Pat Quinn entered office earlier this year with low name identification and few loyal, political allies in either the General Assembly or among state-level interest groups.  He also faced the unenviable task of addressing an enormous structural deficit exacerbated by a nationwide recession.  One would think that, in crafting his first budget proposal, he might try to line up some immediate political support.  After all, rolling out an income tax hike is going to be a difficult task no matter how you slice it.  Knowing that certain stakeholders will stand with you on day one makes it a bit easier.

Instead, Quinn is facing criticism from all sides today.  Granted, certain editorial boards are complimenting his plan, but the groups that can actually move an agenda forward -- Democratic leaders, labor unions, the business community, and so on  -- are almost universally at arms length.  And each of them has a different point of contention.

It's nice to be able to say that your budget asks "something from everyone," but it's another thing to actually pass it that way, particularly when you don't come to the table with much political capital.  Glancing at the initial response to his spending plan, it seems safe to say the budget is going to look quite a bit different by the time this process is over. 

Unions
Earlier this week, I'd heard that the labor unions representing Illinois state workers were gearing up to support Quinn's plan and particularly his effort to raise revenue via an income tax hike.  But when they got wind yesterday morning of the pension and service cuts included in the budget, those same groups turned 180 degrees and most have been blasting the governor over the past 24 hours, arguing that he's balancing the books on the backs of state workers.  This was an opportunity lost for Quinn.    

Businesses
The business community is furious with the governor's proposed increases in the corporate income tax, his hiking of the cigarette tax, and his plan to cut the retailer sales tax allowance by half. 

Lawmakers
That the Republicans are unhappy about the idea of raising the income tax is no surprise and not particularly relevant.  The reaction from Senate President John Cullerton and House Speaker Michael Madigan is more indicative of what's to come -- and both have been decidely lukewarm about Quinn's proposal.  Madigan told the Daily Herald: "I would say that before we move forward on any tax increases, Illinoisans want to know how we're going to clean up Illinois government."  And the State Journal-Register reported that Cullerton "first wants to see cuts made to the budget as Quinn promised, that bills are being paid on time and that a construction bill is under way" before considering an income tax hike. 

Meanwhile, State Sen. James Meeks -- who has been rallying for an income tax increase for years in order to overhaul the state's inequitable education funding system -- says that Quinn's budget doesn't get the job done. He argues that, at the very least, one of two things should come out of an income tax increase: property tax relief or an increase in education funding (preferably both).  But he told the Sun-Times Mark Brown yesterday that he didn't see either in Quinn's plan.  He further noted that the increase in the income tax exemption is "too high" while the 1.5 percent hike is "too small."