70 Comments - nobiggie - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:25 pm: The troll is strong with these ones - Oswego Willy - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:26 pm: Some owls are wise, some owls are trained… For the trained owls, flying out of hearings and then “hooting” about it on the Twitter only makes their masters happy. To the Twitter, There is giving no quarter or comfort to the enemy. The Dems, the House Dems, they’ve not even began to make your lives miserable. It’s not even remotely started. - Anonymous - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:27 pm: - These guys are unlike anything the House Dems have ever seen. - You mean since leaving the frat house, right? - Mama - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:28 pm: “These guys are unlike anything the House Dems have ever seen.” The public does not want a war. The state workers do not want a war. Tell me why Rauner’s people want a war? I don’t think their war has anything to do with the budget! - Anonymous - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:28 pm: These are not the adults you are looking for. - Frenchie Mendoza - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:29 pm: To Lang: Don’t be the old-guy-Luddite. The great thing about social media is that it works both ways. You annoyed by folks posting on Twitter? Hire a creative rhetorist — or whatever you want to call it — and annoy them back. Pretending like Twitter is meaningless or is silly is not the way to win this battle. And it shuts down a good portion of potential support. - chi - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:29 pm: OK, so we’re in session until a budget is passed. What budget does Rauner want? What mix of revenue and cuts is he asking for? The “fight for Illinois” hyperbole is just that. The State isn’t getting run into the ground, for goodness sake. We need to raise or create some taxes. We’re running pretty efficiently relative to other states. We just have some big bills that are past due. Grow up. - walker - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:32 pm: Does Rauner really need three of these geniuses to do the same job? Aren’t here any campaign slots opening up around the country? - Formerly Known As... - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:35 pm: Because singling out and ==blasting== staffers from the House floor is a mature use of tax dollars. - Norseman - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:35 pm: === These guys are unlike anything the House Dems have ever seen. === Yes, but there is a big difference between talking smack and getting results. - nobiggie - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:36 pm: OW Stop trying to make owl happen! It’s not going to happen - 47th Ward - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:37 pm: What was Sandack’s solution to Illinois’ problems again? I know I must have read about it somewhere. Didn’t he file some bills or amendments or something? A white paper maybe? He says he is serious about fixing Illinois, so he must have some ideas worth debating and voting on, right? Or maybe he’s having trouble breaking his plan down to 140 characters. Anybody? - Oswego Willy - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:38 pm: The Owl is the Owl, who else could be the Owl? lol - 47th Ward - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:40 pm: Note to Trover, Goldberg and Schrimpf: rent a house, don’t buy one. You’ll thank me later. - Cheswick - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:40 pm: I think it’s perfectly fine to engage on Twitter. What’s not fun is seeing the so-called professionals sink to childish antics. - Wordslinger - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:40 pm: Meh, I think everyone has soon self-congratulating goofy frat boys before. Lance obviously studied Mike Lawrence very closely and rejected everything he saw. (Dude, Mike vouched for you). Samdack with the Shakespeare — I guess that makes him the brains of the outfit. - Cassiopeia - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:40 pm: I think we are in completely uncharted territory and nobody has a clue as to how this is going to play out in the end. - Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:41 pm: Trover, Englander and Schrimpf: The Moe, Larry and Curly of IL politics. - VanillaMan - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:42 pm: An unprofessional public display of disrespect from people still trying to figure out their jobs. - Are Ya Kiddin' Me? - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:44 pm: “These guys are unlike anything the House Dems have ever seen.” Somewhat disagree….saw some of this from the Blago people….didn’t work at very well? - Oswego Willy - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:45 pm: ===Yes, but there is a big difference between talking smack and getting results.=== That is why we are, where we are, and the roles are being played in the opera… - Austin Blvd - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:47 pm: 47th Ward– Maybe they can move in with the Journalist in Residence over at the Illinois Policy Institute, whatever his name is. - RNUG - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:50 pm: If you want to needle people on social media, two can play that game. There are some good hashtags the D’s could co-opt. If you don’t have the creativity yourself, just spend some time on a few of the union sites to find out what nicknames are out there. - Downstate GOP Faithless - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:51 pm: Maybe I am wrong on this, but if this becomes a battle who can lob the last bomb, Madigan just has more weapons and he is not scared to sacrifice them to win. - Tournaround Agenda - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:54 pm: Bruce Rauner could hire an army of Internet trolls for a portion of the taxpayer money he’s spending on the likes of Trover and Schrimpf. - Team Sleep - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:56 pm: Rich’s earlier take about the House Dems’ (and Speaker Madigan’s specific) lack of social media presence. So yes, they haven’t seen anything like this. The House Dems don’t have a Facebook page, for crying out loud. My middle school aged cousins have Facebook pages. It’s not that hard. What is MJM trying to prove? Is he trying be that antihero guy in the group who refuses to participate in social media and then rub it in everyone’s faces?! - Norseman - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:59 pm: === Lance obviously studied Mike Lawrence very closely and rejected everything he saw. (Dude, Mike vouched for you). === Word, I’m glad you reminded me of this fact. Mike was the gold standard. Trover has shown himself to be the dirt standard. He’s great at rooting in the mud. All this shows is that the Rauner communications non-superstars do not possess the creativity to present a message supporting their guy or criticizing the other guys without sounding petty and whiny. - Precinct Captain - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:00 pm: Has Sandack already deleted his rant? Or is it just not showing up for me? - Ducky LaMoore - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:01 pm: Lou Lang Lou Lang Lou Lang, he’s so fine. But… My sweet lord, you don’t need to take to twitter to complain about others using twitter. You had won the battle of being absolutely correct, but you just lost twitter. - Cheswick - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:03 pm: That reminds me, we need Da Speaker more now than before. Good times. https://twitter.com/speakermadigan - Gus - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:03 pm: It has been really entertaining to watch the Dem stalwarts on this board who have expected Republicans to be useless pushovers until now absolutely freak out when the GOP pushes back. - Oswego Willy - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:04 pm: I did find it fun that the Owl Sandack called Lou Lang unhinged… - bloval27 - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:04 pm: Well don’t see this stuff everyday in the political theater, except behind closed doors that is, actually kind of enjoying it even if it’s a little low brow to be doing as state representatives. - anonymous - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:05 pm: I have never understood the Owl references. Gotta agree with nobiggie…. - Wordslinger - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:05 pm: I think the “war” analogies are grotesque. This is politics — hardball, petty, juvenile, for keeps, whatever you want to call it. But it aint war. For about 14 years or so, there have been a very small number of Americans carrying a very heavy load in that category. Sandack, you’re a glory hound, but you ain’t a warrior by any stretch of your feverish imagination. - anon - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:06 pm: This is great theater!! Grab that popcorn and watch this epic(and long) movie!! - Ducky LaMoore - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:07 pm: @Gus We have not expected the GOP to be useless pushovers. They were quite content to be useless pushovers for a decade plus. And a fair share of the people you might think are “democrats” are actually disaffected independents and republicans. - notimpressedbyBruce - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:07 pm: If you mean that they have never seen amateurs, I’m sure they have. - Oswego Willy - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:11 pm: There is always the search key… lol. If anything, the Owl Sandack didn’t pick a side. Picking a side would’ve been winning his seat against Uihlein money and calling his own shots. Instead, he became what Rauner told him to be. - Anonymous - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:15 pm: The Speaker doesn’t fight his battles on Twitter - he fights them in the streets. - Transplant - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:15 pm: These recent displays remind me of the “Cheeze-It” commercials with the not yet matured wheel of cheese, with Trover and Sandack in the role of the cheese … - Bill White - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:15 pm: It’s “Fire Madigan” on steroids, speed and crack. - walker - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:16 pm: Gus: You call that foolishness “pushback?” Wow, we’ve got a long way to go! - Team Sleep - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:18 pm: I think that Gus is onto something. When a GOP official feigned anger over the last decade, it was “cute”. It was almost akin to the Cubs’ moniker of “lovable losers”. But now the GOP is just a collective bunch of a-holes who apparently lack common courtesy and need a timeout. Okay, whatever. Lou Lang’s rants on the floor are equally or more so angry and partisan as Ron Sandack’s. And the Governor has a decent-sized press shop. Why not use it? You may not like how he uses it, but he’s the Governor and there’s clearly a coordinated message here. Some of the guys may be new, but Mike Z. and Lance Trover have been in the trenches. Mike Z. led Mark Kirk and Rodney Davis to victory. Those two got the most boring man/candidate ever (Andy McKenna) within 7,500 votes of becoming the GOP nominee for Governor in 2010. - Wensicia - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:19 pm: Still waiting for the adults… - MrJM - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:21 pm: “These guys are unlike anything the House Dems have ever seen.” Take Your Child to Work Day was Thursday, April 23. – MrJM - Short Bus Rider - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:26 pm: It’s about time somebody stood up to these inflated ego bullies. If they think they deserve respect they have to earn it first and they haven’t shown anything in 20 yrs. - John Barlycorn - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:27 pm: 47th warder just gave those young wipper snappers some great advise renting is the way to go. I would also suggest that a number of new department heads (directors) not get to comfy with this group running the show - Anonymous - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:30 pm: Hey OW, don’t listen to nobiggie, Owl is totally fetch - Archiesmom - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:31 pm: These are NOT the adults in the room! - nadia - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:35 pm: While they rant about the Dems, the past and whatever else is part of their message I wonder who is paying attention to the negotiation “signals” that are being laid out for them to see, like on Work Comp (removal of an immediate effective date and the fact that there is a bill open for discussion)? IMO there are things there for the asking and openings to bring ideas to the table. Both sides need to remind themselves of the finer points of negotiating a deal. - Not it - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:36 pm: This is just like DC. What the Rauner folks need to understand is that entrenched House and Senate Democrats are not moved by media coverage like folks in DC. Most people don’t even know who their State Rep/Senator is. - Gone, but not forgotten - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:36 pm: In keeping with the theme music thread earlier, here’s one for Chip, Lance & Schrimpf: New Kids on the Block - “Hangin’ Tough”. - Tom - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:42 pm: while they are out playing with their twitter, we are out knocking on doors. - Oswego Willy - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:43 pm: - Anonymous -, it’s Friday, why be a “Mean Girl”… lol - Wordslinger - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:43 pm: PC, I can’t get the Sandack page either. Maybe he took it down before he went to man his post in Kandahar. Or site bombing targets in Ramadi. Because, he’s fighting a war, you know? 140 characters at a time. - haverford - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:43 pm: Again, that is REPRESENTATIVE Lang. I don’t know who these folks think they are. - Ducky LaMoore - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:44 pm: @Tom Don’t underestimate the Rauner crew when it comes to knocking on doors. Last October they knocked on doors they knew would not be answered by people friendly to their cause because they thought they could convince them otherwise. - Muscular - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:45 pm: Lou Lang used to present himself like a potential governor. As of today, he doesn’t anymore. His Twitter misfire makes him seem ordinary. - Oswego Willy - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:45 pm: The Owl might be dropping lots of posts of tweets or anything not approved by Rauner now. The Internet is forever. - Austin Blvd - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:45 pm: Speaking of war and money, isn’t it (Uihlein) Uline who sells state agencies paper clips, folders, paper, binders, etc? - Oswego Willy - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:48 pm: - Ducky LaMoore -, Rauner in 2016 will be a sitting governor, with his own record. Rauner can’t say I got nothing done and sway Union households at a 40% clip with that Gubernatorial record of pushing for right to work zones. That will be an interesting dynamic. - Blue Dog - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:51 pm: Mamas don’t let yer babies grow up to be Fratboys… - bored now - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:56 pm: so the question is, can they adapt? the loss of daniel biss looms large… - Tom - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:56 pm: @Ducky Rauner tried to buy door knockers last election. They couldn’t find any. He has pushed thousands into our corner with his misdirected union strategy. Take a look at the House Dem twitter account–oh we don’t have one. What we do have is a veto proof majority. - Anonymous - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:57 pm: === so the question is, can they adapt? the loss of daniel biss looms large… === ????? - Nearly Normal - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:58 pm: Speaking of Twitter – Rick Pearson ‏@rap30 31 minutes ago #ILGov Rauner extends CFO Arduin contract for 3 mos or until a budget. She had 4-mos, $30k-month contract. Rauner says her comp cut in half. - Wordslinger - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 4:00 pm: I see this more as a bro-down — you know, bros doing bro things, getting tneir bro on with their bros. Oops. That’s a sexist smear campaign. My apologies. They’re obviously the most accomplished leaders we’ve ever seen. - Norseman - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 4:00 pm: What has Arduin done for the first part of the contract? Nothing that has been reported. - Bluefish - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 4:02 pm: Combined these three have 4,804 Twitter followers. Madigan’s troops can probably knock on more that number of doors daily during campaign season. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.