* From the twitters…

Another item from Rauner today: "Further four-leader meetings probably will not be productive" on a budget, calls for private Madigan talks.

— Dave McKinney (@davemckinney) March 21, 2016

Rauner: "Four-leader meetings in the past never have really worked"; says speaker's style "is not to be compromising in a group."

— Dave McKinney (@davemckinney) March 21, 2016

* WBBM Radio reports the governor claims his office reached out to Speaker Madigan’s office last week about setting up a meeting, but received no reply. “My understanding is the Speaker is in town, which is good, so maybe he and I can meet, I think that could be productive.”

If you listen to the raw audio of the Q&A, the governor also said, “It seems to me that the crisis is being extended for political gain and messaging, and that’s wrong”…

Click to listen

*** UPDATE ***  Tim Mapes’ mom passed away over the weekend. Mapes is Madigan’s chief of staff. If Team Rauner tried to get Mapes on the phone last week, its more than just conceivable he was dealing with his mom. Let’s really hope that isn’t the case because going public with a missed communication without checking first would be a very huge blunder by Rauner if true.

[ *** End Of Update *** ]

* The Question: Do you think one-on-one negotiations between Rauner and Madigan will make any difference? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.

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