28 Comments - wordslinger - Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 4:23 pm: –Voters will peacefully assemble displaying signs that encourages 100th General Assembly Members to not vote for Michael Madigan as Speaker of the House.– Given the fractured grammar, let’s make those alleged “voters” show a picture ID and proof of citizenship. Why not? I bet they have to show a picture ID when they cash those dark-money checks. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 4:28 pm: Raunerites just don’t want a deal. Can’t tell me they do. “Snapchat Filter”? Boy Yaffe and DeGroot are real movers and shakers, strong a snspchat filter set and all. Fellas, you see Lance putting his name to your ridiculousness? Wonder why. You should wonder why you get to be made to look ridiculous. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 4:30 pm: “setting up a snapchat filter and all.” - Chicago 20 - Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 4:31 pm: Will these “protesters” also receive gift cards? - Anonymous - Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 4:34 pm: So the ILGOP will be campaigning on state property? - Grand Avenue - Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 4:35 pm: If I were them, I wouldn’t use the young pictures of Madigan. They really do humanize him. - burbanite - Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 4:38 pm: If there end game is Rauner’s “reforms” someone may want to fill them in, that it doesn’t matter if Madigan is the speaker or not, they don’t have the votes. I would actually like him to not be speaker just to get rid of their ability to use him as their excuse. - Blue Bayou - Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 4:40 pm: That protest is going to be HUGE. Not in numbers of people, but in the breathless hot takes it engenders by the ILGOP. Rich, can you go over there and do a count? - Lucky Pierre - Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 4:41 pm: burbanite, check the Senate, the reforms will now be linked to revenue - IRLJ - Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 4:42 pm: Yawn. Does Rauner really believe that shrill works? Seems to me that with the governor’s own approval rating, throwing rocks in glass houses may not be the most effective strategy. But I’m not a Superstar. What do I know? - Deft Wing - Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 4:48 pm: The heightened public scrutiny of this vote — and for Madigan’s onerous Rules — just means the easy messaging for Rauner and the ILGOP will continue. - burbanite - Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 4:51 pm: I did check, I don’t see any reform that the Dems didn’t already indicate they would be willing to talk about. Workers comp & pension reform were always on the table. Consolidation of Gov’t has been supported by the Dems and in fact I have repeatedly argued that consolidation is an area where they should focus. If they had two years ago, we may have saved some money. (and my last post its their not there oops) - Lucky Pierre - Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 4:52 pm: They are laying the groundwork for pressure to vote on the Senate proposal instead of another “successful” stop gap. Higher education and social services would disagree that with the Speaker that the previous stop gap budgets were successful. The Speaker has given no indication he will allow a vote so what is wrong with demanding some accountability? - Albany Park Patriot - Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 4:53 pm: Rauner has enough money to try out even the dumbest ideas. The state is in thrall to his checkbook. And all to strip workers of their rights and lower their wages. A transparently ugly business. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 4:57 pm: ===Madigan’s onerous Rules=== Pate Phillip’s rules, lol… I kid, I kid… ===just means the easy messaging for Rauner and the ILGOP will continue.=== Not voting for Madigan was t going to stop it. Your point has no point. - Anon221 - Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 5:07 pm: No Boss Madigan t-shirt, no protest. Sorry Yaffee, a flyer, sign, or very poorly made Snapchat filter ain’t gonna cut it! - Touré's Latte - Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 5:17 pm: Anyone laying down bets on Madigan? I will take the over, just sayin’… - JS Mill - Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 5:21 pm: Puhleease people, get a grip! Wow is this just plain silly or what? Be honest, do you REALLY think that democratic house members will vote for a republican? Seriously? Listen, I am not a MJM fan. At all. And, anyone can see that this is merely p[positioning to be able to hammer anyone who votes for him but it wont have much effect. - wordslinger - Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 5:26 pm: JS — Rauner, Griff and such are spending a lot of money on the likes of the IL GOP and IPI kiddie corps. They need to fill their timesheets with something, whether they’re productive endeavors or not. - Rabid - Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 5:44 pm: Afraid of the most powerful man in Illinois does not build confidence in your agenda. Mike Madigan your worst nightmare who’s afraid of an old man? - Grandson of Man - Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 6:25 pm: This is just ridiculous and such bad faith. It’s nasty. We’re in a very critical time and in need of a budget deal, and we get this. “The Illinois Republican Party will continue to “as House Democrats decide whether allegiance to their political patron is more important than listening to the people of Illinois” This is said as Republicans are literally owned by one person with a few super-rich donors. Hello, Democrats, where are you with a counter-attack? Hello…? “The Illinois Republican Party will continue to highlight Boss Madigan’s disastrous record tomorrow” Let’s look at the last six years. Madigan helped pass an income tax hike, albeit temporary, that helped tremendously while not killing jobs, ACA Medicaid expansion, which is helping hundreds of thousands of low-income Illinoisans get medical coverage, MMJ, which got the ball rolling on reform and is helping many people, SSM, Tier 2 pension reform, though hated by many in unions, will help the state save a lot of money, and other accomplishments. Yeah I know lots of these accomplishments are partisan, but who can deny that they helped many people, even saved lives? I’ll take Madigan over what the GOP and Rauner did in the last two-to-six years. Does any Democrat want to step forward and at least try to defend any of these accomplishments? Anyone…? Hello…? - NoGifts - Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 6:32 pm: I like Mike Madigan more every day. - Ray Del Camino - Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 7:02 pm: Well, um, who else is on the ballot? Santa Claus? I often tell my students that the longer you live, the more the world looks like the middle school cafeteria. These clowns are proving me right. - Just Me - Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 8:39 pm: To those who say the IL GOP should stop campaigning, I would ask you to say the same thing to the Speaker, who just this week had the IL House do a fake vote designed merely to create salacious campaign mailpieces next year. - Anonymous - Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 10:01 pm: What a rookie. LOLOLLOLOL. Animal House was in 1978. Get real. Be serious. Pretty soon your friends are going to walk away as you walk up. Be professional for heaven’s sake. Please. No one’s impressed. - Former Merit Comp - Tuesday, Jan 10, 17 @ 10:03 pm: Their fear is showing - Roscoe Tom - Wednesday, Jan 11, 17 @ 4:24 am: Will Dan Proft be in a tu-tu leading the cheering section? - Anonymous - Wednesday, Jan 11, 17 @ 7:07 am: There is one difference between Madigan & Rauner. Both have used their influence to sculpt Illinois politics. Madigan uses supporter’s funds, who contribute more or less on the presented agenda. Rauner buys his influence with his personal wealth sculpting Illinois politics to his vision. This is the first time in my lengthy lifetime Illinois has inflicted such harm reaching all corners of the state. The only new player on the scene is Rauner. He owns this. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.