37 Comments - Not It - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 2:32 pm: It occurs to me that the biggest goal of Republicans to Washington DC is to block anything the President wants to do, and the biggest goal of Democrats in Springfield is to block anything the Governor wants to do. The similarities are disgusting. - Anon - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 2:33 pm: Durkin’s $300,000 processing fee makes American Expresses merchant fees seem really reasonable. - RNUG - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 2:34 pm: As long as you consider 2018 “soon” … - wordslinger - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 2:38 pm: Why did they need Munger to wash money when unopposed candidates like Durkin can do it? I understand breaking the cap for her. But why is she needed as a conduit to the state party fund? - Deft Wing - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 2:40 pm: Wait. Where’s the LIFT connection and another posting on Biss? - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 2:45 pm: The second all the races are decided in November… The battle for the Governor who will sign the next map… will begin. This will end soon. After the new map is signed, then this will pause, or it will ramp and ratchet up to a level… …this specific cycle will look like a 5 precinct library board trustee race compared to what’s coming. - Ron - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 2:46 pm: Felt great voting against my Dem state representative. - The Captain - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 2:48 pm: If Madigan exploited a campaign finance loophole to make it so he could raise unlimited cash in a race where he had no opponent the Tribune would be a raging inferno of hot takes. But Durkin and Rauner did exactly that and no one has made a peep. Six months ago I was brainstorming with some campaign staffers on all the ways you could get the caps lifted and for several of them, such as the one above, I said even though you could technically do it this way practically-speaking you can’t really do it, the public shaming and pushback would be too great. I was wrong, you can do whatever you want now, no one cares. - 47th Ward - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 2:52 pm: Which will be depleted first: Madigan’s resolve and majority or Rauner and his friends’ money? It’s going to be trench warfare, a battle of attrition, a long slog, protracted, static battle of epic proportions. - Piece of Work - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 3:01 pm: Is MJM so removed from “working class people” that he really thinks he is helping them? Has he looked around? Does he pay attention? - wordslinger - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 3:02 pm: –Wait. Where’s the LIFT connection and another posting on Biss?– Are you now being victimized by the posting of public records? How do you make it through the day? - Wow - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 3:03 pm: The Captain was spot on regarding the Rauner puppets at the Tribune. Where is their outrage?? If anyone thought this would be over THIS November, I have a bridge for you to buy - Longsummer - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 3:07 pm: I see a line of cars and they’re all painted black - Team Sleep - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 3:07 pm: I hope people read the Madison Record article. Let’s put Rauner aside. He’s the Governor and obviously has his own vested interests. If we use the donations from Mr. Griffin and Mr. Uihlein and break down their respective net worth/fortunes, then counselors John Simmons, Randy Gori and Tom Keefe (and their firms) contribute just as much of a percentage (if not more) as Mr. Griffin and Mr. Uihlein. Every single candidate that those aforementioned lawyers and firms donated to are Dems, and I’m going to guess that kind of cash wasn’t doled out just because the candidates were swell people. - 47th Ward - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 3:13 pm: The Speaker is right. Psychotically stubborn… but absolutely right. We gotta take these plutocrats. Now we could do it with conventional weapons, but that could take years and cost millions of lives. No, I think we have to go all out. I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody’s part! - Team Sleep - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 3:14 pm: What happened to my comment?! - blue dog dem - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 3:15 pm: It never ceases to amaze me that 15.2% of the states workforce could create all this fuss. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 3:16 pm: ===I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody’s part!=== Maybe commenters here…are just the ones to do it! Who’s with me?….. - Six Degrees of Separation - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 3:18 pm: It only took .001% of the state’s wealthiest citizens to create a similar fuss. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 3:19 pm: Team Sleep, your comment was held up by the anti-spam program for some reason. - Team Sleep - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 3:24 pm: Rich - no worries. I thought perhaps I had a senior moment and accidentally clicked away from the post. Thank you! - Last Bull Moose - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 3:26 pm: “soon” Are we talking in geological time? We have seen the preliminary rounds in the first two years, The makeup of the GA after the elections will set the stage. I see no evidence that Rauner will negotiate on key issues. We may actually see the “withering away of the state”. Though not in the way Marx imagined. - Winnin' - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 3:37 pm: The correct title is Minority Leader Durkin. Not sure why everyone always inappropriately abbreviates. - yeah - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 3:41 pm: Once the HUGE issue of General Obligation Bonds is completed (Post election), folks will be more friendly as they will have a HUGE pot of cash to divvy up. - Annonin' - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 3:44 pm: Wonder if Durkie had any accidents getting and giving all that loot. ..wonder if the Senate Minority Leader feels left out….another Trump Rauner flub with women? - Ron Burgundy - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 3:52 pm: –The correct title is Minority Leader Durkin. Not sure why everyone always inappropriately abbreviates.– I’m gonna go out on a limb and say because of Twitter’s 140 character limit. - Bluto - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 4:05 pm: @3:13 pm ΔΤΧ rules! - Winnin' - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 4:06 pm: Ron, both the H and S Minorities stopped using the word about 10-15 years ago. Don’t think they liked the concept of being like Avis, but not really havin’ to try real hard because they liked to wail and gnash teeth instead of governin’. - Team Sleep - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 4:13 pm: Winnin’ - is that seriously a big issue? Harry Reid listed as the Senate Democratic Leader on the Senate Dem leadership website and Nancy Pelosi is listed as House Democratic Leader on the official House website - but you and I both know they are technically the minority leaders of their respective caucuses. https://democrats.senate.gov/leadership/#.V_1VOOUrKUk http://www.house.gov/leadership/ - Henry Francis - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 4:16 pm: Team Sleep. I read the Madison Record article, but I am still having difficulty understanding your point. Are you suggesting that because 3 trial lawyers and their firms donated $800k they are worse than Ken Griffin who routinely drops $2M, because the lawyers don’t have as much as Griffin to give? Since the lawyers are giving a larger percentage of their money, this makes them worse (or at least comparable)? - 47th Ward - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 4:17 pm: ===but you and I both know they are technically the minority leaders of their respective caucuses.=== I think it’s more accurate to say they are leaders of their respective minority caucuses. Minority is describing the position of the caucus, not the leader. - Team Sleep - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 4:25 pm: Henry - my point is that those guys are playing big as well and they have been doing it for a long time. Using proportional percentages they are donating a large chunk of firm cash for political donations. They play heavy in judicial races, too. They are certainly comparable to the wealthy GOP donors. In years past - and Rich has written about this extensively - these guys overwhelmed GOP candidates with their largess and gave plenty to both Madigan and Cullterton. I suppose John Simmons just wants to help his pal Jack Franks become McHenry County Board Chairman, right?! And my guess is that Tom Keefe is really worried about Kathleen Willis and Emily McAsey. Give me a break. 47th - no, I meant what I said. Trent Lott was listed as Minority Leader when he ascended the ranks and before he became Majority Leader. He was Minority Leader of the minority caucus. - 47th Ward - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 4:46 pm: TS, I’m not that worked up about it. I didn’t say you were wrong either, so lighten up. Just having a little fun with grammar. BTW, I met Minority Leader Trent Lott, I rode in a Senate elevator with Minority Leader Trent Lott, and you sir, are no Minority Leader Trent Lott. PPS: If the GOP can’t get its Trump problems back in the bottle, you can probably make Republican synonymous with Minority. - Team Sleep - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 6:10 pm: 47th - sorry. Things get tense enough on this site that (especially lately) I sometimes have a tough time deciphering between sarcasm and seriousness. Point taken. - wordslinger - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 6:18 pm: –They are certainly comparable to the wealthy GOP donors.– In Illinois, nobody, past or present, is in the ballpark with the Rauner funder network, whether you think that’s good, bad or indifferent. The money — and the relatively, small cohesive crew supplying the lion’s share of it — speak for themselves. Ask Ron Gidwitz how big a macher he is in the Illinois GOP anymore. Or McKenna Sr. Just check the scoreboard. Rauner and some of his friends have brought political funding in Illinois to a whole new level. It’s just a different ballgame, again, whether you think that’s good, bad, or don’t care. - Matt Vernau - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 7:03 pm: O.W. I am with you but I want one last road trip first. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 9:57 pm: - Matt Vernau - Does your brother Fred have a car he can loan us? First, thou… Food King! Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.