“The cowardice of voting present in the Illinois legislature”

Jack Franks

Jack Franks

That’s the headline in the State Journal-Register out of Springfield.

That newspaper editorial was aiming at its local Republican State Representatives.

Here’s a paragraph from the editorial:

“They punted – plain and simple – on an important vote that would have recorded them as either supportive of the governor of their own political party or supportive of the state workers who are plentiful in their districts. Voting present enabled them to say they are neither – or both – depending on which way the wind blows. Their present votes signal they won’t mind being castigated for their lack of leadership.”

Republicans were not the only ones who voted “Present.”

Local Democrat Jack Franks did, too.


Comments

“The cowardice of voting present in the Illinois legislature” — 13 Comments

  1. Voting ‘present’ while in government in Springfield is a prerequisite to becoming President of the U.S.A.

  2. I think the pay for those that do not attend votes or vote present should be docked.

    They are not doing their jobs and this allows them to say to both sides they agreed with them.

    Also if representatives don’t come to the meetings they should get their pay docked also.

  3. Sorry Karma.

    Wrong again.

    Madigan needed 71 votes to pass the bill, and didn’t get Jack’s; and therefore lost.

    He kept our negotiating position open, and stuck it to Madigan at the same time.

    Remember the Goode Olde Days of FAt Jack Schaeffer, Klemm, Hughes and Brown, when the only things that came back to McHenry County were goodies for the gravel industry?

    Jack did our business deftly.

    Now if we can get him to run for County Board Chairman as a Republican…….

  4. Obama holds the record for voting present and look where it got him.

  5. Well maybe he should run as a republican because he is always voting against the democrats.

    He is a blue dog democrat while the party is turning more progressive.

    You can have him.

  6. Well Obama should have had his pay cut too.

    If we want to save money we need to treat politicians as they treat low and lower middle class workers.

    It they don’t show up to work or do their job they are fired or docked.

    If Congress wants to take pensions away from people they should lose their pensions.

    If Congress only comes in so many days per year that is what they should be paid for.

  7. @wow, @Charles Nelson:

    This whole thing was triggered by the fact that Madigan had only 70 members present in the chamber, Ken Dunkin was a no-show.

    Therefore, had all the Dems present voted “yes”, he still would have lost by 1 vote.

    This allowed Jack to vote “present” and claim that he was doing it out of a sense of bipartisanship.

    It was a cold, crude political decision to vote “present” and nothing more.

    It certainly was not an indication of independence from Madigan.

  8. @Charles Nelson:

    And running for cover when the opportunity presents itself gives Jack the ability to portray himself as something other than the naked political opportunist he truly is.

    If that’s the type of person you want representing you while this state collapses around our ears, then you’re welcome to him.

    In 2013, he beat his chest and called for a Committee of the Whole to stay in session until the pension mess was fixed.

    Did he propose his own solution to the problem?

    No, and when S.B. 1 came up for a vote, he waited until every other vote was on the board so he could see if his vote would affect the outcome.

    I know, I was there and watched the vote.

    When he saw it wouldn’t, he voted against it, though he told another legislator who told me that if Madigan needed his vote, he would vote for it (just as has been reported about S.B. 1229 by CapitolFax today).

    He says he’s in favor of a property tax freeze, but does he have any proposal to stop what is really driving property taxes through the roof: the ever increasing cost of education?

    No.

    Has he addressed the looming explosion in Medicaid costs due to the expansion of eligibility under Obamacare? Silence.

    The best thing Jack Franks does is promote Jack Franks.

    When it comes to the real problems that confront this state, which every one of us is paying for, Jack’s been AWOL on every one.

    Truth to power, indeed.

  9. It might be more important for Democrat House Chair Madigan to have Democrat State Rep Franks remain in office in McHenry County; than to appease public sector union AFSCME by changing state collective bargaining rules via SB 1229 (99th General Assembly) during AFSCME current contract negotiations with Republican Governor Rauner.

    And there are countless other scenarios as to why the three Democrat State Reps failed to vote yes to override Rauner’s veto of SB 1229:

    Drury (Highwood / Lake County) – No
    Dunkin (Chicago) – Absent
    Franks (McHenry County) – Present

    History has shown that little can be taken at face value when Madigan is involved.

  10. Jack is for Jack, not so much the voters he’s suppose to be representing.

  11. Trust me. Charlie Nelson is not sane.

    He’s a political nut job of the highest degree.

    If Charlie supports candidate Y, support candidate X.

    Charlie need psychological help.

    Ore venom spews out of his retoric.

    He’s filled with nothing but hate.

    Just ignore his ludicrous comments

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