By the end of 2020, most people assumed there were only three ways to get House Speaker Michael Madigan out of office, and none was going to happen anytime soon.
Not one of those scenarios involved the Republican Party, the Chicago Tribune editorial board, the Illinois Policy Institute or their fellow travelers and funders of the coordinated effort to dethrone the state’s Democratic king. Their constant attacks on Madigan only tightened the partisan and union support around him and strengthened his resolve to remain in office by any means necessary.
Either the feds were going to ensnare the longest-serving House speaker in the nation, or Father Time would finally catch up with him or his members would somehow get up the nerve to revolt.
But even when a total of 19 House Democrats said they would not vote to reelect him as the weeks clicked away on that chaotic year and 2021 dawned, Madigan and his allies assured themselves that the man with millions of dollars in his campaign account that could also be used for legal defense, his years of healthy living, and his perfect record of dealing with his members for decades would allow him to get through this latest crisis, too.
It wasn’t to be. The 19 couldn’t be cajoled, they couldn’t be bullied. They had more than enough votes to block his reelection and not a single one of them budged. ComEd’s deferred prosecution agreement in the summer of 2020 included allegations of bribery by people close to Madigan to influence Madigan’s decisions. And that set off their revolt and there was no tamping it down.
In the end, folks like Rep. Terra Costa Howard finally had enough of being on Team Bad Guy. No matter how brilliant their leader was, no matter how successful, no matter how much he protected and sheltered them from the consequences of their legislative (and personal) actions, he had to go.
Yes, he was hurting some members politically, but people could also no longer stomach the thought of him staying after the stunning allegations made against his inner circle.
“Speaker Madigan has a duty to recognize that these allegations have cast a deep shadow on the reputation of our House,” Costa Howard said in July of 2020. “He must take action now to avoid inflicting further damage on the members of the House and the Democratic Party.”
“(T)he corruption and unethical behavior that have been revealed by this investigation make it impossible for Rep. Madigan to continue in his leadership roles,” Costa Howard continued back then. “I hope he will do the honorable thing and step down.”
There was no joyous celebration during last week’s statehouse press conference by the 19. Costa Howard even appeared to tear up while speaking, maybe remembering the trauma of the ferocious push-back she and her colleagues endured as they were told over and over again by colleagues and union leaders and others that they were siding with chaos and defeat over continuity and victory and would be punished accordingly, no matter the outcome.
“The possibility that this day was coming and would distract us from our work on behalf of the people we serve was top of mind for many of us as we took this position, even as we faced intense pressure to maintain the status quo,” the 19 said in a joint statement last week about their non-negotiable demand that Madigan step down.
If it hadn’t been for Costa Howard and the rest of the 19, Madigan would’ve still likely been House speaker when he was finally indicted by a federal grand jury on 22 corruption counts. So, if you think the indictment news is politically bad for Illinois Democrats during a remap election year (and it truly is), just think how much worse it would’ve been if he were still in office right now.
One other thing. When Madigan’s chief of staff not so subtly forced Rep. Kelly Cassidy to resign from her part-time job with the Cook County sheriff’s office after her outspokenness on the House’s very real problems with sexual harassment, I warned Madigan pal Mike McClain, as a friend, that he and Madigan needed to stop attacking her or they’d live to regret it. “Keep poking that little bear and she’ll rip your head off,” were, I believe, my exact words. He laughed and waved me off.
Well, Cassidy opened and closed last week’s post-indictment press conference. “We are committed to continuing the work of restoring our constituents’ faith in Illinois government,” Cassidy told reporters. “And there’s a lot of us.”
- Bruce( no not him) - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 8:48 am:
…Madigan would still be in power today…
By reading the news the last few days, I thought he still is.
- Donnie Elgin - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 8:54 am:
Props to the courageous 19 that stood up to corruption, the antithesis of the Union
leaders that were ready to go to the bitter end in support of MJM and all his power and money.
- Southwest Sider - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 8:59 am:
Kudos to the voters as well. Many of us lobbied our State Reps to not support Madigan further.
- Norseman - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 9:00 am:
You got to love those “I told you so moments.”
- Grandson of Man - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 9:02 am:
That is the key to the Madigan story and narrative, the 19 who stood firm and his party pushing him out a year ago.
Meanwhile, the other party acquitted the former president twice, and the Illinois branch of this party strongly supported acquitting him for Jan. 6.
- NonAFSCMEStateEmployeeFromChatham - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 9:10 am:
In the list of lawmaker comments regarding the Madigan indictment that appeared in yesterday’s SJ-R ($4.50 I won’t get back for a subpar publication compared to its glory days) regarding Madigan’s indcitment, no mention from Rep. Scherer about her reaction to last week’s annoucement. Not even on her hometown media (Decatur Herald Review and WAND), unless I missed it. Nothing in the SJ-R even though she gets more of Springfield in her redrawn district:
https://www.sj-r.com/story/news/state/2022/03/03/michael-madigan-indicted-how-some-illinois-lawmakers-reacted/9348883002/
- The Hills 60010 - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 9:16 am:
Thank you, Mr. Miller.
“The 19 couldn’t be cajoled, they couldn’t be bullied. They had more than enough votes to block his reelection, and not a single one of them budged.”
And please tell the further story of just how Rep. Terra Costa Howard, Anne Stava-Murray, and possibly others, who dared to say “NO” more are continuously attempted to be portrayed as ding-bats and other unsavory whatnots. The campaign efforts of those who dared to say “NO” more were denied adequate support, which was/is generously gifted to those just go along to get along.
LOOK at the campaign donation records, and you find the weak willing to toe the line ones.
If you are beholden to the pocketbooks and “good” will that would have you running from cover to distance yourself from those deemed not party players when you know they are effective and great peoples’ representative, then perhaps you need to check your conscience and think about if YOU are an about the best interest and will of the people elected official.
Clean House, and Real Campaign Finance Reform and Hiring Reform for Illinois.
- Pizza Man - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 9:27 am:
MJM: “I AM NOT A TARGET OF ANYTHING!”
Hmm…..
- Lucky Pierre - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 9:27 am:
Our courageous billionaire Governor, leading from behind a second term state rep and others hardly anyone has ever heard of, in the fight to restore faith in Illinois government.
- A Guy - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 9:34 am:
Gag me.
- allknowingmasterofraccoondom - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 9:42 am:
Grandson of a man: “That is the key to the Madigan story and narrative, the 19 who stood firm and his party pushing him out a year ago.”
And it only took 38 years to do so. There, fixed it for you.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 9:48 am:
The true devolution of - A Guy - has been something to behold. Whew.
To the post,
Great stuff, Rich takes it down, chops it up and gives the reality. The 19 defeated Madigan… not a film, t-shirts, a think tank, a phony Trib columnist, the Statehouse Chick editorial board… not even the “Democrat” Diana Rauner… as the Floridian Bruce Rauner likes to think they took out each other.
For me, I’ve been a supporter of the legacy of The 19 in very large part, if not the only reason, because the truth to what was done needs to be reinforced if only because those willing to purposely misunderstand want others to be wholly misinformed.
The Feds were, in the Summer of 2020, in possession of millions of docs, recordings, Madigan “Himself” spending and or raising millions to defend himself from, at that very real time, a mystical indictment “moments” from happening.
There was no secret. It wasn’t even an open secret, there was even a call to folks using a hotline… the target was, then, Madigan.
That’s one… the other…
The Arroyo Rule.
Waiting to impose the Arroyo Rule allowed folks to wait out Madigan, but held the card that indictment meant removal… as Madigan “Himself” made the Arroyo Rule… policy.
So…we get to The 19…
One page, 19 signatures, they wrote and made possible a letter, a document, sealing the fate that no one could beforehand. They signed on, in actual and figurative, to being the firewall… “enough is enough”
The GOP, House members and Party, they couldn’t do it, that would mean winning elections and winning the ideas of voters… it was going to take a takedown, not a coup, but a revolt to change the ways… and change the history that has yet to be written.
Private citizen Madigan was indicted.
He was not a member of the GA, by his choice. Madigan was not Speaker by The 19 and “one voice”.
It’s only because of The 19 that a private citizen will face a public trial outside the power that citizen once held.
Thank you… The 19
- northshore cynic - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 10:11 am:
I can’t wait until an enterprising free lance reporter does a deep dive into the D-2’s and does a story on the millions of Madigan dollars doled out over the years to the “brave” 19. They were all selected and backed by Madigan…until they weren’t.
- Ducky LaMoore - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 10:14 am:
“Gag me.”
Open wide.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 10:14 am:
=== I can’t wait… ===
Then “what”?
You think these 19 are worried they’d lose?
Is that it? I dunno what you can’t “wait” for…
- A Guy - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 10:16 am:
You must have missed the questioning of the Com Ed execs a couple of days before. Think that might have had something to do with the stepping don. If bravery is confused with self preservation of constituent pressure; yeah, that could be bravery, right? Gag me you goof.
- TNR - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 10:19 am:
Loyalty is an admirable quality, in politics and life in general. So I get why so many House Dems stuck with Madigan. But I wonder if those members think Madigan was equally loyal to them. He knew what the feds had on tape. He knew this wasn’t going to end well, even if he managed to avoid indictment. Yet he strung his most loyal members out — leaving them politically exposed. He betrayed their loyalty. Unless they are completely under the grip of some form of Stockholm Syndrome, those members gotta be ticked off.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 10:19 am:
=== constituent pressure===
Which constituents?
I know, I know, you walk the biggest precinct in America, dismiss polls that you think don’t “agree” with your thoughts, and Madigan and the Dems were still a Super-Majority…
It’s this revisionists silliness that needs to be confronted.
- Louis G Atsaves - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 10:20 am:
The specter of Madigan still remains. The 19 were a minority of House Democrats who stood their ground against him. The rest?
The rest are fair game, whether they like it or not. They had their opportunity. The rest along with the 19 who are still around still voted for those gerrymandered maps and a few other things that were just nibbling at the edges of reform. Their Legislative Inspector General resigned in protest, lest we all forget, when she wanted the handcuffs removed from her powers.
Madigan isn’t going away. He will be in the news both with his travails in Federal Court and his political activities of the past along with his insistence on holding some positions in the party at this late date.
- A Guy - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 10:27 am:
Actually dismiss almost every poll. It’s hard to do it. You would not know being the toadie you are. Being a precinct captain is a laughing matter to you I guess. You are so much more hen you blog all day and portend to know all. Done with you today. Carry on.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 10:30 am:
=== Actually dismiss almost every poll.===
Except the ones in the past you cited. The devolution…
===Being a precinct captain is a laughing matter to you I guess.===
Nah. I respect it a great deal. Your belief that the 800+ voters you think you “know” is the “end all, be all” is the embarrassment to your premises
- TNR responder - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 10:33 am:
What they thought was: none of this is good. The guy clearly missed the exit ramp a long time ago, but in the midst of a lot of smoke but no fire, they weren’t willing to tell someone who’d been a good *leader* for them it was time to step aside. He had to come to that conclusion himself. And he did. And we have a new Speaker.
The 19 were right. Everyone else in the caucus was “wrong.” No one begrudges them that fact. But as we sit here on March 8, 2022, there are no “Madigan prizes” though. At this point they’re the team celebrating last season’s win, while this year’s team is in the battle of its life.
- allknowingmasterofraccoondom - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 10:39 am:
I appreciate what the 19 did, it needed to be done. Thank you for that.
As far as bravery? Not so much.
- Soapbox Derby - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 10:45 am:
The fact that Madigan was dethroned by his own Democrat House members is still a more gut punch to him then any Federal indictment.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 10:48 am:
===still a more gut punch to him then===
So… a 79 year old man who could possibly face 20 years in prison… you think he’s more upset about losing power, “today”…
Even Paulie knew… power or not… spending the last days of life in prison is worse.
- Back to the Future - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 10:50 am:
The Times continues to do a good job on educating readers on what happened and is happening in State Gocernment.
- 1st Ward - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 11:00 am:
Wonder what property tax appeal law firms cannabis license holders went to and which state and local pols steered them. For all the legislative power the State has over utilities they have even more when it comes to cannabis. It will be interesting to see if Cannabis or other recently passed legislation starts being investigated due to what has been to learned in this case.
- Steve - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 11:11 am:
-not a film-
The Rauner flick didn’t help Madigan. It didn’t make Danny Solis wear a wire or the 19 to find courage. The Rauner flick helped destroy Madigan’s public image and raise his profile .
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 11:13 am:
===The Rauner flick helped destroy Madigan’s public image===
It did no such thing, lol… how many people actually saw it?
- Steve - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 11:15 am:
- how many people actually saw it?-
Enough opinion molders in Illinois to keep a negative spotlight on Madigan.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 11:17 am:
In 5 years, according to “YouTube”, there were 110,000 views… and what constitutes a view?
“The user watches it on the platform for at least 30 seconds”
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 11:17 am:
===Enough opinion molders in Illinois to keep a negative spotlight on Madigan.===
- Steve -, are you Bruce Rauner? LOL
- Steve - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 11:24 am:
When Rauner financed this he expected that the Dan Proft types and Chicago Tribune editorial board readers would help promote the message. It didn’t hurt Rauner’s goal. No one thing brought Madigan down. If a few people on the 5th floor of 219 saw this (which is a reasonable assumption) , it might have helped in their investigation.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 11:30 am:
- Steve -
I’m glad you’ve come back, your revisionist history is comically inaccurate.
If anything, Kass, Statehouse Chick, they’re gone, heck, Statehouse Chick couldn’t even get a buyout.., lol
The IPI?
They are poison for a resume, even worse if Rauner administration is on that same resume…
… their leadership lasted (checks notes) weeks running the state, and were abruptly removed…
… along with Proft who was suppose to run that political arm, but that too never happened.
You are embarrassingly clueless, you, like Rauner, want this dream that IPI, that film, all the pressures mattered… if was The 19, abc if you ask them they’ll say there were 19 different reasons they all agreed to ONE thing, and they agreed that after, they didn’t agree on “next steps”
Good try. No. Sorry.
- MisterJayEm - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 11:31 am:
Best I can tell, the critics of The 19 consist of
1) those too gutless to take a stand,
2) those too insignificant to make a difference, and
3) those who are both gutless and insignificant.
Were The 19’s decision as obviously politically advantageous as some are now claiming, everyone would have joined them.
But the fact is they didn’t, so it wasn’t.
– MrJM
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 11:34 am:
===No one thing brought Madigan down.===
… and yet The 19 denied Madigan the gavel, and Madigan resigned… over a year before indictment.
- Soapbox Derby - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 11:38 am:
Oswego-
I never said a federal prison stay was a walk in the park.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 11:40 am:
=== I never said…===
You said…
===…is still a more gut punch to him then any Federal indictment.===
How can it be more? Seriously?
How can anything be “more” in this instance than facing one’s last days possibly in prison?
Its silly.
- Steve - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 11:42 am:
-You are embarrassingly clueless,-
I will admit that I don’t know if the FBI interviewed The 19. Or if any any more indictments are coming from this investigation. Only time will tell.
- Torco Sign - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 12:07 pm:
How many of the 19 were unopposed? Several. How many knew there’d be little blowback and that it actually was probably politically beneficial in their districts to be against Democratic leadership in Springfield? Several. Some were courageous (Rich’s anecdote shows that), some were just making political hay.
- Fav Human - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 12:09 pm:
Best I can tell, the critics of The 19 consist of
And me. I fault them not for doing it.
I fault them for having put up with it for so long.
And many another who knew, and did nothing.
- Candy Dogood - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 12:50 pm:
===some were just making political hay. ===
We don’t really need to examine the motives of people who took a stand and did the right thing. We need to examine the motives of the people that didn’t. That’s how being on the right side of history works.
“They only stood up to Mike Madigan because they thought that it would help them win votes in their district” isn’t really a bad thing to be doing.
Meanwhile, “They refused to stand up to Madigan because they were worried about losing a primary to a Madigan backed opponent” doesn’t quite sound as good, does it?
Quit belittling people who made the right call and took the right stand because you want to distract attention away from the people that didn’t.
- Three Dimensional Checker - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 1:16 pm:
Maybe I am too cynical by nature, but I am not sure how heroic “The 19″ were. I listened to Rep. Guzzardi’s comments on the BGA’s podcast series about former Speaker Madigan. It seemed after Rep. Guzzardi was elected he didn’t mind the help Madigan would provide to all the Democratic caucus. I don’t know all the behind the scenes maneuvering, but it seems “The 19″ were opportunistic and waited until they had their chance to move against Madigan. Is that heroic or just standard politics?
- MisterJayEm - Monday, Mar 7, 22 @ 5:04 pm:
“I fault them for having put up with it for so long.”
Why didn’t you run and get it started sooner?
Who’s to blame for that?
– MrJM