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* I’m not sure what the first sentence has anything to do with the second sentence…
Funny how Blagojevich was excoriated for using various budgetary gimmicks to produce a “balanced” spending plan while not increasing taxes.
Blagojevich gets booted out of office and lawmakers still use the same gimmicks to proclaim a balanced budget while not raising taxes.
As painful as it is to write this, it increasingly looks like Blagojevich wasn’t the problem. At least he was far from the only one.
Besides the red herring non-connection to Blagojevich’s ouster from office, budget “gimmicks” have been around Illinois politics forever. Jim Thompson’s budget director, Dr. Bob Mandeville, was infamous for his gimmicks, to name just one.
And overtime sessions? Like Pat Quinn, Edgar went into overtime during his first year on the job.
That’s no excuse for either the ridiculous gimmicks in this budget nor the overtime, of course. I’m sick of all of it as well.
But implying that Blagojevich wasn’t the problem is like saying the Titanic’s captain wasn’t to blame because icebergs are always in those waters. It’s how you get around the icebergs that matter.
* Speaking of Rod Blagojevich and red herrings, the indicted disgrace was in full form yesterday…
On his Chicago radio show Sunday afternoon, Blagojevich said he would start by reducing administrative costs. Blagojevich also said he would offer state employees early retirement, privatize the Illinois State Lottery and close corporate tax loopholes. Blagojevich said he wouldn’t raise taxes.
And we’d still be in a gigantic budgetary hole.
More…
“I was hijacked from office. My successor who broke his promise to the people and proposed a 50 percent income tax increase just brought us 45,000 video poker machines,” said Blagojevich. “In less than six months, Pat Quinn has really stuck it to the average working person.”
Quinn, who is traveling in Iraq with several other governors, responded via conference call…
“I didn’t make any promises with my predecessor; he can say whatever he wants to say,” Quinn said. “What I do believe in is the men and women who are here in Iraq serving our country serving all of us in the land of Lincoln. I think they are much better role models for the people in Illinois than my predecessor who is under indictment, who disgraced himseld and disgraced our state.”
* Blagojevich, by the way, is losing yet another attorney…
One team member, attorney Giel Stein, wants off the case and may leave after the Wednesday hearing. The hallway whispers are that he will be replaced by one of Chicago’s most colorful defense attorneys. But that has not been confirmed.
* Related…
* Gov likes what he sees in Iraq visit
* Gov. Pat Quinn travels to Iraq
* Gov. Quinn spends weekend visiting troops in Iraq
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 9:44 am
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As a Republican, my biggest fear right now is that blago will look so stupid, so foolish, so out there that by the time we get to trial the dems will be able to just dismiss him as the uber uber uber uber crazy uncle rather than the governor that all of them endorsed twice and who was a leader in that party. I want him to be very much in play for the election next year, not so wacky that people just laugh and move on.
Comment by shore Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 9:59 am
Blago used to hide behind children,elderly and the disabled and now Quinn is hiding behind our service men and women. Quinn did learn a few things from blago.
Comment by fed up Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 10:02 am
Delightful.
Mr. Blagojevich speaks.
I want him to speak. And speak. And speak.
I want him to remind everyone what kind of man was nominated twice by the Illinois Democratic Party, elected twice thanks to their efforts, and empowered for seven long years while committing administrative malfiesance, ethics violations, PR grandstanding, breaking campaign cash records, mortgaging every state asset, and driving the Democrats into a cowering position the entire time, (that is, when they weren’t trying to get him elected).
Speak Rod! Spew your nonsense. Tell your lies. By doing so, perhaps you are educating Illinois voters why they should never accept any nomination from any party as some kind of seal of approval. Any political party willing to sell it’s soul to a twit like Rod Blagojevich deserves to be run out of business.
Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 10:05 am
Rich; your summary of the budget mess is superb. Unfortunately, we are all in the can that keeps getting kicked down the road. But why is Governor Quinn touring Iraq instead of attending the National Governors Conference? Short term and especially Long term, the IL budget & business issues ahead are horrific.
Do you see Anyone emerging who looks further ahead for IL business beyond the next crisis?
Comment by North of I-80 Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 10:09 am
I disagree, fed up, I see a man with a lot of genuine respect and concern for our service men and woman in Quinn.
Where with Rod, I saw a sad display of using people to try and get what he wanted. I seriously believe only one thing ever matter to Rod and that’d be Rod.
Shore, I know better than to open my fingers here on this with you, but I have seen nothing in the last six months that would make me think the state would be any better off being under control of the Republicans. I’ve always saw the Rod issue as the Rod issue and not the Democrats issue.
I’m unhappy with both parties at present but I don’t see dumping Dems next year as a big solution to what’s going on.
Comment by Cindy Lou Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 10:16 am
“Speak Rod! Spew your nonsense. Tell your lies.”
What exactly did he say that was a lie?
He explained what he would do. He does not favor 45,000 video poker machines.
The only thing there would be a dipute about is whether Quinn pledged not to raise the income tax before he was sworn in.
Comment by True Observer Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 10:25 am
If Quinn did “pledge not to raise the income tax before he was sworn in,” he must have kept that a huge secret, because I sure don’t recall him doing so. If anything, when he was first sworn in, he seemed to go out of his way not to make ANY promises.
Comment by Secret Square Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 10:31 am
A Springfield station talk show discussed this morning that only pro-Blago callers are allowed on air, during his show. And only calls from the 312 area code are even permitted to have a chance to talk. His inaccessability continues…
Comment by Capitol View Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 10:32 am
CV, that would REALLY limit the number of potential callers since the 312 area code is a lot smaller than it used to be (it covers the Loop and not much else, I think).
Comment by Secret Square Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 10:36 am
===What exactly did he say that was a lie?===
How about this whopper?
===“I was hijacked from office.”===
Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 10:42 am
We lose stimulus money next year, too.
Comment by wordslinger Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 10:44 am
“===“I was hijacked from office.”===”
A subjective statement, not a statement of fact.
Time to rent Roshomon again.
Comment by True Observer Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 10:46 am
Looks to me like he believed it was a factual statement.
Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 10:47 am
==How about this whopper?==
So why is that a lie? Do you think he left voluntarily?
Poor use of hyperbole maybe but not a lie.
Comment by Bill Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 10:58 am
Really, people? Rod was what he was - a selfish, narcisstic, power hungry politician. Not much different than a fair amount of other politicians out there in positions high and low. Don’t even try to argue that point. Now, would other politicians do what Rod is accused of doing? Probably not. That is beside the point though. It is crystal clear that Rod and his ‘antics’ were NOT the problem in Illinois. Someday you will all have to brush that massive chip off your shoulders and realize this! Don’t go blaming Pat Quinn either. Maybe he’s not the best Governor…time will tell there, but it is intuitively obvious that the people in our legislative chambers are the source of our woes. Just once I’d like to see the members of the House and Senate do something that was truly beneficial for the people they were voted to represent instead of just doing things that either keep them in office or potentially advance their careers. The legislative branch of Illinois government is a complete and total joke. You could put God Almighty in the Governor’s Office and *still* nothing would get accomplished in our state because the complete waste of space that is our legislature would prevent that from happening. It drives me crazy that people don’t realize the legislature is the problem. Open your eyes everyone. I just wish we had some REAL leadership from the House and Senate for once. There is no reason things should be the way they are right now and you as a voter in this state should be angry about it. I sure am!
Comment by Come On Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 11:09 am
When Rod claims that he was “hijacked from office” that would indicate a belief that he was removed from office illegally — hijacking is, after all, an illegal act comparable to kidnapping. He’s comparing the impeachment action of the GA (undertaken in accordance with the state constitution) to that of someone who holds a gun to a pilot’s head and orders him to fly to Cuba, or tosses a truck driver out on the street and steals his truck. In my book that would qualify as an untrue statement, i.e., a lie.
Comment by Secret Square Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 11:34 am
So why is that a lie?
OH Bill! Rod speaks and you seem to lose your inner compass all over again!
Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 12:52 pm
Was Blagojevich THE problem? No, but it’s not a stretch to argue that he was not an aberration. Btw, colliding with an iceberg is not necessarily the mark of a bad captain and it’s not necessarily enough to sink a ship. The Titanic collision was made deadly by speed and a lack of imagination. Designers never imagined such a compromising breach and saw no reason to seal the bulkheads. Seems to apply here. The legislature is speeding through this post-Blagojevich period, as though a simple amputation is all that’s needed, and have refused to seal the bulkheads.
Comment by Suzanne Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 1:08 pm
as a fan of irony, you have to appreciate the Don and Roma show, on WLS, being the stageing ground for a call for ethics reform.
Comment by Ghost Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 4:00 pm
I thought we already cut administrative costs by eliminating the office of Lt. Governor…… didn’t seem to help.
Comment by Plutocrat03 Monday, Jul 20, 09 @ 4:52 pm