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* 2:20 pm - Senate President Emil Jones and Senate GOP Leader Frank Watson have been in the governor’s office for the past hour and a half or so. The Senate was supposed to be in at noon today, but the session was postponed until 2 because the speakers in the chamber aren’t working properly. They’re being worked on as I write this. Don’t expect much floor action right away, if at all, today. I’m told that the two caucuses are preparing to meet soon after the session is opened to discuss today’s meeting at the guv’s office.

* 3:49 pm - Sen. Frank Watson just told reporters after leaving the guv’s office that they wasted their time.

Clarifying… I had a partial quote. Watson said if they don’t get something done soon then it’s a waste of their time.

* 5:12 pm - The governor has a new plan for the CTA. Magic money for subsidies until next June so that they can do a loophole closure bill with a simple majority after Jan. 1st.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Sep 17, 07 @ 2:21 pm

Comments

“…because the speakers in the chamber aren’t working properly. ..” Wow! What an understatement, Rich. I don’t think you can top that.

Comment by A Citizen Monday, Sep 17, 07 @ 2:33 pm
Frank is in the catbird seat…I wonder what the gov and Jones are offering him for support on the capital plan and/or not over ridding the veto.

The Democrats sure have done a lot to help the republicans regain power.

Comment by Ghost Monday, Sep 17, 07 @ 2:36 pm
HaHaHa I just love it. The Dems take all the heat and the Repubs call the shots.What politician in this universe wouldn’t like a sweet set-up like that.

Comment by DOWNSTATE Monday, Sep 17, 07 @ 2:43 pm
And after VandaliaFrank gets his boddle he cangiggle all the way to Greenville because he knows Cross will have zero votes.

Comment by GettingJonesed Monday, Sep 17, 07 @ 2:52 pm
I heard they are negotiating on giving out an advance from the 2007 ’speaker repair’ fund, allowing the Senate can meet again.

Comment by Leroy Monday, Sep 17, 07 @ 3:00 pm
Ghost, while the repubs are in the game, I would hardly say that Watson is in the catbird seat. He needs this capital program as much or more than Rod and Emil. If he didnt, why was he publicly pleading with Emil to reconsider the bill the day after the bond authorization vote went down and Emil declared it “dead.”

Nobody in that room is in the catbird seat. If Watson doesnt get a

Comment by Anon Monday, Sep 17, 07 @ 3:31 pm
cap bill, he may be toast.

Comment by Anon Monday, Sep 17, 07 @ 3:32 pm
sounds like this is going to be a fun week

Comment by Napoleon has left the building Monday, Sep 17, 07 @ 3:59 pm
Nobody in that room is in the catbird seat. If Watson doesnt get a

- Anon - Monday, Sep 17, 07 @ 3:32 pm:

cap bill, he may be toast
R U crazy Anon? Do you think Frank has members who want to make an agreement with the Gov? Bet Not! Yeah thats what repubs needs, Blago traveling all over the state cuting ribbons. There is no pressure on Frank in his caucus for a cap bill. He wants it himself, becaseu he thinks its the right thing to do, nothing more, nothing less. Blago still has to issue the project mney, you think any repubs think that wont come at a price? “Sure I will give your bride $ Senator, but first I need your vote on (BLANK). Nobody is toast if we don’t get acap bill, except for the state itself. Madigan won’t let Blago run around the state and cut ribbons for the next three years, won’t happen.

Comment by what? Monday, Sep 17, 07 @ 4:00 pm
…wasted their time … - gov must still think he’s going to get GRT and Massive Healthcare. Don’t think so. Maybe Emil will realize the futility of trying to negotiate with blago - as Watson said, they wasted their time. So I would suggest, as I did many months ago, that they assume gov to be irrelevant (due to his intransigence) and simply move on with over rides and implementation. Way past time to deal.

Comment by A Citizen Monday, Sep 17, 07 @ 4:03 pm
Anon, while there are things Watson wants done, technically the democrats should have been in a position to operate without him at all. The Current rift means both factions require supports from the republicans. Watson is in the catbird seat, if he fails to deliver on a capitol programs he can always blame the dem’s and the repubs minority (in fact expect that to be a big part of the upcoming campaigns.) Getting his programs actually implemented is more bonus points then a necessity. He only needs to say how hard he tried but was shut donw by the dem majority, and beg voters to put more repubs back in office. He stands to gain more from being shut down then from succeeding.

Comment by Ghost Monday, Sep 17, 07 @ 4:10 pm
watson is nothing more than a broken record. how many times will he be able to get away with these lines? how about checking your political hat at the door and trying to get things done for once. blame can go all around, but he obviously has zero interest in being part of a solution and will keep blaming jones and blagojevich.

Comment by demgrrl Monday, Sep 17, 07 @ 4:20 pm
The Republicans need to get what they can now. If this goes into January, i don’t think that their vote will be needed anymore.

Comment by blogman Monday, Sep 17, 07 @ 4:22 pm
Looks VandaliaFrank bounced the bright ball into the street and both the BlunderBoy and the Senate President got smacked big time.
What were they thinking?
Hey was the BlunderBoy even in town today?

Comment by GettingJonesed Monday, Sep 17, 07 @ 4:31 pm
The SEnate is in now… if you have the video selected you can’t hear the audio. Choose audio only.

Comment by AsAMom Monday, Sep 17, 07 @ 4:48 pm
They just gaveled in and out for SS # 1-16… they are now on regular session.

Comment by AsAMom Monday, Sep 17, 07 @ 4:51 pm
They return at 9:30 tomorrow.

Comment by AsAMom Monday, Sep 17, 07 @ 4:55 pm
Apparently BlunderBo forgot he could not pass these statewide tax increases in ‘07 with simple majority…what makes you think anything changes except that you are in the middle of the campaigns.
It could mean all these primary challenges he is planning will not

Comment by GettingJonesed Monday, Sep 17, 07 @ 6:14 pm
And the band played on …………..!! When will this end ?????

Comment by annon Monday, Sep 17, 07 @ 6:26 pm
June 30, 2008 - Then they start the sequel. Hopefully with a few new players. And a brand new plotline.

Comment by A Citizen Monday, Sep 17, 07 @ 6:34 pm
If Blago waits until he doesn’t need the Repubs and pushes through a capital bill with all the good stuff going to cooperative Dem districts, how will that fly with the rest of the electorate. I don’t know how much attention people pay to capital expenditures in making voting decisions, but I could see a critical mass of angry moderate Republicans and disaffected Dems voting for a viable Blago opponent in the 2010 primaries.
Especially if, as seems possible, the Repubs
go with a right-wing candidate.

Comment by Cassandra Monday, Sep 17, 07 @ 7:42 pm
Rich,

Is it possible that the “magic money” for the CTA comes from the cash he freed-up for his universal healthcare?

The way he sees it, he’ll get the money back into healthcare later. He can afford to take some of the “healthcare cash” now for the CTA, since once you start funding healthcare-for-all… one just has to keep increasing the funding.

Comment by unclesam Monday, Sep 17, 07 @ 7:55 pm
Demgrrl at 4:20 — PUH-LEASE!!!! Anyone who has a reference to being a democrat in their screenname should NOT be critical of a Republican for sounding like a broken record. How many times have we heard the terms “Reform and Renewal” or “Corporate Tax-Loop Holes” in the past 5 years?

Cassandra at 7:42 — You really need to get a little more educated before you post on here. Any capital bill at all requires a super-majority because it involves borrowing.

Comment by It's Just Me Monday, Sep 17, 07 @ 8:53 pm
Cassandra — none of the dems i know voted for blago anyway. they all either voted green or republican in the last election. also, if republicans are the minority, then they don’t really matter in our system — we don’t have proportional representation.

Comment by Lee Monday, Sep 17, 07 @ 9:36 pm
drmgrrl
“…and will keep blaming jones and blagojevich…” But of course, they really are the blameful ones. Welcome to the world of reality. Last I checked Watson was not in a majority position. Blaming Republicans for democratic party disunity is very disingenuous of you - You are better than that!

Comment by A Citizen Monday, Sep 17, 07 @ 10:03 pm
I have to agree with “It’s Just Me.” Helmet hair boy only spews forth the same few lines. He sounds like one of those dolls with the string you yank to make it talk.

Comment by Papa Legba Monday, Sep 17, 07 @ 10:06 pm
drmgrrl
I must hasten to add that I did not mean to disparage democratic party disunity, without it we wouldn’t have such a lively and lengthy blog through the late winter, spring, summer and now the fall. And I wouldn’t have gotten to know you and Bill so well! How good can it get? Rich has probably jumped up one tax bracket, at least. Democratic disunity can be profitable, just not for dems.

Comment by A Citizen Monday, Sep 17, 07 @ 10:18 pm
So Rod’s a magician now?

Just call him “Rod Blagojevich — MindFreak!!!”

Comment by South Sider Tuesday, Sep 18, 07 @ 8:12 am