In its editorial this morning the Chicago Tribune paints a picture of an Illinois governor unable to make tough decisions:
The governor allegedly is a bold populist. Time and again, though, he won’t stand firm if doing so would offend someone powerful:
Among the Trib’s list of “caves” is not firing the two remaining University of Illinois trustess complicit in the admissions scandal there, his failure to hold a special election to replace Barack Obama when he vacated his seat to become president, and not increasing teachers’ pension contributions under pressure from teachers’ groups.
It isn’t a problem unique to Gov. Quinn or unique to Illinois. I honestly believe that the underlying problem is that the process by which people enter high office does not equip them to make difficult decisions. Leadership is not like a stapler or a fax machine. It’s not a part of the office equipment which any occupier of the office can use as needed. It’s more like a muscle that must be exercised and trained to be applied when it’s time for muscle-power. The process that we have may train some muscles but, clearly, it doesn’t train the leadership muscle.
As long as we maintain that process, we’ll have leaders who are congenitally unable to lead.
I think Pat Quinn is a decent bloke. I’m not sure he’s gubernatorial material.
The practice of politics is the art of wielding power. I believe Quinn never had much of an organization, and he didn’t get a chance to form one through campaigning for the job. He doesn’t have his own people at hand to appoint to offices, nor necessarily the time and luxury. I’m glad to see some changes at the U of I, but the Tribune has taken its signature issue way beyond the portions of actual importance to the state’s dire fiscal situation. Also, it’s recent coverage about the situation with the environmental agencies completely misses the point — the agencies are fighting over money and if you resolve the funding issues, agencies won’t start doing the strange things they do. It’s the money.
“I think Pat Quinn is a decent bloke. I’m not sure he’s gubernatorial material.”
But Dan Proft is….