* Former state Rep. and now Congressman Mike Bost became instantly famous for his 2012 floor rant against House Speaker Michael Madigan. And the anger he showed in the video most definitely helped his congressional campaign last year. The Rothenberg Political Report, however, claims it was all an act…

What is somewhat ironic about the video and caricature of Bost is that he did not previously have a reputation for being a loose cannon. For years, he was a legislator who kept his head down until more recently when he became the designated “bulldog” for the House GOP caucus.

While it is apparently common knowledge among Downstate Republican insiders, Beltway observers may not know that the Bost rant was apparently staged. He practiced for at least a week in his office, according to multiple sources, even though Bost didn’t know the specific bill that would garner his exercise in emotion.

Sources point to the video as further evidence. None of the legislators or staff in the frame of the shot appear surprised or tried to restrain Bost during his rant. And apparently he made a mistake by not taking the binder clip off of the papers. That limited the desired scatter effect and was the reason why he threw a punch at the stack of paper. The caucus was excited that the video went viral.

“He knew he was going to do it,” according to one Downstate Republican. “Rehearsed or not, he touched a nerve with a lot of people down here.”

* But Bost denies it was staged…

Bost chuckled as he denied that claim.

“If it was rehearsed, then I got to be one of the best actors in the world, OK?” Bost said.

At the time of the rant, Bost said he was working as a Republican floor leader.

“Was it my job to argue? Yes,” Bost said. “Was my frustration real? Yes. But to say I rehearsed that, no, there was no rehearsal.”