* I’m excerpting too much from Molly Parker’s article because it’s pretty darned good…

A war of words erupted in Marion on Tuesday between a Republican House candidate taking a “Fire Madigan” pledge and his supporters, and a group of people who came out to protest the event with a message of their own: “Fire Rauner.”

The protesters – about a dozen of them – held their “Fire Rauner” signs to the window of Dave Severin’s campaign office, where inside the Republican from Benton challenging Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion, read prepared remarks about what he deemed the “defining issue in this campaign.”

Severin was flanked by a handful of supporters at the news conference, which was attended by one reporter, as he announced, “I pledge to fire Mike Madigan.”

He then went on to say that “Bradley’s loyalty to Mike Madigan has dire consequences” for the people of Southern Illinois, and closed his prepared remarks by signing a giant pledge card sealing his decision not to cast a vote for Madigan as speaker should he be elected to the House this November – not that Madigan would have been counting on his vote anyway.

Pressed on who Bradley and other downstate Democrats should support for Speaker when the 100th General Assembly is seated in January, Severin offered up zero alternatives.

The whole ordeal — including a heated exchange between a Severin supporter and a “Fire Rauner” protester stationed outside, with both trying to talk over one another, and neither even attempting to acknowledge the other’s point of view — seemed to mimic the events playing out in Springfield that have led to a protracted budget stalemate.

It was as if a mini-Capitol had sprouted in an otherwise ordinary Marion parking lot strip mall housing offices, a tattoo parlor and Mexican restaurant.

That’s even more so because the sharp political exchange that began at noon was sandwiched between two other events — of social service providers in the morning, and higher education leaders in the afternoon — where local leaders discussed the devastating effects the budget impasse is having on the region, economically and socially.

She can write, that one.

* Parker also wrote about something that I told subscribers about today. From the Dave Severin campaign Facebook page…

Well, if there was any doubt that John Bradley and Mike Madigan are best buds, this guy who protested our news conference removes it all! ‪#‎LoveThePassion‬

Check out the video…

Oops.