Illinois Democrats didn't let their problem with an unacceptable lieutenant governor candidate fester, but why can't they do something about the state's budget crisis?

The woes of Gov. Pat Quinn and the Illinois Democratic Party didn't last long following last week's primary election.

Democratic primary voters chose an unknown, Scott Lee Cohen, from a gaggle of candidates for lieutenant governor only to subsequently learn that Cohen brought more than a colorful personal life to the campaign. The multimillionaire Chicago pawn broker has a background including pugilism with a former wife and a prostitute girlfriend, litigation for unpaid child support and allegations against him involving steroid use.

With Cohen partnered with Quinn in the elections for governor and lieutenant governor in the fall, Democrats sensed big trouble. Their concerns heightened when Cohen, who spent $2 million of his own money to secure the nomination, down-played his problematic behavior by insisting it was ancient history and indicated he was in the race to stay.

Then Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, chairman of the state Democratic Party, invited Cohen for a Feb. 5 visit to Madigan's law office and a lesson on the facts of political life. No doubt stung by the angry reaction from the media, criticism from his fellow Democrats and Madigan's tutorial, Cohen tearfully declared two days later that he was dropping out of the race.

"All I ever wanted to do ... was to run for office and to help the people, not to cause chaos," he said.

With Cohen gone, the Democrats' standing in the lieutenant governor race has skyrocketed from a worst-case to a best-case scenario. Now the state Democratic Party, meaning Madigan, will select the most electable candidate available to run with Quinn instead of having to rely on the choice of unreliable voters.

In other words, maybe it'll be a downstater to balance the domination of Chicago Democrats on the ticket, maybe a woman to balance Quinn, maybe a left-hander to balance a right-hander.

Whatever Madigan decides, he will do so carefully and for maximum political effect.

As for the Republicans, they're still stuck with the lumbering democratic process.

State Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington has a lead of less than 500 votes over state Sen. Kirk Dillard of Hinsdale in the race for governor. It may takes weeks (why is that?) to count all the provisional and absentee ballots that have been cast, and a time-consuming recount is likely to follow.

Meanwhile, Jason Plummer, the unknown 27-year-old newcomer from Edwardsville who won the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor, is waiting to see with whom he'll be running in the fall election.

This is hardly a healthy situation. Republicans don't know who their gubernatorial candidate will be, and the Democrats don't know whom to start vilifying in their campaign ads.

But the bizarre situation has produced one tiny plus for the absurdly early Feb. 2 primary election date. At least there's time to sort out the confusion before the November general election.

One more thing: politics can be an interesting diversion, but Illinois still is in disastrous financial shape. Circumstances actually are getting worse with each passing day.

Democrats run the state. So why don't they step up to address the state's real problems in the same expeditious manner they do their own political peccadillos?