* Gov. Rauner told WJBC Radio yesterday that he wants voters to call their Democratic legislators and ask them to tell Speaker Madigan to support his agenda. And the governor thinks it’s starting to work…

“[Speaker Madigan] pays attention to what his members say. Now, he’s got a lot of control over them, he controls the spigot of campaign cash to the members, that’s the reason they live in fear of him and he controls them.

“But you know what? If people around the state, the people of Illinois, call their state Representative, call their members of the General Assembly and say, ‘Look, we don’t like taxes, but Rauner’s willing to compromise. We don’t want an unbalanced budget and we do need reforms, term limits, redistricting reforms property tax reforms and pro-growth job creation reforms. We need those. Please, tell the Speaker to support it.’

“They’ll do it. They’ll go to the Speaker and do it. I’ve already heard that some are starting to do it and more of your listeners need to call in.”

The governor said much the same thing about how his ideas have “bipartisan support” during his press conference today.

* What all legislators most want from their leader is, mainly, protection from people like, well, Gov. Rauner…

Hundreds of guys depended on Paulie and he got a piece of everything they made. And it was tribute, just like in the old country, except they were doing it here in America.

And all they got from Paulie was protection from other guys looking to rip them off. And that’s what it’s all about. That’s what the FBI could never understand.

That what Paulie and the organization does is offer protection for people who can’t go to the cops. That’s it. That’s all it is. They’re like the police department for wiseguys.

A leader’s main political role is to protect his or her members from the other side’s attacks. This is done partially by carrying out attacks against the other side (offense is the best defense).

Regardless of whatever else you think of him, Madigan has done this so well for so many years (even under a Republican district map) that he has earned their loyalty.

* Do they fear Madigan? Yes, of course. But, mainly, they fear that he’ll withdraw his so far all but impenetrable cloak of protection.

He does lose some incumbents here and there. But nobody can say with a straight face that he didn’t give it his very best shot.

So, as long as they’re convinced that he’ll do everything he possibly can for them, and - just as importantly - as long as the governor’s economic “reform” demands continue to strike at the heart of the Democratic Party’s very existence, I doubt that there is or will be significant pressure from below.

* But that, too, is part of the problem here. Madigan’s steadfast refusal to engage much at all on Rauner’s “non-budget issues” is simply wrong-headed.

Let’s return to my Crain’s Chicago Business column for a moment…

(T)he Democrats need to realize that when state income taxes were relatively low, businesses could grudgingly overlook Illinois’ faults, such as over-regulation and “generosity” to favored groups.

That tolerance ended with the 2011 tax hike, which mostly expired in January.

If the Democrats want to restore some of that tax hike, they have to offset it with some real reforms.

Madigan and the Democrats need to wake up to this reality. The days when Democrats can over-regulate and over-reward their friends are, um, over. The tax hike, which was absolutely needed, broke the dam.

To return to my favorite genre, it’s like that NSFW scene in “Donnie Brasco” when the wiseguys are reduced to breaking open parking meters.

We need some growth in this state, man, and the Democratic Party right now isn’t proposing nearly enough (if any) ideas to help create that climate.