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* My weekly syndicated newspaper column is about the upcoming special session…
Last month, Gov. Rod Blagojevich proclaimed the Illinois House absolutely, positively, without a doubt had to pass the Senate-approved pension obligation bond deal, a special funds sweep and the entire capital construction package or he’d have to slash the state budget right down to the bone. Much suffering would result, the governor warned, unless the House complied with every one of his directives.
Last week, while announcing yet another summertime special legislative session, Blagojevich quietly deleted the formerly all-important pension bond plan from his list of demands. The bond scheme would close a $400 million hole in what is supposed to be a horribly unbalanced budget. The governor also took several items off the budget-slashing table, including rape crisis centers and Amtrak.
In other words, Blagojevich simply reinforced the widespread Statehouse notion that he’s been bluffing all along about the budget’s dire straits.
For weeks now, journalists have reported with a straight face the governor’s claim that the state is facing an unmanageable $2 billion deficit. Editorial writers have expressed outrage at how the General Assembly apparently violated the state’s constitution by sending the governor an egregiously out-of-whack spending plan.
But last week, reporters only barely mentioned the governor dumped a $400 million revenue stream from his list of demands. Apparently, that $2 billion hole isn’t all that big or all that unmanageable.
* This omission is a real mystery to me. We’ve seen stories about restored funding for rape crisis centers and Amtrak, but almost nothing about how the governor blew a $400 million hole in the budget last week - a budget that he previously proclaimed was unacceptably out of balance.
Back to the column…
Why else would the governor abandon it so quickly?
The governor’s people say that after staff talked to a couple of dozen House members, they discovered there weren’t enough votes to pass the pension bond proposal during this week’s special session. But that still doesn’t explain the governor’s flip-flop. Why not propose another revenue source?
In reality, there aren’t enough votes to pass anything. After May 31, it takes a three-fifths majority to pass any legislation that has an immediate effective date. All those bills the governor wants approved have immediate effective dates. A new revenue source would also likely require an immediate effective date. Therefore, very little, if anything, can pass.
So why even bother calling legislators to Springfield for another special session if nothing can pass?
Blame.
The idea is to bring everybody back to town so the governor can once again pin the blame on his old enemy, House Speaker Michael Madigan, for all the trouble in the world.
He’s been laying it on thick lately, too. For instance, the governor now is claiming Madigan has a “secret plan” to increase taxes after the election. Madigan, the governor says, deliberately passed an unbalanced budget to increase the pressure for a post-election tax hike.
The governor’s bold accusations miss two points - both of which are often overlooked by most of the media.
1) The House passed three different versions of the state budget. The Senate approved just one of them, the so-called “Christmas Tree” budget that loaded up on all sorts of goodies. The other two House-approved budgets, which are far more balanced, were never called for a vote in the Senate.
At least two editorial boards failed to mention this fact over the weekend.
2) Senate President Emil Jones, like Madigan, is on record as supporting an income tax increase. A member of Jones’ own leadership team, Sen. John Cullerton, has said he plans to call an income tax increase bill for a vote after the November election.
Jones is Blagojevich’s last powerful ally, so you won’t hear the governor say an unkind word about the Senate president. If he loses Jones’ support, he loses his war with Madigan, and the war with Madigan is more important to the governor than anything else.
Finke had another interesting take on this relationship yesterday.
What the geniuses responsible for the governor’s miserable approval rating may not have reckoned, however, is the special session also could highlight Blagojevich’s political impotence.
This is the same governor, mind you, who tossed together a half-baked budget proposal at the last minute that was full of ideas that already had failed, then completely disengaged from the entire budget negotiating process until three weeks after the General Assembly adjourned.
And now, because of his lack of interest in governance, multiple federal investigations, rising calls for his impeachment and his lack of truthfulness on the budget deficit, he’s in a position of trying to force his will on a bunch of people who don’t care what he does.
* Related…
* Special session could be exercise in futility
* Illinois House to hold hearings on capital bill, lottery leasing
* Taxpayers on hook for special session costs
* We need more road money from Springfield
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Jul 7, 08 @ 9:10 am
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Rich,
You often refer to Jones as Blago’s “last powerful ally.” I’m just curious - when were any of the other legislative leaders ever allied with the governor?
Comment by Reed Johnson's Feedbag Monday, Jul 7, 08 @ 9:18 am
When you start circling the wagons, as Gov. Blagojevich has, you find that your own strengths only last so long, and you isolate yourself from those who could help you.
Comment by Fan of the Game Monday, Jul 7, 08 @ 9:32 am
Fan of the Game - I’m not so sure he’s circling the wagons as much as he’s circling the drain. But either way, I can’t disagree.
Comment by What planet is he from again? Monday, Jul 7, 08 @ 9:36 am
I wonder at what point did he make it so difficult on himself.
Comment by Levois Monday, Jul 7, 08 @ 9:44 am
Levois: On his first day in office when he decided that, since he was governor, he could decide which laws he would choose to obey and which ones to ignore.
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Jul 7, 08 @ 9:52 am
Rich,
I would like to read a comparison between what we have been seeing with this governor and with Daniel Walker, whom I remember only vaguely. I recall some similarities regarding political make-up and would like to know what you think are the similarities and differences between Blagojevich and Walker.
I know Walker is before your time too, but perhaps you have explored his administration’s history or have discussed with some of the old veterans what their take was on that governor.
Do you see any patterns we can follow as students of government between these last two Democratic governors?
Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Jul 7, 08 @ 10:04 am
He made it so difficult for himself when he envisioned the governorship as a stepping stone to the presidency. I suspect he still thinks himself a contender.
Comment by Macbeth Monday, Jul 7, 08 @ 10:04 am
Rich, up here in the Chicago market anyway, it’s been a long time since the mainstream media have bothered with any real analysis of budgets in general or state government in particular. It’s all about personalities and conflict.
I know the print reporters, at least, could do the stories. But they’d never get in. Like the Talking Barbie said, “Math is hard.”
Comment by wordslinger Monday, Jul 7, 08 @ 10:05 am
As Blagojevich melts and becomes increasingly irrelevant, the House waits out the clock to allow time to work further on this governor. Every day, their hands strengthens and gives them a better opportunity to pass a budget they prefer instead of compromising with him.
So we’ll see decisions delayed up to and beyond deadlines. And we’ll see this governor pretend that he still has influence, while avoiding public presentations and Illinois media.
Unlike last year, the General Assembly is now too cynical to play along with Blagojevich and just wants to get re-elected to start any fights. Normally, this could be used to his advantage, but due to how poorly he has played the Rezko conviction and the trials of his other insider friends, Blagojevich is too weak politically to make any effective moves.
Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Jul 7, 08 @ 10:17 am
This is the explanation for it all: “the war with Madigan is more important to the governor than anything else.”
Also worth notin Rich, with this “out of balance” budget the Gov has anounced a new jobs program for chicago youth and “anti-violence” spending which are not in the current budget. So he starts with an out of whack budget, drops the bond program creating a giant hole in the Gov’s stated method to fill in the hole, then announces a 14 mill job program and a 151 mill anti-violence program (all filling the space previously covered with only 9 mill in funding to cease fire) on top of the hole he already has.
The hew and cry out the house passing an unbalanbced budget should be met by media reports that they also passed a no growth budget which has only been kept from the light of day by Jones.
Comment by Ghost Monday, Jul 7, 08 @ 10:38 am
So if there exists a low-growth/bare-bones budget (stalled in the Senate), why couldn’t the governor just make the line item cuts ncessary to reduce the current budget to that version? Deficit solved! Of course, that would involve making Madigan look good and Jones look bad…. oh.
Comment by Muskrat Monday, Jul 7, 08 @ 10:42 am
Muskrat the short answer is Blago needs Jones, and Jones wants that 400 Mill increase for education thats not in the bare bones budget. And if he is going to expnad education the Gov migh as well increase health care etc etc.
Shorter answer, the gov is not interested in solutions, only grandoise gestures.
Comment by Ghost Monday, Jul 7, 08 @ 11:36 am
VM, the major difference is that Walker was a true maverick who ran against the Chi. machine. He attempted to use his time to supplant the machine. Blago was annointed by the same machine and it’s really difficult to see that he has any kind of “end game.”
Comment by Mr. Wizard Monday, Jul 7, 08 @ 11:41 am
He’s circling the wagons so that they will all catch fire that much faster.
I am curious as to what was the initial event that put Madigan and Jones at odds with one another, and led Jones to throw in with this governor, when he and Madigan, with super-majorities, could have completely run the table of Illinois government between them. I’ve heard it was Ego on Emil’s part, that he felt he wasn’t getting the “respect” he deserved. But what’s the REAL origin story? Anybody know?
Comment by Gregor Monday, Jul 7, 08 @ 12:32 pm
Two questions.
Can they begin an impeachment investigation during these special sessions?
Can they call shrinks as witnesses and debate the Governor’s sanity?
Comment by Phineas J. Whoopee Monday, Jul 7, 08 @ 12:41 pm
Is this budget acrimony, which gets worse every year, worth keeping an ineffective Chief Executive in office? No. Isn’t it time to start the process to excise the tumor? Yes.
Comment by Big Mama T Monday, Jul 7, 08 @ 1:07 pm
One difference between Walker and Blagojevich is that after Walker was elected, he told all the state agencies to take his name off of their letterheads. He viewed himself as the public’s ombudsman to state government, and he would be attacking his own agencies and directors as much as the public and press demanded.
Blago wants his name on everything, and nothing is done in the name of state government - it is all in his name. A press release a week is expected to be issueed by the major state agencies, all touting what a great governor he is.
Comment by Capitol View Monday, Jul 7, 08 @ 1:48 pm
Madigan has repeatedly advocated an income tax increase “for education” over the past 6 years, and its fascinating this is being overlooked, despite his spokesmans’ insistence that he is against a tax increase.
Comment by FlackerBacker Monday, Jul 7, 08 @ 1:56 pm
About Dan Walker….does anyone remember the ‘Machine’ candidate he defeated in the primary? Some dorky-looking 40-something deep thinker named Paul Simon.
Walker won by attaching Simon to the Chicago machine…think about how different Illinois would be with Gov. Simon during the 1970s. Would he have tolerated corruption in his administration? That means no 3-term Jim Thompson or the Republican bloc of the 1980s.
Comment by Vote Quimby! Monday, Jul 7, 08 @ 2:02 pm
E. Jones has publicly supported an income tax increase also, but that seems to not be an issue. Why?
Comment by anon Monday, Jul 7, 08 @ 2:07 pm
VM, one major difference between Walker and this current phony is that Walker genuinely cared about the day-to day workings of state government and the people who made it work. Those of us who were in government in those days remember how Walker would stroll into a state agency office entirely unnanounced, go right past the administrative offices and introduce himself to people at random. Then he would sit down next to you and want to know all about the nature of your job, your background qualifications, etc. It was a frightening experience for junior rank and file workers to be unexpectedly grilled that way by the governor, but the man really wanted to understand what made the government tick. The present guy doesn’t have a clue and doesn’t care either.
Comment by Skirmisher Monday, Jul 7, 08 @ 2:12 pm
VQ, I’d forgotten about Simon’s defeat by Walker. I’ll raise you in the “what if” category: Say a successful Gov. Simon of Illinois sets his eyes on a post-Watergate, 1976 presidential run: Do you think an obscure former governor of Georgia gains big mo to the White House by finishing second to “no preference” in the Iowa caucuses?
Comment by wordslinger Monday, Jul 7, 08 @ 2:30 pm
CV, what you say may be true, but he also fired all the agency PR people (most of whom, under Ogilvie, wrote regular ‘house organ’ newsletters) and beefed up the old Illinois Information Service from 40 to 110 people to promote him and his programs.
Aside from Edgar, I’ve never known an IL gov. who didn’t want his name on everything.
Comment by Mr. Wizard Monday, Jul 7, 08 @ 2:45 pm
SO round one of the Governors futile actions knocks 2 days of the raise clock and generates nothing. And this is the Ally of Jones? This is going to be interestin when we hit the magic pay raise day in a special session.
Comment by Ghost Monday, Jul 7, 08 @ 4:15 pm
Walker the populist was known to sometimes answer the phone at the mansion. (Yes, he spent a lot of time there.) He didn’t get along well with the legislature, though. Illinois governors who don’t get along with the legislature are doomed to fail, it seems.
In January, 2003, all four legislative leaders were at least ready to work with the new governor. Yes, it’s true that Jones wanted to be as important a leader as Madigan. They go way back together, to serving in the House before either of them was anywhere near leadership, but Madigan got into leadership first. Jones moved to the Senate and had to build carefully to get to be President. Once he got there he understandably wanted all of the power and glory that Pate Philip had had and that Madigan had. Blagojevich lost Madigan by breaking his word to him a couple of times. That’s forbidden in the legislature. Jones didn’t care that that had happened, which made it worse for any relationship that he might have built with Madigan.
Comment by been there Monday, Jul 7, 08 @ 4:39 pm
To be historically accurate, Mr. Wizard, Walker got caught forcing the IIS people to make actual campaign materials for him, and this incensed the legislature so badly that they zeroed-out the IIS payroll budget for that year, and the staff was slashed to a handful. Those folks have been scrupulously non-partisan ever since, which is hard to do under the current “put my name on anything and everything” governor. So they created a new marketing division just to promote Rod, and gathered all the agency PIO’s under it’s umbrella.
When you read any particular Blago press release, it makes you laugh from the picture it paints of a guy who is literally doing everyone else’s job minute to minute, no matter how narrow or tiny that job is, while also curing cancer, writing operas, and designing cathedrals in his spare time. It makes absolutely no reference to any of the hard-working state employees that actually do the work, create the programs, service the citizens. Never mind the legislators that craft the laws he signs.
“Blagojevich did this, Blagojevich did that”. Does anybody REALLY believe he sits around all day micro-managing like that? Can you picture this guy sitting around in an office talking deep details of some obscure program? He doesn’t. I bet he doesn’t even really talk all that much with his agency directors, who are paid to do that kind of talking to their staff. Directors jobs are now apparently to be campaign surrogates full-time for the governor.
Used to be a press release said “the state does this, the state does that”. Now every sentence starts or ends with Blago’s name.
What it boils down to is that, like Napoleon Bonaparte, Blago says “I AM the State”. Without any sense of self-deprecation at all. He intends that we really see him as the personification of the entire government, and he, personally, as the people’s servant and sole benefactor. That’s just sick. Ergo, the suggestions about his possible sociopathy.
This is what you get from a man who only wants to run for office, instead of RUNNING an office.
“Twizzle, tvazzel, trazzle-trome: Time for this Rod to go home!”
Comment by Tudor Turtle Monday, Jul 7, 08 @ 4:45 pm
P.J. Whoopee,
During the special session, only the subject(s) that it was called to address can be discussed but committees can consider at just about any time whatever the Rules committee sends them. So probably a House Committee of the Whole could consider impeachment, separate from the special session. They would adjourn the special session and then immediately convene the Committee of the Whole to consider impeachment. We don’t have long to wait to find out.
Comment by been there Monday, Jul 7, 08 @ 4:47 pm
If Blago is actually bluffing about the budget supposedly being $2 billion “out of balance” and is only making these threats to get the House to pass HIS financing initiatives–do you think his real reason (as I have indicated in previous posts) is to make another attempt at circumventing the GA in order to expand his health care and other social service programs without legislative approval? IMO, even if the House actually passed the revenue streams, I am certain that Blago would still cut at least $2 billion from the budget (claiming “it doesn’t represent his priorities”) just to expand health care. Same holds true if a capitol plan actually passed during special session–I think relatively few of the $34 billion designated for this plan will actually go to construction projects.
Comment by Leatherneck Monday, Jul 7, 08 @ 4:54 pm
Maybe kick around the impeachment idea while they’re waiting on something to legislate.
Comment by annon Monday, Jul 7, 08 @ 6:06 pm
Nice analysis, Tudor Turtle… but it was Louis XIV who said “L’etat c’est moi” (I am the state).
One of the things that struck me after I suddenly became unemployed in 2004, and started visiting state offices far more frequently than I ever had before, was how they never let you forget for a moment who the governor was, because EVERYTHING had his name on it.
Last year I believe we had a QOTD on what an Illinois “Pledge of Allegiance” might say. One of the suggested entries was “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the State of Illinois (Rod R. Blagojevich, Governor) and to the republic for which it stands (Rod R. Blagojevich, Governor)….”
Comment by Bookworm Monday, Jul 7, 08 @ 9:19 pm
The Constitution specifically authorizes impeachment proceedings during special sessions, whether part of the call or not
Comment by steve schnorf Monday, Jul 7, 08 @ 10:36 pm
Bookworm: Louie said it first, in 1655, but Nappy quoted him in an address to the senate in 1814. So we’re both right.
Comment by Tudor Turtle Monday, Jul 7, 08 @ 11:29 pm
steve schnorf, how cool!
yes, there it is in article iv on the legislature, in section 5 (b): The Governor may convene the General Assembly or the Senate alone in special session by a proclamation stating the purpose of the session; and only business encompassed by such purpose, together with any impeachments or confirmation of appointments shall be transacted.
Comment by been there Tuesday, Jul 8, 08 @ 11:12 am