Editorial: Rauner Forgoes Small Wins; Opts for Big Losses

The question comes up in almost every conversation I have these days: “So, you think Rauner or Madigan will win this budget fight?”

My answer is consistent: House Speaker Michael Madigan won these fights for 30 years with five previous governors. There’s no reason to believe it’ll be different with the sixth.

But it’s not just Madigan’s political acumen and experience that give him the edge. Gov. Bruce Rauner has set his own bar for “victory” so high that he appears intent on rejecting small wins in favor of big defeats.

His approach to the state budget, in which he won’t engage in negotiations with Democrats until after they embrace his reform ideas, is a perfect example.

In refusing to sit down with Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton until they meet his conditions, Rauner overlooks the power he wields simply by being at the negotiating table. Not since 2002 has a Republican governor had a direct say in the give-and-take of creating a state spending plan…

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