Feb 2, 2009 10:43 pm US/Central
Advice For Pat Quinn: 'Grease The Wheels'?
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Gov. Pat Quinn addresses the media in Springfield at his first news conference as governor, Jan. 30, 2009.
CBS
Governor Pat Quinn will be at the White House Tuesday for a series of meetings. He's getting a lot of advice during his first days in office - some good, some surprising. CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine reports that one suggestion is raising more than a few eyebrows.
With the former governor's name a national punch line, our state's reputation soiled and everyone screaming for reform, many of us asked 'what was he thinking?' when we heard what Senator Rickey Hendon had to say.
Pat Quinn took over an office permeated with the scent of scandal - sworn in by those hungry for reform.
And he was immediately offered this advice from Sen. Rickey Hendon: "He's been a do-gooder all his life. He's got to learn how to grease the wheels, that's how you get things done around here."
Grease the wheels? Did he just say that?
"It just doesn't sound truthful to me," said Tara Agtarap.
"Pat Quinn talked about fumigating government and that's something the BGA supports, and I'm not sure fumigating government is consistent with those words, 'greasing the wheels'," said Dave Lundy, Better Government Association.
After playing him the tape of what he said about "greasing the wheels", State Sen. Ricky Hendon said, "The connotation of the phrase, 'greasing the wheels', especially after all that's happened in Illinois, I said nothing about the campaign or campaign funds. I'm talking about in the legislative process."
"When Mayor Daley asks those aldermen to vote on a budget, you don't think they don't say how many sidewalks I'm gonna get, how many potholes are gonna get filled in my district? That's greasing the wheels. Political horse-trading? That's the way it works. I'm just trying to let the man know how it works and if he don't know how it works, he'll find out sooner or later."
"Saying that is basically asking for money, gotta give me something," said John Simmons.
Does the governor feel like he's got to learn how to "grease the wheels"?
When asked if the "greasing the wheels" comment was insulting or had a grain of truth to it, Gov. Pat Quinn said, "Well, I don't think there is any truth to it. Everybody says it the way they want to say it, but that's not the way I operate at all."
Or the way people want him to operate.
"It just makes us look really bad to the rest of the country, and the world," said Doug Evans.
When asked if Hendon had to do it over again, would he not use the "grease the wheels" phrase, he said, "Bottom line, he's gonna have to grease the wheels. Grease the wheels to make the engine work."
He'd like us to focus on what he meant, rather than what he said, which can be risky. Like when you joke about having a bomb in your carry-on luggage, and expect the TSA agent to laugh.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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