It takes a village: Illinois…… resisting before it became a movement or a hashtag.

April 6, 2017 reesetheone It Takes a Village 43
A two year tug of war for the soul of Illinois.

 

http://www.pantagraph.com/news/state-of-the-standoff-how-did-illinois-get-here/collection_fb934cac-f5c3-5bee-a12a-b752fbc046db.html

 

Rauner’s prescription has been his “turnaround agenda,” a set of policies, such as changes to workers’ compensation laws and collective bargaining rights, that he contends will jump start Illinois’ economy and bring more money into the state’s coffers.

While he’s acknowledged that tax increases in some form are needed to balance the budget, Raruner has said he’d only sign on if the Democratic-controlled legislature agreed to some of his proposals.

Madigan, meanwhile, has argued that much of what the governor wants runs afoul of the Democratic Party’s core values, and has accused Rauner of holding the budget-making process hostage to advance his personal agenda.

Madigan’s solution has been a combination of spending cuts and tax increases, adding Democrats don’t have the votes to pass a tax increase on their own.

More recently, he’s proposed a 50 percent reduction in the corporate income taxes — wiith provisions to ensure every company pays something — and increased investments in higher education and infrastructure to spur economic growth. But Madigan isn’t tying that to budget negotiations.

 

 

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=s-boOr8kjIE

Shake up Springfield sounds eerily similiar to another catchy phrase used…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ctu president Karen Lewis commenting on potential teacher layoffs due to budget crisis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the chicago sun times:

 

Chance, who grew up in West Chatham as Chancellor Bennett, left the Thompson Center saying he felt “flustered” after a 30-minute conversation with the governor that centered on funding for the Chicago Public Schools.

In brief remarks to reporters as he walked to the elevators with a small entourage, the rapper said he was frustrated by “vague answers” from the governor about funding for CPS, but had exchanged phone numbers with Rauner.

“I felt it went a little bit different than it should have,” said the 23-year-old Chance, who attended Jones College Prep. “I’m here because I just want people to do their jobs.”

“And I did speak with the governor. I asked him about funding CPS with that $215 million that was discussed in May of last year and was vetoed in December over, you know, political arguments and (stuff).”

 

Rauner pledged $215 million for CPS after negotiating a short-term budget last spring, with the funds contingent on legislative leaders passing a pension-reform package. Rauner later vetoed a bill that would have delivered the funds, calling the $215 million a “bailout” for cash-strapped CPS, and saying Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, had reneged on pension-reform promises.

Cullerton said Rauner of sank a budget deal being negotiated in the chamber by insisting on further concessions from Democrats, then leaning on GOP senators to pull back their votes.

“I wish (Chance) the best in negotiating with the governor,” Cullerton said in a statement Friday.

Talking to reporters Friday, Rauner called the accusation that he had stalled negotiations “goofy.”

Sen. Kimberly Lightfoot, chairwoman of the Education Committee, welcomed the chance to collaborate with Chance.

“I applaud Chance for using his platform to advocate for our children. I am available to brief him on any of the many issues our education system has as he prepares for further conversations with the governor,” she said in a statement.

“At this point, the important part is that our children have not been receiving the quality education they rightfully deserve. If it takes Chance to get our governor to do the job, hats off to Chance.

 

      

 

      From the chicago tribune:

one by one, six men who are running for Illinois governor or thinking about it addressed Cook County Democratic committeemen Monday, seeking early support and offering a unified message aimed at removing Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner from office next year.

But beneath their individual Rauner-centric attacks, support for a graduated income tax to fix Illinois’ budget woes and agreement on the need to harness the activism against President Donald Trump were clear signs of separation between some of the contenders long before county Democratic leaders consider an endorsement in August.

Northwest Side Alderman Ameya Pawar and state Sen. Daniel Biss of Evanston urged party leaders to help spark a campaign built off activism for social change rather than turning to more wealthy contenders. Neither candidate is deep-pocketed and both face the prospect of raising millions of dollars to be competitive next March in the Democratic primary.

There were also divisions among the wealthier contenders. Businessman Chris Kennedy, an heir to the wealthy and iconic political family who last week put $250,100 into his own campaign and as a result lifted contributions limits in the race, implored Democrats not to back billionaire investor and entrepreneur J.B. Pritzker. Kennedy did not mention Pritzker’s name but likened him to Rauner, a former private equity investor he called a “billionaire bully.”

 

 

We have some things to Iron out in our party but we’re veterans of  pushing back against rollbacks of middle-class rights. Learn from us…. both good and bad.

This is your Thursday thread.

43 Comments

  1. Morning, Reese, good to see you! Love your colorful, informative threads. Looks as if the people of Chicago are activist citizens, which is all to the good!

    Going to mosey on over for morning roll call. Awful weather on the way for us.

  2. Thanks, Reese!

    Things are looking up in Illinois!

    There’s a New York Magazine article I found interesting: Republicans are Going to Wish Hillary Clinton Had Won.
    http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/04/republicans-are-going-to-wish-hillary-clinton-won.html

    I don’t agree with it all, but the part about the Republicans destroying themselves seems spot on. The disaster we’re experiencing right now will be the foundation a much better future is built on.

  3. 40 degrees in Chicago metro… hi guys!

    We have a chance to go back democratic next year and I think that’s what’s gonna happen. We were caught flat footed in 2014, not now.

  4. {{{rto}}} – Hope you can pull IL back into the blue column at state level (and local if possible). A dependable revenue stream is key to getting anything done, of course, and a graduated income is the best if most cursed at. Especially by the wealthy – that category of people who demand top-rate services but don’t want anybody else to have them (and certainly don’t want to pay for them). But we’re still dealing with media issues. No matter how much good we manage to pull off when we’re in power, if the media doesn’t report it, the population doesn’t believe it – and 2010, 2014 all over again. sigh. Got to figure out how to get The Word out – and in a format the voters will believe. moar {{{HUGS}}}

    • We have majorities in the house and senate…. gop has the governors mansion… we’ll do our best next year to pull it out

      • Great! Every win is precious. Especially wins that will determine how districting goes in 2020. My state is just going down deeper and deeper in red hell – my little spot is the ‘blue’ in the state – but I can still watch the good happening elsewhere and rejoice in it. moar {{{HUGS}}}

  6. Good morning, Meeses! Thank you reesetheone for the run down of what is happening in Illinois. Two things caught my eye. One was Rauner using the word “goofy” to refute that he stalled negotiations. That’s intended to diminish and belittle Chance, it reveals that Rauner isn’t really taking him seriously, he’s placating for the optics, while putting the rapper and activist in his place.

    The second thing that caught my eye was a protest sign I really like – “No Teachers Left Behind”. :)

    I may be biased as the daughter of a public school teacher… ;)

  7. thanks for double duty reese, it’s good to see you both places today. I wish you the best grabbing your state back from the forces of evil and stupidity. I’m in Texas where it can seem like overwhelming obstacles are built into our system. Doesn’t make me want to give up even if it has made me realistic about what can be accomplished.

  8. Good morning, all, and thank you, RTO. I think these glimpses of state-level politics are helpful and useful. It’s easy to get caught up in the red state/blue state dichotomy, but understanding the nuances is important. Ccotenj has said more than once that NJ is more purple than people realize; MI, we all sadly know, is not reliably-blue and is solidly red internally (mostly due to extreme gerrymandering, but still). I was an Illinoisan from the ages of 15-24 (except while I was in college) and quickly learned there was Chicagoland and downstate. Now I know that purists don’t do nuance, but this is precisely why we, the base, must…it’s the only way we can regain some semblance of control.

  9. Good morning, Pond Dwellers and a big thank you to Reese for the space. Since local media seemed to do better than national in the general election, is it the same with statewide races? Is your media covering things pretty fairly? I hope so. I’d love for your state house to return to blue. 57 and cloudy with rain coming in (thru Saturday, they say).

    • Beat me to it, Resse. I was just stopping by to post the link. Glad to see the truth is finally getting out there.

    • facing the facts about racism motivating voters would inevitably lead to facing facts about racism on the left and no one at the orange is going to be allowed to go there. If anyone even wanted to, it’s a lot more fun to point fingers and make fun of others instead.

      I didn’t like those clueless asshole trust fund babies in the 70s when they decided much like these berners that they could use their money in a focused way to take over the Democratic Party. Like the berners the only thing they were successful at was defeating Democrats at the polls.

      I can’t even work up any contempt for them it’s just dismissive disdain.

    • Proposed or done deal? There are – or were – a couple of old-time Rs who want that filibuster stashed back for future need.

      • I’ve been watching it on C-Span for the last hour. They’re creeping closer…so, far there have been several thousand roll call votes (along party lines.) Who would have thought such an historic event would be so boring.

        • And now we’re fighting cornered rats. (and pre-Civil War slave owner wannabes.) They have just rebuilt the pre-U.S. system so that the majority in office has all the power, the minority in office has none – and they are (or will be when they think about it) terrified of having done to them what they do to others when they have power.

          That doesn’t mean we will not overcome them. We will. But it’s going to be a longer, harder, and dirtier fight than it would have been.

  13. I’m Maurice, I’m 35 and the scotus is gone forthe rest of my adult life.

    • I find it very interesting that Rs are not listening to Roberts on this. If the Chief Justice had wanted Gorsuch on his bench he would not have released a 8-0 reversal on the SAME DAY Gorsuch was scheduled to testify before the Senate.

      • {{{wordsinthewind}}} – Roberts is most certainly pro-business, but not to the extent of destroying the country for short-term profit. The current bunch of Rs in power are trying to do just that – as well as destroy the republic as a democratic republic and remodel it on the communistic politburo. Not something Roberts wants any part of.

        • Roberts cares about his place in history and he really did not want to be challenging Taney as worst C J in our history as many in the legal profession put him after the Citizens United ruling. He’s demonstrated that he is sensitive to the right kind of pressure as were the justices opposing FDR in the 30s. They changed, Earl Warren changed and Roberts can too.

        • I think we may see some unlikely alliances come out of the SC. Once you’re there, it changes how you view things. Some of the conservative have cast votes with our liberals. I will try to have hope and work like hell to make sure dtrump doesn’t get any more selections.

    • {{{rto]}} – probably. The fight to get it back will be long, hard, and dirty that is for sure.

    • Good. In places where the Rs have a lock on the funding, having folks on our team who can at least get started on their own dime gives us a leg up. That’s part of our problem here in AR – nobody on our team can afford to run against the Rs.

  15. Great job Reese, that’s got to be the strangest looking candidates on our side I seen in a while, No women, what about Madigan, love to see Gov’s sister ran against him, she is a liberal.

    • I think the senate is in Lisa Madigan’s future….. I think Dick durbin steps down and she runs for his seat in 2020.

    • with a base as fickle as trump’s I’d say there isn’t anything permanent. They haven’t even gotten hit yet so this is all because he hasn’t instantly fulfilled his campaign promises. Like those freedom caucus fucks who wouldn’t vote for his health care plan because it wasn’t hateful enough, it’s an extremism that doesn’t bode well for our counttry.

  17. Hey guys! Overlooked my password email til this afternoon. Now I should be in all the villages. Hope everyone is having a good one!

  18. Howdy folks! Thank you Reese for the look at local politics. It’s good to see what’s going in other areas.

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