As I write this, Governor Rod Blagojevich is contemplating
yet another special legislative session to take up a newly revised $25 billion
infrastructure repair proposal for transportation, schools and economic
development.
Whatever happens, it certainly appears that any special
session would be an exercise in futility. House Speaker Michael Madigan is not
budging off his opposition to the governor's capital construction plan, even in
its newly revised and scaled-back form.
House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, who attended
last week's legislative leaders meeting on Madigan's behalf, dumped all over
the proposal's remaining funding stream - leasing the Illinois Lottery to a
private company. She wasn't impressed with the fact that the governor had taken
gaming expansion off the table as a funding mechanism, and she said Blagojevich
ought to sign the "pay to play" bill to ban contractor contributions
before anyone should even consider talking about a capital bill that will award
tens of billions of dollars to many of those same contractors.
The governor, for his part, kept up his public attacks on
Madigan for refusing to cooperate. After the leaders meeting, the governor's
staff leaked a harsh letter that Madigan allegedly sent to a Teamsters Union
official: "I regret that you bought into the bull____ of the Blagojevich
people."
Yep. Another banner day in Illinois government.
The only conceivable reason for bringing legislators back
to town would be to continue the Madigan bashing festivities, because it
doesn't look like he's ready to cave any time soon.
Lots of people wonder why Madigan is refusing to cooperate
on a concept that just about everyone agrees is vital to the state's
interests. They also wonder when,
or even if, he'll get off the dime and advance a proposal of his own.
I've pointed this out before, but it's worth repeating.
Last year, Madigan slow-walked several big legislative proposals, refusing to
close any deal until it was done his way, on his timeline and was completely
unconnected to other issues.
The mass transit bailout is a case in point.
Madigan stubbornly pushed the bailout plan, which was
hammered out by the Chicago-area transit systems and their unions, when others
wanted big changes. He refused
demands to connect it to the governor's health care dreams, or the capital bill
and whatever else was brought up.
The speaker persevered through a couple of dramatic "doomsday"
shutdown deadlines and waited until the last possible moment before finally
advancing his proposal. The governor used his amendatory veto powers on the
bill to allow seniors to ride free, but other than that Madigan got his way.
Expect the same on the capital projects bill. When Madigan
decides it's time, he'll do something. The trouble is, nobody knows when he'll
make that decision.
Meanwhile, Madigan is way out on a limb with this thing.
He's more isolated now than he's ever been on any issue in his entire career.
All the other legislative leaders, most of his political allies, and quite a
few of his members oppose his current posture. That letter released by the
governor's office is a good example of just how rough he can be on anyone who
takes a side other than his, and a whole lot of people have taken sides against
him on this capital plan.
Yet, nothing seems to move Madigan. The governor's
evisceration of his daughter Lisa's attorney general budget provoked 'nary a
peep. Traditional allies are pushed aside, the dire needs of a state slipping
into recession are downplayed, editorials are ripped up, critics are scorned,
and the end result is always the same: No movement.
Madigan has his reasons for refusing to work with
Blagojevich and Jones. Many, many, many of them are sound. He's been burned
repeatedly by both men, and he simply doesn't trust their word on anything.
"I got taken to school last year," Madigan told
Senate Republican Leader Watson about 2007's disastrous, record-breaking
overtime session. "So I figured while I was at school I might as well
learn something."
That "something" appears to be to refuse to
cooperate until he's ready to push his own plan.
But the bottom line is nobody really has a clue about what
he'll do and when he'll do it. Madigan likes it that way, of course, but it can
drive an observer absolutely crazy.
Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax, a daily political
newsletter, and thecapitolfaxblog.com.