* From the ILGOP…

WCIA reported last week that the General Assembly, under the leadership of Mike Madigan, has “literally produced no significant bills” in 4 months.

Mike Madigan’s “do-nothing” statehouse has refused to pass a balanced budget or reforms for over two years.

Watch WCIA’s coverage here.

It was kind of a silly story because the final deadline for passing House bills out of the originating chamber isn’t until April 28th. The Senate has the same deadline for passing its own bills over to the House. Those deadlines weren’t even mentioned in the story, by the way.

And it’s more than a little ironic that the ILGOP would use this angle since the most important legislation of the year was derailed in the Senate by Gov. Rauner.

* Then again, as we’ve already discussed, Rauner’s latest claim is that Speaker Madigan killed the grand bargain, not him…

Gov. Bruce Rauner: The bad news is the House Democratic leadership has been sending over some of their lieutenants and some of the leaders of their special interest groups that fund them over to attack the Senate Democrats — and try to blow up the grand bargain. That’s what’s been happening over the last six weeks. And I feel bad for Senate President Cullerton and some of his Senate Democrats. […]

Tony Sarabia: Where did you hear that about House Democrats, because this is the first time that we’re hearing this — that they’re sending over, as you say, special interests to block …

Rauner: You should check with the Senate Democrats about the pressure they’re getting. President Cullerton has been under relentless pressure. Special interest groups are beating him up. Senate Democrats are feeling a lot of pressure. In fact, I’ve been told that several — I won’t name names right here on this program — but several of the Senate Democrats have decided, boy, it’s not worth the pressure they’re getting. They’re pulling back off the grand bargain and not wanting to negotiate anymore.

Sigh.

The man is our gaslighter in chief.

* Rick Pearson checked in with the Senate Democrats…

Cullerton spokesman John Patterson questioned Rauner’s assertion of House Democratic involvement.

“I don’t think they had anything to do with … Republican votes for the budget deal disappearing overnight,” he said.

According to Patterson, the full quote was “I don’t think they had anything to do with all but one of the Republican votes for the budget deal disappearing overnight,” a reference to Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno’s lone support in the face of the governor’s opposition.

Aside from Radogno, the only people in the Senate who are standing against the groups and people who fund their campaigns are Democrats. Not all of them, for sure, but most.