* Former Gov. Jim Edgar was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in February. But he had a strong and cogent voice last night as he spoke to attendees at his annual Edgar Fellows fundraiser in Springfield…
First of all, let me explain. My mother taught me it’s not polite for a man to wear a hat inside, and I understand that, but my vanity has not yet allowed me to accept my chemotherapy hairline. So eventually I’ll take this hat off, but I’m not there yet, so just bear with me as I wear a hat inside.
[Applause]
Let me thank all of you for your support and for your attendance here tonight. Your financial support has made the Edgar Fellows possible. We have done 12 years of Edgar Fellows. We’re on our 13th year—I didn’t want to use ‘13th time,’ but anyway—and we’ve had over 470 Edgar Fellows come through the program, and many of them are key players in setting public policy in Illinois and local government. And we have a couple out in Washington now, they’re having a little more difficulty trying to set public policy out there. But the program, in my estimation—what I thought would happen when I started—has surpassed far anything I’d ever hoped to achieve, and it’s because you have helped us financially so we can do the program. Many of the Edgar Fellows are here tonight, and we are hopeful that they’re helping financially too.
They have been superb. Again, you know, it’s easy to get depressed about government these days, and I’ll touch on that in a minute. But if you would sit through the Edgar Fellows, as I do every year, it restores my faith in the future of our democracy. And again, it wouldn’t be possible without your help.
Now, I’m going to say some things that some of you, I know, are not going to agree with me on, and that’s fine. This is America, still America. Friends can disagree over politics and still be friends.
[Applause]
I believe the last hundred days have been the most disruptive and, in many ways, the scariest of my life, which is now 78 years.
I think it’s very important as a nation that when we set public policy, we recognize this is a large and diverse nation—this is a large and diverse state—and you need to have the input of all factions. It doesn’t mean they’re going to get their way, but they ought to be able to be at the table and at least give their thoughts. We shouldn’t leave public policy up to one person’s whim. That’s dangerous. And that’s not productive.
I think that we as a country need to maybe listen to some of the things that we talk about at Edgar Fellows. And this is something I talk about all the time—and many of you have heard me say it. Any of you Edgar Fellows, you’ve heard it. Any of my former staff have heard it several times in speeches in the last few years.
It’s about the three C’s: Civility, Compromise, and perhaps most important, particularly today, is Compassion.
When we’re setting public policy, we’ve got to recognize that you’re not going to get things resolved if you’re not civil to other people. If you call people names and accuse them of dastardly deeds, you’re not going to be very productive in sitting down with them and trying to solve problems. So civility is extremely important. We need to bring that back in our society—particularly in our public policy arena.
Compromise. Now I notice to some people, compromise is kind of a dirty word. To me, it’s the essence of a democracy. Compromise means finding common ground and, again, recognizing we have a diverse society. We need to bring that society together. And listen, again, everybody’s not going to get their way. In fact, if anyone gets 100 percent of what they want, it’s not going to be good public policy. I can tell you, from my experience as governor particularly, I learned I thought I had some really great ideas. But for some reason, the Democrats—and some of the Republicans—didn’t want to go along with it. A lot of the Republicans, to be truthful, as well as the Democrats, didn’t want to go along with my great idea. And we had to sit down, and we had a lot of mean discussions, and at the end of the day, we would compromise.
And I have to say, looking back, the compromise policy worked far better than what I had originally thought up. And the reason was because you had input from all different groups, and that made it much more acceptable to the public to follow. But it also took into consideration all the needs. So again, compromise, extremely important.
But I want to talk probably more tonight about compassion. I often talk about that, because I think if there’s ever been a time when we need to recognize that government needs to be compassionate. You know, one of the major reasons we have government is to help people who can’t help themselves. Now we have it for defense and other things, but much of what we do in government today is helping people who can’t help themselves. And if we don’t do that, then we fail. And I think the last 100 days, we have failed in many areas. I think we should all be so thankful that we were born—some of you weren’t born, but you’re here now—in America. You’re an American.
We are the wealthiest, most fortunate nation in the history of this globe, and we need to remember that. And we need to help those people who need help. Be they our neighbors who have a serious illness, or there’s some poor child in Africa who needs to be fed. We have a responsibility to help those individuals, not to cut back so we can maybe buy another… they lost another jet plane on an aircraft carrier today—$70 million down the drain. Think what that $70 million could have done in a food program or in a health care program. Anyway, we need to keep that in mind when we’re doing public policy. Compassion. We need to be more compassionate, and we need to regain what America was known for—a nation that did have a big heart—and we need to make sure that continues.
[Applause]
That’s my lecture tonight. I don’t get to do this much anymore. I’m sitting out in Arizona, going through chemo and all that stuff. And my dog, Abe—I mean, I talked to him. He wasn’t impressed with my thoughts.
I looked forward to tonight. I told him, ‘We don’t usually speak at these things.’ I said, ‘I want to say some things tonight.’ And I’m just hopeful that a year from now, we’ll look back on this last 100 days as just a bump in the road—that we have restored our place in the world, and our allies know they can trust us. People who are in need know they can count on us. To me, that’s critical as an American—to keep what America has been known for. Enough is enough, though. That’s enough of a lecture.
Let me again just say thank you for your support. I look forward to seeing you next year, and I look forward to being seen next year.
[Applause]
Please pardon all transcription errors.
- low level - Thursday, May 8, 25 @ 8:43 am:
I opposed him throughout his political career but as time goes on I respect and agree with him more and more. These days I look forward to his commentary on what is happening in our country and state.
- Middle of the road - Thursday, May 8, 25 @ 8:46 am:
This is the leadership that we need more of. A very powerful speech. This needs to go viral.
- Decaf Coffee Party - Thursday, May 8, 25 @ 9:00 am:
A voice of reason in a hurricane of hatred, gaslighting, wild conspiracy theories and trying to tear down the cornerstones of democracy.
- DEE - Thursday, May 8, 25 @ 9:01 am:
AMEN
- Norseman - Thursday, May 8, 25 @ 9:02 am:
While one can and does disagree on policy choices made by men like Edgar, he’s a man of decency and commitment to public service. A politician that is rare nowadays and practically extinct in the party that has replaced his. He was a good Governor and Secretary of State. Furthermore, his efforts to educate a new generation of public servant is to be lauded.
Thank you Governor for all you’ve done for Illinois. I wish you better health and a continued happy life with Brenda - who helped a lot of kids grow.
- old man poodle owner - Thursday, May 8, 25 @ 9:18 am:
Wasnt he an un indicted co conspirator in a case years ago when his bestie drank drano to kill himself by the Metra tracks?
You guys have a memory like a gnat
- Really? - Thursday, May 8, 25 @ 9:20 am:
Jim Edgar is a good and decent man. Rising above the pettiness of the current occupant of the Oval Office has never been more important.
Jim Edgar imparts values and context that are universal. There is plenty of room for decency and compassion in our public discourse.
- Irma Gerd - Thursday, May 8, 25 @ 9:25 am:
Class act.
- Ares - Thursday, May 8, 25 @ 9:35 am:
We pray for Gov. Edgar’s recovery, and for the recovery of our great Nation and its Government.
- Beaverbrook - Thursday, May 8, 25 @ 9:37 am:
Anyone who has gone through chemotherapy knows how difficult it is. For Jim Edgar to come back to Illinois for this important speech is very commendable. More Republicans need to listen to him. It is amazing how the party has lost its way.
- Flyin' Elvis'-Utah Chapter - Thursday, May 8, 25 @ 9:45 am:
Governor, I rarely agreed with you, but I never doubted your civility and humanity.
Sir, by the by, in today’s political climate, you’re a left leaning Democrat.
- Donnie Elgin - Thursday, May 8, 25 @ 9:51 am:
Edgar is a very decent and kind man whom I met when he was Secretary of State. A rarity in politics today, he is a pro-choice moderate republican. Prayers for his recovery
- Amalia - Thursday, May 8, 25 @ 9:55 am:
I’m not thinking about what he did or did not do or what I thought about what he did back in the day or even about what he said as transcribed here. I’m simply thinking that someone with his deeply difficult diagnosis still wants to make some difference in the world. And has now tried to do that. And that his diagnosis like that of Lori Healey is very very difficult, a shocking, sudden and lethal surprise.
- Dirty Red - Thursday, May 8, 25 @ 10:00 am:
Civil.
Compromise.
Compassion.
Look, I tend to be the one in the family who “takes politics too seriously,” but this speech brought a tear. We needed it so badly after all the others yesterday. Please, friends, let’s be better.
K thnx.
- ArchPundit - Thursday, May 8, 25 @ 10:02 am:
====While one can and does disagree on policy choices made by men like Edgar
I always respected him and my first vote was for him and I promptly switched the next election over education funding.
I find his reluctance to wear a hat inside quaint, but charming given that rule has been out the window since I was in high school.
- Homebody - Thursday, May 8, 25 @ 10:10 am:
On the other hand, compromise for the sake of compromise is not inherently good. Some positions should not, cannot be compromised with.
- H-W - Thursday, May 8, 25 @ 10:15 am:
Such a good and decent man, from a time when Republicans and Democrats assumed they were public servants.
Godspeed, Governor.
- Levois - Thursday, May 8, 25 @ 10:16 am:
Best wishes to the former Governor of IL Jim Edgar
- Linus - Thursday, May 8, 25 @ 10:21 am:
Jack, the casino gambling act was signed into law in 1990 by Gov. Thompson. Not Edgar. Just sayin’.
What I remember in 1990 from then-gubernatorial candidate Jim Edgar was his courage in proposing that the state extend its temporary, 1989 income tax increase, because letting it expire on schedule would have been disastrous for Illinois revenues and all the services depending upon them.
A GOP gubernatorial candidate, mind you. With a Dem opponent arguing, “No; let it expire.”
Edgar got my respect and my vote. He certainly retains my respect.
- Dupage - Thursday, May 8, 25 @ 10:29 am:
A good, honest, decent man, and a good governor. Hope his medical treatments go well.
- levivotedforjudy - Thursday, May 8, 25 @ 11:22 am:
I’m glad the boss is hanging in there and that he still takes his hair seriously. Really, he always made sure it was perfect. Like many have said, a good, decent, man and I think his stewardship of Illinois will grow in appreciation as time goes by.
- Mason County - Thursday, May 8, 25 @ 11:38 am:
Contrast this to what JB said on April 28,2025:
“Never before in my life have I called for mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption, but I am now,” he said in at a fiery speech in New Hampshire that marked the beginning of C-SPAN’s coverage of Campaign
- Grandson of Man - Thursday, May 8, 25 @ 11:50 am:
There are none like Edgar left in his former party. Republicans are reaping the type of voter and politician they and right wing media have cultivated for a long time. His decency and compassion have absolutely no place in today’s GOP. Wishing him strength, courage and comfort.
- low level - Thursday, May 8, 25 @ 11:53 am:
==Contrast this to what JB said on April 28,2025:==
On the contrary, Edgar seems to be agreeing with Governor Pritzker on the dangers of the Trump Presidency.
- Mason County - Thursday, May 8, 25 @ 12:06 pm:
- low level - Thursday, May 8, 25 @ 11:53 am:
==Contrast this to what JB said on April 28,2025:==
On the contrary, Edgar seems to be agreeing with Governor Pritzker on the dangers of the Trump Presidency.=
I thought I was clearly referrring to the launguage and style of JB’s language contrasted to
former Gov. Edgar. If not, then I will now make that clear.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, May 8, 25 @ 12:08 pm:
===referrring to the launguage and style===
Everyone has their own style.
- Mason County - Thursday, May 8, 25 @ 12:13 pm:
=Rich Miller - Thursday, May 8, 25 @ 12:08 pm:
===referrring to the launguage and style===
Everyone has their own style.
Good. Then we should all remember that for the future when such discussionoccur.
- Sun God - Thursday, May 8, 25 @ 12:17 pm:
=On the other hand, compromise for the sake of compromise is not inherently good. Some positions should not, cannot be compromised with.=
You need to listen to the speech again, friend, and reflect. Bad ideas and policies can only be addressed when people talk and find common ground.
There are underlying reasons for every policy. Some of those come from lived experience, some from fear, some from ignorance and yes, some come from hate. Too often these days we don’t talk, and we just assume the worst of our political foes, but when we talk and actively listen, common ground and compromise is possible on just about any topic.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, May 8, 25 @ 12:22 pm:
===Then we should all remember that for the future===
Not sure what you’re getting at there.
- Loop Lady - Thursday, May 8, 25 @ 12:33 pm:
Pancreatic cancer is a tough foe. A golf buddy was diagnosed seven years ago, so it can be treated if caught early.
I was not a fan of Edgar while he was Governor.
This speech made me long for the days when a moderate Republicans had a place in government.
I wish him and his family peace.
I admire anyone who mentors new leaders in a rational, productive manner.