* CBS 2…

The Democratic state lawmaker who thwarted House Speaker Michael Madigan’s plan to overrule Gov. Bruce Rauner on two crucial votes this week said he hopes his action helps bring more compromises in Springfield.

Rep. Ken Dunkin (D-Chicago) admitted he hasn’t spoken to Madigan in a while.

“I miss the speaker. He should call more often,” he said.

* A letter to the Sun-Times’ editor written by somebody from Gurnee…

With no budget, and the Hatfields and McCoys of Springfield in full attack mode, a politician finally has the guts to stand up to the almighty House Speaker and do the unthinkable: risk his political future by making a bi-partisan gesture to end the gridlock.

What does Rep. Ken Dunkin get for his efforts? A Democratic colleague throws his nameplate across the House floor to the side of the Republicans. And the president of a powerful union attacked him for using people as pawns.

Someone actually has the guts to stand up for what is right, to end the unfathomable gridlock we are in, to stand up to the most powerful man in Illinois saying “I don’t work for Madigan”, and this is what he gets? When you can’t get any respect for doing the right thing from your own party, nor from the media, nor the very people you are working for, something is wrong to the very core of our government. No wonder this state is so messed up. Here’s a slogan I would rally behind: Dunkin for Speaker.

But alas there is something else too broken to fix. The most powerful man in the state is still elected by a handful of residents. The speaker position should be a statewide elected position. The power of that office extends across the state from Antioch to Jacksonville; why shouldn’t all of our residents have a say in who wields the sword?

* Eric Zorn’s two cents…

The only thing that’s clear is that this rogue legislator has, in effect, for no obvious good reason, called Madigan out. And that if Madigan, who also serves as the state’s Democratic Party chairman, can’t respond to this insult by backing a successful challenge to Dunkin in the March primary, he’s in bigger trouble than he thinks.

* Dispatch-Argus editorial…

Instead of embracing the governor’s efforts, they called bills designed to embarrass him and his Republican legislative supporters. Fortunately, the bills fell one vote short In the House. That was thanks to Rep. Ken Dunkin, D-Chicago, who reportedly still is feeling the heat for his efforts to find common ground with Gov. Rauner.

But rather than damn his actions, his colleagues and their constituents should be following his lead. As Rep. Dunkin said last week, “Leaders are not talking with each other. They haven’t talked since May, as I understand it. That’s insane. And so they want to vilify me, for what?”

To win the political finger-pointing game, of course.

The crucial question is: Is it working?

With the governor’s wise moves and the majority’s cynical response, our hope is that legislative leaders may have lost the crucial public relations battle that obviously is playing the leading role in when and how a deal is reached and what it will contain.

* Listen to Dunkin interviewed on WVON by clicking here. However, be forewarned, there’s a bad word near the end.