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In which I agree with Todd Maisch

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Illinois

The incumbent Republican, who is running for re-election in November, calls the $38.5 billion spending plan a true bipartisan compromise and a “good day for the people of Illinois.” But one thing noticeably left off the negotiation table this year was his “turn around agenda,” a list of business and economic reforms he once campaigned on.

When asked why he dropped his prior demands for lower property taxes, worker compensation rates and pension reforms at Monday’s budget signing, he echoed lawmakers saying, “Not everyone got what they wanted.” […]

Illinois Chamber of Commerce President Todd Maisch says he’s disappointed Governor Rauner let business reforms fall to the wayside but understands why he did.

“Unfortunately, this is a short-term solution that addresses no new revenues this year, somewhat spending restraint, but only compared to General Assemblies in the past,” Maisch said. “I think he made the right political choice to go ahead and say, ‘Let’s get as close to a balanced budget this year as we can and take those others issues to the people.’ Voters are going to go to the polls in November and voters will decide where they want to go.”

Agreed. If Rauner is reelected, he’ll have a true mandate. Everybody now clearly knows what he wants to accomplish.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 1:05 pm

Comments

I’d agree people would know what they are getting if they re-elect him. That’s why I believe (hope,pray) he isn’t.

Comment by Perrid Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 1:11 pm
Serious question. Is Rauner going to run a single TV ad on the items included in the “turnaround agenda”?

Comment by Anon Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 1:14 pm
Not sure if a Rauner reelection equals a mandate or if voters simply want divided powers

Comment by We'll See Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 1:16 pm
He may have a mandate but does that get him 30 & 60? How is he going to peel off Dems to support measures that unions vehemently oppose?

Although perhaps union money might not be as plentiful going forward if Janus goes as expected.

Comment by Fax Machine Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 1:20 pm
Rich, I don’t necessarily disagree with Todd’s point and your view of that. There is definitely more clarity now on Rauner’s vision than there was in 2014.

But the number one question that the Governor is going to have to address is “if re-elected, how will the next four years be any different than this four years?” and if his answer is “people now know where I stand and they didn’t before” is kind of setting himself up for a trap that his first election was a bit of a con job on the people.

Comment by Juice Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 1:20 pm
“Not everyone got what they wanted.” Perhaps if Rauner would have recognized this in 2015, he might have built up some trust and good will where he could have slowly pushed for and maybe even received “some” of his TA items. Instead, he went for burn it to the ground. How did that work out for you?

Comment by Steve Rogers Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 1:21 pm
Based on his previous campaign, he could shelve the 1.4% destructive TA agenda during the election and then go back to his crazy, destructive, and dysfunctional ways of 2015 - 17.

Comment by Duopoly (blocked?) Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 1:23 pm
mandate? If Governor Rauner squeaks out a victory in what will be the most expensive gubernatorial election in the nation’s history, and Ds maintain or expand current majorities, at best what the Governor can claim is that voters are happy with the status quo and expect the Gov, legislative Ds and Rs to work together. Simply winning does not give the Governor nor his allies a “mandate”. I suppose I’d feel differently if Rs flipped one of the chambers and while anything has and can happen, today that seems farfetched.

Comment by Dozer Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 1:24 pm
===Simply winning does not give the Governor nor his allies a “mandate”===

Given all that will be thrown at him, a Rauner victory would certainly be telling to what IL voters want.

Comment by People Over Parties Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 1:29 pm
Doze, Do you remember the scores of every world series game the Yankees won?
Winning is a mandate. Period.

Comment by A guy Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 1:33 pm
I agree with Dozer

A Rauner victory and == the Governor can claim that voters are happy with the status quo and expect the Gov, legislative Ds and Rs to work together. ==

Absolutely not a mandate for holding future budgets hostage to union busting proposals.

Comment by Hamlet's Ghost Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 1:36 pm
===“Not everyone got what they wanted.” […]===

Didn’t those who wanted to continue the status quo get what they wanted? And I mean since Rauner’s election.

Comment by Louis G. Atsaves Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 1:37 pm
===Winning is a mandate.===

… and yet, when Rauner needed 60 and 30, Rauner got zero reforms and signed a budget validating and certifying thstv32% tax increase he (Rauner) said was unneeded until he signed a budget that required it.

Here’s the thing about mandates;

Winning is a mandate that allows the winner… to work with other winners… to shape policy.

It’s 60, 30, Mansion.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 1:38 pm
One possibility is that a Rauner re-election would be a mandate for the Governor to let Jim Durkin drive the IL GOP bus.

Comment by Hamlet's Ghost Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 1:43 pm
Wanna be reelected?
Tell me what you accomplished for me.
Rauner can’t do that.
So he hasn’t earned reelection.

We elect on promises.
We reelect on accomplishments.
The exceptions to this are when the alternative looks worse than the incumbent.

Voters are smarter than what candidates think.

Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 1:44 pm
Rauner caused massive damage for a lesson he should have heeded at the beginning. Pass budgets and work on non-budget items separately. Accept and work on reform offers. Passing budgets is of primary importance. But he thought he could ride in here like a corporate CEO and slap people into submission.

Will Rauner run on attacking unions? He should. It’s central to his plans.

Comment by Grandson of Man Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 1:52 pm
Rich and Maisch are right on this one. If Rauner wins again, regardless of how close the election is, it is a mandate for his agenda.

Social services and public education beware.

Comment by JS Mill Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 2:10 pm
=Rauner needed 60 and 30=

Rauner needs 1 and 1. If he could get the 1 in the House to go along or be replaced, the 1 in the Senate has shown he’s willing to make deals.

I know you like to say 60 and 30 as much as possible, but it doesn’t matter when bills can’t clear rules or assignments. 60 and 30 is easy compared to 1+1.

=Winning is a mandate that allows the winner… to work with other winners… to shape policy.=

That’s the more important point. Even if you are a fervent believer in the ideas of the turnaround agenda, you have to wonder what evidence exists that 4 more years would accomplish any of it.

Maybe the fervent TA fans feel that Pritzker represents the opposite policy goals, so it would be easy to pick Rauner.

But for most of the population, you can get the old status quo back by voting for Madigan’s candidate, or you can vote for a Don Quixote type incumbent who can maybe sell you on his ideas, but will likely leave you with something worse than the old status quo.

Comment by m Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 2:49 pm
Whatever move Rauner makes will always be too little too late for his party.

At this point much of Deep Downstate Republicans would elect an ear of corn over Rauner.

Comment by Anon Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 3:28 pm
I don’t think he will get re-elected, I don’t think people are clear on what he wants to accomplish, and I don’t think a victory for either side will be a mandate per se.

Rauner is running on “Not Madigan” and Pritzker is running on “Not Rauner” just as Bruce won with “Not Quinn.”

That didn’t amount to much of a popular mandate for the Rauner Agenda.

In fact I think the Rauner Agenda - tax hikes in exchange for a bunch of anti-union measures - polled around 7 percent.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 4:10 pm
Don’t underestimate the fervor over property taxes in the collar counties and the more distant suburbs in Cook County. Top that with a candidate on the other side pushing a graduated State income tax…you’ve got a path.

Comment by A guy Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 4:15 pm
===..,you’ve got a path.===

With 26% approval, the Quincy Veterans Home, the signing of a budget that includes the 32% tax increase…

That path is getting narrower by the day.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 4:18 pm
The only way Rauner gets reelected is if JB has several colossal missteps.

The only people Rauner has energized are those opposed to him.

I hope JB is up to the task.

Comment by SSL Tuesday, Jun 5, 18 @ 7:28 pm
Rauner has less than 22 weeks to sell his 44 point turnaround agenda. That’s two a week

Comment by Rabid Wednesday, Jun 6, 18 @ 8:15 am
“Serious question. Is Rauner going to run a single TV ad on the items included in the “turnaround agenda”? ”
Only if it features either Rod Blagojevich or Mike Madigan.

Comment by Streamwood Retiree Wednesday, Jun 6, 18 @ 9:21 am