By: Mark Glennon*
This week provided a splendid lesson in why sham votes get taken in the Illinois General Assembly: Because they work. Much of the press gets suckered.
The Wall Street Journal rarely gets it wrong, but it sure did yesterday with that headline above. And it was far from alone.
First, understand what really happened, as WBEZ correctly reported it. Under the label bolded “plenty of political theater,” WBEZ said House Democrats “held a largely symbolic vote on a bill containing Rauner’s vision for education funding – a bill they knew would fail, given their majority in the chamber. It got zero yes votes. Republicans decried the vote as a ‘sham’ and didn’t participate.”
So, the measure failed on a vote of 0-60, but only because 33 members voted “present” and 25 didn’t vote. It therefore provided no real measure of support for anything or for prospects of the ultimately important vote to override Rauner’s amendatory veto.
But from most of the other reporting you’d think a referendum had delivered a decisive verdict. Examples of some of the headlines
“Illinois House soundly rejects Rauner’s school-aid changes.” –The Southern.
“House Vote Soundly Defeats Governor’s Public School Funding Method” –WJBD.
“House vote on Rauner school veto defeated.” –WQAD.
Those and identical ones are headlines used on a widely reprinted Associated Press story that barely mentions that Republicans boycotted the vote.
FOX Business fell for it, too. They reprinted that Wall Street Journal story, which had also been syndicated, with the same headline: “Illinois Governor Fails to Get a Single Vote for His Education Spending Plan.” It doesn’t even mention the GOP boycott of the vote.
Illinoisans who follow politics closely shake this off and assume stunt votes are transparent. Well, they’re not transparent, as the guys who sponsor them well know, which accounts for much of their longevity.
*Mark Glennon is founder of Wirepoints. Opinions expressed are his own.
A set of state lawmakers want to extend CPS’ current school closing moratorium to February 1, 2027 – the same year CPS is set to transition to a fully-elected school board. That means schools like Manley High School, with capacity for more than 1,000 students but enrollment of just 78, can’t be closed for anther three years. The school spends $45,000 per student, but just 2.4% of students read at grade level.
Hopefully, all media will get the message, in Illinois, too.
Ted joined Tom Miller of WJPF to talk about Illinois’ highest-in-the-nation property taxes, why lawmakers don’t want to touch the tax’s cost drivers, just how much Illinoisans’ tax burden has grown over the decades, why Gov. Pritzker failed to meet his promise to reform property taxes, and more.
#FakeNews
Shame on the WSJ.
Most journalists are not any more qualified to be a journalist than the average Joe/Jane. Then add in the agenda of their news organization, and the output is pure poopoganda.
Glennon and wirepoints is exellent, so is illinoispolicy, ilnews, chicagocitywire, truthinaccounting. Etc. Can’t believe anyfhing from big comtrolled media.
The older I get the more it seems that print media is produced by a bunch of teenagers.
Have you met a bunch of “teenagers” so corrupt or who extorted money from their parents (taxpayers) to such a degree? Just as in college not working hard or studying for the exams will lead to a Day of Reckoning financially.
I believe we’ve passed the day of reckoning several times and so, none will occur. Bur for a relative handful of drowned out (thanks, media!) legislators and citizens, certainly the thrust is to downplay the crisis and simply tax and borrow more. No muss, no fuss.
Ok, so there’s the soda tax uproar but I think most people believe that taxes have reached their zenith, will grumble about it and trust that legislators will somehow figure it out. They’ve been trained well.