* He’s been talking about doing this for weeks and weeks. From a media advisory…
Tomorrow, Governor Rauner will attend an event in Marion hosted by the House Republican Organization to launch the People’s Pledge campaign across the state. The People’s Pledge states that candidates for the State House of Representatives, when elected, will vote for term limits on all elected officials and for anyone other than Mike Madigan for Speaker of the House, making state government accountable to hardworking Illinoisans.
Taxes, Madigan, corruption, toilets. Lather, rinse, repeat.
The big question for me, though, is whether he’s finally going to drop some big bucks into the HRO’s coffers. Money talks, pledge gimmicks walk.
…Adding… From HRO…
“Mike Madigan has been in office for over 47 years, driving Illinois into the ground and personally profiting along the way. That’s wrong. With ‘The People’s Pledge,’ Illinois voters can hold candidates for state representative accountable by demanding they support term limits for lawmakers and constitutional officers and oppose Madigan as House Speaker. Together, the people of Illinois can take control of Springfield and end Madigan’s grip on power once and for all.” - House Republican Organization Political Director Joe Woodward
Today, House Republicans announced the creation of The People’s Pledge, a campaign to end Madigan’s grip on power and hold candidates for state representative across Illinois accountable by asking them two simple, yet powerful, questions:
1) Do you pledge to support a term limits referendum that would amend the Illinois Constitution to term-limit state lawmakers and statewide officeholders?
2) Do you pledge to oppose Mike Madigan’s speakership, voting to deny him another term as Speaker of the Illinois House?
The people of Illinois know that term limits are not a partisan issue. Public opinion polls show that over 80% of voters across the political spectrum support term limits on state lawmakers and statewide constitutional officers. Republicans, independents and Democrats across Illinois support term limits, but Mike Madigan and his allies are standing in the way.
Madigan has held onto power for so long primarily because Illinois lacks term limits. Madigan and his lawyers have repeatedly blocked voter attempts to put it on the ballot. Madigan runs for office year after year, amassing more power and profiting along the way. That’s wrong. With term limits, we can hold state government accountable and make sure Illinois has no more ‘Madigans’ who accumulate power.
Together, the people of Illinois can hold their state representatives accountable by asking them to sign The People’s Pledge, putting the people back in charge of state government and ending Mike Madigan’s grip on power once and for all.
Visit www.FireMikeMadigan.com to learn more about The People’s Pledge and get involved.
- The Captain - Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 4:42 pm:
Between this and the Crain’s piece today it’s like their strategy is to get voters to vote for him by wowing them with his superior campaign tactics rather than a message. It’s victory via process stories. I guess they don’t have many/any better options but it feels like a campaign for insiders by insiders (FIBI).
- Chris Widger - Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 4:44 pm:
Isn’t the idiom “X talks, Y walks” usually the other way around? Like, anyone can talk the talk, but it’s better/more action-oriented to walk the walk?
- Anonish - Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 4:52 pm:
Don’t worry, we on the left are working to ensure you are term limited Mr. ‘overnor.
Being accountable is standing for re-election before voters.
- Roman - Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 5:02 pm:
Will Bill Brady and Jim Durkin offer their resignations at the press conference?
- 47th Ward - Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 5:04 pm:
If he shows up to the event wearing his biker outfit, can we call this the Village People’s Pledge?
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 5:09 pm:
===usually the other way around?===
No. It’s money talks, b*** walks. From street hustlers. Don’t stand around talking, put up your cash.
- Huh? - Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 5:16 pm:
So how many Dems are going to be signing this silly pledge?
- JS Mill - Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 5:19 pm:
Man this is just pathetic. So if I understand him correctly, the Republican candidate for governor is asking democratic candidates for the house to sign a pledge against another democratic member of the house? Isn’t this the same person who was complaining about so called democratic meddling in the gop primary?
I get the Madigan stuff, I don’t like him and he needs to go, but he thinks this will change D votes to R? Please.
I can’t wait for this election to end and pray to heaven Rauner is gone when the dust settles.
- Al - Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 5:22 pm:
I am gessing Congressman Shimkus will not be attending.
- Pundent - Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 5:30 pm:
Rauner entered office with an ambitious goal - to end the rule of Democrats. A lot of people could get behind that. But he chose the wrong path and failed. And he hasn’t offered any reason to believe that if given four more years things would be any different. So now he just appears desperate.
- The Dude Abides - Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 5:38 pm:
Just another gimmick to create a distraction so that folks are talking about anything but Bruce Rauner’s dismal record as Governor. It sounds like an act of desperation and the Democrats would be smart to dismiss it. Maybe the Governor is worried about his legacy and would like at least one significant accomplishment to crow about when he leaves office but I think it’s probably just more election year nonsense.
The Democrats can mention a willingness to work with the new Governor on a term limits plan if they like.
- Chris P. Bacon - Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 5:44 pm:
Nothing stopping any of them from self-term limiting right now. Geez, state politics is so boring and repetitive.
- Anon221 - Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 5:51 pm:
So Rauner will be wearin’ his “Grover Norquist” suit, hmmm.
“My goal is to cut Madigan out, and flush him down one of Pritzker’s toilets,” Fake Rauner.
- Suburban Mom - Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 5:52 pm:
Term limits serve rich people, lobbyists, and corporations; they don’t serve citizens. So, yeah, of course Rauner’s in favor of them, because they hobble Joe and Jane Citizen so that Richie Rauner can get legislation favorable to him personally passed.
Soooooooooo civic-minded of him.
- FormerParatrooper - Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 6:21 pm:
Term limits is an idea to garner support from the Right, will work with those who strictly vote Republican, won’t work on the rest of the voters. And maybe the Governor doesn’t know this, the Party in charge gets to pick their Speaker.
Rauner needs Madigan, without Madigan Rauner doesn’t have a campaign. If Madigan was ousted as speaker, Raunder would say he controlled the new speaker.
- Jon T Ham - Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 6:23 pm:
Agree with Bacon. Also if districts were competitive and voters cared, there are term limits in place.
- Jocko - Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 6:26 pm:
When their done with the pledge, are they going to put it in Madigan’s high school locker to hurt his feelings?
- Rabid - Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 6:31 pm:
Will Arthur jones be there to sign up with his party
- DarkHorse - Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 7:03 pm:
I’ll bet he’s more talk than action around contributions to HRO and even his hand-picked AG candidate. Re: the latter, my crystal ball says more money comes from the Republican AG Super PAC than the Ill Governor.
- Morty - Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 7:56 pm:
Huh, I for one, would like to see Rauner get the People’s Elbow.
I’d vote and donate money for that.
- Chris Widger - Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 8:21 pm:
==No. It’s money talks, b*** walks. From street hustlers. Don’t stand around talking, put up your cash.==
Thanks, I stand corrected.
- Henry Francis - Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 9:21 pm:
If you sign the People’s Pledge do you get a brewski with Bruce?
- Langhorne - Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 9:22 pm:
Carnival sideshow. For the next 4 mos, i am thinking of doing a costume diary for gov lepetemane
- Gibbs - Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 9:28 pm:
Rauner, paraphrased:
“I have nothing positive to run on. There is no rational reason to vote for me in 2018. This is why I continually use the middle-school method of attacking my enemies. I believe that, if I BS you less-thans enough, you will vote for me and I can continue to destroy this state. Thank you.”
- filmmaker prof - Wednesday, Jul 11, 18 @ 11:52 pm:
The scary thing is, this might work. He got elected once without ever naming a specific thing he would do.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 12:54 am:
–The big question for me, though, is whether he’s finally going to drop some big bucks into the HRO’s coffers.–
I doubt it; he would have done it by now.
But I don’t understand Rauner at all, unless he’s just a loser who will spend tens of millions to be a misanthropic, h-a, Kardashian.
Like somebody we know.
- Rabid - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 5:42 am:
Two simple questions, do term limits get job creators excited? Are you a job creator?
- Rabid - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 6:01 am:
47 years ago 80% thought locking people up for a plant was for their own good, was a good idea
- Pundent - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 7:05 am:
I don’t think anyone gets excited over term limits. It’s a convenient distraction and in Rauner’s mind a plausible explanation of why he has no meaningful accomplishments.
- John Deere Green - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 7:16 am:
==Madigan has held onto power for so long primarily because Illinois lacks term limits.==
Ho ho, hee hee. Comedy gold, and the entire Republican victim attitude wrapped up in a bow. You can’t beat Madigan, so you cry the rules need to be changed. Is this the excuse the GOP used when Madigan held the majority for 8 of 10 years under a GOP map? Inquiring minds want to know.
- Gruntled University Employee - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 7:46 am:
Term limits are useless when the candidates are bought and paid for the day they take office.
- Earnest - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 8:05 am:
Not really a surprise, and a good campaign tactic. What would surprise me would the democrats coordinating an effective response.
- Techie - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 9:12 am:
- Gruntled University Employee - “Term limits are useless when the candidates are bought and paid for the day they take office.”
I agree with you here. The real problems are money in politics, and first-past-the-post voting. Public funding of elections would make it much easier for elected officials to do what they think is right, not what they need to do to get funded the next election cycle.
Using approval voting or ranked choice voting would allow third party and independent candidates a fair chance, too - and would reduce the power of incumbency.
Imposing term limits is not the right solution to our problems with good representation.
- Pundent - Thursday, Jul 12, 18 @ 9:21 am:
Call me a cynic but I would think that winning elections would be a good campaign tactic. But you have to actually field candidates as step #1. If I were to offer a step #2 it would be to make sure they aren’t Nazis.
- Da Big Bad Wolf - Friday, Jul 13, 18 @ 6:20 am:
The term limit supporters think there will be all sorts of people lined up to take these open legislative positions. Yet the Republicans couldn’t even find someone to primary Arthur Jones.