Obama to preach 'better politics' at testy Illinois Capitol
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - The Illinois state Capitol where President Barack Obama returns Wednesday with a plea for "better politics" is awash in an acidic partisan feud. Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, Democratic legislative leaders led by longtime Speaker Michael Madigan and even Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel have engaged in sometimes uncomfortably personal attacks over the state budget mess, Chicago schools, the governor's appointments and more, taking finger-pointing to a new level.
The state stumbled along without a budget for eight months because Rauner insists on business-friendly changes in state law that would crimp union power to boost commerce while Democrats say a multibillion-dollar deficit requires immediate attention with a tax increase and spending cuts.
Here are some lowlights:
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"He's failed on public safety, he's failed on schools, he's failed on jobs in the neighborhoods, he's failed on taxes, he's failed on reforms. And I'm tired of it. We need to have action." - Rauner on Democrat Emanuel in January while pushing a state takeover of Chicago schools that would allow the system to declare bankruptcy.
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"I would just say this to the governor and he governor's office: You're 120 days behind budget, $6 billion and counting in not paying bills. Stop name-calling and just do your job." - Emanuel in October 2015.
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"We're in this long-term, slow death spiral. The reality is, who's doing well in Illinois is the political class led by Speaker Madigan. The political class is doing great, the lobbyists, the politicians, the insiders (in) the government, the folks who make money from the taxpayers are doing great. But the taxpayers themselves, homeowners, school children, small business owners, your average working family is hurting in Illinois. And unfortunately the speaker is not sensitive to that. He likes the power." - Rauner on Chicago Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan, on WGN Radio in January.
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"The most serious problem facing the state of Illinois is the budget deficit. In order to solve that problem, people cannot be functioning in the extreme. They have to function in moderation, they have to be reasonable." - Madigan in June 2015.
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"We find ourselves trying to work with a governor who continues to run campaigns rather than the state that elected him. Rather than roll up your sleeves and work on solutions, he's dictating demands and threatening those who defy him." - Chicago Democratic Senate President John Cullerton in May 2015 when Rauner announced he would run TV ads attacking Democrats. Last month, Cullerton called the Chicago schools bankruptcy option "ridiculous."
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"As you may know, 35 minus 28 equals 7. Given your support for a budget out of balance by $4 billion, finding errors in basic arithmetic is not a great surprise." - Rauner deputy chief of staff Richard Goldberg, in a June 2015 letter to House Revenue and Finance Committee Chairman John Bradley, a Marion Democrat, who questioned the Rauner payroll.
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"The only cuts that were done were by the governor, so if the guy wants to look about for who's responsible for cuts, he should just stare right in the mirror, and that mug he sees coming back at him is 'Mr. Cut.'" - Madigan spokesman Steve Brown in August 2015 after Rauner said Democrats were to blame for reduced spending on social services because they won't compromise.
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Contact Political Writer John O'Connor at https://twitter.com/apoconnor . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/john-oconnor .