* I wrote about this candidate a couple of months ago. But there’s a bunch missing from this story…
Michele Piszczor stood in her Southwest Side driveway, pointing to the rusted dent in her car’s driver-side door. To her, it’s a battle scar.
Piszczor (pronounced PIZE-er) is running for office in Illinois’ March 20 primary, hoping to unseat one of the state’s most influential politicians, House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago).
The dent in her 2005 Honda Accord – and four slashed tires since November that cost her about $100 each – amounted to political payback for challenging Madigan for his 22nd District seat, she said.
“This is what happens,” she said. “This is Chicago politics. But at the same time, to me, Madigan is the root of all evil here in our state. He is the weed in our garden.” […]
Piszczor said Jim Edwards is managing her campaign. He’s a political consultant who mostly works for Republicans. Piszczor said while he is a family friend, she is not running as an operative of the Republican Party.
* Patrick Botterman might’ve been the only Democratic operative who would’ve ever had the guts to take that job, but Botterman died a few years ago, so I can understand why she would go with a Republican. But Jim Edwards isn’t just any political consultant. He runs Jack Roeser’s Illinois Renaissance PAC.
If Roeser or his PAC plan to get financially involved, they apparently haven’t done so yet. Piszczor has yet to file any campaign contribution reports. She also lists no upcoming events on her website.
I don’t necessarily doubt her tire slashing stories (thuggery is part and parcel of city politics), but it is a tried and true way to get publicity, especially when you have no money to run any sort of campaign. It’s possibly just a twist on the ol’ brick through your own HQ window thing.
* Piszczor was on Dan Proft’s WLS radio show this week. She’s obviously a single-issue candidate. For instance, she was asked, “What, specifically, would you change (if elected)?… What would be your legislative agenda?” Her response…
“I mean, in my situation, in my way of seeing things, everywhere I go, whether it be Republican events, Democratic events, I mean just events in general, basketball games, we always hear ‘Madigan’s a problem, Madigan’s a problem, Madigan’s a problem.’ Well, here’s a solution to be able to get Madigan out of office and for him to be jobless and for him to get a taste of his own medicine and kind of see what people are facing here in Illinois without a job, and basically have someone new with fresh ideas.”
* “And what are your ideas?”…
“I mean, like I said, just to reform the state. I mean, we’re in a huge mess. But in and of itself that we get Madigan out of office. Madigan has the power to pass bills and stop bills.”
* “So, for example, would you support repealing the tax increase that was passed by Madigan and Quinn last year?”…
“Like I said, you know, the issue here, my main concern is just to get Madigan out of here. I mean, we look at any issue our state faces and what’s the common factor: Madigan. So, I mean when the time comes and we actually address the issues, inform ourselves, vote on them, fine. But, I mean, the problem is that this man’s power has been used just to satisfy his own needs and have his own agenda, and he’s failed to represent the people?”
* “Why are you a Democrat?”…
“Why am I a Democrat? [Pause, question is asked again]. I mean, I’ve been a Democrat, but ultimately in the end of the day, if you also look at the breakdown in our district and stuff, the majority of Hispanics, although we have very Republican morals and ideals, um, for the most part, I mean, the breakdown is Democrat. And so, I mean, let’s just face it, with Madigan’s hold on the state, I mean, it’s very hard to run as a Republican and actually, you know, win here. And the point is to get a seat at the table so we can make a difference here in the state.”
Give her points for staying on message. She does have some actual ideas, although they’re pretty generalized. Click here to read her website’s “Issues” page.
* Listen to the above exchange…
* Listen to the entire interview by clicking here.
Discuss.
- Stones - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 10:09 am:
It’s always amazing to me when people get involved in politics and have no idea of what they are doing or stand for. Everyone thinking of throwing their hat into the ring should watch the 1972 Robert Redford classic “The Candidate”. It’s dated but very appropriate.
- wordslinger - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 10:09 am:
Madigan couldln’t have picked a better primary opponent. Or her bankroller, Roeser. Has that guy ever won anything?
But Jack, if you’ll pony up, I’ll start my campaign for 2014 right now.
- Easy - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 10:28 am:
if you take away the madigan bashing, she certainly sounds like a democrat.
- Its Just Me - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 10:31 am:
At Elmhurst College Madigan said a lot of people were to blame for the State’s fiscal problems. However, I can only think of one person who went on tv and admitted that they knowingly voted for an unbalanced budget that is a violation of the State’s Constitution, and I can only think of one person who has been in a leadership position for as long as my kids have been alive. Piszczor is gonna lose terribly, but every member of the GA dee serves a challenger once in a while.
- mark walker - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 10:39 am:
Thanks for remembering our friend Pat Botterman. He talked me into running for public office.
Pat had his own car vandalized, and towed multiple times illegally, in a similar situation, though he believed it was city workers, in that case. He was a tried and true honest Democrat, willing to take on any machine, for whom Madigan expressed great respect, both to me and to Pat directly.
- k3_Spfld_Chi - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 10:41 am:
I am pretty sure that Madigan was the one who slashed her tires. I don’t mean Madigan was behind it but I imagine he was out their with an ice pick poking holes in her tires. This is what I imagine, it also could have been Dan Proft. He is responsible for something . . . sinister, I don’t know yet know what.
- Cmon Man ! - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 10:42 am:
Madigan has plenty of support & lawn signs throughout the 13th ward..He has the best ground game in the state, thanks to Alderman Marty Quinn and his brother Kevin Quinn.. They work tirelessly for Mr. Madigan…As an ex-community representative, its not just election time we worked. We work hard as well, we informed the community of events, took complaints for city services, and are loyal no matter what the circumstances !!
- shore - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 10:46 am:
tom foley the last democrat to be speaker before pelosi, was defeated in 1994 while he was speaker and democrats nearly knocked out newt albeit while he was a junior member in the early 90s. Daschle was defeated while leader, and republicans nearly lost frist’s seat in 2006. This is a hail mary, but it’s one people have scored with in the past.
- BMAN - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 11:06 am:
I wish her well. Madigan is a cancer on the state.
- Liberty First - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 11:07 am:
Illinois could turn into a war zone if the legislature dumps the unpaid pension bills right back on public workers. It is sure interesting to see progressive notions of morality fall apart in this environment….
- dupage dan - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 11:38 am:
Liberty First,
You post is off topic and illogical. I haven’t seen anything about the “legislature” dumping “unpaid pension bills” on anybody or any other gov’t entity, let alone on “public workers”.
You are either ignorant or Rod Blagojevich.
- Robert - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 11:44 am:
It is an interesting debatable question but only a theoretical one since Madigan will win.
Which is better, having a shakeup in the leadership and one completely clueless legislator or the status quo?
I think I’d roll the dice on new leadership with one completely clueless legislator.
- What's in a name? - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 11:47 am:
Dupage dan-those are not mutually exclusive possibilities. If the latter is true, the former is redundant.
- siriusly - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 11:57 am:
I used to like Bruce Wolf, but his show with Proft is just awful. That said, I give them both credit for actually asking her some real questions. They didn’t need to ask her anything.
Clearly she knows nothing, not even a good evasive answer on the income tax increase. If you’re going to put yourself out there and go on WLS-AM, maybe try preparing just a little bit. You are a college graduate, clearly you may have had to study before.
“Reform the state”
She doesn’t even know why he’s bad. She can’t even name a single issue or bill that he’s passed that has resulted in “this huge mess”
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 12:23 pm:
First, the campaign mantra that “Madigan is a cancer on the state” might play just fine with some audiences in some parts of the state, but it’ll get a lot of doors slammed in your face in the 13th Ward.
Its easy to demonize Madigan, Democrats, food stamp recipients, public employees…anybody really…unless you actually know some.
Folks in Madigan’s district know him extremely well…not everyone likes him, to be sure…but they know him far too well to buy into any sort of caricature.
Secondly, I think that his opponent’s charge that Madigan has been MIA on the district’s concerns is a much better attack. If you go back through the history of legislative leaders at the state level or federal level who have been upset, its a much better strategy. Frankly, because some of them did lose touch with their district and take their re-election for granted.
Unfortunately for the challenger, that’s just not the case with Madigan.
She talks about the growing Latino district in the population. Madigan’s been a leader on Latino issues. The state DREAM Act passed.
She talks about foreclosures in the district. Madigan has been a leader on foreclosures and bad lending practices.
Here, for example, is a story about how Madigan led efforts to pass legislation backed by advocates to crack down on predatory home lending in 2005…long before anyone else was paying attention to the issue:
“in 2005 - with Speaker Madigan - we helped pass pilot state legislation that required qualifying borrowers to attend counseling in an effort to make sure they understood the loans they were getting.”
Madigan is a leader, but he’ll always be a precinct captain in his blood. He understands the importance of responding to his constituents’ concerns — big or small. I have the greatest respect for Kristen McQueary’s journalistic talents. And I’m sure that if she went door-to-door throughout the district talking to voters she’d find that many have deeply personal stories about how Madigan has come to their aid.
- Pot calling kettle - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 12:29 pm:
It’s fascinating that Wolf and Proft frame three other primary candidates as “stooges” and “shills” for Madigan and include a lack of fundraisers as evidence of previous stoogery…then interview someone who could just as easily be framed as a stooge of the Republicans as a hero of the people and a legitimate candidate. Go figure.
- Just Observing - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 1:07 pm:
Shout out to Pat Botterman! Miss you Pat.
- Objective Dem - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 1:25 pm:
Even though I agree with Cmon man that Marty Quinn works hard as 13th Ward alderman, why has all of the Quinn family moved out of the 13th ward. His brothers included. They can not even vote for Speaker Madigan. Kind of phony isn’t it?
- Kevin Lampe - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 1:29 pm:
Botterman is chuckling right now and saying “We live and learn” and then he will make some calls.
- too obvious - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 1:35 pm:
So this is the same Jack Roeser operation that was running the Rick Perry campaign in IL before he dropped out, and got exactly one Perry delegate on the ballot in the entire state.
What a joke.
Also, what honest Democrat would have a problem with Mike Madigan? Guy wins all the time for the Dems and constantly runs circles around the Republicans in this state.
Complete scam by a bunch of clowns.
- BelleAire - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 1:35 pm:
Madiagn will win but can you blame the girl for trying? She shows massive courage trying this since I feel a wave of terror just writing about MM.
We all keep saying things need to change, blah, blah, blah….well, she is a change. She may not be a well-schooled politican like MM but how about starting some where? And, yea I know that’s how we got Obama for better or for worse.
I don’t live anywhere near there but I know I could not vote for him (unless he got me my job or zoning change or college tuition)– I say hats off to her! She’s got ‘em and she’s letting us know she’s got ‘em.
- too obvious - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 2:20 pm:
The woman is worse than M. Madgian. Her entire campaign is based in a fraud and all around her are people who are dishonest to the core. She’s just a stooge for bad Republicans.
One thing you can’t say about Madigan is that he’s not an honest Democrat. This silly election “challenge” has already gotten more attention than it deserves. The young woman has already been completely discredited and has no future in politics now as a result of her bad decision to hook up with flim flam artists.
When you make MM look like the straight arrow, you’ve really screwed up.
- liberal muse - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 2:22 pm:
I rarely agree with either side of the aisle on their political tactics, but at the end of the day, MM has been in politics longer than I have been alive. He is the only member of the House left who was around during the 1976 Constitution. There is an unfathomable amount of knowledge in his longevity, and although I do not always agree with his methods, I am not ready to lose all of that in return for a naive young person whose ideas are vague, at best, and who cannot even speak in complete sentences.
- G. Willickers - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 2:35 pm:
Botterman would be working to clean up the mess the 10th is turning into.
…And laughing at Piszczor.
He worked with Repubs when it was the right thing to do, not to join circuses.
- Liberty First - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 2:45 pm:
Dupage Dan - The comment is based on someone having their car damaged running against Madigan. Your only going to see more of this kind of thing (mean spirited actions) as the legislature breaks the law and constitution by forcing public employees to pay the state’s unpaid pension contributions. What is so hard to understand?
- mokenavince - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 2:51 pm:
MS. Piszczor has no chance of beating MJM,but in poltics anything can happen.Remember Jane Byrne?
- Cmon Man ! - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 3:02 pm:
To Objective Dem,
Alderman Marty Quinn still lives in his district, as for the rest of the Quinns, they are loyal supporters of the Democratic Party, at least I know Marty and Kevin are..
I also agree with Yellow Dog Dem.,Mr. Madigan helps many, many people, I know he has a good heart at what is best for the people of his ward, his district, and this state. I am grateful for the opportunity he gave me and for that I will always remember. I look at it differently, I look at it as what he had done for me and not what can you do for me. Mr. Madigan has done many great things and has proven he will continue to do so..
The Quinns are gentlemen and businessmen, very professional, they are always there to serve for the 22nd district residents & 13th ward and those are facts, the Quinns and Mr. Madigan serve the residents better then my current legislative district and city ward by far !!
- Colossus - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 3:08 pm:
@Too Obvious:
Honest Democrats who care about more than the R/D scoreboard can have a problem with Madigan. I vote for Democrats, I’m a Democratic precinct committeeman in my county, but I don’t think that simply electing more people with a D after their name is going to fix the state’s problems. Those people have to be more interested in doing the job than keeping the job, and by just about all accounts, Madigan’s legislative successes (while many) are more about keeping his job than doing his job.
There’s blame aplenty to go around for the state of our state, but only one person has been in a position of power throughout our long backwards slide here. Why can’t way say this out loud? Who’s gonna be the first (Democrat) to say (publicly) that the emperor has no clothes?
- Colossus - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 3:11 pm:
Followup:
In no way should my previous comment be construed as an endorsement of Ms. Piszczor. She would be about as effective in the legislature as Christine O’Donnell. It’s a shame women candidates like these get taken seriously while legitimately interesting candidates like Krystal Ball get mocked and ignored.
- too obvious - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 3:36 pm:
Mike Madigan successfully advances the Dems’ agenda most every day. Exactly what “problem” do actual Democrats have with him?
This is just a sham campaign by whiny Republicans who think the Democrats should be as disfunctional as the GOP in IL. That’s not how it works dum dums.
- Objective Dem - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 3:42 pm:
Alderman Quinn lives in Madigan’s district because he has to in order to be alderman. If the old Alderman had not retired, he would have likely followed the rest of his family and moved out of the 13th Ward. Too many minorities moving into the area for their liking. Loyal Dems because they are all on the payroll or getting pensions.
- JP - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 3:58 pm:
YDD,
“in 2005 - with Speaker Madigan - we helped pass pilot state legislation that required qualifying borrowers to attend counseling in an effort to make sure they understood the loans they were getting.”
Sounds like the program was a real success!
JBP
- Rich Miller - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 4:00 pm:
===Sounds like the program was a real success!===
It might’ve been, had Rev. Jackson not succeeded in convincing Gov. Blagojevich to completely gut it.
- JP - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 4:05 pm:
===It might’ve been, had Rev. Jackson not succeeded in convincing Gov. Blagojevich to completely gut it===
Great minds think alike, I suppose
- Bill - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 4:09 pm:
==Mike Madigan successfully advances the Dems’ agenda most every day==
Maybe, but he also thinks he exclusively gets to decide exactly what that agenda is.
The rest of us would like the opportunity for a little input once in a while.
- Cmon Man ! - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 4:17 pm:
@Objective Dem,
Marty serves all ethnic groups, always has, so to say he would move because of minorities is
ridiculous. I was a community representative for the old alderman and we treated every person as a person not based on there nationality, shame on you for even suggesting otherwise..
- steve schnorf - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 4:17 pm:
I actually think the Speaker did it himself. In driving around the hood, I’ve seen him several times in a ninja-type outfit and carrying an icepick. His hands looked dirty too. I think he is desperate.
- Objective Dem - Friday, Feb 3, 12 @ 4:34 pm:
The Quinn’s except Ald. Quinn all moved out of the area and can not vote for Madigan. Fact not fiction. Quinn does serve all constituents equally no argument there. They just do not want to live in a changing area. Connect the dots.