PHOTO BY ALAN SOLOMON/TNS President Barack Obama seemed to admit almost right from the start of his address to the Illinois General Assembly last week about the need for a more civil politics that he probably wouldn’t sway his audience, which has been bickering amongst itself for over a year. Obama talked about his first […]
Rich Miller
Posted inOpinion
Legislative competition up for 2016
One of the realities of Illinois legislative politics is that our state’s system tends to discourage competition. Byzantine ballot access laws, a highly partisan legislative district map-drawing process, heavily concentrated populations of partisan voters in Chicago (Democrats) and in the collar counties and Downstate, (Republicans) along with often tireless work by incumbents and political parties […]
Posted inOpinion
Madigan’s tax-hike gaffe
PHOTO BY ALAN SOLOMON/TNS One of the concepts used so effectively by Gov. Bruce Rauner’s campaign last year was what are called “OODA Loops.” I’m going to oversimplify because of space, but the idea, developed by a military strategist and adopted by business leaders, is to essentially introduce rapid changes to a battle with the […]
Posted inOpinion
The state must step up
PHOTO BY ALAN SOLOMON/TNS Here’s what the Chicago Police Department told the media after Laquan McDonald was killed by a police officer 13 months ago: A drug-addled black kid lunged at a cop with a knife and was then shot in the chest. Six months later and a week after Chicago’s mayoral election, the city […]
Posted inOpinion
Rough week for Madigan
PHOTO BY ALAN SOLOMON/TNS “He seems so done with it all,” said one top Republican earlier last week about House Republican Leader Jim Durkin. “He hates this,” said a close Durkin pal not long afterward. The overtime session’s constant battles with the House Democrats and super-strict marching orders from Gov. Bruce Rauner were wearing Durkin […]
Posted inOpinion
Prevailing wage debate rooted in ideology
PHOTO BY ALAN SOLOMON/TNS For months now, Gov. Bruce Rauner has said he won’t negotiate a state budget unless his “Turnaround Agenda” demands are met. In the meantime, he has slashed funding for the child care assistance program, homeless services have been decimated, mental health services are going without cash, universities are struggling and even […]
Posted inOpinion
Republicans ‘winning,’ according to Rauner
PHOTO BY ALAN SOLOMON/TNS Gov. Bruce Rauner took it on the chin for several days in a row this month. The Paul Simon Public Policy Institute’s recent poll of southern Illinoisans showed Rauner’s approval rating absolutely tanking in a region he swept last year. Just 37 percent of voters in 18 southern counties approved of […]
Posted inOpinion
An intensely political problem
PHOTO BY ALAN SOLOMON/TNS Last year, gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner pledged to “crack down on waste” in government in order to save taxpayers over $140 million. He also vowed to cut $500 million from the Illinois Department of Central Management Services and find another $250 million in Medicaid savings. Very little of that has happened […]
Posted inOpinion
A Statehouse divided
PHOTO BY ALAN SOLOMON/TNS The Illinois Senate had been scheduled to return to Springfield on Oct. 6 after not being in session since Sept. 9. But last week the Senate President postponed session until Oct. 20. The reason is pretty straightforward. The Senate has overridden several gubernatorial vetoes. It’s pretty easy for the majority party because the chamber […]
Posted inOpinion
Rauner continues to skirt responsibility
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner is proving to be quite adept at skirting responsibility for the current Statehouse impasse and impending government shutdown. He has relentlessly painted himself as the good guy, even to the point of blatantly abandoning his previous stances. For instance, Rauner has righteously slammed the Democrats’ “unconstitutional” unbalanced budget, even though his […]
Posted inOpinion
Rauner’s TV ad is all bark, no bite
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s much-anticipated TV ad isn’t as over-the-top negative as we might have thought it would be. “Exactly,” was the response from a Rauner official I spoke with after watching the ad and making that above observation about its somewhat muted tone. “There’s plenty of time for that if it’s necessary,” the official added. […]
Posted inOpinion
Statehouse misunderstandings
After five months, you’d think that the warring parties at the Illinois Statehouse would have learned something about each other. Instead, last week’s bitter and divisive House overtime session showed that they still fundamentally misunderstand one another. What follows are some questions I’m hearing and my own responses. Republicans: Why would the House Democrats propose […]
