73 Comments - Plutocrat03 - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 4:51 pm: What was he expecting? Gandhi? - Anonymous - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 4:52 pm: Quinn is quickly moving from a good natured bumbling incompetant to an irrelevant buffoon. Trying to define yourself as a leader by picking futile fights with Madigan and Emanuel is astoundingly counterproductive and destructive. Maybe he should try governing instead. Quinn really reminds me of that other infamous governor… now, what was his name again? Blago-something..? - 47th Ward - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 4:53 pm: I think Quinn learned too many lessons from Dan Walker and not enough from Dale Carnegie. - sal-says - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 4:56 pm: Quoting Blazing Saddles: “Do’n know” - but sounds like a stand up comment for a refreshing change.” Madigan isn’t likely to help Quinn out anyway. - sal-says - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 5:04 pm: Then again, looking at a Trib headline: “Quinn defends 87.5 percent toll increase on eve of vote”. Maybe Quinn is just looking to alienate as many as possible. Taxpayers with tax increase; AFSCME with raises; tollway users; Madigan; and the list goes on…..? - bored now - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 5:06 pm: “Pat Quinn is the governor of illinois because of the efforts of the Democratic Party of Illinois…” steve brown said that tongue in cheek, right? - railrat - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 5:11 pm: Mr. Madigan is an orchestra in rehearsal for Ms. Lisa Madigan…. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 5:11 pm: Wow, and for those of you who don’t think Madigan helped Quinn this year…wow. - The Captain - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 5:18 pm: The only way to get to the bottom of this is with a Committee of the Whole. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 5:20 pm: Maybe Quinn wants to pick a fight with Emanuel, Cullerton and Madigan so he can be a champion for the people…like Rod only without the criminal aspect and with one less friend - Six Degrees of Separation - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 5:22 pm: Or a Blue Ribbon Study Committee. - King Louis XVI - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 5:24 pm: Governor, just how many feuds can manage in one week? - Thoughts... - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 5:30 pm: ===steve brown said that tongue in cheek, right?=== You don’t MJM’s GOTV effort in targeted districts helped Quinn’s total? All those folks who went to the polls for Madigan’s members then flipped and voted R? Really? It was because of MJM’s operation that he didn’t lose the house. He carried PQ on his candidate’s coattails. Bank it. - Dirty Red - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 5:37 pm: God help me, PQ. Is there any other Democrat you want out of your corner? This is such a non-story it disgusts me. I feel sorry for Steve Brown having to even respond to this crap. - Michelle Flaherty - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 5:40 pm: Sheesh, here we go again. I’ve got to dig another hole in my yard tonight to finish a project and Quinn’s been digging himself one all afternoon. You’d think he could come over and put this skill to use. - J - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 5:42 pm: I wonder how it feels to be Bill Brady this week? It almost seems like the governor is going out of his way to pick fights with a whole bunch of people way above his weight class. - Who's running in 2014? - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 5:55 pm: 1167 Days to go. - Lefty - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 5:58 pm: “Just happens to be a Democrat” He thinks it might have been by accident or something? Put a quarter in and he talks for 5 minutes. More words and less meaning than anyone I have ever listened to. Perhaps I should stop listening? - bored now - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 6:05 pm: Thoughts… asked: “You don’t MJM’s GOTV effort in targeted districts helped Quinn’s total?” well, Thoughts…, i don’t really need to think about that. feel free to show that the democratic gubernatorial vote increased from 2006 to 2010 in those districts and compare that increase or decrease against that of the rest of the state. if you could show similar levels of votes for both madigan-targeted house candidates and governor quinn, i’d be impressed. then we can argue about who should get the credit here. i’d also be kind of interested to know if the governor was on the palm cards (or walk packets) in those targeted house districts. that would be more demonstrative of your argument, i would think… - amalia - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 6:13 pm: sorry Madigan land people, I don’t consider this one to be about Quinn. yes, Mr. Miller has put the two items together, but it’s about Dem vs. Repub. As a Dem, I’m simply puzzled and concerned that Mr. Madigan was at Boehner fest. Boehner is not what we stand for. you can try to work with people, but going to a party for him is standing against the party you purport to lead. what I think about the Governor has nothing to do with this. Often I don’t think very much of the Governor. But I think plenty of bad thoughts about Speaker Boehner and his phony weeping over the rich people he defends. and the President who he worked to fight. and the economy he took down with that deficit stunt. maybe we should just refer to Boehner and Madigan as Standard and Poor’s. - Steve Brown - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 6:42 pm: Let’s try to help the apparent non readers in Rich’s audience. The Speaker attended as a guest of Mr. Duffy who has been an activist CEO; not as a donor or a supporter of Speaker Boehner. Speaker Madigan led the effort to move the 2008 IL primary which gave the President an opportunity for big state win at a crucial time in his campaign. As I said to Rich the record of IL Ds against the avalanche that occured in 2010 speaks for itself. As has been said for some time. a key message from IL voters in 2010 was a hope for cooperation. The Speaker’s efforts will continue - foster brooks - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 6:42 pm: paul green speculates that madigan will change parties - Loop Lady - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 7:43 pm: I agree with Amalia…Madigan has finally shown himself to be the self serving politico that he is…Boehner is working in a non partisan manner? Is that why he did such a great job coralling the Tea Partiers on the debt ceiling issue? Give me a break, will ya? - mokenavince - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 7:47 pm: MJM knows what he’s doing, it’s a free country. Maybe he was sending a message to Boehner from the President.Quinn isn’t smart enough to shut-up we all know without Madigan he’d be a clerk at the recorders office. It’s a great way to back Lisa Governor,plus Duffy’s his pal.Quinn should work on jobs leaving state. - jake - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 7:52 pm: Quinn is a little young for senile dementia, but I am hard pressed to find other explanations for his irrational bumbling, with respect to both politics and policy. He always was more of a show horse than a work horse, but now he is a stumblebum. - Skirmisher - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 7:53 pm: Quinn is a hoot! Someone oughta run a daily column devoted to his buffoonery. Wait a minute… I think Rich already has. - Ron Bolek - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 7:55 pm: This is just old Pat Quinn, speaking truth to power. And he was right on the money. Speaker Madigan had no business going to that gathering, and no amount of spin will convince rank-and-file Democrats in Illinois otherwise. Pat Quinn is speaking for the majority of the democratic party troops (excluding Madigan staff) on this one. No way around it. - Skeeter - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 7:57 pm: Why does Quinn pick this fight? Where is the upside? Does he think that running against Madigan will help in three years? What does he think he can gain? The answer seems obvious. Once again, Quinn has zero political instincts. Over the past two years I’ve been continuously boggled that Quinn has ever been able to win any election. Memo to Quinn: This will be your one and only full term as Gov. You very likely will lose in a primary and if you somehow survive a primary, you cannot win another November race. Gov., it is time to start thinking about your next job. Try t remember “friends are good.” Make friends. In about three years, you will need them. - Just the Facts - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 8:16 pm: @ Ron Bolek - truth to power???? Give me a break. There is a difference between principled candor, and needlessly picking fights and alienating your supposed allies. It appears to this non-Democrat that Quinn is very good at the latter, and consistent with his history is not doing the former. - Jack - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 8:17 pm: Madigan has been working a lot with Republicans lately against the public employee unions. Frankly, I think the turncoat needs to be shown the door. But, I’m no big fan of Quinn either. - Bill - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 8:48 pm: The more Quinn stands up to these guys the more I like him. What’s madigan doing at a fundraiser for Boehner? There is no excuse for that. He is state party chairman, If he wants to hang out with his rich fat cat republican friends he should do it somewhere privately. Or just go ahead and switch to the party that is more in tune with his right wing philosphy. As far as Madigan helping Quinn get elected, bored now is more responsible for Quinn’s victory than Mike Nadigan. - bored now - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 8:56 pm: am i the only one truly shocked at steve brown’s cynical re-writing of 2010 electoral history here? in the 111th congress, illinois had 12 democrats in congress. after the 2010 elections — the very election that brown lauded “the record of IL Ds against the avalanche that occured in 2010 speaks for itself” — illinois have eight democrats in congress. just ftr, 8 is less than 12. democrats didn’t steem the avalanche here in illinois, they got swept up in the wave that basically decimated the democratic delegation from illinois. not a single swing or even competitive seat withstood the gop avalanche. you would have thought that the spokesman for the democratic party chairman would have known that (just because the republican party is becoming the anti-science party, we democrats don’t have to become the anti-math party)… - Responsa - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 9:14 pm: Geesh people–it was a social event. Dinner and drinks. Will wearing armbands that identify us as Rs or D’s be next so we don’t inadvertently associate with the “wrong” people? Should R’s and D’s refuse to be seated together in public places? Is shunning an appropriate penalty for crossing the line and interacting with someone from the other party to solve commin problems? Maybe job applications should make job seekers confess their political affiliation to help sort things out and to be sure only the right thinking people get hired. What about inter-political party dating and marriage? Is that to be avoided at all costs too? The outrage by some commenters (and the Gov.) over two important pols attending the same dinner along with other influential Illinoisans looks, well, almost unhinged. - I Love Springfield - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 9:59 pm: “spokesman Steve Brown responded, “Pat Quinn is the governor of Illinois because Mike Madigan and the Democratic Party reversed the avalanche that swept across America.” Really? Wow. Those are some mighty big words. So the Governor had nothing to do with winning his own election? That election where many commentators were saying the Speaker maybe doesn’t mind much if Brady wins anyway? The election where the Governor amazed many pundits with his strong fundraising and campaign closing skills? Sometimes the gift of spin trips on itself in a big way. I think Mr. Brown just told everyone how things really look from inside the Speaker’s office. Of course, Mr. Brown will feel free to comment conveniently in the future about those things that gee, of course, the Speaker’s office cannot control, despite all that amazing power. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 10:28 pm: Well, Responsa, a bit off topic, but since you asked. How does one explain this? http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/viola-draths-husband-muth-charged-with-second-degree-murder-in-her-killing/2011/08/16/gIQAJn3HKJ_story_1.html - Six Degrees of Separation - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 10:28 pm: To the hyper-partisans of either party here: There are a lot of us who distrust both of your products, and we are also the potential customers who you try to woo with your centrist marketing once the primaries are over. We don’t mind that your members mingle within 10 feet of each other without a weapon in hand. We differentiate more between those who are in it for the right reasons vs. those who are in it for themselves than party labels. Seems like much ado about nothing from here, unless they were at the event cutting a deal that is against the greater good. - Been There - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 11:25 pm: I think this is nothing more than some guy from St.Ignatius wondering how a guy from Leo High School has this great house in Lemont and he is still stuck in a bungalow in West Lawn. So he wants to check out the house. Actually, as long he didn’t write a check, wasn’t listed on the invitation, didn’t make calls for others to attend or someway give his support financially, this is a non-event. I have seen many cross-over politicians at the opposite parties events over the years. It has to do more with friendship with the host rather than taking sides. Madigan is obviously smart enough to know that this doesn’t help Lisa in any way shape or form. So I tend to agree with Brown that reaching across the aisle so politicians can speak to each other isn’t that bad of an occurrence. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Aug 24, 11 @ 11:57 pm: I generally agree with Been There regarding the Madigan situation. OTOH, the DC stuff is pretty scary and seems to be creeping it’s way into IL. The “fans”, the admiration of and catering to “influential” people who can make introductions to the “right” people across the globe who can make even further introductions (like in Ms. Draths’ situation (seriously, how could these “government officials” and “diplomats” not have known)), the wind blown skirts revealing panties in front of parked limousines, the “bring your own hired paparazzi” for tomorrow’s press release… IMHO, I don’t think the Midwest, or the US even, is ready for the “other” Hollywood taking over government. Have some dignity…around the clock, if at all possible. - Anonymous - Thursday, Aug 25, 11 @ 12:02 am: You would think the head of fundraising for the Democrat Governors Association may see some value in poaching potential donors. Ds and Rs who can’t believe this are clearly the problem. If a D or R determines who you associate with 100% of the time then you fail. That is true for party leaders and the public alike. And if you think Obama really wanted Madigan at his event then you fail twice - Anonymous - Thursday, Aug 25, 11 @ 12:04 am: Obama can raise money in IL without Madigan and Madigan is not the life of a party - Anonymous - Thursday, Aug 25, 11 @ 12:06 am: I’ll tell you one thing that I do miss about Alexi. He had manners and seemed to be a gentleman. - Anonymous - Thursday, Aug 25, 11 @ 12:07 am: Unlike 12:02 and 12:04 who can’t even put a “1″ after his/her handle when other anons are on the thread to help people tell the difference. - Quinnster - Thursday, Aug 25, 11 @ 12:18 am: Madigan should not have gone to the Boehner fundraiser, whether paid or not. If he wanted to meet for bipartisanship, great, but not at his FR (tho don’t know what common business the 2 Speakers would have). Quinn, on the other hand, needs to learn to keep his trap shut. When the facts speak for themself, there’s no need to say a word. It’s like if you’re in a political race & something bad comes out about your opponent, best to say nothing as opposed to piling on as PQ did. - Gator - Thursday, Aug 25, 11 @ 1:48 am: Go Madigan!!! One thing I have learned all these years is that you never underestimate the Speaker. He is playing advanced chess while the rest of us are playing checkers. Hearing people say that Madigan is a “bad” Democrat for attending this event makes me wonder if I am in a bizzaro world or the twilight zone. How quickly they forget everything that Madigan, probably the longest serving Speaker in history, has done to ensure that this remains a blue state. hhhmmmm, I wonder if he drew the map in such a way that it guarantees a GOP landslide?? (probably not) It took a lot of “testicular virility” for MJM to go into the lion’s den, but he did it. I can tell you that the Republicans were probably more afraid of seeing MJM at the door than MJM was when he saw them. Regarding Quinn, who is he going to take on next, President Obama, Dick Durbin, Hilary or Bill Clinton? He should focus on doing his job. As a Democrat, it is sad to say that Blagojevich did a better job of governing than this guy. Quinn reminds me of a Democratic version of a “tea-partier” since he takes extreme positions on issues most people don’t care about (e.g., blocking gaming, not paying regional superintendents, etc.) while everything around him is burning down. - amalia - Thursday, Aug 25, 11 @ 7:56 am: so, Steve at 6:42….you told “the apparent non readers in Rich’s audience” that The Speaker attended “not as a donor or a supporter of Speaker Boehner. ” But you are quoted in the Tribune….. “I don’t know that he espoused any support for Mr. Boehner,” Brown said. Please enlighten “the apparent non readers.” - Coach - Thursday, Aug 25, 11 @ 8:10 am: === he is still stuck in a bungalow in West Lawn === Been There, you must have missed the stories about Madigan’s law firm taking an extraordinary share of the commercial property tax appeals business in Cook County. I’m guessing Madigan could comfortably afford a palace in Lake Forest, should he choose to live there. - wordslinger - Thursday, Aug 25, 11 @ 8:20 am: What is this, kindergarten? Madigan was in the same house as a Republican? Such an outrage. John Kerry was the best man at John McCain’s wedding. I guess they both should turn in their respective party’s Secret Decoder rings. - Cincinnatus - Thursday, Aug 25, 11 @ 9:17 am: I hope that Democrats do not take this opportunity to build party unity for 2012. - Kyle Hillman - Thursday, Aug 25, 11 @ 9:33 am: Honestly, after they made Quinn (an argument can be made he did it to himself) irrelevant in the last session, what does Quinn have to lose by picking fights? He may be the grumpy old man yelling get off my lawn, but he is becoming the people’s grumpy old man. Which I think is better than the guy asleep on the porch. - My Three Cents - Thursday, Aug 25, 11 @ 9:47 am: “Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan.” - JFK I agree with bored now to a point that you cant say definitively that Quinn was helped or hurt by House races without looking at the numbers. I think you can say definitively that Quinn’s fundraising from organized labor was helped by their strained relationship with Madigan. And I think you can say definitively that Bill Brady’s fundraising was greatly impaired by the fact that Republican’s had a zero percent chance of regaining control of the General Assembly. - Anonymous - Thursday, Aug 25, 11 @ 10:08 am: Quinn responded to a question with an answer that seems truthful. Maybe he should have lied so we could accuse him of trying to curry (no pun intended) favor with Madigan. We can tell from the comments here that any answer Quinn might have given would raise hackles with somebody. - bored now - Thursday, Aug 25, 11 @ 10:14 am: wordslinger: seriously, you are smarter than this. few would have been as outraged about madigan’s appearance at a fundraiser for the man who won’t even return president obama’s phone calls IF madigan made regular appearances at, oh, i don’t know, DEMOCRATIC OUTINGS! it’s not really that big a deal that speaker madigan isn’t fond of the president, but, at least as the head of the democratic party of illinois, he could show up when the president is in the state. you know, do the job. if he’s not willing to do the job, then there are plenty of people who could — and would — in the state. once again, it is no secret in this country that michael madigan is the worst state democratic party chair. no need to be offended that someone might actually point that out (feel free to name just one other state party chair who’s attended a fundraiser for speaker boehner. just one. any democratic party chair will do. anybody? we’ll wait). Cincinnatus: democrats in illinois have long known (at least as long as i’ve lived here) that if you want to build democratic party structures and build party unity, you have to do it around (meaning, without the support of) speaker madigan. when democrats in illinois are unified, it is in spite of the speaker, not because of him. madigan and his peeps are left to making specious claims about “the record of IL Ds against the avalanche that occured in 2010″… - Truth Seeker - Thursday, Aug 25, 11 @ 10:16 am: 47th Ward “I think Quinn learned too many lessons from Dan Walker and not enough from Dale Carnegie.” George Will in an opinion piece in the Washington Post sums up why Democrats fear and despise Governor Walker. “During the recall tumult, unions barely mentioned either their supposed grievance about collective bargaining, or their real fears, which concern money, particularly political money. Teachers unions can no longer bargain to require school districts to purchase teachers’ health insurance from the union’s preferred provider, which is especially expensive. This is saving millions of dollars and reducing teacher layoffs. Also, unions must hold annual recertification votes. And teachers unions may no longer automatically deduct dues from members’ paychecks. After Colorado in 2001 required public employees unions to have annual votes reauthorizing collection of dues, membership in the Colorado Association of Public Employees declined 70 percent. In 2005, Indiana stopped collecting dues from unionized public employees; in 2011, there are 90 percent fewer dues-paying members. In Utah, the end of automatic dues deductions for political activities in 2001 caused teachers’ payments to fall 90 percent. After a similar law passed in 1992 in Washington state, the percentage of teachers making such contributions declined from 82 to 11. Democrats furiously oppose Walker because public employees unions are transmission belts, conveying money to the Democratic Party. Last year, $11.2 million in union dues was withheld from paychecks of Wisconsin’s executive branch employees and $2.6 million from paychecks at the university across the lake. Having spent improvidently on the recall elections, the Wisconsin Education Association Council, the teachers union, is firing 40 percent of its staff”. - wordslinger - Thursday, Aug 25, 11 @ 10:21 am: TS, 47 knows the difference between Dan Walker and Cheesehead Walker. - 47th Ward - Thursday, Aug 25, 11 @ 11:01 am: Thanks Word, Truth Seeker must be new to Illinois(or young), or maybe I’m too old… Yes, I was referring to the former IL Governor who managed to alienate so many of his fellow Democrats, especially Mayor Richard J Daley, that the Dem establishment launched a primary challenge that ended Walker’s reign and gave us three terms of Thompson (Jim, not Tommy). Quinn worked for Walker and it seems he is trying to repeat some of that history rather than learn from it. Quinn clearly could also use a copy of “How to Win Friends and Influence People” because he isn’t exactly doing a bang-up job of that lately. - Cincinnatus - Thursday, Aug 25, 11 @ 11:05 am: 47th, Quinn is certainly winning me over. ;-{)> - Bill - Thursday, Aug 25, 11 @ 11:22 am: Me too. - Responsa - Thursday, Aug 25, 11 @ 3:07 pm: bored– Not everything in life, not every breathing minute is politics. Not everything that involves humans and community is politics. Sometimes politics is irrelevant. Sometimes even highly political people temporarily move beyond politics. Sometimes politicians have private lives and maintain personal associations that they don’t have to explain or justify to other people. - bored now - Thursday, Aug 25, 11 @ 3:38 pm: Responsa: if michael madigan doesn’t want to be constrained by the expectations of being a state party chair, he should feel free to resign. you make it sound like it’s too much for him. and that may be true. but that’s also not my problem. *my* problem is that there isn’t a real democratic party state organization in illinois (one that provides the leadership and organizational efforts that occur in EVERY OTHER STATE), that the current dpi has crappy and underwhelming leadership that apparently is too busy to spend a little time with democratic leaders in the state and the nation, but has no problem spending time with someone who is determined to undermine those democratic leaders at every turn. my god, this is the man who single-handedly drove our credit rating down! perhaps chairman madigan is as profoundly naive as some people in this thread seem to suggest and is completely unaware of the optics here. but i agree with the person who said we shouldn’t underestimate the state democratic chair. i suspect he was sending a message loud and clear to both the governor and the president of the united states (as well as the rest of us): ’screw you.’ ‘i’m too important to be wasting my time with you.’ madigan has the wrong priorities as a state party chair. he is not just any politician, or even just another legislative leader. he has chosen to serve as the state’s democratic party leader; i’m merely expecting him to act like it or get out of the way… - MOON - Thursday, Aug 25, 11 @ 4:10 pm: BORED NOW Get a life. Look at the facts. The Dems control the senate, the house, the Governors seat, Sec. of State office, and the Attorney Generals office. If you think the State Dem. Party lacks leadership what would you do to improve on the current status. Please note, I am not giving all the credit for this record to the Speaker. Yet the results speak for them self. In other words “if its not broken don’t try to fix it”! What other state Dem. Party has a record like Illinois Dem. Party? - bored now - Thursday, Aug 25, 11 @ 5:05 pm: moon, you (and others) seem to be confusing the success of pat quinn’s campaign with the democratic party of illinois. i’m not. and i understand that i’m fighting with the natural bias of people in this state that what happens outside of illinois doesn’t matter. but the fact is that the democratic party structure here IS broken. it’s been broken for as long as i’ve lived here (the last 12 years). if you want to see what other state parties are doing, look at their websites. i’d strongly suggest that you look at what the democratic party of illinois is doing and compare it with the democratic parties of ohio and pennsylvania. those are two states of similar size to illinois. you can find their sites here: http://padems.com/ http://ohiodems.org/ if you simply compare the sizes of their staffs (or campaign finance disclosures) with that of the dpi, you’d get the picture: http://padems.com/about/staff Our Staff (PA Dems) Kevin Washo: Executive Director Fadia Halma: Deputy Executive Director Vivian Guinan: Comptroller Aubrey Montgomery: Finance Director Brigid Sullivan: Executive Assistant Mark Nicastre: Communications Director Lindsay Fritchman: Press Secretary/New Media Director Greg Kauffman: Deputy Director of Special Projects Elena Cross: Data / Targeting Director Justin Korczynski: Technology Coordinator / New Media Strategist Elizabeth Fishback: Deputy Finance Director - Western PA http://ohiodems.org/about/meet_the_staff/ Meet the Staff (Ohio Dems) Kyle McDermott, Executive Director Seth Bringman, Communications Director Jennifer Sconyers, Research Director Liz Brown, Political Director Justin Barasky, Press Secretary Erik Greathouse, Finance Director Lauren Harmon, Women’s Caucus Director Brendan Kelley, Voter File Manager if that doesn’t make the point for you, then i’ll be happy to expand. but i have a democratic meeting to get ready for. i can write more, if needed, when i return this evening… - game over4me - Thursday, Aug 25, 11 @ 5:06 pm: Its been said before here that Madigan plays chess while the others are playing checkers. Nothing proves this more than the past 2 days posts. I have to say, Bored and others, your arguments that he shouldn’t have gone simply because Boehner was there speaks volumns. You sound like the Tea Party, who treat any compromise or meeting with the other side as a sell out or somehow evil. As for Quinn, he should have gone himself and asked Duffy what can be done to keep CME in Illinois. But, whatever. If you like saying Madigan is “the worst party chair in the country” so be it. Thing is, if he is the worst, and seeing how Blue Illinois is now (and note Madigan was leading back when this was a very swingy state) then I guess I’ll take the “worst”. - Rich Miller - Thursday, Aug 25, 11 @ 5:12 pm: ===You sound like the Tea Party, who treat any compromise or meeting with the other side as a sell out or somehow evil. === That’s a little unfair to the tea partiers. As BN and others clearly demonstrate, this “Cold Civil War” attitude has spread far and wide in America. I’m more troubled by this sad development than anything else right now. - Rich Miller - Thursday, Aug 25, 11 @ 5:20 pm: Bored Now, considering the outcome of Ohio’s 2010 elections, I don’t think you should be using the size of their Democratic Party staff as a shining example of effectiveness and strength. - game over4me - Thursday, Aug 25, 11 @ 6:06 pm: Rich - you could have added Penn as well to the staff Bored listed. I believe the entire D ticket got swept in the PA statewide elections, as well as losing 5 house races and the US Senate seat to Pat Toomey - an admitted and proud tea partier. As for the rheoric, yeah, I completely agree. Maybe I didnt say it very well, but that was what I was trying to get at. It is very troubling for me as well-especially to see evidence of it on the progressive side as well. Thats why I have largely avoided any talk shows, radio or tv, and limit my time on blogs thesedays. (Yesterday and today being the exception!) Hence my handle. The “game” of politics, as it were, the inside baseball - whos up, down, candidate recruitment, etc. I just aint there anymore. I vote, still make donations, but the fun it once was is gone. Its definitely game over for me. - Anonymous - Thursday, Aug 25, 11 @ 6:54 pm: Did Jay Hoffman and Kyle “EDDIE” Anderson make it to the Fund Raiser / Press conference ??? - Bruno Behrend - Thursday, Aug 25, 11 @ 10:21 pm: I think Steve Brown can be forgiven for his opinion, but the fact is that Quinn is Governor because the Republicans nominated the only person in the 6-7 man race who was a bigger doofus than Quinn. Give credit where credit is due. You really had to work to run such a useless and pointless campaign. - bored now - Thursday, Aug 25, 11 @ 10:43 pm: Rich: i wasn’t actually using either one as an example of effectiveness or strength. since i don’t confuse the “friends of madigan” with the democratic party of illinois, there is no question that the ohio and pennsylvania democratic parties are stronger and more effective than the dpi. but that’s not a very high bar, seeing that we’ve left the bar on the ground. party building etc does occur in illinois, but it occurs outside of the democratic party of illinois. the speaker is more of an obstacle than a factor in this regard… - Anonymous - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 12:32 am: Wow. Responsa’s, I’m guessing, “front row” insight is amazing. “Privacy” is the latest excuse for bad decision-making when it comes to those with whom government officials associate. I say give ‘em enough rope. Here kitty, kitty…. - The Inbetweeners - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 5:03 am: I agree with you. This post is truly inspirational. I like your post and all you share with us is up to date and quite informative, i would like to bookmark the page so i can come here again to read you, as you have done a wonderful job…… - Bill - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 7:38 am: Game Over, ==seeing how Blue Illinois is== That probably depends on what your definition of blue is. I suppose if you mean that DINOs like Madigan and Rahm remain in power while they plot to privatize public services, cut services to the less fortunate and senior citizens,decimate organized labor, and consort with rich corporate fat cats to the detriment of the rest of us then, yeah, I guess we’re “Blue”. Is that a good thing? One thing that I do agree with you about is that it is really not much fun anymore. It is probably time to let others take their turn at the game. I just wish a few certain old DINOs felt the same way. - Anonymous - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 3:01 pm: Speaking of updating one’s CV, I hope someone reminded Kirk to add “As the longest tenured and successful educator in the United States…um, world, I counselled Lake Michigan recently on how to improve its grades”–in addition to the four or five other things he probably did in the last week or so to save us all from destruction (icluding coiling his body around the earth to prevent the DC earthquake from causing any major damage). - Anonymous - Friday, Aug 26, 11 @ 3:15 pm: I should add that I intentionally left the word “most” out of the phrase “longest tenured and successful educator” so that his “staff” will have an excuse to update it later in case they find out *someone* simply misrepresented it wrong” ten years later. No reason to stop such a noble and honorable tradition as…well, to put it kindly, “fibbing” through your nose. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.