Rauner Curious To Find Out What Obama Will Tell State Lawmakers Next Week
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Gov. Bruce Rauner said he's looking forward to hearing from President Barack Obama, who will visit the Illinois State Capitol next week, to speak to the General Assembly.
The Republican governor, who is in the midst of a months-long budget standoff with top Democratic lawmakers, said he's curious to find out what the president will say in his remarks in Springfield on Feb. 10.
The White House has said the president will speak to the General Assembly about "what we can do, together, to build a better politics – one that reflects our better selves."
"I know he's frustrated by the gridlock in Washington, and he's talked about the importance of bipartisan compromise. We need that here, and I hope he'll talk about that, and encourage the supermajority in the General Assembly to do some bipartisan compromise with us. I hope he'll do that. It's an exciting opportunity for the people of Illinois if he'll speak up on these issues," Rauner said.
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Rauner said he knows Obama is a strong proponent of term limits and ending the partisan legislative redistricting process, and those are two items on the governor's agenda, so he hopes the president talks about them.
The governor was asked if he's worried Obama's speech will be a bit of a scolding for lawmakers and the governor more than seven months into a state budget stalemate.
"I don't know who in Washington can look and say 'Hey, follow our model in Washington. That's really working well.' It'll be interesting to see what the president has to say," Rauner said.
The president's visit comes, exactly nine years after he launched his successful bid for the White House in a speech on the steps of the Old State Capitol. Obama was a state senator for seven years before he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004.
