* This is so bizarre…

Doug Finke: So you filed a suit against the Senate Leadership.

Sen. Sam McCann: Senate Republican Leadership.

Finke: Correct. Uh, why? You were trying to talk to them, were you not?

McCann: This is a classic case of taxation without representation and tyranny. The tyrannical Rauner has instructed his cronies who are in charge of the Senate Republican Leadership to do this, and what they’re essentially doing and what we’re trying to see restored is the ability to represent my constituents adequately. So way the taxpayer dollars flows — this isn’t about campaign dollars, this is about taxpayer dollars — when the taxpayer dollars come through the doors for legislative purposes, it gets divided four ways. The money that had always traveled to my office traveled through the conduit of the Republican caucus. So all we want is to receive the services that every elected Senator receives. I’m not worried about going back into the caucus room with the caucus. I’m not worried about them accepting me. What I am concerned about are my constituents who are being denied due process and the ability to be served adequately.

Mark Maxwell: To follow up on that, isn’t that just a little bit exaggerated? You still have the right to vote. You still have the right to debate on the floor. You still have LRB (Legislative Reference Bureau), LRU (Legislative Research Unit). How is your power as a legislator in any way void from what it was two weeks ago?

McCann: I think the way you phrased that question shows me you are not an honest arbiter in this process. Obviously, you’re with, uh, you’re with other folks in this process.

Oh, come on. Is Sam really implying that Maxwell is a Raunerite?

That’s just nuts.

* Moving right along…

Maxwell: I’m asking you…

McCann: If you don’t believe $30 million dollars comes into this building every year to be divided amongst 118 reps and 59 senators… That goes for constituent services out in the district. It goes for bill analysis. It goes for coordination of committees, coordination of the bills, where they are, where they’re dispositioned. None of that has happened. When my visitors come here, when constituents from my district come here, they send their kids here on an 8th grade field trip, they expect to get a picture back home. When Bill Brady says he’s not going to allow photographers to take a photo? You think that’s fair? You don’t think that’s not being… You think that’s not a diminishment? You don’t think that’s taxpayers… that’s taxation without representation?

He’s still focused on the photographer? Seriously?

* It gets “better”…

Maxwell: I think it’s less important than your vote. I think a staffer could take a picture with their iPhone.

McCann: I disagree with you. I disagree with you. And I think that this shows that you’re nothing more than a yellow journalist.

Sounds downright Trumpian. Get over yourself, dude.

* Skipping ahead a bit…

McCann: The dollars flow through one of four conduits. They either need to or continue the flow of taxpayer dollars for taxpayer services through that conduit or develop a fifth conduit. One or the other.

Maxwell: Maybe I’m missing something. Can you describe… You keep referring to this pool of money. Can you describe where it comes from and what it’s allocated for…

McCann: It’s taxpayer dollars.

Maxwell: Well, I get that, but…

McCann: I don’t think you do. I don’t think you’re listening to me. I’ve told you multiple times it’s taxpayer dollars. You pay your taxes. It comes into the state Treasury…

Maxwell: What does it get you in return? If you’re still in the Senate caucus, what things would you have that you don’t have right now.

McCann: I’ve already went over that with you.

Maxwell: So you still have access to LRB, LRU, right? These are still things… You can go down and draft legislation. Right? What am I missing?

McCann: Mark, You wonder why I…

Maxwell: I’m not a lawmaker. I don’t know how it works. You’ve got to tell me.

McCann: You’re a joke.

Yeah, Sam’s really got that gubernatorial temperament thing down pat. Sheesh.

* Skipping ahead again…

Finke: And are the Senate Republicans pressuring you into leaving early, do you think?

McCann: I have no idea.

Maxwell: Tim Butler called for you to resign last week.

McCann: And I would call for him to resign because he doesn’t listen to his district. He doesn’t care. He was appointed by Rauner as a Raunerite. He does nothing more than follow Rauner’s directives and orders and there are a lot of people in his district who feel that they’re not being represented well. And of course, he’s never really faced the electorate in a challenge so I guess we don’t know.

Maxwell: Just to make this point, I’m repeating what I heard from other people today who told me that you still have all of this access. So I’m just asking. I truly don’t know…

McCann: And again, I don’t know how many times do I need to repeat it for you. So we have in district services that we offer. At this point, we don’t even know…

Maxwell: You still have district staff, right?

McCann: I do, but we don’t know if she will be paid or not.

Maxwell: Really?

McCann: That should have to be determined.

Maxwell: Who would decide that?

McCann: Evidently, Bill Brady. That’s why we had to bring the lawsuit.

Maxwell: Has there been a threat that she would not be paid?

McCann: When other services are cut off, we don’t know. We don’t know where that line is at. That’s what we’re trying to determine.

He filed the lawsuit over his district office allotment? That’s not what the lawsuit says. (Also, his allotment is guaranteed by statute.)

* But, really, get a thicker skin, Sam. And if you think Maxwell can be tough, try sitting down with Mary Ann Ahern, or Carol Marin, or Mike Flannery, or Rick Pearson, or Amanda Vinicky, or a whole lot of others. This doesn’t get any easier, bub. Welcome to the jungle.

[Headline was changed after friendly advice from a grammar cop.]