03 Aug 2004

Illinois Governor Loses Badly in Budget Deal

By Rich Miller
No governor ever gets everything he wants in a budget. But this year's budget agreement reflects what appears to be the greatest expansion of legislative power in decades. Governor Rod Blagojevich had to give up a lot during the two-month overtime session, and he didn't get much in return.
27 Jul 2004

Search for Republican U.S. Senate Candidate Turns into a Circus

By Rich Miller
It's been an opportunist playground," a top Republican Party official sighed last week. Every time somebody floats his or her own name for the vacant slot for Republican U.S. Senate candidate and then "withdraws," the media paints it as yet another disaster for the state party, the clearly annoyed official complained.
20 Jul 2004

Ditka Might Have Been a Lousy Senator, but He Would Have Been a Great Candidate

By Rich Miller
I never thought Mike Ditka would actually run for the United States Senate. But I really, really wanted him to. Hey, I know he might not have been a great senator. He's too obnoxious, too impatient, too "either do it my way or I'll grab you by the shirt and shake you up good" for such a deliberative body.
06 Jul 2004

Illinois Budget Process More Secretive Than Ever

By Rich Miller
Slowly but surely, the state legislature is being replaced by five guys in a back room. It's old news that the four legislative leaders and the governor have totally hijacked the budget process. For years now, the governor, the House speaker, the Senate president, and the House and Senate minority leaders have met behind closed doors to hammer out the state's spending plans.
15 Jun 2004

Plenty of Blame to Go Around in Illinois Budget Mess

By Rich Miller
Who's to blame for the overtime legislative session? It's a question you will probably hear a lot in the coming days, even weeks, as the factions jockey for position. In case you haven't heard, the state budget is a mess.
08 Jun 2004

Illinois Governor Should Pick His Targets More Carefully

By Rich Miller
During the last scheduled night of the spring legislative session, a reporter decided to step outside for a smoke. While he was outdoors, he tried to catch a glimpse inside the governor's office. In one window, the reporter saw Deputy Governor Bradley Tusk talking to someone on the telephone.
01 Jun 2004

Illinois Governor Needs to Start Delivering Solutions, Not Politics

By Rich Miller
In a spectacular reversal of fortune, the Chicago Tribune reported last week that Governor Rod Blagojevich's job-approval rating has dropped to just 40 percent. In February, a Tribune poll had Blagojevich's approval rating at 55 percent.
25 May 2004

Head of Powerful Illinois Agency Cutting Some Dubious Deals

By Rich Miller
Something really stinks at CMS. The latest scandal to hit the powerful Illinois Department of Central Management Services (CMS) revolves around a lucrative contract to manage health-care costs for tens of thousands of state workers and their families.
18 May 2004

Illinois Governor Picks a Serious Fight with Mayor Daley

By Rich Miller
Part of me cheered when Governor Rod Blagojevich took a shot at Chicago Mayor Richard Daley last week. In case you haven't heard, last Monday, Daley announced that he wanted a huge, land-based, city-owned casino.
11 May 2004

Illinois Soap Opera Pits Speaker Against Governor

By Rich Miller
There's always a soap opera at the Illinois statehouse, but this year's version is a bit crazier than usual. Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan is killing off Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich's proposals left and right.

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