Madigan interview
Monday, Jan 14, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
[Bumped up and comments opened for obvious reasons.]
* The Fox News Chicago interview of Speaker Madigan is now online and can be watched by clicking here. Part 2 of the interview is here.
Here are some quotes…
* “The Democrats ought to get their act together.” [Um, what?]
* On Tony Rezko and Chris Kelly and their relationship with Blagojevich: “I made a decision very early on in the Blagojevich administration not to be associated with what they were doing.”
* Why? “Take a look at what happened.”
* On possibly selling Wrigley Field to the state: “I’ve simply read in the media that this was the governor’s idea… What I do know is there seems to be a strong market of buyers wanting to buy the Cubs.”
* On the reason for the governor’s flip-flop on tax hikes: “I suspect that his budget director Mr. Filan told him that it would be very bad for the state budget if we were to enact the governor’s choice which would have taken money out of the state treasury for the RTA.”
* On why the transit agreement took so long: “It took so long because of Gov. Blagojevich’s politics, his style of politics… it’s a politics of confrontation, conflict. It could have been resolved nine months ago.”
* “My expectation is that the Legislature will approve the governor’s proposal for free transit rides for millionaires who happen to be over 65.”
* On his crack about the governor abandoning his campaign promise and why he didn’t just call the guv a statesman and move on: “He’s not exactly a statesman. The governor may be a practicing politician, but he’s not a statesman. Had he been a statesman, this issue would have been resolved nine months ago.”
* On animus towards him from Blagojevich and his administration: “I think there are people in the governor’s office who spend the majority of their day thinking how they can one-up Mike Madigan or make Mike Madigan look bad and they’re really wasting their time. They ought to get about the business of good government policy.”
- wndycty - Monday, Jan 14, 08 @ 8:31 am:
I feel very good about the House passing the amendment to the bill, but what is the Senate going to pass it?
- Ghost - Monday, Jan 14, 08 @ 8:35 am:
Whatever you think of Madgian, he makes two excellent points…
===* On why the transit agreement took so long: “It took so long because of Gov. Blagojevich’s politics, his style of politics… it’s a politics of confrontation, conflict. It could have been resolved nine months ago.” ===
This point is amplified by the point made elsehwere over the Gov’s failure/refusal to release this request at the draftung or amendment stage. If this is all he wanted in order to sign a tax increase he could have mentioned this months ago, at it could have been included in one of the many rewrites. Instead he has to overcomplicate the matter and create the best chance to get the bill trashed by doing it with his AV.
=== * On his crack about the governor abandoning his campaign promise and why he didn’t just call the guv a statesman and move on: “He’s not exactly a statesman. The governor may be a practicing politician, but he’s not a statesman. Had he been a statesman, this issue would have been resolved nine months ago.” ===
This sums it up pretty well.
- the patriot - Monday, Jan 14, 08 @ 8:58 am:
This is all CRAP! Madigan sent his rank an file out into the state in 2006 to re-elect this clown. Now he plays it like he is the last reasonable person standing against him. Well Mr. Madigan, he is YOUR Governor, You asked us to re-elect him so now you have him. If Madigan cared about anything but Lisa being elected Governor he would get off his tail, stop waiting on the Feds and impeach Blago. But he won’t b/c his legacy and Lisa winning in 2010 is More important then the stability of our state.
- Holdingontomywallet - Monday, Jan 14, 08 @ 9:06 am:
I can see the Governor grinding his teeth as he hears this interview (at home, of course). Most of this interview is stating what we already know. Madigan has disapproved of the Gov’s antics for quite some time and distanced himself from the Gov and his political agenda. I think Madigan knows the Feds are going to bring Blago down and he will take personal satisfaction from that and score political points along the way. I have no problem with that…
- Mike's hit the nail firmly on it's head. - Monday, Jan 14, 08 @ 9:07 am:
Mike is right on with comment about, Tony Rezko and Chris Kelly and their relationship with Blagojevich: “I made a decision very early on in the Blagojevich administration not to be associated with what they were doing.”
Rod spends the other 50% or more of his time trying not to get indicted and stay outta prison. Cat wait to hear Rod spin these truths.
- Jim - Monday, Jan 14, 08 @ 9:08 am:
Madigan is essentially correct. But his point about
Blago’s people plotting against him is laughable.
Poor Machiavelli is charging his foes with trying to do him in while he’s trying to do them in.
- Anonymous - Monday, Jan 14, 08 @ 9:18 am:
JIM
One need only look at the record over the past few years and one must conclude that Blago and his group are out to get Madigan! To ignore this fact is dealing outside reality!
- ABolt243 - Monday, Jan 14, 08 @ 9:19 am:
The reason that Blago didn’t add this to the bill a few months ago is because he just thought it up about 15 minutes after the Senate passed the bill!! Just another way to have something to talk about in 2010 “Look what I did for Seniors, free rides, all over the state!!” It’s all about him and getting credit where credit isn’t due!
I’m across the aisle from Madigan, and don’t agree with most of his philosophy, but he’s right on the money with his comments here!!
- EL SALSA - Monday, Jan 14, 08 @ 9:25 am:
You were right to call Madigan out on his obvious hypocrisy. One day he is demanding that the Governor sign the bill immediately and then the next he is criticizing him for signing the bill because it broke a campaign pledge.
Mainstream media I am sure will not pick up on this, but it further illustrates that the is not innocent in this mess. His motivations are purely political - whether it be preventing a capital bill, refusing to pass governor initiatives, or working against health care coverage. He works every day to ensure that the Governor not get credit for anything, so yes, the Governor is forced to work around Madigan because Madigan wont work with him.
- Levois - Monday, Jan 14, 08 @ 9:28 am:
I saw this interview and this makes me like Madigan more. Yeah he may have helped to re-elect this clown. I’m sure he had his reasons especially as a good Democrat. Though even as a good Democrat he didn’t have to support this man. Still it’s great to know that he’s in the way of most of this governor’s schemes.
- Holdingontomywallet - Monday, Jan 14, 08 @ 9:30 am:
I can’t wait until the political campaign in 2010. The candidates usually talk about uniting the parties and working across party lines to get things done. The democrats will be trying to convince their base that they can work with other democrats.
- bored now - Monday, Jan 14, 08 @ 9:35 am:
i admit it. i watched. i wouldn’t have, if they hadn’t “advertised” it here…
- Tunes - Monday, Jan 14, 08 @ 10:10 am:
Madigan is “right on” here again. Of course, his motives are also political i.e. electing his daughter to the Gov’s office but Blago shoots himself in the foot every time he opens his mouth. We’ve never seen anything like it before, nor will we ever again (we can only hope and pray)!
- Garp - Monday, Jan 14, 08 @ 10:13 am:
If Madigan believes it is in his or his family’s best interest to kill the transit funding bill because of Blago’s senior moment, he will peel off enough votes to trash it. This will be done covertly of course, but I won’t be surprised if this bill is defeated.
- VanillaMan - Monday, Jan 14, 08 @ 10:33 am:
Madigan chooses actions over words and Blagojevich chooses words over actions.
It is no wonder that neither likes the other. Blagojevich is simply too much a fake to match Madigan whenever governing Illinois requires actions over words. Blagojevich plays all his political games up to the moment of action, then wilts because action requires more than what Blagojevich has.
Blagojevich’s handicap regarding actions causes him to depend on Madigan, not vice versa, because Madigan doesn’t play with words. So, it has been in the best interest for Blagojevich to either learn how to take action, or to accommodate Madigan. Instead, lazy Blagojevich takes the easy way out by simply blaming Madigan when Blagojevich’s words are not translated into action by Madigan.
Madigan simply doesn’t need what Blagojevich offers to this equation. After 35 years in office, Madigan knows how things work and knows how to keep Illinois functioning. Blagojevich’s campaign strengths have no value once the election is over and governing begins. So, although Blagojevich convinces enough voters to become governor in 2002 and 2006, he fails as governor in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007, 2008 and probably 2009 since his skills as a campaigner are unnecessary.
Blagojevich needed to do what nearly all governors have done over the past 200 years in Illinois - get elected and learn the job. His failure to learn the job he wanted is at the root of his failure with Madigan and the General Assembly.
Blagojevich failed miserably at the first, and most important gubernatorial skill - build an ironclad level of trust. A governor unable to be trusted cannot govern. Although Blagojevich convinced enough voters to trust in him, those who actually make government work were shocked to discover Blagojevich’s lack of trustworthiness. After six years, the situation has grown worse. Until he does a 180 and start mending relationships within the General Assembly regarding this issue - Blagojevich will continue to fail. So it is in his best interest to do the apologies necessary to begin fresh this year.
But does anyone really believe that Blagojevich is humble enough to make this happen? No one I know.
- Anon - Monday, Jan 14, 08 @ 10:37 am:
I would still like to know how the governor segued from reading about Reagan & Gorbachev and came up with the senior idea (https://capitolfax.com/2008/01/11/quote-of-the-month/ ). I didn’t see the concection. God knows what he thinks up when he is reading the comics or the sports sections and then comes up with ways to run this state.
- Anon - Monday, Jan 14, 08 @ 11:41 am:
First, I think the Gov’s people find a group willing to listen to him. Then he/they decide “what’s good for the state”, based on the audience.
- Ghost - Monday, Jan 14, 08 @ 12:09 pm:
Great post VM.
- Been There - Monday, Jan 14, 08 @ 12:17 pm:
VM I agree with Ghost. Interesting perspective.
- wordslinger - Monday, Jan 14, 08 @ 1:19 pm:
Television interviews, as opposed to press gangbangs, are good communications tools for Madigan. He comes across as measured, intelligent and mature. I’ve always been surprised he didn’t make greater use of them.