Posted: June 03, 2009
By Doug Ibendahl
In case you missed it, the final hours leading up to the General Assembly's session deadline this past Sunday at midnight had some interesting drama. Real progress was being made on SB600 right up until the very end.
There was more good news. Two Republican House members finally stood-up to become Co-Sponsors of SB600. That's Mike Fortner and Ed Sullivan, Jr. Each is now listed as an Alternate Chief Co-Sponsor of the bill. (I would consider that one step above being just a Co-Sponsor.)
The Sunday night play-by-play
Here's a story from the trenches that you might find interesting. Late Sunday night I was in touch via email with Representative Lou Lang who was on the floor of the House. Lang has been carrying the ball as Chief Co-Sponsor of SB600 in the House - waiting for a Republican to step-up.
At 10:11 PM (less than two hours before the midnight deadline) - I emailed and asked Lang if Fortner and Sullivan had signed-on as Co-Sponsors yet.
At 10:42 PM the answer came back. No, as of then, he and fellow Democrat Paul Froehlich remained the only House sponsors of SB600. (In the Senate there were seven Republican sponsors.)
But then, incredibly, just five minutes later in an email at 10:47 PM, Lang advised that Fortner and Sullivan had literally just stopped by his desk and asked to be added as Co-Sponsors. The additions were recorded on the General Assembly's website a few minutes later.
Well, better late than never for Fortner and Sullivan. We should all thank them for doing the right thing - eventually.
But here's the reality. House Speaker Mike Madigan who controls the schedule of bill debate and ultimately decides what bills get a floor vote and when - wasn't going to put SB600 on the floor until there was at least one Republican sponsor. That's not unreasonable.
There's an informal understanding in Springfield (call it a gentleman's or gentlewoman's agreement), that any bill which only impacts the internal workings of one party isn't going to get a vote unless there is a sponsor on record from the party to be impacted. SB600 is such a bill. As we all know, the Democrats already have direct elections for their State Central Committee.
Tom Double Cross has always known this too of course. That's why he and his people spent so much time and effort keeping the members of the GOP caucus off the bill for so long. The members of Cross' caucus have all been scared to death of losing campaign support for their next race.
I would go as far to say that one reason Cross never came up with a serious alternative budget is because he was spending so much time trying to keep SB600 from getting a vote and passing. He had time to help the Democrats raise taxes and fees, and massively expand gambling - but we saw no real leadership on concrete alternatives. Cross would just shout "no" to what the Democrats were offering - on those occasions when he wasn't voting with them.
So let's give credit to Fortner and Sullivan for stepping-up and signing-on Sunday night. And it's a good thing they did - especially since Sullivan had led some Republicans to believe two days prior that he was already a sponsor.
If they had signed-on two days prior - or even one day prior to the deadline - do I think SB600 would have gotten a vote and passed? Yes, I do as a matter of fact.
I definitely see strong evidence that Republicans got the old Tom Double Cross yet again. Putting Republicans on the bill just 70 minutes before midnight wasn't enough time to get it done - especially with all the other big things still pending in Springfield.
But I'm not suggesting we beat-up on Fortner and Sullivan. Yes, they should have stepped-up sooner - but at least they've done more than any other member of the GOP caucus has so far. They've got their names on the bill.
Where we go from here
Sullivan reports there are around 10 Republican House members right now who would vote "yes" on SB600. So that's more good news.
In overtime session, a 60% majority is needed to pass a bill. There are 118 members of the House (70 Democrats and 48 Republicans). A 60 percent majority therefore means 71 votes are needed for passage.
Most of the Democrats - if not all - are expected to vote "yes" on SB600. They've got no reason to prevent Republicans from having the same voting rights Democrats already enjoy in their party. It would be silly for them to intervene and take the collar of shame away from Double Cross. "Yes" on SB600 is the obvious, easy vote for any Democratic House member.
And let me say a quick word here about Lou Lang and Paul Froehlich. We of course disagree with the Democrats on most issues. And it was less than ideal that two Democrats had to carry the ball on a Republican bill in the House for so long. But again, Double Cross gets the blame for that. Further, given how the GOP caucus has shrunk under Double Cross, NO bill can pass in the House without the help of Democrats. That's just an obvious truth. But again, that's hardly the fault of the Republican rank-and-file. There is little we voters can do as long as the GOP caucus keeps a leader who is so willing to work against Republican voters.
Say what you want to about Lang and Froehlich - challenge them on other issues when appropriate - but both men have done nothing but work in good faith on SB600. Some Republicans can't say the same.
If SB600 gets a vote on the floor, it should pass - despite the larger majority required now. In fact I really think that when the time comes a big majority of Republicans will also vote "yes." There's no justifiable reason for a "no" and even the opponents know it. The desire of a few to keep hogging some control isn't a justifiable reason.
It's one thing for someone to work against SB600 behind the scenes - but let's see if they really want to go down in history as being against better democracy. Let's see if those opponents are really clueless enough to record a vote in the House that will one day embarrass their grandkids.
All Republican eyes are on Fortner and Sullivan right now. They finally stepped-up and did the right thing. I'm all in favor of letting bygones-be-bygones with respect to some of the silly games we've had to witness and expose over the past few months.
But by the same token the House Republicans need to stop fooling around. It's high time they got this thing done. We're not talking about winning WWII here or splitting atoms. We're just talking about giving Republicans back something that shouldn't have been taken away in the first place.
SB600 remains a big test for the good members of the GOP House caucus - and we know there are several.
Passing SB600 and empowering Republicans would be a huge victory for the House Republicans to claim. I wish they would embrace this reform and make it their own. Cross could pass SB600 and then hold a press conference taking all the credit for putting the Illinois Republican Party back on track. I would love it. I wish he would do it. I simply want my frickin' vote back.
But Double Cross will never get it. It just doesn't seem to be in him to do the right thing. Passing SB600 would clearly be in his own self-interest - and yet all he wants to do is play dishonest games. It's like the guy's still stuck back in Yorkville High School when Denny Hastert was one of his teachers.
If you expect Republicans to volunteer and to contribute to your candidates - try giving them a vote and a voice - it will be a huge energizer. But Cross doesn't even get the basics. It's why Republican Primary challengers are lining-up for him as we speak.
Double Cross represents the past. The Illinois GOP - and especially the GOP House caucus - desperately need new leaders. This battle for SB600 is the perfect field on which to vet those Republicans who aspire to be leaders.
Republican voters are watching and this is where they'll separate the wheat from the chaff. Some have already been tested - and some have come up embarrassingly short. If there are still any fence sitters out there on SB600, I might suggest talking to Senator Bill Brady - that is if he can be located after bad choices exiled him to political oblivion.
As Charlie Sheen's character Bud Fox famously said in the movie Wall Street, "Life all comes down to a few moments. This is one of them."
Mike Fortner and Ed Sullivan, this is your moment.
Doug Ibendahl is a Chicago Attorney and a former General Counsel of the Illinois Republican Party. He is Co-Founder of Republican Young Professionals (RYP).
