54 Comments - Illinoisan - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 11:39 am: I read too much John Kass, but I just pretend I’m reading The Onion. Is there video of this exchange? - Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 11:41 am: I just checked with channel 5 about getting video. - Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 11:42 am: Video is on its way. - Cassiopeia - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 11:43 am: I think she is right in dismissing John Kass. He is no longer funny and has become offensive. He is trying hard to be clever like Royko but doesn’t have the talent to pull it off. - Ravenswood Right Winger - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 12:02 pm: I thoroughly enjoyed reading what appears to be Lisa getting snippy. hopefully the GOP runs someone for AG with more cache than Steve Kim or Stewart Umholtz. - bored now - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 12:05 pm: i had a frank exchange with kass about some of his strange assertions about robin kelly and came away with the impression that he is just incapable of altering his conclusions when the facts warrant it… - AFSCME Steward - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 12:11 pm: This is the problem here. Whether or not there is any wrong doing on the part of MJM, it is the AG’s job to investigate inpropriety. It seems that only the feds are able to uncover all the schenanigans in Illinois. Dissing a columnist as a dodge to answering valid questions seems like a typical Madigan family ploy. - wordslinger - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 12:14 pm: Kass today studiously ignores his years of conspiracy theories to “anoint” Lisa governor and goes on some stream-of-consciousness journey that ends with: tah-dah, The Combine. You’d think St. Patrick of Fitzgerald would have been able to take down that crew in his 10-plus years. And considering how Madigan was The Boss (or was it Daley? Maybe they alternated days), you’d think he would have been the end-game before Fitz rode off into the sunset. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 12:15 pm: “Dissing a columnist as a dodge to answering valid questions seems like a typical Madigan family ploy.” Well, at least she didn’t run. Was Chuck Goudie there? - Chavez-respecting Obamist - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 12:17 pm: Telling you guys my honest opinion of Kass would get me banned here. - Wensicia - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 12:20 pm: Good cartoon by Stantis: http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/.a/6a00d8341c60fd53ef0192ac0b5bac970d-800wi - QC Examiner - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 12:22 pm: My guess is that Kass and his bosses are grinning ear to ear over Lisa’s hokey put-down. Anytime a reporter/columnist can get a politician to call them out specifically by name, it’s all good for the reporter/columnist. Does anyone here really think Rich would be upset/dejected/embarrassed/etc. if say Rauner called him out by name. Yeah, right! lol - Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 12:25 pm: ===Anytime a reporter/columnist can get a politician to call them out specifically by name, it’s all good for the reporter/columnist.=== All true. - Soccermom - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 12:29 pm: I thought it was well played. - Illinoisan - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 12:35 pm: Here’s part of it: http://www.nbcchicago.com/video/#!/blogs/ward-room/Lisa-Madigan-Dodges-Governor-Question/215854111 - anon - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 12:35 pm: Her snippiness following her bowing out of the governor’s race looks bad. - Darienite - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 12:36 pm: LM has never been in a political fight, never debated her opponent. Plus the GOP has had a hard time finding a sacrificial candidate. But this is a new era and Pops won’t be able to intercede as he has his own ‘issues’. If the GOP could field a credible candidate for AG, they could steal one, or at least make LM campaign. - Chris - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 12:49 pm: “i had a frank exchange with kass ” A Cheney-style frank exchange? Did you feel better after? - Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 12:51 pm: Yeah. The boring part. - Formerly Known As... - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 12:51 pm: Ahern asks Madigan some legitimate questions. The result: Madigan replies with… John Kass? And nearly 1/2 of our fellow CapFax readers comment on… John Kass? Whether you think he’s a loony toon or just getting under Madigan’s skin, he certainly appears to be on people’s minds a fair bit. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 1:15 pm: The GOP should run a strong candidate against her, not only to try to win the AG’s Office, but also to make sure she has to spend some of that money she is sitting in. - MrGrassroots - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 1:21 pm: Wow! What could have been? Just think if she ran for Governor what type of questions she would have to respond to every single day until November, if she was that lucky! - Small Town Liberal - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 1:37 pm: Kass doesn’t deserve the attention, the lunacy he consistently lays down is on par with the ramblings of middle aged hippies I run into at music festivals. The sad thing is I don’t think it took years of chemical abuse to get him this state of mind. - McCrayon - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 1:57 pm: It has only been 11 years WHY START ASKING LISA MADIGAN MEDIA QUESTIONS now. - anon - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 2:29 pm: after watching, she wasnt snippy. she did well. but, i agree with mcrayon. why has it taken so long to ask her tough questions? - Anonymous - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 2:29 pm: Mary Ann’s best tweet: Mary Ann Ahern ‏@MaryAnnAhernNBC When LMadigan was asked did your father ever ask you to hire someone or give them a raise, she said she’s not involved in hiring #really - k3 - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 2:34 pm: Reading any John Kass is reading too much John Kass - Empty Suit - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 2:47 pm: “I do not deal with the hiring in our office” ??? What the hey. Your in charge lady good grief! And how much corruption have you investigated? - Nosmo King - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 2:50 pm: The fact that is overlooked is that there is a huge difference between Madigan as Speaker and Madigan as Governor simultaneously. That difference is this: The office of the Speaker and the office of the Governor represent two legs of the three-legged stool that comprise state government (along with senate, obviously). The AG is not one of the three branches of the legislative process. And please spare me the “Lisa failed to investigate XY or Z”. That is an old saw that frankly bores me. - Nosmo King - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 3:06 pm: I meant to phrase it this was: “The fact that is overlooked is that there is a huge difference between Madigan as Speaker and Madigan as Governor simultaneously and Madigan as Speaker and Madigan as AG simultaneously.” - Formerly Known As... - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 3:09 pm: === Mary Ann Ahern ‏@MaryAnnAhernNBC When LMadigan was asked did your father ever ask you to hire someone or give them a raise, she said she’s not involved in hiring #really === LOL! Was she making a joke there as well? - Wensicia - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 3:09 pm: “It sounds to me like you’ve been reading too much John Kass. Do you have an original question?” Why are you reading John Kass, Ms. Madigan? - Demoralized - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 3:10 pm: ==When asked why it’s acceptible for the speaker and the attorney general to come from the same family, but not the speaker and the governor== Probably because the AG doesn’t negotiate legislation with the GA, nor does the AG sign bills passed by the GA. But I guess the obvious is lost on some people. - Demoralized - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 3:12 pm: ==she said she’s not involved in hiring== To a large extent that is true. - Centennial - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 3:19 pm: “because the AG doesn’t negotiate legislation with the GA” Factually incorrect. Her office absolutely negotiates, drafts, and shepherds their legislative agenda through the GA. Is there anything wrong with that? Maybe not. But I do think it was a mistake to come out and say that Gov/Speaker in the family is not okay - implying that AG/Speaker is fine. - Formerly Known As... - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 3:21 pm: === When asked why it’s acceptible for the speaker and the attorney general to come from the same family, but not the speaker and the governor === Probably because the AG should be exercising some sort of oversight by investigating possible corruption among the branch of government her father helps lead. Or perhaps the fact that she issues opinions, press releases, media availability, etc. on constitutional issues and delicate legal matters when they garner her positive press, but shies away from doing so when it may generate unfavorable press or interfere with a proposal made by her father. But I guess the obvious is lost on some people. - Centennial - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 3:25 pm: Totally agree. I think Lisa should have just stood in front of the press and said - I still have work to do as AG and I am seeking reelection. Period. She has churned up a lot of “all in the family” questions that she previously avoided - I believe - by doing a stellar job as AG. - Demoralized - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 3:29 pm: ==but shies away from doing so when it may generate unfavorable press or interfere with a proposal made by her father.== Oh please. These refrains are getting old. Grow up already. - Illinoisan - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 3:38 pm: - Why are you reading John Kass, Ms. Madigan? - Op-research. Find me a more self-aware pol in IL than LM. - Nosmo King - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 3:40 pm: @Formerly Known As =Probably because the AG should be exercising some sort of oversight by investigating possible corruption among the branch of government her father helps lead.= Can you name one investigation of the General Assembly successfully brought to conviction by any recent AG? By recent, let’s say from 1950 through today. - Keyrock - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 3:50 pm: “Can you name one investigation of the General Assembly successfully brought to conviction by any recent AG? By recent, let’s say from 1950 through today.” In Illinois, hard to do. Around the country, such convictions happen when AG’s actually prosecute corruption. http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2012/06/ex-rep_stephen_stetlers_convic.html Lisa does an ok job with the easy stuff. If you’re grading on the Illinois AG curve (cough, Jim Ryan; Neil Hartigan), she’s pretty good. On a national curve, she’s not as impressive. - Centennial - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 3:53 pm: To be fair, political corruption investigations can start in the AG’s office but be silently handed to the Feds. They have a bigger stick. - Chicago Cynic - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 4:02 pm: Can we please just look at Lisa as a human being for a second. The woman was obviously planning to run for governor right up until the Speaker put the kibosh on it. She’s obviously going to be upset today. Frankly, good for her for being willing to do this today when she knew what she’d be asked about. As to keyrock’s question, in IL, the AG doesn’t bring criminal prosecutions. It is a civil office. In order to bring criminal prosecutions it would need to do so in partnership with a local states attorney. - Keyrock - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 4:12 pm: The AG brings occasional corruption prosecutions through her Public Integrity Bureau. - Jim - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 4:13 pm: Kass is a relentless critic of the corrupt status quo, which is why he’s not so popular among those who consider themselves insiders. - Empty Suit - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 4:14 pm: =As to keyrock’s question, in IL, the AG doesn’t bring criminal prosecutions.= There are many elected officials who don’t directly prosecute criminals but still expose corruption..or turn a blind eye. - Chicago Cynic - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 4:18 pm: No Jim - Kass is a no-talent hack who does a comically bad job of attacking the corrupt status quo. He has been since literally day one when he plagiarized Royko with a character similar but less compelling than Royko’s Slats Grobnik. Waste of valuable space. - Formerly Known As... - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 4:31 pm: @Chicago Cynic - I’ll second that. The video makes it apparent she was joking, which is a far cry from the original impression of the tweet. She may not have answered the question, but she wasn’t exactly attacking Kass. She just amde a big decision and should be given some leeway on that front. As to corruption? The Attorney General secured a conviction in a public corruption case just a few weeks ago. It obviously didn’t involve investigating members of the general assembly: May 14 2013: MADIGAN: FORMER HEAD OF MAYWOOD HOUSING AUTHORITY GUILTY IN CORRUPTION CASE http://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/pressroom/2013_05/20130514.html It is possible the AG has been involved in investigations and then handed them off to a State’s Attorney or other officials - but if she has we haven’t heard of many outside the Blago case. No tears shed there by the Madigan family. - Amalia - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 4:32 pm: in a state with all sorts of pension and other fiscal problems, never mind corruption, I find it interesting that there are so many comments here about a columnist. what a distraction from reality. - Formerly Known As... - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 4:46 pm: @Keyrock, you make a good point. Consider: MA: “Under Attorney General Martha Coakley’s leadership, the office has vigorously investigated and prosecuted cases of corruption and fraud.” NY: “State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman about his efforts to crack down on corruption at the state capital as part of the new Moreland Commission.” IN: “In 2004, then Attorney General Steve Carter filed a racketeering lawsuit naming 27 East Chicago individuals and contractors as defendants - including former Mayor Robert Pastrick and mayoral aide James Fife III.” RI: “The “Public Corruption Unit” will include two attorneys - one designated to civil matters and one focused on criminal prosecution. The “Public Corruption Unit” will work in conjunction with the Rhode Island State Police, local law enforcement, the Bureau of Audits, the United States Attorney’s Office, the Ethics Commission, Supreme Court Disciplinary Counsel for Attorneys and the Auditor General.” So on and so forth. In Illinois? “Third, throughout my tenure as Attorney General, I have taken an active role in fighting corruption and misconduct within government, as well as seeking to recover taxpayer dollars when contractors defraud the government.” Outside of Blago and a handful of locals few people have heard of, Illinois has yet to see a corruption investigation of any meaning or consequence emerge from that office - even if only cooperating with other agencies in their pursuit of corruption. To the best of our knowledge, the AG’s office has largely washed their hands off this - and that began long before she took office. It’s a problem both parties bear responsibility for. - Chicago Cynic - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 5:02 pm: My point is that they can and do bring civil actions for damages around corruption and other wrongdoing. But contrary to popular perception, they are not prosecutors. - low level - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 5:05 pm: I quit reading JKass when he wrote an entire column about something I had intimate knowledge of and he got the facts wrong. Not just his opinion on the matter, but he didn’t have the first clue as to what actually went on. I love it. You go Lisa. - Keyrock - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 5:15 pm: Chicago Cynic - look at her website, including the link from f/k/a. The AG’s office does have the authority to bring, and does bring, criminal prosecutions of corruption cases. Just not that many. To be fair to the AG, it can be more difficult to bring certain kinds of prosecutions in the state system, in part because of (1) the quality of the judges in certain courts, 2) the automatic right to a substitution of judge for each defendant, and (3) the investigative resources available. But, still . . . . - Timmeh - Wednesday, Jul 17, 13 @ 6:30 pm: Do Illinois AGs even have the same tools that other state AGs have to fight corruption? Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.