Politics

Transit Rift Between Daley and Blago Not Sudden

CHICAGO (CBS) ― The rift is growing between two top Democrats in Illinois over money for mass transit. CBS 2's political editor Mike Flannery reports on the backstory, explaining why this is not a sudden spat between Mayor Daley and Gov. Blagojevich.

They've rubbed each other the wrong way and now Daley and Rod Blagojevich are going public with resentments they previously kept private.

"The governor's basically endangering this crisis that's been going on for the whole year," Daley said.

"Mayor Daley just raised your property taxes and tax on bottled water. It's tougher for you to get by," Blagojevich said.

Relationship experts might advise that it's good to get resentments out into the open, but longtime observers of Illinois politics aren't so sure.

"The governor didn't mess with the city," said Cynthia Canary of the Illinois Campaign for Political Honesty. "The mayor didn't mess with the state and that understanding has now completely broken down."

That breakdown makes it more difficult to enact any legislation, including ethics bills proposed by Cynthia Canary's Illinois Campaign for Political Reform. Yet another showdown over mass transit looms later this week, because of the governor's amendatory veto last week.

"Even if the bailout for mass transit goes through and we can stop worrying about that for a little bit, the animosity between the mayor, governor, and legislators will continue to paralyze politics in this state," Canary said.

All eyes will be on Springfield Thursday and Friday, when the General Assembly votes to accept or reject the governor's amendatory veto. The bill's chief sponsor, Evanston's Rep. Julie Hamos, warned CBS 2 that as many as six members who voted for it last week are now saying they may vote no on Blago's rewrite. Doomsday is Sunday, Jan. 20. 

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