Dec. 10--About seven blocks from City Hall, where Mayor Rahm Emanuel delivered a mea culpa on Wednesday, another influential Democrat made a rare appearance at a grandiose banquet hall. Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan gave the keynote address at a City Club of Chicago luncheon.
Madigan defended his role in the current state budget impasse. With the precision for which he is known, he explained to lunch guests the philosophical differences with Gov. Bruce Rauner that he said had led to a breakdown in talks. The governor, Madigan said, continues to be "extreme" in demanding pro-business reforms, such as workers' compensation changes, as part of a budget deal.
The room of downtown professionals, government workers and elected officials listened politely. They applauded when Madigan said he would fight for more money for Chicago Public Schools because the district serves a largely low-income, minority population. They chuckled when he said he had used his persuasive capabilities "that the Tribune talks about all the time" to negotiate with Rauner on budget issues earlier this year.
You could describe Madigan's performance as charming.
Missing, though, was any acknowledgment of his own role in the state's financial crisis. Instead Madigan talked about effects, not causes: "The No. 1 problem facing the state is the budget deficit." He went into detail about the structural deficit the state faces, the unfunded pension liabilities, the aggregate debt load that Illinois politicians have deposited on the backs of taxpayers. He admitted the state is "awash" in debt.
No mention of his role as speaker for more than 30 years, or of his enormous influence over how money has been spent and borrowed. No mention of one-party Democratic rule for 12 years, prior to Rauner's inauguration in January, during which the unfunded liabilities of the pension funds doubled. No mention of the massive borrowing to pay for pensions and other routine operational costs that occurred on his watch.
For a man who is admired and respected among his allies for his long and precise memory, he demonstrated again Wednesday that it's also quite selective.
