Yet another bizarre year of Illinois politics has been
duly capped by Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s recent stated opposition to a
constitutional convention.
Only in Illinois, perhaps, could voters be shocked
into voting “Yes” on the convention referendum because their
own governor strongly urged a “No” vote.
The big business and big labor opponents of the
constitutional convention referendum surely cringed when the governor told
reporters last week he wanted people to vote “No.”
The reality is the current state constitution is
riddled with gigantic loopholes, and Gov. Blagojevich has taken full
advantage of all of them. Blagojevich has abused his veto powers by doing
things never imagined by the constitution’s drafters.
Blagojevich has expanded the concept of executive
orders to the point where some of them look a whole lot like laws, and he
strongly believes (supported by a too-broad reading of the constitution)
that he can create state programs without the General Assembly’s
approval.
Recent polls all show Blagojevich’s job approval
rating at historic lows, with 60 to 70 percent saying they disapprove of
the way he does his job. The feds are chasing him like a cat with a new
toy; his only major legislative ally, Senate President Emil Jones, has
retired; Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley called him “cuckoo” in
public; and almost nobody else wants to get anywhere near him.
Despite the polling, the House Republicans played ball
with Blagojevich all year, to the chagrin of most House Democrats who
opposed the governor at almost every turn. At one point last summer
Blagojevich told reporters he was frightened by the prospect that his own
party could win more House seats come November.
But you’d never know the House Republicans were
the governor’s buddies by the way they ran their campaigns this fall.
“Blagojevich, Bad” was their simple, and pretty-much-only
message in every race.
Over and over and over again, they pounded the message
into voters’ heads that a vote for a House Democratic candidate was a
vote for “Bad Rod.”
But it was the House Republicans, and not the
governor’s mortal enemy, Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan,
who trusted Blagojevich to honestly dole out contracts for one of the
largest construction programs in Illinois history. The Republicans did this
despite the fact that U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald is investigating
Blagojevich and has succeeded in convicting people close to him for
“pay to play” politics.
The irony of the Republicans’ subsequent
campaign message that a vote for them was a check on Blagojevich’s
power and corruption was deeper than a southern Illinois coal mine, but it
was all they had. The governor must have gotten a big chuckle out of all
this.
Imagine the entertainment value for Blagojevich while
he watched his fatally wounded public image used to defeat House Democratic
candidates — who, if elected, would ally with Speaker Madigan against
him — in order to elect Republicans who would work with him.
It’s also weird that people like myself who
pushed for a “Yes” vote on the constitutional convention
referendum were giddy as school girls when the governor urged a
“No” vote last week. After the governor made his vote
“Vote No” comments I wrote this on my blog: “If he was
standing here right now I’d kiss him.”
Rich Miller
publishes Capitol Fax, a daily
political newsletter, and thecapitolfaxblog.com.
This article appears in Oct 30 – Nov 5, 2008.
