40 Comments - CitizensArrest - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 7:04 pm: I would vote for Ann Williams if I was a house Dem and if I wasn’t already committed to voting for Madigan Then I would totally vote for Ann Williams - Precinct Captain - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 7:10 pm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY0WxgSXdEE - Speaking of Queen - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 7:21 pm: Williams gaining steam. - SpiDem - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 7:25 pm: Per the 7:18 update, further evidence that the Madigan regime has absolutely no clue how to operate in the online era. Separate from the scandal issues, this has been a compelling case for the last decade for why Democrats need to move on from MJM - Candy Dogood - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 7:31 pm: Seems like Mike Madigan doesn’t want hisnl inevitable demise to be covered, or for there to be a public record of how he managed to cling to power if he manages to survive. - OneMan - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 7:36 pm: Bathroom Trooper, a lesser known song by Yes - Glass half full - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 7:37 pm: The Deputy Majority Leader dropped out before the 1st vote? There’s a Judas in her cabinet. Very interesting Civics Lesson here, and I’m an engaged student - Etown - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 7:37 pm: Cmon Steve Brown is a social media genius just like Mike - Another deal in the making - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 7:38 pm: I’m still hopeful for some votes for Williams across the aisle. - Rich Miller - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 7:40 pm: ===The Deputy Majority Leader === She’s the caucus chair. - Oswego Willy - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 7:44 pm: Gotta find NINE flips “officially” at this point. That’s the mark. Still can’t find one… - Precinct Captain - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 7:50 pm: ==* 7:18 pm: Not only do they bar reporters from the floor, have Illinois State Police troopers escort credentialed journalists to and from the restroom, but they are repeatedly yelling at grown adults tonight for telling reporters what’s going on in a caucus meeting about the future of this state. The HDem leadership attitude on display this week is really a bit much.== Rich, can you point out all the internal legislative caucus elections where reporters were in the room for a vote? I’d accept examples from in Congress and other state legislatures as well. - Ok - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 7:51 pm: Secret ballot is probably 37-36 - Anonymous - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 7:52 pm: Turn out the lights. The party is over. - Jess Sayin - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 7:52 pm: So, just for giggles: what is the next coalition to break? Does the girl power Karen coalition start building? Who of Burke, Stuart, Hurley, Manley, Mah, Mussman, Hershauer (Villa), Scherer, Ness (Skillicorn), Yang Rohr (Wehrli), Stonebeck (Kalish) (which would get to 30)? Or do they get to be called traitors to their sisters by TCH? Could the Black caucus women ever accept Ann Williams? Would the Latino caucus ever accept anyone not from Chicago proper? Who would be the most attractive crossover candidate for R’s? Does anyone miss Art Turner? Does JB send Christian Mitchell or Juliana Stratton back to the House to be Speaker and solve some of his administrative headaches? If you are the unions (separate SEIU/AFSCME, IEA/IFT, trades), and Madigan were to accept defeat, who is your preferred candidate? - Perrid - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 7:53 pm: Captain, it seems you’re conflating two separate examples of HDem leadership’s bad “attitude” towards the press. - DuPage Saint - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 7:56 pm: How long do they go before they call it a night? - Ok - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 7:56 pm: So, Rep. Cassidy saving her vote for someone not running yet? Or because she supports two others evenly? - Centennial - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 7:59 pm: I would like to hear more about that Present vote. Holding out for herself? Or someone else? - Precinct Captain - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 8:01 pm: True courage by Kelly Cassidy. - Fact - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 8:01 pm: The NEXT speaker has NOT declared his candidacy yet. - Ok - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 8:03 pm: I don’t know, Fact. I thought that, too, until Rep. Williams pulled down 18 votes. - Oswego Willy - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 8:03 pm: === his=== That would be… an interesting turn. - Ron Burgundy - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 8:07 pm: “What happens if they come up short on the votes?” Yes they keep talking, but like anything else (like Pope) there are voting blocs to be switched, deals to be cut, etc. May take a while, but eventually it will get done. - Fact - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 8:09 pm: 18 to 60 is a pretty big leap Consensus minority male will surface and get MM’s 51 votes to start - Precinct Captain - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 8:11 pm: ==- Ron Burgundy - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 8:07 pm: == wish they would do the smoke too - Laura - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 8:11 pm: Are they voting again tomorrow? - Ok - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 8:22 pm: Fact, I have been talking about Speaker Welch far longer than anyone here (Rich can confirm). It is still strong possibility, but the longer you stay out (Welch, Davis, Harris), the further away it gets for you. I mean, right now, if you get Black Caucus + notmadigans, it’s done. What are you waiting for? Doesn’t sound like the Speaker delivered on the agenda. - SpiDem - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 8:28 pm: Madigan insisted on a voice vote, and he ended up further behind then reported. It would seem 51 is his high water mark - SaulGoodman - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 8:41 pm: **Consensus minority male will surface and get MM’s 51 votes to start** And who would that be? - Admin - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 8:43 pm: But Fact — who is the consensus minority male? Welch or Harris, the messaging = Madigan part II. Davis didn’t take his own caucus. Slaughter as the participation trophy for not passing the pillars? No Latino men jump out (or look like they want to). - Candy Dogood - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 8:45 pm: Speaker Madigan likely believes time is on his side. ===That would be… an interesting turn. === Though still possible, OW. If a third candidate appears and the Madigan bloc shifts significantly, an as yet unnamed candidate could wind up with the gavel. - Oswego Willy - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 8:55 pm: === Though still possible=== Not dismissing *anything* at this point. It’s like talking about a game, gaming it out, then the players take the field. To all that, the one thing I will do is take a step back, look at the noses, and try to extrapolate where 60 can be found, and which of the candidates can cobble them. They’re done for the night. That doesn’t mean folks aren’t talking to other folks. - Oswego Willy - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 8:59 pm: === That doesn’t mean folks aren’t talking to other folks.=== The pool is 73, is it now whittling the “leftovers” to a 13, not try to cobble to 60? How does the 19 factor there too? - Todd & Margo - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 9:24 pm: Representative Cassidy should be awarded a profile of courage award. - Rich Miller - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 9:35 pm: ===and the Madigan bloc shifts significantly=== That only happens if he drops out. - Lincoln Lad - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 9:35 pm: It should be important that the next Speaker not be MJM’s puppet… but perhaps a compromise candidate he trusts and could control at least gets him out of the role. Or should I not have said that out loud? - Todd - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 10:24 pm: So how long do these votes hang tough for the speaker? 3 votes, 5 votes 10, 20? When is the breaking point as if this goes past this week it becomes the story of Illinois government and will make the video of the Speaker driving away from the reporter look pale as they camp out by his office. So does he muscle votes to get the pillars done, to have them then decide hey thanks we stuck it out for 20 votes but now we think we held up our end of the bargain and time to go another direction.. . . - Astonished - Sunday, Jan 10, 21 @ 10:36 pm: Meh. Probably only means that Cassity believes that Williams will not ultimately become Speaker. The real negotiating starts when a black caucus member begins to put votes together. - anon2 - Monday, Jan 11, 21 @ 9:41 am: Good for Rep. Mussman. She just declared her independence. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.