Dillon Speaks on the Bishop-Dillon Budget

Does Dillon have amnesia ? (4.00 / 3)

"This Senate-led 'all-cuts' budget will result in bankrupt communities, schools in receivership and broken promises for students seeking to go to college so they can join the middle class."

That's why you should have never agreed to this budget!!!!  

I can't believe this is who the Dems picked for Speaker.  

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by: blue_onyx @ Fri Oct 30, 2009 at 13:43:08 PM CDT

Marsden had just a slightly different take on things (4.00 / 3)

From Peter Luke:

"Those two guys (Dillon and Bishop) got a budget passed," said Bishop's spokesman Matt Marsden. "This was a bipartisan budget. It was voted on by both Republicans and Democrats. It was the best budget that we could come up with that did not rely on tax increases. It's time to move on."

"Those two guys". I guess my tag as the "Bishop-Dillon" budget is correct then.

They OWN this - and they took their members down with them.

Well, Andy did anyway.

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by: wizardkitten @ Fri Oct 30, 2009 at 15:00:34 PM CDT

Dillon or all House Democrats: Who is guilty? (4.00 / 4)

First of all, regarding the fact that Republicans will not support more revenues:   Who could possibly have predicted that?

Secondly, Dillon has failed. This is not only his responsibility. He is the Leader of the House, which means that the Democrats in the House elected him.

Now the Democrats in the House need to find a new leader.

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by: Rosemary F @ Fri Oct 30, 2009 at 19:25:34 PM CDT

Way too little (4.00 / 3)

way to late.  Fire Dillon.

The direct use of force is such a poor solution to any problem, it is generally employed only by small children and large nations.

 - David Friedman

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by: michmark @ Fri Oct 30, 2009 at 22:00:02 PM CDT

Picking winners and losers (4.00 / 3)

The Detroit News today listed its winners and losers in the budget fight. Granholm, a clear loser.  Bishop a clear winner.  Speaker Dillon?  

Here's what the News says:

House Speaker Andy Dillon. His plan for retooling public employee health care isn't part of the budget but launched wide-ranging discussion about long-term policy reforms and cast him in the public spotlight -- a good thing for a potential gubernatorial candidate. However, his strategy to adopt the Senate's cuts-only approach and hope for revenue increases later backfired. It's difficult to ascertain whether he's a winner or loser because it's not clear what his goals were.

Was his goal to improve public policy?  If so a clear loser there if you believe in progressive public policy.  If you think that the policy goal was to get a  budget adopted--any budget--to avert a government shutdown then you can score Dillon a winner on this one.  What you can't do is say his strategy was the only or best strategy to avert a shutdown.  And there are some who think a shutdown would be preferable to the deep cuts Dillon agreed to.

Was his goal to advance the Democratic caucus's chances in 2010?  If so, a clear loser on this one if you believe the polling data before and after the budget fight, which shows an unmistakable downward trendline for Dem lawmakers that puts them well behind Republicans in a generic matchup.

Was his goal to advance the Dillon for Governor campaign?  This was real goal I suspect, or at least the highest priority one for Dillon.  And he certainly did get a lot of attention.  But anyone evaluating him as a political leader cannot help but conclude he's naive or stupid or misguided or (fill in the blank) or all of the above. Basically he's unfit to lead.

So I would agree with the News that Dillon's goals were not clear, perhaps even to himself.  But given what the likely goals were, today I would score him a big loser because even if somehow he comes out of this a month or a year from now a winner he let down his team, screwed the public and thumbed his nose at his party.  

And he left too many people ready to jump the Democratic ship just at a time when we need all the help we can get to block what is coming--a right-wing assault on public policy and government that will make the skirmish of the past several weeks seem like a food fight in comparison. Get ready folks, because the budget battle has emboldened our adversaries, who will get another boost when Nofs crushes Griffin in next Tuesday's election.

Remember Griffin? Another Dillon Kool Aid drinker now destined for the political trash heap after screwing just about every traditional Democratic constituency in Michigan?  Another slick guy who is bringing us down.

What a f****n mess!

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by: liberalbubba @ Sat Oct 31, 2009 at 08:42:40 AM CDT

Dapper Andy hit the trifecta (4.00 / 2)

His performance in the budget soap opera hurt his party, hurt thousands of Michiganders, and hurt his ambitions for higher office.

"When you smoke and drink, that tobacco doesn't mix with alcohol and you feel lousy the next morning, so I gave up cigarettes."--former Tiger manager Mayo Smith.

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by: Snarky Anderson @ Sat Oct 31, 2009 at 09:57:10 AM CDT

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