During the 20th century the office of Governor has
propelled several executives onto the national scene and into
the White House. It is a proven career path for the
politically ambitious, and it appears to be a path our
Governor is striding.
States serve as laboratories of
democracy, as legislative and policy initiatives in 50 states
provide test beds for national policy. The concept has not
been lost of Governor Rod Blagojevich. He has hardly missed an
opportunity to put himself before the media by proposing
Illinois solutions to national issues.
Perhaps it is a
result of his time in Congress making a grander impression
than has his time in the state capitol. Maybe it comes from
the rapport he has with Rahm Emanuel, successor to his
Congressional seat and prominent strategist for the Democrat
Congressional Campaign Committee. Perhaps it is because his
closest advisors come from the coasts, are tuned to the
national scene and don’t have political roots in Illinois.
Maybe it results from perpetual campaigning, constant opinion
polling, and campaign fundraising in California, New York and
Washington, D.C. It may be inevitable if your media success is
measured by appearing on network television, conversing on the
trendy Daily Show, and being mentioned in national journals,
like the New York Times.
Governor Blagojevich’s policy
interests, political instincts and camera-ready style are
obviously more attuned to pursuing issues on the national
stage than simply managing the routine affairs of the Prairie
State.
A major plank of his first campaign was to
one-up a deadlocked Congress and raise the minimum wage in
Illinois. In 2003, Illinois became the only state between the
Appalachian and Rocky Mountains with a minimum wage
requirement exceeding the $5.15 national level. Today,
Illinois’ minimum wage is $6.50. If re-elected the Governor
intends to raise it to $7.50. Without defending the federal
wage level, there are good economic reasons for Illinois not
to be out of line with national and regional standards where
business cost drivers are concerned. This should be of great
concern for leaders of a state where job growth is severely
lagging the national experience.
In 2004, the Governor
supported importing drugs from foreign sources to provide
lower cost drugs to Americans. He defied the federal
government by leading a campaign for importation and recruited
other government entities to join a drug-purchasing
consortium. Ultimately, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
stifled the scheme by pointing out it was illegal and refusing
to give Illinois a waiver. Congress subsequently adopted a
prescription drug plan for Medicare recipients and deflated
the issue.
Next, the Governor reacted to the
short-lived national scare of a flu vaccine shortage. At the
Governor’s direction, Illinois purchased $2.6 million worth of
vaccine from a foreign manufacturer. Illinois taxpayers paid
the bill, but the vaccine never arrived in the U.S. and was
eventually donated for use overseas. The feared vaccine
shortage never materialized.
Last year Governor
Blagojevich sought the national spotlight again by attacking
video game makers and retailers over violent and sexual
content in video games available to the nation’s youth. He
prevailed upon the General Assembly for restrictive
legislation despite near certainty federal courts would rule
his Illinois law unconstitutional. The Entertainment Software
Association was forced to mount an expensive lawsuit. After
the Seventh Circuit Court predictably overturned the statute
the gaming industry now seeks $645,000 from state taxpayers to
reimburse their legal fees. It is unknown how much it cost
taxpayers for the Attorney General to defend bad law.
Following the controversy in Washington over federal
funding for stem cell research Governor Blagojevich did not
hesitate to get on the bandwagon for state funding of medical
research. While, the California legislature and Governor
Schwarzenegger set a high bar for others to follow Governor
Blagojevich was quick to do so. He out maneuvered Comptroller
Dan Hynes (Who had already established himself as the
political champion of stem cell research in Illinois.) by
simply exercising spending authority secured by clandestine
language inserted in the budget bill. The secretive maneuver
let the Governor avoid the legislative, political and ethical
controversies that plagued President Bush. The Governor’s
approach also demonstrated his contempt for a collaborative
legislative budget process and cemented further distrust on
the part of legislators who believe state spending policy is
fundamentally their responsibility.
Recently, the
Governor chose to champion higher standards for mercury
emissions than required by new U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency rules established for the nation’s coal burning
electric generating plants just last year. The Illinois
standards, if adopted, will exceed national policy and again
demonstrate our Governor’s eagerness to trump Washington.
Unfortunately, the practical affect of this politically
popular move will result in minuscule improvement in Illinois’
air quality, while adversely impacting two of the State’s most
important quality job creating industries. One must also be
concerned about how the Governor’s rules will affect the
much-anticipated Illinois investments the coal and electric
power generation industries have had on the drawing boards.
The Governor’s rules threaten the economic viability of
Illinois coal fired plants and could result in price increases
for electric energy users.
Governor Blagojevich’s
highest priorities have been well publicized initiatives
focusing on children and health care.
Governor
Blagojevich quickly grasped the significance of national
reports that revealed concerns for childhood obesity and
diabetes. His solution was to take on the food industry by
attempting to ban their products from Illinois public schools.
When his legislative initiative failed, the Governor pressed
his appointed State Board of Education to do the deed by
administrative fiat. The state board’s effort to mandate food
policies for locally elected school boards was also recently
stopped by legislative action.
While not the first
Illinois Governor to recognize early childhood education as a
worthy program with proven results, he has significantly
expanded funding and access. His most ambitious proposal has
set the state on a course towards government-funded universal
pre-school. Georgia and Oklahoma are the only states providing
universal pre-school funding for all four year olds and above.
Governor Blagojevich envisions extending the program to all
three year olds during his second term. It is a move that
could thrust the Governor into the role of national
pacesetter.
In three years the Governor’s approach to
health care has been to increase the role of government by
opening up Medicaid to everyone. He has expanded eligibility
to more people, increase benefit coverage and taken the
pre-existing government subsidized insurance programs called
“FamilyCare” and “KidCare” to a new level.
Universal
health care for all children will likely be Governor
Blagojevich’s legacy program. His “AllKids” program has an
appeal that could capture the attention of a nation desperate
to provide affordable health care for the uninsured. His
record positions him as a leader of the parade of advocates
from across the county who pursue ever expanding
government-funded healthcare programs to satisfy the needs of
everyone.
While Governor Blagojevich’s initiatives
have proven shortcomings, he has nevertheless pursued
politically attractive issues, challenged the Republican
dominated federal government, and gained attention from the
Hollywood and Washington crowds. If voters are not weary of
the photo-op Governor and his expensive initiatives he will be
re-elected. Then, as a highly successful fundraiser from a
solidly “blue” state, it should not be surprising if the
Blagojevich camp has a field operation in Iowa by this time
next year.
Douglas L. Whitley
President & CEO
The Illinois Chamber |
