Even Abraham Lincoln is suffering from the budget impasse in the Land of Lincoln

Fifteen months ago political newcomer Bruce Rauner, a Republican, became the first gubernatorial candidate to win a majority of the vote in Illinois since 2002.

Rauner, who promised to "Shake up Springfield" during his campaign, is in an eight-month long budget stalemate with Gerrymander King and House Speaker Michael Madigan of Chicago, who is also the chairman of the state Democratic Party. He's the "Where's Waldo" of state politics as Illinois' fiscal condition has brought this shame: it has the lowest credit rating of the 50 states. The Land of Lincoln's public-pension system is the worst-funded in the nation.

Speaking of Lincoln, even Honest Abe, the first Republican president, is feeling the pain.

From the State Journal-Register:

The future of the Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices in Springfield remains as uncertain as the state budget.

Shortly after Labor Day 2014, the historic site closed for a planned $1.1 million renovation that included the upper-level offices where Lincoln practiced law and a replica Seth M. Tinsley dry-goods store on the ground floor. The project was caught up in the state budget deadlock and never resumed. Attendance of more than 19,000 in 2014 dropped to zero last year.

Work originally expected to take 18 months remains in limbo.

"There's no change in status for the Lincoln-Herndon project," Illinois Historic Preservation Agency spokesman Chris Wills said in an email.

Related post:

Thirty hours in Lincoln's Springfield, Illinois