May 06--In politics and governance, deference is often appropriate. Trustworthiness is indispensable. Discretion is essential.
Failing to practice any of the above can be a deal-breaker toward progress, no matter the circumstances. Freshman Gov. Bruce Rauner has slipped up on all three.
Lessons from the governor's time in office can be useful in getting Rauner and Democratic leaders to strike a budget deal, this year and for the next two.
When he began forming his transition team after winning the November 2014 election, Rauner surrounded himself with younger, hotshot advisers -- few of whom had meaningful experience working in Springfield. They were confrontational and haughty, even though they knew little about the players and the mechanics of state government. They had no institutional knowledge, and it showed.
As a result, they have coalesced, not diminished, support under the dome for House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton. Even Republicans who enthusiastically support Rauner's agenda have not appreciated his sometimes inflexible and demanding liaisons.
Most voters appreciate that Rauner challenges Madigan and Cullerton and their protected status quo. Rauner should continue to resist calls for tax hikes without reform. But if Rauner's ultimate goal is advancing policies he believes will help Illinois, engaging in petty fights will always crimp that agenda. Example: buying television ads last spring demonizing Madigan. It was a waste of trust capital, and real capital.
Someone in Rauner's circle with more institutional knowledge might have advised against it -- someone who remembered the Illinois Republican Party's "Fire Madigan" campaign in 2012, replete with buttons, bumper stickers and pet wear. It was catchy but ineffective. Madigan has proved over and over that his unpopularity with voters en masse does not weaken him in Springfield. He has been content to watch the state sink, and his members have let him.
Perhaps Rauner's biggest relationship fumble was in February, when he called reporters to his office to update budget talks and then publicly exposed Cullerton's vulnerability. The two had been working toward a budget compromise when Rauner shared this:
"You know what President Cullerton said to me in private? He said, 'Bruce, I lived in Mike Madigan's shadow for 37 years. I'm not gonna step out now.' Can you believe that? Can you believe that? You wonder why Illinois is in such deep yogurt, ladies and gentlemen. We've got a dictatorship of one individual who cares about politics over people."
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