IL Dems, Blago get budget passed at last minute

Illinois Dems have scored a victory of sorts by managing to pass the state budget at the last minute.

The budget process dictates that it can be passed by a simple majority if it's passed by the midnight May 31st deadline. If that doesn't happen, it then requires a 3/5 majority, which of course makes it a whole new ballgame.

The Republicans, as always, have voted in Stepford Wife-like lock-step and so the Dems had to go it alone. Credit largely goes to Speaker Madigan for managing to herd the unruly Dems and get it all squeezed through at the last minute, as our Governor was largely AWOL with problems of his own.

So the Republicans are prevented from meddling in the process with their pro-gun, anti-everything agenda and are left with nothing more than things to whine and bitch about and try to use against Dems in upcoming races.

Passage of the budget is traditionally followed by extreme revelry by politicians and their staffs with sumptuous parties and oceans of booze. So the Springfield minions will be partying like it's 1999 all over again far into tomorrow with the knowledge that they don't have anything to attend to until the veto session months down the road.

The Capitol Fax Blog has more inside Springfield coverage.