* Um, OK…
* The cartoonist’s explanation…
Illinois Speaker Mike Madigan, acting as the petulant Czar of the state, has once again not shown up to a meeting of Illinois leaders. A post-election get-together to discuss budget issues that plague this state. (Madigan lost his super majority in the Illinois House of Representatives due largely to money spent by Governor Bruce Rauner). If this dysfunctional mess of a state government is ever going to be righted, the Speaker has to man-up and put the concerns of the people of Illinois ahead of his own fragile ego. A feat Madigan has yet to do in his decades long domination of state government.
Madigan’s spokesman told me yesterday his boss will show up for the leaders meeting at 10 o’clock today. As of 10:05, though, nobody was there yet. You can follow the progress on our live coverage post.
*** UPDATE *** The meeting has begun…
- Anon - Wednesday, Nov 30, 16 @ 10:06 am:
This seems kind of phoned in and the justification for it is baseless.
It’s not even as good of an explanation that it could be if it actually talked about Golem and the One Ring.
- 47th Ward - Wednesday, Nov 30, 16 @ 10:07 am:
===A post-election get-together to discuss budget issues that plague this state.===
Poor grammar aside, does Stantis really think the meeting was about discussing budget issues? Lol.
- Winnin' - Wednesday, Nov 30, 16 @ 10:11 am:
OMG. Bruce, go public with your proposal. Quit hiding behind Madigan.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Nov 30, 16 @ 10:12 am:
=== A post-election get-together to discuss budget issues that plague this state.===
Stantis ignoring the pre-conditions of the Turnaround Agenda speaks for itself.
- Winnin' - Wednesday, Nov 30, 16 @ 10:14 am:
Stantis’ coloring skills far exceed his interpretational capabilities.
- siriusly - Wednesday, Nov 30, 16 @ 10:14 am:
I think the cartoon is funny, I liked it. But his explanation is painfully childish and one-sided.
His words detract from his art.
- Anon221 - Wednesday, Nov 30, 16 @ 10:15 am:
Well, according to Monique’s tweet, Madigan just arrived. Post meeting interviews will be interesting.
- ZC - Wednesday, Nov 30, 16 @ 10:15 am:
Gotta admit, and I know it’s the national news bleeding into my perceptions, this whole Madigan-is-the-devil meme is starting to weary me.
If only we got rid of Madigan, we could have … rich plutocrats running Illinois, the way they run wisconsin and (shortly) Washington DC? I don’t get it.
- Deft Wing - Wednesday, Nov 30, 16 @ 10:15 am:
Nope- spot on accurate.
The truth can sometimes hurt. In this instance, it is badly hurting Illinois.
- Homeybear - Wednesday, Nov 30, 16 @ 10:17 am:
Good one. I like it. Ineffective but good. I have give them props. Hardly anyone will see it but good
- Signal and Noise - Wednesday, Nov 30, 16 @ 10:26 am:
We need to fix state government. Someone get me a cartoonist.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Nov 30, 16 @ 10:27 am:
When did they start talking about “budget issues?”
Perhaps Stantis could inform us as to what those “budget issues” are.
I thought the pre-conditions were the holdup, going on two years now,
- northsider (the original) - Wednesday, Nov 30, 16 @ 10:27 am:
I was very confused. I thought the man in the drawing was Lincoln. After reading the ‘explanation’ I was no less confused.
- Dance Band on the Titanic - Wednesday, Nov 30, 16 @ 10:29 am:
Enough of asking for certain people to start governing. Time to start asking that they start adulting instead of wasting time with such childish nonsense.
- hmmmm - Wednesday, Nov 30, 16 @ 10:34 am:
If you follow his words, he should have drawn the speakers gavel instead of the state. Doesn’t really draw in either is causing the state’s problems. D-.
- Visitor - Wednesday, Nov 30, 16 @ 10:37 am:
Why is Madigan letting his spokesman Brown walk ahead of him?
- Sir Reel - Wednesday, Nov 30, 16 @ 10:42 am:
How often we see stuff like, “put the concerns of the people of Illinois ahead of his” which means what?
Is he saying Rauner has “the concerns of the people of Illinois” at heart? Really?
It’s all Kabuki theater.
- Ron Burgundy - Wednesday, Nov 30, 16 @ 10:47 am:
Republicanses, we hates them!
- northshore cynic - Wednesday, Nov 30, 16 @ 11:01 am:
Did the Speaker bring Santa Claus along with him to the meeting? I didn’t recognize him in the dark blue suit
- Roman - Wednesday, Nov 30, 16 @ 11:06 am:
If a political cartoonist has to offer a wordy description of what his cartoon is about, he is not a very effective political cartoonist. It kinda defeats the purpose of being a cartoonist.
- Illinois O'Malley - Wednesday, Nov 30, 16 @ 11:08 am:
@sstantis–
The Governor is required to release his balanced budget, not the Speaker of the House…but why let facts get in the way of journalism
- Louis G. Atsaves - Wednesday, Nov 30, 16 @ 11:13 am:
What happened to Rep. Harris in all of this? Wasn’t he supposed to be sitting in at the request of the Speaker on budget issues?
- Carhartt Representative - Wednesday, Nov 30, 16 @ 11:23 am:
I find you can always tell a great editorial cartoon by the paragraph that the artist has to use to explain what he meant by his drawing.
- Responsa - Wednesday, Nov 30, 16 @ 11:44 am:
Effective political cartoons need to stand on their own and speak for themselves without explanation. That said, the overall concept of Stantis’ piece is excellent and thoughtful. Better execution would have helped finesse the clever message, though.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Nov 30, 16 @ 11:58 am:
How big is the ego of a guy who basks in the attention given for showing up for a meeting? Crud
- Eric Zorn - Wednesday, Nov 30, 16 @ 12:39 pm:
Just to be fair to Scott — with whom I do not see eye to eye on this and many other issues but of whom I am personally quite fond — the explanation is not part of the cartoon as published in the paper or online, but a note intended only for those who are on his email distribution list (some of whom don’t live in Illinois) similar to notes he often appends.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Nov 30, 16 @ 12:39 pm:
===but a note intended only for those who are on his email distribution list===
It’s also on the Tribune’s website.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Nov 30, 16 @ 5:37 pm:
Why do you dislike the Illinois Speaker, Mike Madigan, so much?
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Nov 30, 16 @ 6:22 pm:
===Just to be fair to Scott===
… He drew the cartoon and wrote the explaination.
What’s next, an explanation of the explanation of the cartoon?
Yikes. But… I want to be fair to any other explanation’s explanation that may come, or not, or…
Ugh.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Nov 30, 16 @ 6:50 pm:
>>It’s also on the Tribune’s website.>>>. Didn’t see that. Withdrawn.
- Eric Zorn - Wednesday, Nov 30, 16 @ 6:51 pm:
Whoops. “Anonymous” at 6:50 pm was me.
- Eric Zorn - Thursday, Dec 1, 16 @ 9:50 am:
Withdrawal only partial. When you go to one web page where Stantis cartoons are archived http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/stantis/chi-stantis-cartoons-gallery-photogallery.html you don’t see the explanations. When you go to another page where they’re archived — http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/stantis/ you do see them. And, as noted before, the explanations don’t appear in print.