Rep. John Fritchey's spring legislative session was going
extraordinarily well... until he smacked into the last ten days.
Fritchey (D-Chicago) was the prime motivator behind the
unprecedented compromise between pro-life and pro-choice groups earlier this
session. The two sides had never worked together before Fritchey forced them to
the table. It all started when House Speaker Michael Madigan guaranteed the
pro-life groups that they would have a floor vote on the "Born Alive
Infant Protection Act," a version of which had passed the US Congress with
support from Ted Kennedy and Hillary Clinton.
Nearly half the Illinois House signed on as co-sponsors
and a floor vote was imminent. Unlike the federal legislation, however, the
state bill would have triggered several Illinois criminal laws, and Fritchey
tried desperately for days to stop the bill, then finally brokered the historic
compromise in his committee.
Fritchey also played a strong behind the scenes role in
the passage of Rep. David Miller's groundbreaking payday loan reform
legislation. Miller (D-Calumet City) and Fritchey huddled constantly during the
machinations, and while Rep. Miller deserves much of the credit, the bill might
not have passed without Fritchey's assistance.
In mid-May, Fritchey and Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie) teamed
up in Fritchey's Judiciary Committee to kill off an attempt by the religious
right to water down the new state protections for gays and lesbians. The
conservative's proposal was also supported by Speaker Madigan, who removed
opponents from the committee and replaced them with hand-picked proponents.
Fritchey and Lang both argued that the proposed
amendment, sponsored by GOP Rep. David Reis, was too broadly written. They
hammered away with their argument so persuasively that two conservative
Democrats, Reps. Kevin McCarthy (D-Orland Park) and Jim Brosnahan (D-Evergreen
Park) sided with Fritchey and against the Catholic Church's lobbying arm. The
bill never resurfaced.
Like I said, Fritchey was having a pretty good session. A
major compromise, a huge victory and the sweet defeat of a hostile bill all in
the matter of a few months.
But then, the troubles began. Like many liberals,
Fritchey was crestfallen to learn that Speaker Madigan had decided to dump the
trial lawyers and push for medical malpractice reform. Fritchey was furious
that Madigan would turn his back on one of the Democratic Party's best friends.
Even greater, however, was his dismay that the Democrats would abandon the
victims of medical malpractice.
"This bill is a misguided effort to respond to
changing political winds and itŐs the future victims in Illinois that will be
left twisting in those winds,Ó Fritchey said during debate.
But the final straw came when Fritchey learned that
Madigan, the governor and Senate President Emil Jones had cut a deal to
essentially skip $2.3 billion in state pension payments. Private conversations
with Fritchey revealed that he was truly horrified by the proposal's fiscal
implications and believed it was absolutely the wrong thing for Democrats to
stand for.
Fritchey vowed to make a stand and when Madigan came
calling Fritchey said "No way." Madigan asked what Fritchey wanted in
trade, but Fritchey said he wouldn't trade for anything.
And that's when the real trouble began. Sen. James DeLeo
(D-Chicago) learned about Fritchey's position on the pension bill and commenced
applying pressure. The two longtime allies argued all day. Vicious threats were
made, nasty counter-threats offered, but when all was said and done Fritchey
voted for the bill.
To make matters worse, Fritchey was forced to be the 61st
"Yes" vote, when all that was required was 60.
Fritchey was as depressed after that vote as anyone ever
remembers him. The brutal reality of Chicago politics finally hit home as it
never had before. Friends say he seriously talked of resigning. Others, less
sympathetic, shrugged that he should have learned to pick his fights more
carefully.
A few days later, Fritchey did something that I've never
seen a politician do - he publicly apologized for a vote. Fritchey said he was
sorry for voting for the pension skim on ABC7's NewsViews program.
"I wish I hadn't voted for it. I'd like to apologize
to the people of Illinois for voting for it," Fritchey told the show's
host, Alan Krashesky.
Fritchey did admit that the Democrats didn't have many
other alternatives, but at least he started closing the bitter wounds that
opened up late in the session. This could very well be a life-changing event.
We'll see what happens next spring.
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Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax, a daily political
newsletter. He can be reached at capitolfax.blogspot.com.