Rauner on his high horse, where he’s most comfortable
Gov. Bruce Rauner, who demagogued his way into office on the back of an Illinois income tax increase, resaddled that trusted pony Wednesday for another campaign ride.
The governor could barely contain his phony outrage on the eve of an Illinois House effort to override his vetoes of a state budget that gifts him with both a functioning government and a re-election platform.
“A disaster” for the people of the state of Illinois, the billionaire governor said of the budget that raises the individual income tax rate to 4.95 percent — slightly less than what it was when he first got out his checkbook to make this state his grandest acquisition.
The 32 percent jump is not just a slap in the face, but a “two-by-four smacked across the forehead,” the governor said.
The man does know how to play to the crowd. Too bad he doesn’t know how to lead.
OPINION
The odd thing is that this is essentially the same tax increase the governor campaigned against in 2014, and in between being against it then and being against it now, he was actually in favor of it — as long as he could shirk the blame and get some of his pet ideas approved in return.
All along he kept spending the money as if the state still had the revenue from the income tax hike he helped kill.
In the process, Illinois ran up a $15 billion backlog of unpaid bills.
Thanks to 15 Republican legislators in the Illinois House and one in the Senate who joined with Democrats to try to stop the bleeding in a Rauner-led government, a partial fix to the state’s 2- and-a-half-year budget impasse could be at hand.
I’m not predicting the outcome of that override vote, having at least temporarily relearned my lesson after the surprise Sunday approval of the budget measures.
Those Republicans were real profiles in political courage, in my opinion, who cast their votes knowing the blowback they would face. Sure, most of them may have been motivated by the need to fund state institutions in their districts like universities and prisons, but that’s a genuine need.
The “15” have surely faced even greater pressures since the vote. Rauner said he was doing “everything possible” to keep his vetoes from being overridden. He wouldn’t explain what that included.
For anyone looking for cover to justify a flip-flop on the tax hike vote, Moody’s Investor Services provided some late Wednesday with a warning they might downgrade the state’s credit rating even if the budget goes through.
Moody’s cited concerns over the state’s unfunded pension debt and the bill backlog, neither of which are solved by the budget deal.
The ratings agency said it would take 30 to 90 days to review where the state stands, which I took as an indication we’ve got another month to show we’re making progress on those other fronts.
For those who would use that as an excuse to walk back their previous vote, I believe the downgrade will be swift and certain if there’s no budget in place this week.
If the House indeed votes to override Rauner’s vetoes with Republican help, there could not be a clearer repudiation of the governor’s approach to governing.
But Rauner still has some cards to play, including a lot of money to tell this story his way, with an emphasis on his favorite hobgoblin, House Speaker Michael Madigan.
Rauner would have you believe all those Republicans somehow fell under Madigan’s Svengali-like control, rather than being clear-minded individuals who surveyed the damage in their home districts and decided the standoff needed to end.
“This isn’t about politics. This is about doin’ the right thing for the people,” Rauner told reporters in the back room of a Hegewisch tavern when someone suggested this works well for him.
Great analysis from a liberal Democrat who has always been a mouth piece for the Democratic Machine in Chicago/Cook/Illinois. I also believe he has family members on the payroll of some of our local reps, but never discloses that in his "hard hitting pieces". I stopped buying and reading Chicago newspapers awhile ago.
ReplyDeleteWhen you see the power Madigan holds to make these local pols, and more importantly break these local pols it is obvious to anyone reasonable that he controls them. Brown seems to ignore this. Madigan decides WHO runs in Districts. Our own little gem, Fran "the Secretary" Hurley was simply installed into that position by the machine. She wasnteven a college graduate. She represents me? She represents Madigan and the public sector unions. She doesn't give a crap about me or my business.
ReplyDeleteMost people don't have college degrees I love how all you people with degrees whine when someone without one gets promoted or a better position than you.
DeleteMost college degrees are overrated.
DeleteI can only assume that the editor of this blog is a benefactor of some democrat politician, i.e job, pension, or whatever tidbit they were given in exchange for their vote. Unfortunately those items given to the loyal surfs who support their masters have to be eventually paid for by all of us. The problem is the rest of us are tired of paying for your gifts.
ReplyDeleteyou know what they say about people that assume?
DeleteWill the last person out of Illinois please turn off the lights
ReplyDeleteYeah according to left wing Mark "the common man" Brown - it is "courageous" to raise everyones taxes in Illinois. What a load of crap. Moody's will downgrade us even with this crap spending and tax orgy they just approved. Because as they objectively point out, it does not fix the PROBLEMS.
ReplyDeleteWhy print anything from that libtard asshole who hates middle class America? His wife is a VERY HIGHLY VALUED member of the dart administration, don't you know? dart for mayor? I think not.
ReplyDeleteAnd when he writes a column about Dart he doesn't even disclose that information. I am starting to believe that Trump calling it "fake news" is not just hyperbole. Look at all the Democrat operatives who now work for "news" magazines. It is like a revolving door. Flannery, Brown, Cuomo, Stephanopoulos, Chris Matthews, and don't forget their spouses. Many work for clearly left wing groups and have even run for office as Democrats.
DeleteMajor conflict of interest. Readers have no idea.
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