* Rep. Chad Hays talks about how the Boat Drink Caucus has helped the Statehouse come together. Watch it…
Rep. Hays sat down with us to talk about his work on 911 funding and the interesting way that he has found common ground in Springfield – a bipartisan musical group called the Boat Drink Caucus. Listen to the full podcast: https://t.co/O4mk6NJ9Y6pic.twitter.com/SfIttdQate
I’ve been playing guitar for 40 years, and even spent 5 years leading one of the most popular bands in Champaign at the time (shameless plug for myself!), and I’ve always found that nothing unites people like music. As a Chicago-born liberal college professor, I traveled to West Virginia two consecutive summers to participate in a week-long bluegrass camp. There I had amazing, wonderful music-making experiences with people from all walks of life, particularly country born and bred white folks generally associated with Trump. in that environment only one thing mattered: whether or not you could play. And if you could play — and I could — you were accepted by everyone. I wish our country was more like that today.
Chad Hayes Steve Anderson et al Partisan politics got Illinois where it is it certainly isn’t going to unwind the damage of the past 15 years. Maybe music is the answer? Get a whole bunch of choirs/bands on the various levels of the Capitol rotunda to play/sing songs. I have no idea what songs that will unite around a common cause.
- Carhartt Union Negotiating Team - Thursday, Dec 7, 17 @ 8:34 am:
This is world class stuff. So you got Hayes…and there’s Anderson and Tryon and others… But note that they’re all leaving this town. They’re done at the end of their terms.
There’s plenty of blame to go around - on both sides of the political power base. But I can’t help but think that much of this hyper-partisanship, the well-funded, systematic design of monsters is very much the responsibility of this newer crew of “China Shop Republicans”…namely Rauner, Proft, Tillman and Company.
I’ll admit my bias. But when the Rauners, Wehrlis and Ives crowd spend the vast bulk of their time creating division and demanding that the conversation is always negative - you’ll end up losing those who can do good work and those who understand the valued product of decency of statesmanship.
So, yes, the guitar picking bipartisanship is very much welcome. But it’s overshadowed by the demented, manufactured anger and mentally ill contempt for government that the bullying loudmouths spew.
- ughh.. - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 2:20 pm:
When and where is their next gig
- illini - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 2:35 pm:
I can recall Sen Dave talking about the weekly poker games many years ago with Sen. Obama.
I wonder if those games have continued?
- filmmaker prof - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 2:46 pm:
I’ve been playing guitar for 40 years, and even spent 5 years leading one of the most popular bands in Champaign at the time (shameless plug for myself!), and I’ve always found that nothing unites people like music. As a Chicago-born liberal college professor, I traveled to West Virginia two consecutive summers to participate in a week-long bluegrass camp. There I had amazing, wonderful music-making experiences with people from all walks of life, particularly country born and bred white folks generally associated with Trump. in that environment only one thing mattered: whether or not you could play. And if you could play — and I could — you were accepted by everyone. I wish our country was more like that today.
- Gooner - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 2:55 pm:
Wow, that’s really impressive.
Great to hear that some on both sides of the aisle are striving for that sort of respect.
- Vermilion Boy - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 3:05 pm:
We need more of the Chad Hays types in the General Assembly.
- JoanP - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 3:09 pm:
Wish more elected officials everywhere would share that attitude.
- theCardinal - Wednesday, Dec 6, 17 @ 3:55 pm:
Chad Hayes Steve Anderson et al Partisan politics got Illinois where it is it certainly isn’t going to unwind the damage of the past 15 years. Maybe music is the answer? Get a whole bunch of choirs/bands on the various levels of the Capitol rotunda to play/sing songs. I have no idea what songs that will unite around a common cause.
- Carhartt Union Negotiating Team - Thursday, Dec 7, 17 @ 8:34 am:
This is world class stuff. So you got Hayes…and there’s Anderson and Tryon and others… But note that they’re all leaving this town. They’re done at the end of their terms.
There’s plenty of blame to go around - on both sides of the political power base. But I can’t help but think that much of this hyper-partisanship, the well-funded, systematic design of monsters is very much the responsibility of this newer crew of “China Shop Republicans”…namely Rauner, Proft, Tillman and Company.
I’ll admit my bias. But when the Rauners, Wehrlis and Ives crowd spend the vast bulk of their time creating division and demanding that the conversation is always negative - you’ll end up losing those who can do good work and those who understand the valued product of decency of statesmanship.
So, yes, the guitar picking bipartisanship is very much welcome. But it’s overshadowed by the demented, manufactured anger and mentally ill contempt for government that the bullying loudmouths spew.