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| NewsMonday, September 10, 2007 10:47 AM CDT |
Infighting, gamesmanship dash progress in Springfield
SPRINGFIELD -- The three most powerful figures in state government began the year with three different goals — and ended up with three failures. Gov. Rod Blagojevich sought a huge health care expansion. Senate President Emil Jones vowed to overhaul education funding. And House Speaker Michael Madigan wanted to reduce the state’s massive debt. But their hopes were dashed by the infighting, gamesmanship and generally bizarre events of a legislative session that began in the spring, dragged on throughout the summer and now threatens to stretch into autumn. “This whole legislative session has been a total debacle,” said Larry McKeon, a former state representative. “It’s been a lose-lose situation for everyone.” It didn’t have to be that way. Democrats began the year in control of the governor’s office and every statewide office, and had expanded their majorities in the Legislature. They had the governmental muscle to make changes — if they could agree on what changes to make. But differences in policy and personality between the three leaders, all Chicago Democrats, quickly halted movement. Blagojevich and Jones worked closely to seek money for their top priorities, but did little to build coalitions with other legislators. At the same time, they faced opposition from Madigan, who didn’t share their interest in raising money from a huge business tax or a major gambling expansion. The three ended up trading insults more than ideas, and none got what he’d wanted. McKeon, a former Chicago Democrat who now lives in Springfield and keeps a close eye on the Legislature, places the blame squarely on Blagojevich. He said Blagojevich alienated lawmakers with insults and demands rather than courting their support. When his ideas flopped, McKeon says, the governor basically refused to listen to anyone else’s ideas, blocking all movement. “He’s never really shown the competence and leadership skills that are needed to bring people together,” McKeon said. “I just don’t think the man is competent as a chief executive officer, and he’s certainly not teachable.” Blagojevich’s office did not return a call seeking comment. But the governor has made it clear that he considers Madigan chiefly responsible for the unproductive session. He and Jones have accused Madigan of turning his back on people who need the state’s help and conspiring with Republicans to block progress. The three Democratic leaders each can argue they achieved at least part of their goals. Blagojevich began seeking legislative approval for a batch of programs meant to ensure everyone in the state has access to health care. Lawmakers wouldn’t go along, so now he says he will use his executive power to launch some of the programs without their approval. Jim Duffett, executive director of the Illinois Campaign for Better Health Care, praises Blagojevich for refusing to give up, but says his current efforts won’t solve the problem and lawmakers must take action or face the consequences in next year’s elections. Jones started the year by demanding “real change to the outrageous, inequitable system that funds our schools,” and said the state needed more revenue for education. The budget ended up increasing school funding by $597 million, or 9 percent. That’s the largest one-year increase in history. Yet there was no real change to how education money is raised or allocated, and no new revenue source to allow more increases. Madigan’s goal was to strengthen the state’s financial status by reducing its $100 billion in long-term debt, particularly for government pension systems. He wound up supporting a bare-bones budget that does nothing to fundamentally change the state’s financial outlook. Spokesman Steve Brown notes the budget does include, after a two-year absence, the money for the state’s annual pension contribution. But the group that came up with the $100 billion debt estimate, the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, said this year’s budget doesn’t address the state’s real problems. “The hole just got bigger,” said the committee’s president, Eden Martin. |
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