Chicago Tribune: Bruce Rauner Is First Governor To Stand Up To Mike Madigan, Won’t Stop Fighting

In a new editorial, the Chicago Tribune is praising Illinois GOP Governor Bruce Rauner for being the first governor to stand up to Mike Madigan’s Chicago political machine and fight the “phony” unbalanced budgets that Illinois politicians have enacted for years. Under decades of Madigan rule, Illinois has suffered through endemic corruption in government, unbalanced budgets, and out-migration and pension crises.

Governor Rauner promised to shake up Springfield and fight the career politicians, and that’s exactly what he’s done as governor – vetoing unbalanced budgets and reckless tax hikes, calling out corruption in government, and pushing for major reform.

With Bruce Rauner in office, “you know your governor won’t stop fighting.”

The Chicago Tribune editorial board writes,

Five months after taking office — it was June 25, 2015 — Gov. Bruce Rauner confronted House Speaker Michael Madigan. Rauner vetoed most of the state budget Madigan & Co. had sent him. It was an outrageous $4 billion out of balance.

…What Rauner wouldn’t do was sign another phony budget.

…Every other governor under Speaker Madigan — and we do mean under — caved. They cut deals. They approved more spending. They skimped on pension payments. They were co-conspirators.

Not Rauner. He is the first governor to unflinchingly stand up to Madigan. The war for Illinois’ future — will a death spiral or an economic rebound prevail? — endures. And if voters elect any Republican, Madigan will again try to make that governor fail. If that governor is Rauner, you know your governor won’t stop fighting.