Latest Post | Last 10 Posts | Archives
Previous Post: Graph of the day
Next Post: Question of the day
Posted in:
* NBC5’s blog covered a recall effort against Gov. Pat Quinn the other day…
It’s only the first week of his first elected term, but already Gov. Pat Quinn is the subject of at least one recall effort.
Motivating the online petition is the state’s new income tax hike, which raises the personal rate from three percent to five percent. Quinn signed the bill into law earlier Thursday.
Neil A. Wurzer, purportedly of Olympia Fields, Ill., according to his Change.org profile, says the governor “has failed to protect the fiscal integrity of the state” and is “governing against the will of the people.”
* Chris Krug, the executive editor of the Northwest Herald, is all for recalling Quinn right freaking now…
Quinn must go. And he must go now.
The recall legislation that Illinoisans passed in the November election offers the means for the removal of the governor. The question is how much longer must our legislators wait to see what Quinn does before they take action.
I say no longer.
If you paid attention to Quinn’s tenure since Rod Blagojevich’s impeachment, you’ve seen enough. You’ve seen Quinn turn prisoners free to roam the streets of Illinois and commit further crimes. You’ve seen him give his staff and other high-ranking Illinois officials raises – raises! – as the state’s deficit spiked. You saw him leverage payments to the state’s nonprofits against an income tax increase.
There is nothing left to see.
Yeah, we just inaugurated Quinn on Tuesday. But it’s not too early to get the recall petitions circulating.
* Actually, Chris, it is too early to circulate recall petitions. From the Illinois Constitution…
A petition shall have been signed by the petitioning electors not more than 150 days after an affidavit has been filed with the State Board of Elections providing notice of intent to circulate a petition to recall the governor. The affidavit may be filed no sooner than 6 months after the beginning of the Governor’s term of office.
In other words, they can’t even start collecting petition signatures for six months. And before they can file their affidavit announcing their intent to circulate petitions, they have to do this…
The affidavit shall have been signed by the proponent of the recall petition, at least 20 members of the House of Representatives, and at least 10 members of the Senate, with no more than half of the signatures of members of each chamber from the same established political party.
And when that little, no-brainer effort is achieved, they have to do this…
The recall of the Governor may be proposed by a petition signed by a number of electors equal in number to at least 15% of the total votes cast for Governor in the preceding gubernatorial election, with at least 100 signatures from each of at least 25 separate counties.
And they have to gather those signatures in 150 days.
Hopefully, the rest of the media won’t go ga-ga on this unless somebody actually puts together a real effort and can show they can get all those legislative signatures and can prove they have an operation in place to gather 560,000 valid petition signatures in five months, with 100 signatures from at least 25 separate counties.
In other words, it ain’t gonna happen.
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Jan 19, 11 @ 10:51 am
Sorry, comments are closed at this time.
Previous Post: Graph of the day
Next Post: Question of the day
WordPress Mobile Edition available at alexking.org.
powered by WordPress.
This is an absolutely absurd effort. Quinn should not be recalled or impeached, as bad as he may well be. He has done nothing warranting either move. This is the person Illinois elected, and we all will pay the price until either he does something illegal or morally reprehensible, or he is defeated at the ballot box.
Lesson learned.
Comment by Cincinnatus Wednesday, Jan 19, 11 @ 10:56 am
I’m about as far right as there is, and this is completely ignorant (and stupid). Yeah, my guy lost. Do I want Quinn as Governor? No. However, what about just winning in the ballot box? We (and there is about 5-6 stories there) didn’t work hard enough. Pushing a recall a few days after Quinn takes office just makes our side look silly.
Comment by Ghost of John Brown Wednesday, Jan 19, 11 @ 11:00 am
Well he did lie.
That being said the recall effort is crazy. It is a waste of money and time hopefully the irate voters remember being lied to by Quinn and how this tax increase was voted on at the last possible moment in a genuine act of cowardice by the general assemble
Comment by Fed up Wednesday, Jan 19, 11 @ 11:02 am
Rich, are you too busy valiantly defending the tax hikers from our neighbors to the north and east to pay any attention to the big story out of O’Hare? How many billions in fed, state, and local money went into a project that may now never be fully completed?
Comment by Just curious Wednesday, Jan 19, 11 @ 11:04 am
The call for Quinn’s recall is akin to the call two years ago for secession of Palatine Township from Cook County because of the Stroger tax hike. Pie in the sky.
Comment by reformer Wednesday, Jan 19, 11 @ 11:06 am
The recall “effort” is nothing more than an attempt by political operatives to justify their existence and make some cash.
Remember the “effort” by opponents of equal rights for gay americans to gather 500,000 signatures for a ballot question to protect marriage?
We saw alot of fundraising appeals and alot of news hype, but we never saw the signatures.
Anyone who wants to throw their money away by funding these guys is more than welcome to. I suggest you find out first how much of their personal money they’re putting into the effort and how much they stand to make.
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Wednesday, Jan 19, 11 @ 11:08 am
Hmm U of I trustees terms are up. I bet Quinn can now announce he has followed through on his promise to fire them. Or will he back down again to pressure from Booby Rush.
Comment by Fed up Wednesday, Jan 19, 11 @ 11:08 am
Just more pie in the sky that will go no where, just like the “plan” to repeal the tax increase will go no where.
These online petition drives are almost always just scams to harvest names and email addresses for future lobbying and fundraising. It’s all a big pander bear.
Comment by just sayin' Wednesday, Jan 19, 11 @ 11:12 am
Has it occured to them that if Quinn were recalled, Sheilah Simon becomes governor? And that will change policy how?
Silly season never quite ends.
Comment by Aldyth Wednesday, Jan 19, 11 @ 11:13 am
560,000 valid signatures? Care to take another crack at this one League of Women Voters? /snark
Comment by Obamarama Wednesday, Jan 19, 11 @ 11:18 am
Even I didn’t think it would be this soon that people proved my opposition to the recall amendment right. Let’s look forward to a future full of recall rabble rousing.
Comment by Draznnl Wednesday, Jan 19, 11 @ 11:23 am
This is exactly why I voted against the recall referendum. There’s always going to be someone wanting the recall whoever happens to be governor.
Comment by Cheryl44 Wednesday, Jan 19, 11 @ 11:23 am
The recall provision was highly touted by Quinn as a significant reform.
Why make fun of those seeking to implement that significant reform? Let them learn the hard way what reform really means in the eyes of those running this State!
Comment by Louis G. Atsaves Wednesday, Jan 19, 11 @ 11:30 am
Long time reader, first time commenter.
I tried to tell everyone I knew to vote recall down in 2010. I’m for a recall provision when it’s warranted (right now, it isn’t), but the way it’s been implemented in Illinois sounds like it will make it near impossible for recall to actually work. Would 20 legislators - 10 of each party - really have had the spline to stand up to even Blago prior to his arrest, knowing he’d almost surely retaliate somehow? I’d like to wish I could say yes and be sure, but I’m really not. And that’s not even counting the petition requiremens…
Comment by lollinois Wednesday, Jan 19, 11 @ 11:41 am
==Quinn must go. And he must go now.==
Wasn’t it Mark Steyn who used to conclude similar tales of people fantasyzing about popular upheavals that would usher in some utopian new age, “May we begin looting now?”
Comment by Pat Robertson Wednesday, Jan 19, 11 @ 11:41 am
Well, it was Quinn who demanded recall be an option.
Let the will of the people be the law of the land.
Comment by piling on Wednesday, Jan 19, 11 @ 11:45 am
elections have consequences. At what point does Illinois get chicago fatigue and start voting for people who don’t live in the city??
Comment by shore Wednesday, Jan 19, 11 @ 11:55 am
Aldyth writes: “Has it occured to them that if Quinn were recalled, Sheilah Simon becomes governor? And that will change policy how?
Silly season never quite ends. ”
I believe that the law requires a special election to elect a new governor should the governor be recalled. I can’t put my pointer on it right now, but I’m sure someone will chime in to prove/disprove the point.
Comment by TimB Wednesday, Jan 19, 11 @ 11:56 am
I, too, was against recall simply because by the time the whole process actuallly happened it will be almost time for the next election, and you will have expended a ton of time, money an energy for a worse process than the one we already have — elections and/or impeachment.
Lots of things sound great until you start thinking about what it really takes to make them happen.
Comment by Lakefront Liberal Wednesday, Jan 19, 11 @ 11:57 am
(d) The Governor is immediately removed upon certification of the recall election results if a majority of the electors voting on the question vote to recall the Governor. If the Governor is removed, then (i) an Acting Governor determined under subsection (a) of Section 6 of Article V shall serve until the Governor elected at the special successor election is qualified and (ii) the candidate who receives the highest number of votes in the special successor election is elected Governor for the balance of the term.
http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Illinois_Governor_Recall_Amendment_%282010%29,_constitutional_text_changes
Comment by Bigtwich Wednesday, Jan 19, 11 @ 12:13 pm
And they think Shelia will undo any of it???
Comment by D.P. Gumby Wednesday, Jan 19, 11 @ 12:21 pm
Regardless of the merits/odds of a successful recall effort, let’s get the facts straight. The Lt. Governor does not become Governor if the Governor is recalled.
As Bigtwich points out, the Lt. Gov. only serves temporarily until a new governor is chosen in a special election.
Comment by Just the Facts Wednesday, Jan 19, 11 @ 12:31 pm
Given the prerequisites of the recal process, it is unlikely that any governor will ever be recalled under this new provision.
Comment by titan Wednesday, Jan 19, 11 @ 12:41 pm
There are elections every two years. They never end. You don’t want to go that California path of endless referendums.
Recall was dopey when Quinn was proposing it.
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Jan 19, 11 @ 12:48 pm
The Stupid … It burns!
Comment by Northsider Wednesday, Jan 19, 11 @ 1:07 pm
When talking to my non-political pals, I often use the phrase “to the victor go the spoils”. They don’t understand it and often wonder how I, as a Republican, can say that when a Democrat is in power. I watched our national party win bigtime in 2002 and 2004 and never took one bit of input from the Dems. The Illinois Dems have runs things for eight years and, even in the worst economic and budget climate in generations, we couldn’t beat Quinn and we couldn’t wrest control away from Madigan and Cullerton. Quinn took full advantage of the end-of-session rules and ensured the tax hike would pass. As much as I hate the tax increase, what can I do? I can work harder in 2012 and 2014, travel to the suburbs and Cook County and stump for my guys.
Comment by Team Sleep Wednesday, Jan 19, 11 @ 3:23 pm
–=I can work harder in 2012 and 2014, travel to the suburbs and Cook County and stump for my guys.–
Good idea. The lack of a ground game in much of Cook is astounding. Believe me, there are plenty of potential GOP voters in even what are considered the most liberal townships. They just need a little face-to-face customer service.
I wouldn’t ignore most of the North or the Southwest sides of the city, either. The strategy certainly worked for Edgar when he won Cook County.
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Jan 19, 11 @ 3:30 pm
“The strategy certainly worked for Edgar when he won Cook County”
against Dawn Clark Netsch!
Comment by What the . . . Wednesday, Jan 19, 11 @ 3:40 pm
–”The strategy certainly worked for Edgar when he won Cook County”
against Dawn Clark Netsch!–
I’d suggest that if the Illinois GOP had tried it last year, a historic year of gains for the GOP nationwide, against a rather challenged Pat Quinn carrying the baggage of Blago, one-party rule and an enormous deficit, we might be reaping the benefits of the comprehensive Brady budget plan right now.
But hey, it’s more fun to search stock photos of topless chicks and throw them on the Chicago GOP website than it is to knock on doors.
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Jan 19, 11 @ 3:50 pm
Too funny–the man’s barely asserted the words “So help me God” with his hand on the Bible and some big shot know it all-type (and obviously a highly impatient, “my way or the highway” conservative on the extreme end in his views, to be kind) suburban editor proclaims infallibly “there is nothing left to see” as to Pat Quinn having already accomplished or further accomplishing ANYthing worthwhile as Governor! Recall must be used responsibly and as a last resort by the citizenry–not vindictively. It’s like a shotgun–you’d better know HOW to use it and use it only when you have to and for the right reasons–but not as a means of reckless destruction!
Comment by Just The Way It Is One Wednesday, Jan 19, 11 @ 4:28 pm
It would be fun fun fun to recall him, but then we get Shiela Simon as governor. God knows what that would mean.
Comment by park Wednesday, Jan 19, 11 @ 6:24 pm
Neil A. Wurzer, purportedly of Olympia Fields, Ill., according to his Change.org profile, says the governor “has failed to protect the fiscal integrity of the state” and is “governing against the will of the people.”
***
The two phrases in quotation marks would appear to be contradictory.
Comment by Boone Logan Square Wednesday, Jan 19, 11 @ 6:50 pm
=== I’d suggest that if the Illinois GOP had tried it last year, a historic year of gains for the GOP nationwide, against a rather challenged Pat Quinn carrying the baggage of Blago, one-party rule and an enormous deficit, we might be reaping the benefits of the comprehensive Brady budget plan right now. ===
1) The first mistake of the GOP and their puppets was to throw their lot in with Forest Claypool. That not only drove up Democratic turnout in Cook County, but put the GOP in the contradictory position of dissing their own local candidate in favor of “independent” Claypool. Imagine if the GOP had put that money into their own ground game instead of Claypool’s pocket?
2) Reaping the benefits of the Brady Plan? You’re joking, right? Texas is implementing the Brady Plan…10% budget cuts that will really only cut their deficit in half. If you think cutting state funding for schools by 1/3 and shifting it onto the backs of property taxes is a good idea…well, it sure as heck doesn’t save the taxpayers a dime.
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Thursday, Jan 20, 11 @ 7:55 am