* From the Illinois Policy Institute…

Madigan is the longest-serving House Speaker in Illinois history and in the nation currently. Madigan became an Illinois legislator in 1971 and has been Speaker of the House in Illinois for all but two years since 1983. During the time Madigan has been Speaker, Illinois has had six different governors, more than 200 state senators and more than 500 state representatives.

The power Madigan wields as Speaker has caused many to refer to him as the “King of Illinois”.

But Illinois voters statewide don’t get to pick who holds that position. If they did, they certainly wouldn’t choose Madigan. Nearly two-thirds of registered voters in Illinois disapprove of the speaker.

So how has he stayed in power for so long? Illinoisans should ask their representatives.

Just as voters elect state representatives, state representatives elect the speaker of the House every two years. To become the speaker, Madigan just needs a majority vote.

“I don’t become the speaker because someone issues an edict,” Madigan said in a 2004 interview. “I become the speaker because there are at least 60 members of the House, generally Democrats, who vote for me to be the speaker.”

The Democratic Party has held a majority in the Illinois House for all but two years since 1983. They can select anyone to be the House speaker. But they choose Madigan every time.

In fact, there is not a single sitting House Democrat who has ever voted for someone other than Madigan for the speakership. (Note: In 1995, a House Republican majority made Lee Daniels the House speaker by acclamation, which means Democrats in attendance technically voted for Daniels.)

Nearly two-thirds of registered voters in Illinois disapprove of Madigan — it’s time for representatives to respect taxpayers by not re-electing Madigan as Speaker of the Illinois House. That’s why Illinois Policy is holding a protest to demand that Illinois lawmakers vote for a new Speaker of the Illinois House.

Date
Wednesday January 11, 2017

Time
12:00 Noon

Place
University of Illinois - Springfield
Sangamon Auditorium, UIS
One University Plaza
Springfield, IL 62703

Agenda
TBD

Love that “agenda.” I suppose they’ll just howl at the wind.

* Meanwhile, from the ILGOP…

Following the release of Boss Madigan’s New Year’s resolutions, the Illinois Republican Party continued its countdown towards Jan 11th, the election for Speaker of the Illinois House. With seven days left until Decision Day, the Illinois Republican Party is launching the Boss Madigan Quiz to test just how much Illinoisans really know about Mike Madigan’s decades of failure.

Boss Madigan has presided over so much of Illinois’ downfall that some of these answers are downright shocking, but absolutely true.

Can you ace the test?

Take the quiz at http://bossmadigan.com/quiz/

The party also appears to have a new Boss Madigan account on Twitter. ADDING: The ILGOP says it’s not their account.