By DOUG IBENDAHL • January 1, 2011
Republican House Minority Leader Tom Cross is a guest tomorrow morning on FOX Chicago Sunday at 8:30 a.m. The seven minute segment with Cross was obviously taped well in advance because the video’s been on the station’s website since Thursday.
You can watch the whole thing here.
It’s really only worth watching to see how much one person can talk – without saying anything.
As you watch it, also keep in mind – this is the guy mostly responsible for you not having the same right every Illinois Democrat already has: the right to directly elect the top leaders of your state party. Tom Cross is the prime stonewaller of SB600.
By my count Cross says the word “reform” ten times in less than seven minutes. But not once does he mention a single specific. Same deal when he mentions the need for budget cuts.
Cross is all about generalities. He throws out the phrase “education reform” – but of course doesn’t mention that just eight months ago, 22 members of Cross’ GOP House caucus helped the Democrats kill the most meaningful education reform on the table in decades. That was SB2494 which would have provided vouchers – one of the most basic elements of the GOP Platform – to the children of thousands of low income families trapped in the worst public schools.
If just 12 of those 22 House Republican “no” voters had voted for reform instead of the teachers’ unions, SB2494 would be law today. The bill got 48 votes in the House but needed 60.
Tom Cross is asked whether he’ll support Governor Quinn’s proposal to issue $15 billion in bonds. Cross seems to indicate that he won’t and says “I’ve not voted for borrowing.” Well that’s empirically false. On March 20, 2003, Cross voted for $10 billion in more debt. That was HB2660.
That was the infamous $10 billion bond deal sought by Cross’ old pal, the now convicted Rod Blagojevich. That remains the largest issuance of debt by the State of Illinois in history, by far. That one deal approximately doubled the amount of state debt outstanding at that time.
The $10 billion bond deal and 300 tax and fee increases were the first big initiatives of the incoming Blagojevich Administration in 2003. Cross was a leading cheerleader for it all. You may also recall that’s the same $10 billion bond deal on which Republican boss hog Bob Kjellander reaped an $809,000 “consulting” fee – that has since been the subject of testimony in more than one federal corruption trial, including that of Tony Rezko.
Cross is also asked his opinion on why Bill Brady lost the race for governor. No surprise, Cross confines himself to blaming Brady’s positions on social issues. Note what a weasel the guy is though. Cross doesn’t even have the stones to directly say that’s what he thinks. He instead defers to what “a lot of people say.” But he gets the dishonest talking point out there again and that’s all he cares about.
Next, Cross tries to crow about the six seats Republicans picked up in the Illinois House this year. Of course he doesn’t mention those were mostly take-backs of seats the GOP shouldn’t have lost in the first place. Those were Republican-friendly drawn districts to begin with. Everyone knows that a mere six seat pick-up in the State House was far short of expectations in the most pro-GOP year in our lifetimes. House Republicans remain very much in the minority and are now just basically back to the number of seats they had when Cross took over as Minority Leader in 2002. That’s when the erosion of the GOP and the Platform really began in earnest.
When we remember that Cross was playing golf at Medinah Country Club on Election Day – while Mike Madigan was working the phones - one has to wonder if Tom Cross even wants to be in the majority. One can’t just sit around and complain in the Speaker’s job – one actually has to make decisions and lead. Being Speaker is a lot more work than being Minority Leader. Time on the links can be seriously impaired.
Finally, at the end of the FOX Chicago Sunday interview, Cross is practically giddy at the prospect of supporting still more gambling expansion. Again, no surprise there.
There you have it. In less than seven minutes, Cross makes it clear that 2011 is going to be more of the same for his caucus in Springfield. Expect more lies and more lost ground for the GOP. Expect more weakening of the Republican brand. It will be more whining and complaining about the Democrats, even as Cross mostly supports the same liberal agendas. The gambling interests and teachers’ unions who fund his campaigns will keep getting what they want – while he shreds the GOP Platform and continues to try and keep rank-and-file Republicans from even having a vote and a voice in their own party.
It’s no wonder Republicans call him Tom Double Cross.
Doug Ibendahl is a Chicago Attorney and a former General Counsel of the Illinois Republican Party.
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