Pat Quinn, the state's lite governor (less filling, tastes better to Illinois lawmakers), is primed to be the next governor once the Senate votes to convict Gov. Rod "I'm not a crook" Blagojevich as early as today or Friday, after Blago begs forgiveness. What then?
Well, for one thing, Quinn the Conqueror will probably live in the Governor's Mansion in Springfield, something Blago eschewed since taking office in January 2003. That always irked the folks in Springfield, like Blago was dissing them for being corny downstaters and not urbane Chicagoans.
Secondly, Quinn brings his own baggage to the office. After all, he was Blago's running mate in 2002 and 2006 and was a good campaign soldier for the governor. But, he waffled on the special Senate election which ended with Blago appointing Roland Burris to President Obama's upper chamber seat. Also, while painting himself as an outsider to his fellow Democrats, how will that play in what is expected to be a crowded Democratic primary in 2010?
Outside of (finally) naming an ethics panel (after the governor was arrested by the FBI), Quinn has occupied himself with working on behalf of veterans and their families, especially ones with tours of duty or returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. That's about all The Hound can remember Quinn has done the past seven years.
When asked if Blago is right and the lite guv and lawmakers want to raise taxes, Quinn says he's not sure how deep the red ink is flowing in Illinois government. Like, he couldn't call up fellow Chicago Democrat Dan Hynes, the state comptroller, or fellow Chicago Democrat Alexi Giannoulas, the state treasurer, to find out? Is he a milquetoast, or what?
We'll see if Gov. Quinn has the fortitude to stand up for the people of Illinois, or will continue to be a go-along guy as he did when he campaigned with and for his one-time pal, Bad Rod.
Quinn The Governor (The Mighty Quinn)
Ev'rybody's taxing the big cigs and the boats,
Some are building monuments,
Others, buying up votes,
Ev'rybody's in despair,
Ev'ry girl and boy
But when Quinn the Governor gets here,
Ev'rybody's gonna jump for joy.
Come all cash out, come all cash in,
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn.
I like to do just like the rest, my favors are discreet,
But ethics laws, transparency,
It ain't my cup of meat.
Ev'rybody's in the House,
Kicking Blago in the shin
But when Quinn the Governor gets here,
Lobbyists are gonna run to him.
Come all cash out, come all cash in,
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn.
A road project and a tax break, I can recite 'em all,
Just tell me what you need there, honey,
And I'll tell you who to call.
Madigan can get no sleep,
There's Feds on ev'ryone's toes
But when Quinn the Governor gets here,
Ev'rybody's gonna wanna doze.
Come all cash out, come all cash in,
You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn.
THE HOUND SEZ: Hermie, who knew you could pen a song? A true Renaissance man! This is great. Dylan would be proud.
Hound, you ask how Gov. Quinn (yes, that will take some getting used to) can claim not to know how bad the state's financial situation really is when he could find out from Comptroller Hynes or Treasurer Giannoulias. I had the same question myself when he first made that statement.
Well, the problem is that Blago's administration and his agency heads are (or rather, WERE) notoriously secretive about exactly how much money they had to spend on their pet programs. It was nearly impossible for legislators and even other executive officers to get straight answers from the administration about matters such as how much Blago's failed healthcare expansion (the one he defied the General Assembly and JCAR to implement) was really going to cost, or how many people had been signed up.
The Comptroller and Treasurer can see that the state is spending money faster that it is taking it in, and have estimates of how big the total shortfall is or could be. But, they may not know exactly WHERE that money is "leaking" from because the administration wouldn't tell them, or lied to them about where the "leaks" were.
Quinn's job in the next few weeks will be to find where those holes are, how big they are and how to fix them before they sink the ship of state. With Blago out of the way that should be easier.
THE HOUND SAYS: Elaine, Elaine. You already are falling into this trap that things will be better under Gov. Quinn . Hah! All the new governor needs to know is how much we're in the red. The comptroller and treasurer have pointed out, along with most legislators, that Illinois is about $3 billion in the hole. These folks know where the leaks are. They're just readying you for a tax hike to fix them.