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First shot fired in Dem primary - Group claims $10.3 billion deficit for next year

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Illinois

* 1:05 pm - Here we go…

Responding to news that state Comptroller Dan Hynes plans to run against him in next year’s primary, Gov. Pat Quinn said today his rival was a “no show” during this year’s rocky budget negotiations.

Quinn questioned Hynes’ leadership abilities, saying as governor he chose to take the tough stance of backing a tax hike to help plug the state’s budget hole while Hynes remained silent.

Quinn said while he went to bat against lawmakers who sent him an unbalanced budget, “a lot of financial people in government, I didn’t hear from. I didn’t hear anything.”

“And I think they need to, you know, ask themselves if you want to be a governor, you can’t be somebody who’s a no-show when it counts,” Quinn said.

Hynes did come out with an alternative plan, which included expanding the sales tax to luxury services and expanding gaming. Stay tuned for a response.

* 1:33 pm - Speaking of the budget, this is from a press release…

…available on our Web site is a one-pager from Larry Joseph, who heads the Budget & Tax Policy Initiative at Voices for Illinois Children. This document walks-up our preliminary estimate of a $10.3 billion budget shortfall for FY2011, which begins next July… In other words, absent significant new revenues, Illinois will have to cut $10.3 billion from its budget next year just to keep treading FY2010’s miserable waters.

I’ve been saying $10 billion for some time now, so I’m glad that Voices is backing me up. Here’s the breakdown…

Loss of one-time revenue from FY 2010

Federal ARRA (recovery) funds 1,400
Pension obligation notes 3,466
Fund sweeps 350

New mandated spending
Increase in pension contributions 1,200
Debt service on pension notes 750
Carryover deficit 3,200

Total 10,366

The governor is in an awfully big glass house to be throwing stones on this budget.

* 1:41 pm - Not exactly germane, but Rep. Bob Biggins won’t run again. From a press release…

….State Representative Bob Biggins (R-Elmhurst) announced today that he would not seek another term. Biggins has been a member of the Illinois House of Representatives since 1993.

“It is truly an honor to serve the citizens of the 41st district and a privilege I take very seriously,” said Biggins. “My family is making a change in where we live which has prompted my decision not to run for re-election.”

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Jul 24, 09 @ 1:05 pm

Comments

Wow what an opening for Hynes. Maybe the Governor didn’t hear anything because he had his head up his — for most of the last few months.

Comment by 47th Ward Friday, Jul 24, 09 @ 1:09 pm
Hynes has made repeated statements of the need for a revenues infusion, and his frustration at not being able to pay the state’s bills on time.

It is the role of his office to track spending and pay for authorized expenses.

And I don’t remember Quinn being involved in budget shaping at all as a member of the Blago-Quinn Administration. Sure, Blago cut him out. But he had the “bully pulpit” position.

Comment by Capitol View Friday, Jul 24, 09 @ 1:16 pm
OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!
See people were being polite to pat quinn when they merely called him a flip-flopper, when they really meant to call him a liar.

Dan Hynes, if you come back with a response, please just take the high road. (e.g., quinn must have forgtten, but I sent him a letter and made clear statement. Hint: senility)

Comment by Will County Woman Friday, Jul 24, 09 @ 1:26 pm
oh, and through in a little rush limbaugh rhetorical style, just for effect and good measure…

e.g., “that is simply not true”

Comment by Will County Woman Friday, Jul 24, 09 @ 1:28 pm
But this does raise a question: is there any kind of “team” in the executive side of state government? Quinn did seem to be alone in defending his position. Where were Hynes, Lisa Madigan, Jesse White, Gianoulias, and others? These characters appeared to be protecting themselves to ensure their own political viability rather than aiding their fellow party leader during a time of crisis. These people are elected separately but do they ever stand together?

Comment by vole Friday, Jul 24, 09 @ 1:29 pm
Sweet, my napkin calculation the night the budget was passed was more or less spot on.

Hopefully at next hearing on my budget suit they order the injunction and force everyone back to drawing board.

Comment by John Bambenek Friday, Jul 24, 09 @ 1:36 pm
Quinn has to deflate Hynes now. Hynes’ expected announcement is not official, and since Quinn didn’t bite Hynes in the butt to keep him out of the race, Quinn has to play catch-up with this kind of statement. Quinn needed to do this a while ago when it was quite clear that Hynes positioned himself as a political player with his budget stands over the past few years. What took so long for Quinn to see this? Well, Hynes isn’t what you call a risk-taker.

If Quinn wants to remain governor, he has to hit Hynes over the head right now - and hit him hard. The Governor’s statement goes after Hynes’ strength and credibility, which is where the first blows should land. Illinoisans don’t expect their Comptroller to be a leader, so although Hynes has been a “canary in the coal mine” issuing warnings over the past few years and positioning himself to be prophetic in his warnings - he is still in a second-tier state office, while Quinn is governor.

Quinn has to put Hynes in his place and hope that Dan’s seemingly natural adversion to risk takes over and Hynes doesn’t officially muck up the Primary by entering it.

Or Quinn is toast.

Comment by VanillaMan Friday, Jul 24, 09 @ 1:47 pm
Hynes needs to respond right away or toss in the towel now. This is the kind of rough and tumble half truth commentary Blago bashed topinka to pieces with.

Comment by Ghost Friday, Jul 24, 09 @ 2:04 pm
I called the campaign, Ghost. Waiting for a response.

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Jul 24, 09 @ 2:08 pm
@ vole - Friday, Jul 24, 09 @ 1:29 pm:

what you wrote is simply not true in the case of Lisa and Dan. Lisa is in fact on acknowledging that a tax increase of somekind was likely necessary, but said that for the governor to come to the table empty handed without cuts and reforms to make the tax increase more pallatable for voters was a mistake and wrong.

I don’t recall hynes ever saying that the tax incease was not necessary.

So, this notion that quinn is being attacked simply because he proposed a tax increase is false. He has been attacked for how he went about it, and rightfully so.

Comment by Will County Woman Friday, Jul 24, 09 @ 2:11 pm
Quinn knows darn well that the State Budget is the resposibility of the Governor and the Legislature. No constitutional state wide office holder should be inserting themself into this matter unless it has to do with the specific budget of their office.

For any state wide constitutional office holder to voice an opinion is to get involved in an area that is not under their jurisdiction.

Should Hynes or anyone else decide to run for Governor it is at that time they should let their opinions be known. If Hynes does run for Governor I am sure he will have much to say about this issue.

Comment by MOON Friday, Jul 24, 09 @ 2:14 pm
vanillaman,

when hynes does come out and say that he did speak up during the budget battle, and quinn is proven a liar based on his statement today, then what card does quinn play next?

This:

“ooops… that’s right he did, I forgot. I just got back from visiting troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, so my memory is a little dusty.”

??????????????????????????????????????????

Comment by Will County Woman Friday, Jul 24, 09 @ 2:15 pm
Will County Woman, are you related to Hynes or on his payroll? A day doesn’t go by without you gushing all over the man. Get a hold of yourself, girl.

Milk-toast has a nice bank account and a last name, thanks to his daddy. But he has been on the public payroll for three terms and only comes out to speak when it is safe or to criticize others.

I’m sure his money will afford him a nice campaign, but in the end, we’d get a big zero as a Guv. I’m not a cheerleader for Quinn or anyone else — just saying, this guy is a big zero.

Comment by Chi Gal Friday, Jul 24, 09 @ 2:26 pm
Wasn’t Quinn a “no show” for the past six years when his running mate was leading the state to bankruptcy? What was Hynes doing? He was issuing report after report, warning after warning about the budget and taking Blago on. You can’t have it both ways, Governor.

Comment by Lloyd Dobbler Friday, Jul 24, 09 @ 2:39 pm
when hynes does come out and say that he did speak up during the budget battle, and quinn is proven a liar based on his statement today, then what card does quinn play next?

Hynes would be putting himself into a corner if he did say this. It would be reaffirming that as a second-tier state leader, he isn’t worth remembering. Hynes would have to have someone else address this, so that voters would know that Hynes is someone to be listened to.

Hynes is a second stringer to Quinn, and it is acceptable for the Governor to not focus on everything a state comptroller might say. That is what a gubernatorial staff is for.

Quinn is top dog and has to remain at the top during any debates with lesser dogs. Voters sense these things because they consider governors more important than mere comptrollers - or treasurers, as a matter of fact.

Comment by VanillaMan Friday, Jul 24, 09 @ 2:44 pm
@- VanillaMan - Friday, Jul 24, 09 @ 2:44 pm:

there seems to be a bit of a double standard here. when lisa, the presumptive gubernatorial winner in 2010, was supposed to challenge quinn people were saying that she needed to step up and express her views about the budget.

now that hynes is comtemplating challenging quinn, he’s not supposed to express his views on the budget, but have someone else do it so that he has credibility. the man’s office pays the state’s bill. he has credbility on state/budget fiscal issue. when hynes was challenging Blago on the state budget, did you have a problem with Hynes personally doing that?

Comment by Will County Woman Friday, Jul 24, 09 @ 2:56 pm
@- Lloyd Dobbler - Friday, Jul 24, 09 @ 2:39 pm:

Thank you!!!!! Quinn’s thing back then was reform. but as governor he’s not so much for reform after all.

Comment by Will County Woman Friday, Jul 24, 09 @ 2:59 pm
For all the Hynes defenders. Please direct me to the press clip where Hynes said he supported an income tax. He didn’t. He pointed out we need new revenue, which doesn’t exactly take a Nobel Laureate in economics to figure out.

And that plan you referred to, garbage. Go actually read it.

Quinn’s statements are pretty spot on (and actually a very effective line of attack).

Comment by Johnnyc Friday, Jul 24, 09 @ 3:08 pm
=== Quinn questioned Hynes’ leadership abilities, saying as governor he chose to take the tough stance… ===

My response, and hopefully Hynes’:

“By my count, Pat Quinn took enough different stands on the budget to field a football team.”

Or

“The buck stops at the Governor’s office. When I’m Governor, then Pat Quinn can blame me for whatever he wants.”

Or

“Pat Quinn’s spent his entire career in politics blaming everybody else. They need to install a mirror in the Governor’s office.”

Comment by Yellow Dog Friday, Jul 24, 09 @ 3:08 pm
===And that plan you referred to, garbage. Go actually read it.===

Much could be the same of the inglorious “solution” endorsed by Quinn this month.

Go actually read it.

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Jul 24, 09 @ 3:10 pm
–Where were Hynes, Lisa Madigan, Jesse White, Gianoulias, and others? –

Doing what their offices are mandated to do, which in the great scheme of things, isn’t all that much.

Among the statewide officers, the Governor is the Big Dog and everybody knows it. There’s no point in getting too deep into a argument that you really have no influence over.

Comment by wordslinger Friday, Jul 24, 09 @ 3:15 pm
Looks like the Hynes campaign quoted our own captiolview.

Guess they came here looking for some help and found it.

Cap you should be getting your first consulting check in the mail soon

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Jul 24, 09 @ 3:21 pm
Quinn questioning anyone else leadership ability is amazing. Quinn wouldn’t know how to lead if it landed in his lap. What joke this guy is!

Comment by DannyBoy Friday, Jul 24, 09 @ 3:35 pm
Hynes came out with a budget plan to include expanding luxury tax and gaming??? Where can we get a copy of that plan?? Did Quinn see that plan? I never did - would love to take a look at it. Can anyone point me in the right direction???
Thanks,

Comment by What? Friday, Jul 24, 09 @ 3:37 pm
Use the google.

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Jul 24, 09 @ 3:41 pm
Rich, are you referring to our current (pseudo) budget? If so, are you really telling me that budget is the Governor’s doing? He tried to make the best of bad situation. There were not enough votes for revenue enhancers so he cut bait and decided to wait to fight another day.

What passed couldn’t be further from what the Governor actually endorsed. Charachterizing it as Quinn’s “solution” is disingenuous at best.

Also, please tell me how Hynes’ proposed solutions would have lifted us out of the hole we are in. Are you admitting that it wouldn’t have? If so, I’m wondering what the point is.

Comment by Johnnyc Friday, Jul 24, 09 @ 4:18 pm
I know, politically, Quinn has to try and knock Hynes on his strong suit, but come on! Quinn has repeatedly said that, “I didn’t create the mess, I inherited it.” Well, you helped create the mess by being Blago’s biggest cheerleader in 2006 when the budgetary picture was seriously trending downward.
What’s worse, to help you deal with the problem you “inherited” you turn to the same budgetary masterminds, namely Filan, who were complicit in the march toward disaster, to help fashion your budget plan.
Sorry Governor, but your arguments on the budget have more holes than swiss cheese.

Comment by Lloyd Dobbler Friday, Jul 24, 09 @ 4:31 pm
Anonymous - if Hynes pays me a commission with a state check, I’ll be an old man by the time it gets to me.

Comment by Capitol View Friday, Jul 24, 09 @ 4:42 pm
===Charachterizing it as Quinn’s “solution” is disingenuous at best.===

He embraced that budget at a post-session press conference attended by all of his budget staff. He owns it now.

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Jul 24, 09 @ 4:48 pm
I am going to go out on a limb right now and predict that Pat Quinn will handily defeat Dan Hynes. Hynes is positioning himself to the eright of Quinn. The candidate farthest to the right in a Democratic primary usually loses. Additionally, Dan Hynes is an awful campaigner. The Hynes campaign is already positioning their candidate incorrectly. As weak as he may be, Governor Quinn is the incumbent, is generally viewed as honest and sincere by the voters and can claim the reformer mantle unlike Mr. Hynes.

Comment by Laborguy Friday, Jul 24, 09 @ 5:41 pm
Rich, I remember when Archie Bunker responded to a “not exactly germane…” with “What do the Germans have to do with it?” Meathead didn’t know what to say. Goodnight, good weekend, Dad

Comment by Dad Friday, Jul 24, 09 @ 6:48 pm
the word is miquetoast

Comment by Anonymous Saturday, Jul 25, 09 @ 11:22 am
well, actually, without typos, milquetoast

Comment by Anonymous Saturday, Jul 25, 09 @ 11:22 am