Progress Illinois

Even though Rod Blagojevich may face extended jail time after allegedly trading executive favors for campaign contributions, it'd be silly to assume that deep-pocketed interests still don't hold plenty of sway in the Illinois Statehouse. Over the weekend, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch recapped how a few big legislative fights this past session were potentially shaped by hefty donations. Over the past 18 months, for instance, telecom giant AT&T has spread $594,815 to various lawmakers in Springfield. Their major legislative priority, a rewrite of the state's telecommunications law, breezed through unanimously. A controversial bill establishing a sales tax revenue (STAR) district in Marion likely benefited from $20,000 the developer shoveled into campaign coffers. And the paper didn't even touch on plenty of smart bills that were blocked at the insistence of corporate donors.

None of the donations violated state law, at least under Illinois' old campaign finance system. But as the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform's Cindi Canary tells the Post-Dispatch, "it's very hard to ignore the fact that half a million dollars is on the table when you're trying to decide the best course in public policy." That's a simple fact the state's campaign finance reform task force should keep in mind when evaluating Illinois’ new regulations.

The conventional wisdom in Illinois political circles is that House Speaker Michael Madigan -- ever-protective of his majority -- doesn't want to force his members to take a tough vote on a tax reform plan without adequate GOP cover. But take a look at the turnout figures from Tuesday's primary elections. While almost 30,000 more voters cast ballots in the 2010 GOP gubernatorial primary than in 2006, Democratic participation actually dropped by about 2,000 voters. The discrepancy was even more acute in the U.S. Senate primary. National political analysts are attributing the "enthusiasm gap" to Democratic ineptitude in Washington, specifically the Senate's handling of health care reform. There's probably some truth to that theory. But events closer to the ground matter, too.  Illinois is in horrible fiscal shape. The Democratic Party -- having botched a golden opportunity in 2009 to pass comprehensive campaign finance laws and begin closing the state's budget crisis -- isn't providing its base with a convincing reason to head to the polls and vote for any Democrat. Instead, the party leaders appears to be standing idly by as the state implodes on their watch. If he wants to protect the size of his majority come November, Speaker Madigan needs to address this disillusionment.  More inaction in Springfield will only exacerbate it.