The 2020 anticipated budget deficit is squishy because the math is complex, and the value of investments rises and falls with the markets. But it’s also true that the more dire a situation seems, the more justification elected officials have to make to unpopular decisions, and the more heroic they appear when they save the day by miraculously making expected deficits vanish. Cook County Board presidents at times have played this three-inning game: Ooh look at this terrible budget shortfall for next year. There, see how I fixed everything? Who’s the smart manager you ought to reelect as board president!