CapitolFax.com - Latest Comments in Question of the day

Re: Question of the day

Commisar Abe — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 15:55:18 -0000

Please. Who thinks Blago can get national attention with Barak and others in the race for the POTUS? What he does not is small potatoes and will not gain attention. He is a Huey Long without charm or a positive track record.

Re: Question of the day

zatoichi — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 14:07:30 -0000

No ancillary pressure? Guess the road contractors, not for profits with 4 weeks of bucks, medical providers, nursing homes and thousands of other organizations that contract with the state are simply nobody's who can be ignored. Let a couple of people getting home care services die or have a major incident because their local provider cannot pay for the services due to no checks cause the Gov did not sign the Budget. Let the road projects linger much longer than usual because of no bucks being paid. A couple of high profile events with bad outcomes will force the issue. Man of the people? Please. Man of his resume.

Re: Question of the day

Legaleagle — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 13:46:10 -0000

I cannot imagine any competent Judge ordering the Comptroller to issue checks without a budget. How does the Judge even know if the checks will be good? Will he be overseeing the whole state budget, without a budget??? Even if the workers have a claim for wages, that is a damages question and not an injunction question. And there are separation of powers and Appellate Court precedent counseling a denial of any injunction. Will Hynes fight it though? Will the AG? I've been surprised by bad judging before, however.

Re: Question of the day

Rich Miller — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 13:28:12 -0000

===thereâ€™s not even ancillary pressure on lawmakers to come back to Springfield====

There's plenty. School aid payments, contractors, not for profits, etc.

Re: Question of the day

Yellow Dog Democrat — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 13:14:53 -0000

Country boy and Rich -

If Hynes gets his court order, there is no government shutdown and no national media attention. Moreover, there's not even ancillary pressure on lawmakers to come back to Springfield and pass a different budget.

Not only that, but with health care still stuck in the Senate, the only one the Gov can really use the stick on is Senators. That will go over big with Jones. Not.

And with a budget already through the GA, the Gov has lost his biggest bunch of carrots with the House. He can't promise them anything more than is already in the budget. He could call them threatening to line-item veto their member initiatives unless they [do whatever], but my guess is that by the fifth phone call, someone is going to run to the press.

No stick, no carrots: stop the bleeding and cut your losses, Governor.

Re: Question of the day

National Media — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 12:52:16 -0000

Does anyone really think that Blago has any future in politics!?!?!?! Think he has proven that he is a joke and no one will trust him again.

10:48:

I think he has petered out. Apparently HE thinks he has a future in politics on a much larger stage.

Anything is possible in America.

Re: Question of the day

Squideshi — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 12:46:00 -0000

"Which of these actions do you think the governor will take?"

Should be easy enough to figure out. Commission a poll, find out what the most popular option is; and we can assume that Blagojevich will do the opposite.

Re: Question of the day

Alex — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 12:44:26 -0000

My personal counsel to the Gov...

You played your game on an operations budget and you are going to lose this one. There is no way you can avoid this bill becoming law. Realize you've lost the game but can still win the series. The season isn't over. Put in the scrubs before someone gets hurt (workers) and complain about the refs. Take your lumps and change the focus to the next game (health care etc.). Come back and win the next one and try to take the series.

In other words... veto it quick and let it become law.

I just see no way he can avoid this budget becoming law. All he can do is hurt people in the process. The season isn't over, but this game is.

Re: Question of the day

Question Rich — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 12:43:40 -0000

(d) The Governor may reduce or veto any item of
appropriations in a bill presented to him. Portions of a bill
not reduced or vetoed shall become law. An item vetoed shall
be returned to the house in which it originated and may
become law in the same manner as a vetoed bill. An item
reduced in amount shall be returned to the house in which it
originated and may be restored to its original amount in the
same manner as a vetoed bill except that the required record
vote shall be a majority of the members elected to each
house. If a reduced item is not so restored, it shall become
law in the reduced amount.

Re: Question of the day

Rich Miller — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 12:34:17 -0000

Ok, no makes a good point. No offense to the other commenter, but it kinda irritates me when people post a question here rather than first using the Google or other means like the GA website, or just scrolling thru yesterday's postings (which has the answer to your specific question).

Take a little time to do a bit of basic, grade-school level research before you ask a question here. We'll all treat you much better. :)

Re: Question of the day

Alex — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 12:29:38 -0000

Re: Countryboy... i think we are a week or two from having the Hynes/pay issue resolved in favor of the workers. The court in Taylorville almost has to follow the prior 4th Dist. opinion, assuming the issues are the same (don't know). Then, they will need to expedite an appeal to the 5th District, which will probably side with labor. Don't know how fast that process can go, but I'd say a week or two at a min.

Re: Question of the day

HighwayMan — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 12:28:22 -0000

This isn't really about the budget. Its about the Rod vs. Lisa primary battle in 2010.

With Saint Barack's ascension, Blago's national hopes are deader than road kill. He has no choice but to stay in re-election mode. (Caveat: Unless of course The Saint wins the presidency and Elvis appoints himself to the US Senate.) The Speaker won't give The Do any achievements to run on. Why should he? And, Prez Jones is staying in the middle just to squeeze as much money out of the state as he can for his faction.

This is pure power-politics Illinois-style.

Re: Question of the day

Ok, no — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 12:24:55 -0000

@the Votes:

This takes three seconds on the GA web site.

Look up HB 3866 in the box where it says "search by number".

Re: Question of the day

the Other Anonymous — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 12:24:33 -0000

If he's true to form, he'll sign the budget and try to take some credit for it -- like arguing that he stopped evil Mike Madigan's plan for a tax hike.

Reality means nothing to this Governor, it seems. And past statements and positions mean nothing to him either.

It seems like the only way to predict his behavior is to think of the most bizarre, most hypocritical, most alienating thing he can do.

Re: Question of the day

Yellow Dog Democrat — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 12:18:52 -0000

I hope the Governor's staff is at least smart enough to realize that the national media's coverage of Rod's governing abilities won't be any different than Illinois media's coverage of his governing abilities.

You want to be politically impotent coast-to-coast? Have at it Hot Rod. The rest of the country might as well be in on the joke.

Re: Question of the day

The Votes — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 12:16:44 -0000

Rich,

Would you please link to the roll calls on the budget? One was 99-9, the other was 52-5. I want to know who voted "no" and "present" and was absent.

Thanks

Re: Question of the day

countryboy — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 12:14:57 -0000

High praise...

observer

Re: Question of the day

Rich Miller — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 12:12:22 -0000

Countryboy makes an excellent point. Either he's a subscriber or an astute observer. ;)

Re: Question of the day

L.S. — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 12:10:15 -0000

He does not have the political capital to sit on the budget. The pressure will get too great if he is the only obstacle. Nobody is going to blame a state comptroller for employees not getting paid. Every editorial board, interest group etc. will gang up on Rod. How long can he take that kind of heat? We'll see.

He should veto it and walk away. He played his hand and lost. If he has any hope of fighting another day he needs to find some closure.

Re: Question of the day

countryboy — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 12:09:13 -0000

If Hynes gets his court order, the budget could lie in state the full 60. The alleged shutdown gets the national media, gives him two months to wrestle votes and figure out how to make it all mjm's fault.

Re: Question of the day

JP — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 12:06:36 -0000

Interesting that the budget bill passed last night has not even arrived in the House yet. Check out the bill status for HB 3866 on www.ilga.gov.

Re: Question of the day

Rich Miller — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 12:01:02 -0000

Milorad, you assumed wrong, but that doesn't mean Hoffman's prediction was accurate.

Re: Question of the day

Milorad — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 11:57:10 -0000

I am assuming Mr. Hoffman made his comments yesterday without consulting with his handler. I think he signs the budget and spends the rest of the year whining, as he is prone to do, and blaming the GA.

Re: Question of the day

NSSRepublican — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 11:48:32 -0000

- National Media - Friday, Aug 10, 07 @ 10:04 am:

Remember, this is Blago weâ€™re talking about. Every single thing he does is designed to improve his long term political prospects.

As I read somewhere before, he will let government shut down. That will catch the attention of the national media. He will then be able to be seen and heard from coast to coast telling all that he and he alone is fighting for health care, education, blah, blah, blah.

If people have to suffer for him to get on television, then so be it.

TO NATIONAL MEDIA

Does anyone really think that Blago has any future in politics!?!?!?! Think he has proven that he is a joke and no one will trust him again.

Re: Question of the day

Huckleberry — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 11:42:19 -0000

He'll sit on the budget. In the meantime, I'd pass a 60 day emeregency budget and wait for 3866 to become law.