Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker isn’t the target of much criticism, at least not from the ones that matter.
The Republicans obviously screw it up. But mostly they talk to themselves. By adopting failed tactics and poor candidates in recent years, they have consigned themselves to statewide irrelevance for the foreseeable future.
Even when they are right, Republicans are ignored. A few weeks ago, when Pritzker and Democratic lawmakers were preparing the budget that will take effect on July 1.
GOP lawmakers warned the cost of provide free medical care to illegal immigrants exploded and become unaffordable. From a bogus initial cost estimate of $2 million a year just a few years ago, they warned that their real costs were rising to more than $1 billion a year.
Ho-hum, for the most part, was the political response, at least in public.
Last week, everything changed. Pritzker announced that he will limit the number of people who can register and reduce planned spending to $550 million a year.
That’s when the insults and name-calling began in earnest.
“Cruel and inhuman” and “criminal” were just some of the labels applied to Pritzker by his Democratic supporters, including members of Congress and the Chicago City Council.
Graciela Guzman, a spokeswoman for Healthy Illinois, described herself as “outraged” by Pritzker’s decision, and a small group of protesters planned a “killout” in downtown Chicago.
The governor’s decision to cap spending at $550 million a year is not a test of frugality. Springfield policy analyst Rich Miller noted that the $550 million increase for fiscal year 2023-24 represents the “highest state dollar increase for any program” in the new budget.
At the same time, 63,000 people are already covered by the growth program. Pritzker said he is putting a cap on new enrollment because the state has so many other spending priorities and only so much money.
The state’s fiscal health is not as good as the governor would have you believe. Illinois is buried in long-term public pension debt (roughly $140 billion) that will only get worse.
Meanwhile, as is his practice, Pritzker fired back at his critics.
To begin with, he has suggested that much of the criticism is disingenuous noise designed to pacify certain groups. He said he made it clear to Hispanic legislative leaders that the program’s exploding costs must be contained.
He said the Latino Legislative Caucus “knew what was going on” and that public criticism of his decision is just political posturing.
One thing Pritzker certainly hasn’t done is show any signs of backing down.
This is one aspect of Pritzker’s political persona that is surprising and, to many, attractive. He’s a belligerent Pole who never pulls a punch. Usually, he bashes defenseless Republicans. But he will go after anyone who crosses him.
In this sense, Pritzker presents himself as an executive director who is used to demanding and getting it.
That is certainly the case so far with his tenure as governor. Working with a mostly compliant Democratic legislature, he has pushed a very progressive agenda.
Given that reality and his undeniable political ambition, it’s no wonder that Pritzker is in mind as the perfect candidate to fill President Biden’s spot on the 2024 Democratic ticket if political circumstances permit.
