Here’s an idea: Instead of reluctantly
agreeing to run for governor as a means of rescuing the Republican
Party and then trying to survive four years without damaging his
good reputation, how about if Jim Edgar gets back into politics
with enthusiasm, determined to make life better in Illinois? Edgar
is the one potential gubernatorial candidate who has accumulated
enough political capital to achieve real reform if he were to
choose to use his considerable reputation to improve education and
health care. He knows how to get things done, and he knows what
needs to be done.
There is no indication, of course, that Edgar
has anything like this in mind. He has rarely spoken out on issues
since leaving office. There is little recent precedent for anyone
to run for office in Illinois to accomplish lasting change, so it
may not have occurred to him. Most likely, the reason Edgar is
toying with a comeback bid is that early retirement is getting
boring, or he wants to prove to himself that he can still win.
But it could be that Edgar is bothered by the
fact that although everyone remembers that he was a pretty good
governor — especially compared with those who followed him into
that office — nobody can remember anything he did. The Jim Edgar
Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Conservation Area, northwest of
Springfield, is the only thing I know with his name on it. Edgar was an
honest caretaker. But if he wants a lasting legacy, he needs another
shot.
During a panel discussion earlier this year,
Mike Lawrence — Edgar’s former top aide, now director
of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute — had this to say
about the current governor: “Will the governor and lawmakers
become statesmen who safeguard Illinois’ future even if it
means jeopardizing their own, or will they repeat the sins of the
past that helped create this mess?” Lawrence elaborated in a
March newspaper column. Politicians, he wrote, “must concede
we need higher state taxes to end our undue reliance on local
property taxes and provide the additional $1.5 billion required to
adequately support students in impoverished districts. If they are
afraid to boost our taxes, they should quit portraying themselves
as reform-committed.” I hope that Edgar is listening to his
former staffer, who has grown wise over the years.
Edgar knows this issue. In the mid-1990s, he
embraced school funding reform and came close to passing it, only
to be blocked by the Senate president, a Republican. The current
Senate president, Emil Jones, calls the current school funding
system “outrageous” and wants to overhaul it. He would
make a formidable ally for a progressive, reform-minded governor,
were Edgar to step up to that plate again.
The need for a tax increase and tax reform
goes well beyond education. Health care needs grow faster than the
state’s ability to keep up with them. Illinois hospitals and
nursing homes suffer from some of the lowest Medicaid reimbursement
rates in the nation. And there is nothing left to help the 2
million Illinoisans who have no health insurance. Affordable
housing, neglected children, and environmental protection get scant
attention in a perpetually cash-strapped Illinois.
Groundwork has been laid. The bipartisan
Center for Tax and Budget Accountability has spent the past two
years educating Illinoisans about the inadequacy of the
state’s flat-rate income tax, which forces too much reliance
on the local property tax. Its proposal for an income tax increase,
with tax credits for low-income residents, along with property tax rebates, is
gathering support.
What it needs is a champion. Gov. Rod
Blagojevich has made it clear that he opposes anything resembling a
tax increase, even if it makes the tax system fairer. As long as he
has the veto power, tax reform isn’t going anywhere. He has
staked out ground that has traditionally belonged to Republicans,
and any candidate, including Edgar, who tries to out-conservative
him is likely to fail.
It might be risky for Edgar to step away from
the no-tax-increase crowd and start talking about what Illinois
really needs. But he’s already been governor and his good
reputation is established, so why doesn’t he take a risk and
show some courage? If Jim Edgar were to enter the campaign as a
progressive reform candidate, he could not only hold on to the
thinking Republicans but earn the support of many Democrats as
well. If he’s not going to do anything, he should stay home
and enjoy his relaxed retirement. But if he has any fire left in
his belly, Illinois needs him back.
This article appears in Aug 25-31, 2005.
