Running a government means striking a balance between competing priorities. Leadership requires acknowledging mistakes, attempting amends and pursuing different solutions.

On this specific issue, courts have made it clear the status quo is unsustainable.

If one fix has been sufficiently attempted, trying another is reasonable.

The best time to make this change has long since passed, so the second best time is now.

The governor can’t just pull the plug on those programs in the current fiscal year as the money is already appropriated. Abruptly reversing course would be disruptive, unwise and likely illegal.

No legislation spontaneously lands on the governor’s desk, which makes paying attention to even efforts doomed to initial failure an important part of understanding the governmental process and the political priorities of those we send to Springfield.

I try to stay away from predictions, especially in the political sphere, an expected outcome from a couple of decades of guessing wrong more than right. So I’m not saying Pritzker will consider my next idea … but maybe he should.

Any candidate who can run even a modest turnout operation ought to succeed, especially in races where voters can make multiple choices.

The party in power has to make these changes. Republicans can’t do it alone, nor does their public relations campaign have influence unless and until it crosses over into motivating Democratic voters to either pressure incumbents or withhold electoral support.