The Illinois Combine, for those unfamiliar with the term of art, refers to an unfortunate reality in Illinois politics: to wit, Illinois is not precisely a two-party state.  There is a Republican Party of Illinois, and there is a Democratic Party of Illinois – but the party bosses of both more or less ignore everybody else and run the state to suit themselves.

Case in point: the Illinois DREAM Act.  This law sets up a private* college scholarship fund for illegal aliens – which, speaking as a pro-amnesty squish, is a bad idea.  Not because kids who were brought here illegally shouldn’t get an education (although many of the people currently going ecstatic over the bill will happily accuse their opponents of thinking precisely that); but because rewarding behavior encourages it, and official scholarship funds for illegal immigrants rewards the original illegal immigration**.  And it’s not even as bad a bill as it could have been: an earlier version of the bill included handing out driver’s certificates – or, as we in the political business like to call ’em, ‘pre-made voter fraud coupons.***’

At any rate, the Illinois DREAM Act has passed the IL Senate, with eleven GOP Senators signing off on it… much to the surprise of Illinois Tea Party activists – and apparently anger, too.  There’s already been some pushback against GOP state Senators who voted Yea; it’ll be interesting to see what comes up, later in the week.  The vote is scheduled to occur in the Illinois state house some time in the next few weeks; the Democrats only have an official ten seat majority there.  The question is, what majority does the Combine have? – Because the real reason why Illinois politics are so neat and tidy is because people tolerate such things.  There is some suggestion that rank-and-file Republicans (who helped flip several House seats and one Senate seat) may not be willing to keep Illinois a one-party state…

Moe Lane (crosspost)

PS: I know, I know: I’m just a horrible person who hates Latino kids who need scholarships – again, the Left will be happy to tell me that, at least.  And a racist! – Just like Craig Mijares, Regional Northwest Suburbs Coordinator for the Palatine Tea Party (which is one of the groups starting to raise a stink over this).

*Which I suspect will change the first year that donations do not equal demand.  Which is one of the problems.

**To put my squishy amnesty leanings in perspective: first, secure the border – to the satisfaction of the people who take a hard line on immigration policy.  Second, stop encouraging Spanish to be the effective second language of the USA (it’s going to be it anyway, but we can stop bending over backwards to stop trying to assimilate).  Third, give everybody still in the country a freaking green card and be done with it.

No, I don’t expect that any of this is going to happen any time soon.  Yes, I know that back in the Days of Reagan people were promised an end to this problem, and were  denied it.

***Yes, they’re not supposed to be used for any purpose except for driving.  And Social Security numbers weren’t supposed to be used as identification numbers, until they suddenly were.