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* Sun-Times, September 1…
A man of peace appears to have helped make some peace between the state’s top political adversaries, teaching Gov. Bruce Rauner and House Speaker Mike Madigan they needed “to talk to each other and trust each other.”
Cardinal Blase Cupich, who quietly became a major player in a rare school funding compromise, says he urged all the politicians involved – Democrat and Republican alike — “to call their better selves and their better angels.”
“I’ve said all along, just because someone is your opponent, doesn’t mean they’re your enemies,” Cupich told the Chicago Sun-Times. “There’s a difference between your opponent and your enemy.”
The influential head of Chicago’s Catholic Archdiocese told the Sun-Times on Thursday that he believes the Republican governor and Democratic House speaker in particular did learn a lesson in trust, citing the agreement, which puts new money for education into the state’s poorest and neediest districts but also includes a private school scholarship and tax credit program that some have criticized.
* Sun-Times, eight days earlier…
Rauner privately warned his remaining staff of “enemies” — everyone from Democrats, media, bloggers and “people who shouldn’t be our enemies, including people who used to work for this administration.”
* Tribune, same day…
But in the earlier conference call to staff, Rauner maintained there was a larger, even more encompassing messaging mission — the need to counter his “enemies.”
“The reality is in addition to the enemies on the other side of the aisle (Democrats), we have enemies in the media and enemies who should be on our side, some of them former members of the administration,” the source recounted Rauner as saying.
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Sep 7, 17 @ 1:23 pm
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How long till Cupich is on Rauner’s enemies list?
Comment by BuckinIrish Thursday, Sep 7, 17 @ 1:30 pm
With all due respect to The Cardinal, just because someone disagrees with you does not make them your opponent.
Governing is like one of those group projects you were assigned in junior high, only with 12 million partners.
Comment by Thomas Paine Thursday, Sep 7, 17 @ 1:30 pm
He’s worked long and hard to make those enemies.
Comment by Keyrock Thursday, Sep 7, 17 @ 1:31 pm
Unlike Rauner, Cupich is a gifted politician.
In this case, he knew that the Chicago Democratic leaders wanted this tax credit program as much as any Republican wanted it. And the Democrats were more than happy to let Rauner have this “win.” Rauner had managed to put himself in such a hole that anything, anything at all, would be counted as a win. He took the only life preserver available and it turned out to be an anchor. Lol.
For the Democrats, it’s called having your cake and eating it too. They got to do Cupich a huge favor and let Rauner face the blow back.
Comment by 47th Ward Thursday, Sep 7, 17 @ 1:34 pm
We talk about enemies a lot more than we used to.
Comment by Josh Lyman Thursday, Sep 7, 17 @ 1:38 pm
If the Cardinal wants to take credit for education funding, fine, but then the governor can’t claim any big wins.
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Sep 7, 17 @ 1:57 pm
With Madigan, it’s just politics.
With Rauner, it’s just business.
Until you can bridge that gap …
Comment by RNUG Thursday, Sep 7, 17 @ 2:06 pm
I think the Cardinal succeeded in getting something he wanted by leveraging this crisis. IMHO, the GOP GA leaders, not the Cardinal got the ball over the line.
Comment by Norseman Thursday, Sep 7, 17 @ 2:06 pm
How Nixonian.
Comment by Archiesmom Thursday, Sep 7, 17 @ 2:19 pm
Honestly, how else would one describe a Goldberg post-ousting?
Comment by It's Demmer Time Thursday, Sep 7, 17 @ 2:19 pm
Please Cardinal Cupich. The only “lesson in trust” Rauner learned is that no one trusts him. This deal got done in spite of him, not because.
Comment by Cubs in '16 Thursday, Sep 7, 17 @ 2:22 pm
This was not Cardinal Cupich’s project, the project proceeded him by many years. The Catholic Conference of Illinois which is the political lobbying wing of Illinois bishops and lay Catholics in Illinois has supported one or another voucher proposal in Illinois for years. They just hit the jack pot this year with situating their bill within the framework of the evidence based funding reform proposal. In fact they supported then Senator Meeks voucher bill in 2010 that failed to pass the House after passing the Senate. Speaker Madigan supported a more direct voucher bill back then that was not based on tax credits.
The idea that the Cardinal brought together Governor Rauner and the Speaker on this issue is absurd they both have supported private school vouchers in the past, so this is nothing new. The difference was simply that the voucher tax credit add on to the evidence based funding bill provided an opportunity for both conservative Democrats and Republicans to save face and prevent a fiscal fiasco for many school districts dependent of State aid without reserves.
Comment by Rod Thursday, Sep 7, 17 @ 2:35 pm
But I now sense a lot less anger when Rauner calls everyone his enemy. The Cardinal’s advise had an affect.
Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Sep 7, 17 @ 3:03 pm
I’m trying to decide the silliest part of this story: the cardinal’s surprisingly lack of humility and strong naivete or the reporter for peddling it.
Rauner needed a face-saving out over the FUBAR miscalculation of his AV. Otherwise, no money for public schools, at all.
Throwing a relatively small tax credit to benefit primarily Catholic schools was the out that was acceptable to the Four Irish Tenors, all Catholic school alums.
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Sep 7, 17 @ 3:34 pm
I light of the 32% tax rate increase the credits are very small.
Comment by cannon649 Thursday, Sep 7, 17 @ 8:52 pm