46 Comments - Just Me 2 - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 12:49 pm: Laugh at Durkin all you want, but he is correct when he says he has more votes for Speaker than Madigan does. When you stop and think about it, this is more sad for Madigan than it is funny for Durkin. - karmic intervention - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 12:51 pm: Jim Durkin and the many glass houses he lives in. - phocion - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 12:52 pm: Only $50? - @misterjayem - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 12:53 pm: Perhaps the only vote that could go over worse for them than a vote for Madigan. – MrJM - DuPage Saint - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 12:54 pm: Maybe he should just announce that he is a Democrat and bring over his caucus. But he probably would still lose - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 12:55 pm: “Former Madigan Committee Chairman Calls For Madigan to Resign” That’s fun too. - Excitable Boy - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 12:56 pm: I’d probably lay a bit low on the ethics high horse right now if I were Durkin. McClains emails made it pretty clear he was pushing something for the minority leader, and I doubt it was for a contribution to the church bake sale. - Ducky LaMoore - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 12:56 pm: Dude, Jim, reform minded? Your name is in the ComEd indictment there bud. - Left of the Lake - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 12:56 pm: Ah that title gave me a good laugh. Great one rich. - Leigh John-Ella - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 12:57 pm: Jim’s just trying to get ahead of the curve. It’ll only be an election or two before a Dem wins that district. - Practical Politics - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 12:58 pm: If he ran for Speaker, I doubt Durkin could secure all of the Republican votes. - Precinct Captain - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 12:59 pm: But it’s all about ethics and a new day for Durkin, right? Guess all his huff and puff was wrong! - M - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 1:01 pm: “Jim, reform minded? Your name is in the ComEd indictment there bud.” Jim: Not worried about ComEd since DeVore will save me. /s - Leigh John-Ella - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 1:01 pm: If you really, really, really want to decentralize power in the House, by all means, elect Jim Durkin as speaker. You effectively end up with 117 House speakers. - Dave Dahl - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 1:03 pm: == I’ll take “That’s never gonna happen” for $50, Alex == “Who are three people who have never been in my kitchen?” - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 1:05 pm: “Look, my party is a regional, white, angry party that supported a racist president’s re-election, so asking 15 House Dems to vote for me for Speaker is as probable as those same Dems that Rauner counted on… to vote against labor *and* vote for a tax increase. It’s possible” I dunno if this is the “Reset, Regroup, Recruit” plan I was hoping for, but I appreciate the effort. - southsider - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 1:08 pm: I used to have so much respect for Durkin and thought he was a decent man, but the last few years he has shown his true colors. He needs to exit right behind Madigan. - Candy Dogood - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 1:08 pm: Durkin must have a really low opinion of the average voter to think that the constituencies that elected Democratic representatives would be cool with that. - Captain Obvious - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 1:15 pm: How long has it been since you watched Jeopardy? Hasn’t been a $50 question since Art Fleming was host. - BeenThereDoneThat - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 1:19 pm: I’m embarrassed for Jim for doing that. Geesh. - CEA - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 1:20 pm: Hey, can’t blame a guy for trying. - Michael Jordan - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 1:21 pm: You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. - H-W - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 1:24 pm: That’s funny. I suppose the Democrats should just turn over control of the agenda to the Minority Leader. What could possibly go wrong with that idea? - SpiDem - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 1:29 pm: Just to the topic of today’s arraignment, the US Atty announced that “some” of the charges carry up to 20 years in prison. Am I the only person who thinks it is a near certainty that one of the 4 who pled not guilty today will eventually find religion and flip to save themselves from a very long stay in a federal prison? - Hyperbolic Chamber - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 1:29 pm: (In keeping with the basketball references:) Shoot ’til your hot and when you’re hot, shoot. - Pot calling kettle - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 1:33 pm: How likely is it that Durkin and some “reform-minded” Republicans will support a Dem for Speaker? …crickets… - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 1:38 pm: “ You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” - Wayne Gretzky There was a cartoon that had Gretzky, Bo Jackson, and Michael Jordan. It was equally awful and awesome, like Durkin here trolling and looking ridiculous in equal measure. - Frank talks - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 1:39 pm: Can we put this on the board at Rivers get some over/under action? - Grandson of Man - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 1:46 pm: “He said Republicans will not be supporting a Democrat for speaker.” So they want the Madigan status quo? They should help Democrats vote out Madigan. But that would get rid of a big existential reason, having a high-profile opponent to attack, to avoid doing the hard work of building the party out of super-minority status. - Nagidam - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 1:47 pm: Folks we all know Durkin, or any other Republican is not going to be Speaker with 45 votes in your caucus. Durkin is piling on the dysfunctional democratic caucus that can’t seem to get there act together. But hey…as the extreme minority leader that is all you have for entertainment is to poke the bear. - Smalls - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 2:07 pm: Correct me if I am wrong, but wasn’t Durkin’s name also included in the email dump as someone seeking favors from ComEd. - Fav Human - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 2:12 pm: If this were April 1, I could understand it. But he can’t seriously expect to get any votes. So why do this?? If they really wanted ethics reform, they don’t need him to do that. Did he hit the spiked eggnog a bit early today??? - 618er - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 2:13 pm: I’ve been thinking that maybe the Republicans would think about maybe backing a candidate for Speaker in exchange for advancing some of their platform’s more palatable ideas. And frankly we all know this is a pretty dumb thought. But Durkin’s thinking he might pull some votes from the other side might be dumber - Sideline Watcher - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 2:16 pm: Republicans want to take over a Democratically elected Democratic Super majority and call it reform for Democrats? That’s hilarious. OK. Repudiate the Eastern Block, congratulate Biden on his historic win, and move to strike that lawyer DeVore for Giuliani type frivolous law suits and then they can reach for the moral high ground. We know exactly who the profiles in courage are over on that side. I know we all want an answer right now as to who the Speaker will be. But first this has to happen. Pretty soon if not already, the coalitions will start forming for someone to pull it together before January. No one in the chamber has served under anyone but Madigan as the Speaker. No one. Except Madigan. So what we are seeing is a group of people being forced to play a game of chess they haven’t been trained to play. It may be over for Madigan, but this game is just getting good. - Jocko - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 2:24 pm: ==he is appealing to 15 “reform-minded” House Democrats to vote for him== Ooh, I saw this in a movie once. I believe the term is seppuku - Melido Perez - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 2:44 pm: That’s so cute. He’s clearly been watching too many Hallmark movies this season. - TheInvisibleMan - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 2:49 pm: Well, that’s certainly swinging for the fences isn’t it. If I thought Durkin had the ability to negotiate, I’d think he was only doing this to make the follow-up proposal look better - Forming a bi-partisan caucus with democratic house members to align behind a new speaker of the house that actually belongs to the majority party. Jim needs to read the room, not pretend he can hit dingers at every at bat like Mark McGuire. - Blake - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 2:53 pm: If no one gets 60 votes for speaker, do they have a runoff? - Fav Human - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 2:55 pm: If no one gets 60 votes for speaker, do they have a runoff? No. They keep voting til someone does get 60 - TheUpperRoom - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 3:16 pm: Is Bob Morgan trying to become speaker or something? - Soccermom - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 3:31 pm: Durkin has it backwards. He should have his members vote for Madigan, because if Madigan is not Speaker, they lose their only talking point. - Smalls - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 3:58 pm: == If no one gets 60 votes for speaker, do they have a runoff? == See Rich’s post from Monday for details of how it works. https://capitolfax.com/2020/11/30/madigan-is-literally-under-siege/ - Chippy Dave - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 4:08 pm: Sorry to ask a question, but when does the vote for Speaker take place? - Chicagonk - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 4:28 pm: Durkin is basically sending the signal that the Dems will need to figure out their next speaker on their own. Not that that is a big surprise. - low level - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 7:16 pm: “He said Republicans will not be supporting a Democrat for speaker.” Oh, OK. Noted. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 7:32 pm: === Durkin’s comments appear to have given MJM opponents something to bond with…=== This; === - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Dec 2, 20 @ 5:31 pm … They are merely responding to Durkin’s trolling. You are either willfully ignorant or blissfully unaware that the Raunerites have done something even Madigan “Himself” couldn’t do; Unite labor and all Dems against all things Republican=== Wylie Coyote kinda silly, but Durkin wanted the trolling. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.