The legislature's celebrated odd-couple is at odds.
For months House Democratic Speaker Andy Dillon and Sen. GOP leader
Mike Bishop have walked pretty much arm and arm through a budget
writing minefield and for a moment it looked as though they would
emerge with their trusting relationship intact.
Forget that.
"It was a breach of an agreement," reflected odd couple number one
as Mr. Dillon noted his buddy Bishop just killed a doctor's tax that
Dillon wanted to fill in the budget holes in the states health care
budget for the needy.
Dillon contends that Bishop promised him a "good faith" effort at
getting the doc tax through the GOP controlled senate. What Dillon got
instead was a quicky up and down vote after only one democrat was
allowed to speak in support of a possible compromise on the measure.
It took Dillon almost 90 minutes to pass the tax in the house and
Bishop about ten minutes to kiil it in the senate.
"I got no notice and no opportunity" to see if the proposal could
be reworked Dillon tells the capitol press corps.
"I'm not happy" he noted and asked if his trust in the senator
had been shaken, he cryptically responded, "Yes."
Interestingly prior to Dillon's remarks, the same press corps
cross examined Bishop who said he never had an agreement with his pal
to move the doctor tax but the GOP leader said the relationship was
still sound and he, Bishop, could continue to work with the democratic
speaker.
Maybe he needs to check that with Dillon who accuses Bishop of
playing politics at a time when all sides should be at the table
talking about how to raise new revenue to restore part of the $1.2
billion in budget cuts that Bishop wanted and got.
So Felix, err Bishop is happy and Oscar, err Dillon is not.
And who is that over there whispering, "I told ya so?" Why it's
governor Jennifer Granholm who somewhere along the line probably warned
Dillon not to trust Big Mike.