn’t make it on time. No takers.

~~Let’s watch it live, shall we? You may need to hit “refresh” every few minutes. Not sure. We’ll know once the plane takes off.~~ The live view doesn’t seem to work here. Sorry about that.

* 9:01 am - The original Springfield arrival time was supposed to be 9:01 am, but that deadline has obviously been blown.

* 9:17 am - Wheels up at 9:08. They should’ve taken the bet.

* 9:23 am - From the Pantagraph…

Mike Lawrence, director of the Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University, said while Blagojevich’s perceived disinterest in Springfield hurts his ability to lead, it also feeds a larger issue.

Lawrence, a former top aide to Gov. Jim Edgar, said working mostly from Chicago means Blagojevich operates absent the relationships forged with lawmakers just by being in the Capitol. Without this rapport, Lawrence said, Blagojevich is hard-pressed to deliver any of his ambitious budget proposals, which this year included plans for universal health care and billions of dollars more in education funding.

* 10:05 am - Wheels down at 9:48. Even though they wouldn’t take the bet last night, I’ll donate the cash to the blog’s new charity. By the way, don’t forget to buy a t-shirt, mug, button or other paraphenalia.

* 10:05 am - From Paul: “Less than 100 House members present today for the first time in a long time. 99 here. One guy said it was the first time that had happened in 5 years.”

Also, there are persistent but totally unconfirmed rumors of a special session tomorrow.

* 10:33 am - A gubernatorial spokesperson just replied to my text message by saying it isn’t their plan to call a special session.

* 10:43 am - The House just adjourned until next Tuesday at 3 pm.

* 11:17 am - Speaker Madigan might be a no-show at the leaders meeting, according to the governor’s office. They think he could be sending a surrogate.

The reason the meeting started earlier than normal today was at Madigan’s request, according to the guv’s spokesperson, who added that Madigan’s demand that other voices besides Cook County Assessor Jim Houlihan be heard at the meeting on the “7 percent solution” was accommodated.

They’re not starting the meeting until Madigan arrives, the spokesperson said.

Also, Senate President Emil Jones is not there yet, either, but a spokesperson said he will be at the meeting eventually.

* 11:19 am - Cross, Watson and other legislators who had shown up for the meeting have left.

Senate GOP Leader Frank Watson said the meeting broke up because neither Madigan nor Jones was there. He said the governor “pouted” about their absence.

* 11:32 am - According to a good source who was inside the room, the governor showed up 25 minutes late, looked around the room and noticed that Madigan wasn’t there. House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie told the governor that Madigan might not be there and said that she was empowered to speak for him. Currie has been a point person on the assessment freeze, so she knows the issue well.

According to this source, the governor then got miffed, said this was supposed to be a leaders meeting and announced that he was going back to his office to do some work and that everyone was free to leave. He also indicated that the meeting could reconvene if Madigan ever showed up.

* 11:41 am - Turns out, Madigan and Jones are reportedly meeting with Exelon CEO John Rowe about the electric rate issue and that’s why neither man was at the leaders meeting. So, the initial spin from the guv’s office is probably gonna backfire. Why should either leader show up for a mostly pointless meeting when they are working on closing the final deal on electric rates?

* 11:59 am - It just gets worse for the governor. Also at the meeting with Madigan and Jones are ComEd Chairman and CEO Frank Clark, Ameren Chairman and CEO Gary Rainwater and Ameren Illinois President Scott Cisel.

According to sources, the meeting started at 10:30 and it’s still going on as I write this. It’s a hugely important sitdown - far more important than the governor’s little dog and pony show about the assessment freeze stuff.

The guv’s reaction to Madigan’s absence was, in my opinion, extremely childish. Instead of stomping out of the room in a snit, he should have high-tailed it over to Emil Jones’ office and participated in some substantive discussions for a change.

* 2:11 pm - Speaker Madigan just emerged from the utility negotiations and told reporters “Substantial progress has been made.” No details are yet available. Check back later for further updates.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 10:05 am

Comments

He’s almost there. What difference does it make if he’s late. Madigan and his Repub buddies refuse to negotiate. No,no,no,no!!!!Rod isn’t the only one taking a my way or the highway approach. Another dog and pony show today. I wonder if Little Dick will show up.

Comment by Bill Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 9:10 am
Looks like we are not the only ones that must suffer flight delays for no reason. Oh wait, the Gov does like to make his grand entrance, doesn’t he?

Comment by If It Walks Like a Duck... Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 9:13 am
Bill: What color is the sky in your world?

Comment by This Guy Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 9:45 am
Hopefully they won’t fly to Litchfield before realizing they past the big building with the dome.

Comment by Beerman Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 9:52 am
Bill, have you been hanging out with the guv lately? I was just wondering where you heard that nickname.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 10:18 am
It is time to shut state government down except for corrections and driver’s services in SOS.
Lets stop paying employees including the Governor , the General Assembly, and the Jones family.

Comment by shut it down Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 10:48 am
lol

Comment by Bill Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 10:57 am
And we wait yet again until June 19th for the next action if any…

Comment by Crimefighter Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 11:15 am
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST THE STATE FOR BLAGO TO FLY BACK AND FORTH ALL THE TIME. THE STATE IS CRYING POOR AND BLAGO IS SPENDING MILLIONS FLYING AROUND. MAYBE WE COULD GET THOSE HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TEAMS THERE NEW UNIFORMS THE GOV IS WOORIED ABOUT IF HE LEARNED HOW TO DRIVE A CAR OR REALIZED WE ARE PAYING FOR A HOUSE IN SPRINGFIELD HE NEVER USES. HE WASTES MORE MONEY WITH THESE FLIGHTS. HOW MANY TEACHERS SALARIES A WASTED EACH YEAR ON BLAGO AIRLINES FRIENDS FLY FREE PROGRAM.

Comment by Fed up Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 11:28 am
I have to throw the BS flag here. Did I hear Frank Watson, the KING of pouters, claimed that the gov was pouting? HA!

Comment by Anon Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 11:29 am
“Patti, Patti, It’s not fair” - Governor Paris H.

Comment by A Citizen Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 11:32 am
You’re right Anon 11:29. Angry Frank could give a seminar on pouting. Maybe thats why he recognized it so quickly.

Comment by Southern Ilinois Democrat Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 11:42 am
“Why should either leader show up for a mostly pointless meeting when they are working on closing the final deal on electric rates?” It’s refreshing to see the leaders working on a substantive issue that impacts all of us. I’m encouraged!

Comment by A Citizen Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 11:54 am
It is not the pouting from one person or another that is important. The comments above show a high degree of frustration from all of us. But frustration and anger will not bring solutions.

Comment by Truthful James Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 12:14 pm
The reason the meeting started earlier than normal today was at Madigan’s request, according to the guv’s spokesperson, who added that Madigan’s demand that other voices besides Cook County Assessor Jim Houlihan be heard at the meeting on the “7 percent solution” was accommodated

Perhaps we need to collect some dough to send the GRod crew to Non-Listener’s Anonymous.
lst the blow the “What’s The Rush”
Now the attribute the early start request to Madigan when it came from Watson, who wondered out loud why everyone had to sit around half the afternoon waiting for the plane to land.
Maybe they need five or six more staffers in the room.
Nice slam on Curry…. that will pay big dividends going forward.
Funny how GRod did not stop the merry-go-round yesterday when Sen. Jones was in the sick bay.
Hmm. Guess no one supposed to remember that one.

Comment by Mr. W.T. Rush Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 12:24 pm
Someone on this blog said many months ago that Blago would be rendered a “useless”. Based on the recent events I think that day has arrived.
All our legislatures need to do now, is grow some, and impeach the little weasel before he embarrasses Illinois any further.

Comment by Gas $4.00 per gallon Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 12:26 pm
uh, shouldn’t madigan and jones have met with Exelon CEO John Rowe, ComEd Chairman and CEO Frank Clark, Ameren Chairman and CEO Gary Rainwater and Ameren Illinois President Scott Cisel about THREE MONTHS AGO?

anyway, i’m happy they kept blago, nix & co. far away. this way, madigan and jones might be able to actually get something done.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 12:33 pm
Does Blago really think Beechcraft really named their plane after him? Someone really needs to check the Gov’s medication intake.

Comment by Beechcraft Super King Air 350 (twin-turboprop) Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 12:36 pm
Too bad the overtime in hell tees are RTG, “What’s the rush?” would have fit in great with the other quotes!

Comment by Mastemind Excello Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 12:36 pm
It’s hard to figure out why the governor has taken no interest in the electricty rate issue since it is so important to the average working people he’s been valiantly defending by standing firm against any sales or income tax increase. Doesn’t his staff read any downstate newspapers?

I also don’t understand why the Governor would not include PACE and METRA leaders in the recent transportation funding discussions. Suburban metropolitan Chicago is an important swing area in state elections. The best way to get bipartisan support necessitated by the overtime session is to be inclusive in your deliberations.

It just gets curiouser and curiouser!

It is encouraging that the princpals in the elctricity issue were at least meeting. Maybe Senator Jones has sen the handwriting on the wall: that his leadership psoition is in serious jeopardy. Kudos to Madigan for “hanging tough” on the electricity rate issue based upon his promises to his downstate caucus.

Comment by Captain America Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 12:50 pm
Air Rod is scheduled to leave at 1:30. http://flightaware.com/live/findflight/KORD/KSPI

I heard the wiffleball game starts at 3.

Comment by play by play Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 1:08 pm
11:17 am - Also, Senate President Emil Jones is not there yet, either, but a spokesperson said he, Rod and Bill will be at the meeting after they finish off the days quota of Mad Dog 20/20.

Comment by Papa Legba Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 1:25 pm
Whatever happened to normal, adult, mature courtesy, in which someone participating in a pre-planned meeting who can’t make it at the appointed time relays a message (through staff or otherwise) that they can’t make it or will be late? Is this too much to ask from these “leaders”?

Comment by Southern Man Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 1:26 pm
So. Man: “House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie told the governor that Madigan might not be there and said that she was empowered to speak for him.” No need for an excuse slip… How many times has Blago sent Nix in his stead?

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 1:36 pm
Mr. Southern Man:

normal, adult, mature courtesy

None of these terms are known to the occupants of 2/16/Ravenswood Roost

Comment by Mr. W.T. Rush Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 1:39 pm
I am very encouraged to hear that Madigan and Jones are working on a solution with Comed and Ameran. Who wants to bet that the house budget gets released to the Senate and passes.

Comment by Leigh Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 1:39 pm
Extra…Extra
Nix Nonsense Poisons Senate Brain
Sen. Carol Ronan just burped up the following tirade a taxpayer’s expense:
Subject: Latest Budget News from State Senator Carol Ronen

June 13, 2007
Dear Neighbor,
I would like to take this opportunity to update you on recent actions in the Illinois General Assembly. We have made progress on a variety of issues which I will report on in subsequent emails, but first and foremost I’d like to give you the status of the state budget.
The local media has been reporting on a budget stalemate, but not providing many facts. Here is what is happening:
The state fiscal year begins on July 1st, so we have until that date for the House and Senate to send a budget to the Governor for approval without disrupting services.
The Illinois House Democrats voted for what they falsely presented as a no-growth budget. Despite the name, this budget would actually result in deep funding cuts for education, healthcare and other social services and it does not include one penny for public transportation. To make matters worse, their budget is $600 million to $1.2 billion short of the full amount needed to balance the State’s budget next year (see the article by Christopher Willis, House budget proposal would fail to cover Illinois expenses in the Newsroom section of my website).
Because of these shortcomings, I do not support this spending plan, and I don’t believe many of my Senate colleagues do either. As we continue to negotiate, these are the priorities I will be fighting for and the standards I will use to measure my support for any budget agreement:
· Property tax relief for homeowners;
· CTA funding support and better accountability and service;
· More money for schools and school construction;
· Continuing current healthcare programs for seniors, children and families; and
· Implementing a universal healthcare program that helps small business afford the costs of insurance and provides coverage to the uninsured.
I will keep you posted as the budget debate continues. In the coming weeks, I will also provide information on other areas of interest, including our on-going discussion with Commonwealth Edison about the rate relief packages they are proposing. Please feel free to contact me should you have further questions. You can also refer to the Newsroom section of my website for the latest news and articles from Springfield.

It is my honor to be your voice and represent your values.
Warm regards,

Comment by Mr. W.T. Rush Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 1:46 pm
Pouting is for five year old kids in preschool who want to play with toys. It’s not for the upper leaders of a large state.

Rich, did you ever find out from Blogger Seth if he had any more info on Rod playing ball with kids in his backyard?

Comment by Team Sleep Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 1:55 pm
I thought Ronen served in the Senate not the House. She’s not telling her constituents anything about Senate action — like the massive gambling plan full of political goodies or the payraises for herself and others she helped cram through. Nope, it’s the House that’s doing all the sly stuff.

Gotta love how she says the media isn’t reporting the facts on the budget and then references an AP story detailing the budget.

Comment by anon Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 2:01 pm
This is probably the worst set of Democratic leaders ever. AFSME should now start talking walking out if the elected leaders cannot come to a conclusion onf the budget. All employee groups need to contact all of their creditors and let them know that the States Democratic Leadership will not be providing pay checks for them after July 1st if the budget is not passed. School districts around the state waiting for that first payment better start thinking about alternative plans - that goes for any state agency or agency that receives money from the state.

Comment by game plan Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 2:06 pm
Wall St. likes the progress on rate relief:
Exelon stock up 50 cents right now

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200706081255DOWJONESDJONLINE000753_FORTUNE5.htm

Comment by Napoleon has left the building Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 2:09 pm
Air Rod now scheduled for 3:30. http://flightaware.com/live/findflight/KORD/KSPI Why stick around if you’re not involved in the relevant meetings.

Comment by play by play Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 2:16 pm
Has anyone told Blago he does get frequent flier miles flying the state plane?
How about renting out the Gov’s Mansion,if he is not even using it during this shuttle sessions?
Or are the Jones using it too?

Comment by mileage plus Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 3:14 pm
Like the idea od the “What’s the Rush” t-shirt.. Matter of fact I already have one courtesy of Jameson Irish Whiskey at a St Patty’s Day celebration. I sure a lot of Jameson will be drank in Springpatch before we get a budget but… what’s the rush?

Comment by courious george Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 3:24 pm
It’s like Mel Brooks said “It’s Good To Be King”.

Comment by Beechcraft Super King Air 350 (twin-turboprop) Thursday, Jun 14, 07 @ 3:25 pm