Hoping to repair relationships destroyed by his predecessor, Quinn schmoozed with members of Congress, chatted with state lawmakers, held an open house at the governor's mansion and celebrated Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday with schoolchildren across Illinois.
And when asked about the hard decisions he'll face in coming months, Quinn offered cautious generalities rather than firm declarations, an approach that preserved his flexibility and postponed any ugly policy clashes.
The Chicago Democrat certainly took decisive action in some cases.
He fired former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's last-minute choice to run the Department of Natural Resources. He called for Sen. Roland Burris to resign. He surprised Springfield by picking the head of a child-advocacy group as his chief of staff.
Presumably, Quinn is busy behind the scenes laying the foundation for a new administration and preparing for his first big test
- the March 18 budget address where he'll have to come up with a plan to close a massive deficit.
"Divine intervention would help," he joked Thursday. "We'll be praying a lot in the next two weeks."
Quinn was thrust into office when the Senate kicked Blagojevich out for a long list of transgressions. The most spectacular was the charge that he schemed to benefit from his power to pick President Barack Obama's replacement in the U.S. Senate. Blagojevich denies any wrongdoing.
Quinn took the oath of office the evening of Jan. 29. Saturday marks his 30th full day in office.
After the constant drama of Blagojevich's six years in office, Quinn certainly has plenty of support from people who hope state government can actually get something done.
"The most gratifying thing is, wherever I go people are very encouraging, no matter where they're from or what their political views are. They're relieved that the ordeal of the past is over and they're very supportive," Quinn said.
Lawmakers generally give Quinn high marks for trying to establish a collaborative relationship with the General Assembly after Blagojevich spent years alienating people. Quinn met with all four legislative caucuses, talked individually with some and made frequent appearances around the state Capitol.
"That's probably the most important thing he could be doing," said Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, a Republican.
Democratic Sen. Martin Sandoval praised Quinn's diplomatic efforts and gave him generally high marks. But Sandoval said he was surprised that Quinn didn't launch his administration with more of a bang.
