That's how Capitol Fax's Rich Miller describes the respective budget maneuvers exhibited by House Speaker Michael Madigan and House Minority Leader Tom Cross this past spring.  Pivoting off of Steve Huntley's Sun-Times column on Cross, Miller provides the most concise description yet of why the state legislature failed to pass an obviously necessary income tax increase during the 2009 session:

Cross had at least eight members of his caucus who were ready to vote for a tax hike, but they were pressured into voting with the rest of the herd.

Leader Cross wasn’t the only one putting his party over his state. The House Democratic Speaker refused to push the income tax without significant GOP support because he was so worried that an all-Dem tax hike could cost his party seats in 2010 - even though the Democrats have ten seats to spare.

There you have it: political self-preservation trumping the public interest.