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Editorial: Rauner, Madigan and the State of the Standoff

Today, Gov. Bruce Rauner gives his State of the State address, one year into his term. It can be summed up simply: The standoff continues.

And with that, one must ask: Where are today's statesmen? Who is ready to lead and get this state moving forward? Who's ready to compromise?

Unfortunately, we don't see anyone trying to bridge the gap between Rauner, who is pushing his Turnaround Agenda - much of which we agree with - and the Democratic leaders in the General Assembly, House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate leader John Cullerton, both of Chicago.

As we head into a new legislative year, perhaps it's not the leaders but the rank-and-file legislators who need to step up and insist on change from those leaders.

Rauner is right, when he said on Monday there is "no good excuse" for not having a budget. But he also is unwilling to make the chess move that may lead to compromise.

Democratic leaders also are unwilling to move and bear as much if not more responsibility for what's happening to social service agencies that are not getting paid. So when Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart criticizes Rauner as deplorable for allowing "these programs to wither away," it would be much more statesmenlike for Dart to try influence his fellow Democrats to compromise to avoid service cuts at agencies like Lutheran Social Services of Illinois.

Last week, Rauner acknowledged to the Daily Herald's Mike Riopell the state isn't "doing its duty if we don't come together and get bipartisan compromise and get a balanced budget. We're failing."

It certainly is - from the executive branch to the legislative branch. It can't be all one or the other at this point. So when Rauner follows that up with "The General Assembly, stunning failure," that's unlikely to help move the needle.

Today, we urge Rauner to set the tone for compromise and Madigan and Cullerton, in response, to do the same. Legislators, too, must urge their leaders to get something done. We urged this at the end of the legislative session last year and do so again: "There is an acceptable middle ground between the $4 billion deficit budget Democrats have produced and the overreaching Turnaround Agenda Gov. Rauner has promoted. It won't solve every problem and it will anger and hurt interests on all points along the political spectrum."

Negotiate. Compromise. Move on. The most vulnerable in the state are getting hurt by this standoff. That's just not acceptable.

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