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BGA’s Shaw: Democrats have plunged Illinois “into a fiscal and ethical sewer”

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* From the Better Government Association’s Andy Shaw…

Democrats, who control the House and the Senate, have drawn the last two maps and reaped the benefits of their gerrymandering.

They’ve also completed the ignominious task of plunging Illinois into a fiscal and ethical sewer.

So the voters replaced them with Republicans, right?

Hardly.

The Dems actually picked up enough new legislative seats last fall to amass veto-proof majorities in both chambers.

Counterintuitive, but true.

In some districts the Dems fielded stronger candidates or ran better campaigns, but in others gerrymandering made the difference.

Well, at least we know where he stands.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, May 27, 13 @ 10:41 am

Comments

Andy Shaw is a clown. He has turned a well respected organization into one that exists only to get him in the press and satisfy his own ego.

Comment by LittleLebowskiUrbanAchiever Monday, May 27, 13 @ 10:48 am
Please, let’s all commence piling on the comments of a person with a well-regarded, nearly 40 year career as a journalist. He spent the bulk of that time covering Illinois politics.

The man knows a thing or two about politics and isn’t exactly a shill for the Republican party. One of his daughters works as a lawyer in the White House for crying out loud.

But yeah. He’s a clown.

Comment by Formerly Known As... Monday, May 27, 13 @ 10:57 am
Truth hurts no matter who writes the story.

Comment by Muffett Man Monday, May 27, 13 @ 11:04 am
Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard. H. L. Mencken

Comment by Cook County Commoner Monday, May 27, 13 @ 11:10 am
I missed the BGA investigation of the questionable ethical relationships between state government and some of its corporate sponsors.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, May 27, 13 @ 11:22 am
@Muffett Man - well said. It seems some folks would rather shoot the messenger that heed the message.

And that does not bode well for our future.

Comment by Formerly Known As... Monday, May 27, 13 @ 11:27 am
Blah Blah Blah Shaw. Your outfit is about as corrupt as the state. You support the boneheads in many cases. Go crawl back under your rock.

Comment by wow Monday, May 27, 13 @ 11:40 am
No one takes Andy Shaw seriously anymore. It’s a shame what he’s done to the BGA

Comment by K3 Monday, May 27, 13 @ 11:41 am
**The man knows a thing or two about politics and isn’t exactly a shill for the Republican party. One of his daughters works as a lawyer in the White House for crying out loud.**

Please do tell what his daughhter’s employment has to do with the father? I couldn’t be further apart from my parents political ideologies.

If that is your best argument, you don’t have any argument.

Comment by dave Monday, May 27, 13 @ 11:47 am
“Andy Shaw is a clown.”
And, if Bruce Elliot is to be believed, a bad tipper.

Comment by wishbone Monday, May 27, 13 @ 12:12 pm
Must be time for another round of BGA fundraising. Andy passing the hat is getting almost as predictable as the local PBS fund drive or the county chairman, just less subtle.

Comment by Arthur Andersen Monday, May 27, 13 @ 12:24 pm
Thank God I know nothing about Andy Shaw. The comments here put me in rememberance of Psalm 64. All I can do is comment on Andy’s comment. Democrats have dominated the government of Illinois recently. They get the blame as well as the credit in the eyes of most voters. Those voters absolutly do not want whatever lack of solutions the Republicans don’t offer( don’t trust them not to do ‘whatever’ either). Voters would like to see Democrats work together to solve any problems that they might agree exist. As has been pointed out recently, leadership is what is missing. Where are the Heroes?

Comment by Bobbye Monday, May 27, 13 @ 12:48 pm
So, what is incorrect about his statement?

Comment by Curmudgeon Monday, May 27, 13 @ 12:59 pm
Whenever I see an article like his, it makes me think the writer is just envious. Not that they could do it better, or be more honest, or more wholesome. Just that they wish they could take a whack at it and thus, reap the same benefits.

Comment by Cheswick Monday, May 27, 13 @ 1:23 pm
Quite the argument made by those disagreeing with Shaw.

There are at least 6 comments thus far criticizing the man. He has already been called everything from “a clown” to “a bad tipper” and member of a “corrupt” organization. His motives for writing the piece have also been impugned as a mere fundraising gimmick.

As for countering the argument? Not so much.

Apparently it is easier to malign the man than address the argument.

Comment by Formerly Known As... Monday, May 27, 13 @ 1:23 pm
==”completed the ignominious task of plunging Illinois into a fiscal and ethical sewer”==

If we see a sewer, it has be dug over time by both parties.

From a historical perspective actual governmental corruption has likely been decreasing in Illinois in recent decades, while much more of it is being uncovered and prosecuted,– though much still needs to be done. As to party — as much bad and corrupt government occurs in local GOP-controlled units around the state, as well as with GOP state office holders, as has occurred with Dems.

Attack the many sources of the problem, not a party.

Shaw has been so off, so many times in the last couple of years, that to believe “he knows a thing or two about politics” just made me laugh.

Too bad too, because I had high hopes for him and the organization.

As to the fiscal stew, there were many cooks over the past thirty-five years, including interest groups of all party stripes, but the head chef does have to wear the jacket.

Comment by walkinfool Monday, May 27, 13 @ 2:39 pm
BGA gets it right more than they get it wrong, but I just don’t think this is our state’s biggest reform problem.

Comment by Chicago Cynic Monday, May 27, 13 @ 2:40 pm
No, Dems have produced much, much more corruption than the GOP. Main reason is Chicago, where every contract, every department, and every government function has a price. Parties not even close as far as corruption in Illinois. And I am in a position to know!

Comment by Curmudgeon Monday, May 27, 13 @ 4:02 pm
The gerrymander sure did in Bill Brady, right? Had Brady not snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, the GOP might have had some say about the map.

As far as which party is corrupt, the last statewide power broker to be convicted was Bill Celinni, a Republican.

Comment by reformer Monday, May 27, 13 @ 6:18 pm
- Curmudgeon -,

Do you have a “price list” for all this corruption?

Asking what is wrong with the statement and then blaming Chicago for corruption…

“every” … = Dope!

“every”….really?

Look, the bottom line with Andy show is simple;

Until Andy Shaw goes 3rd Person, the rest is just blaming “every”one for things so they can raise some money.

“Oswego Willy” thinks Andy Shaw should just take over the “Fire Madigan” Novelty Stand, and have Kass be the Carnival Barker…

Yikes!

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, May 27, 13 @ 6:25 pm
Shaw’s goal is to have a non-partisan map for the next decade starting in 2022. By then, given the blue trend in this state, it won’t matter if the map is fair. The GOP still won’t have a chance. Especially if the right-wing continues to dominate primaries.

Comment by reformer Monday, May 27, 13 @ 6:29 pm
Maybe Andy Shaw is Pat Quinn, less the electoral pedigree?

“Illinois needs a Reform Gadfly, and that Reform Gadfly is Andy Shaw …(whispers) me.”

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, May 27, 13 @ 6:31 pm
Willy, be careful what you wish for, bro.

“Price List.” Well played!

Comment by Arthur Andersen Monday, May 27, 13 @ 6:36 pm
I did, I tried to bite my tongue …

===In some districts the Dems fielded stronger candidates or ran better campaigns, but in others gerrymandering made the difference.===

“Oswego Willy” thinks no one can state the obvious more than Andy Shaw.

Then…”Andy Shaw” thinks the BGA is deserving of more fundraising because of “And Shaw’s” obvious peek into MJM, and the how the Political Aparatus in the General Assembly works, especially in the IL senate Republicans or even the IL House Republicans The Senoir Political Staffs of the HGOP and the SGOP are the most inept political operators of how to run campaigns then anyone seen in recent memory.

This …um, “analysis”…speaks more about how “Andy Shaw” can NOT generate a thought to HOW “Andy Shaw” proposes to “fix” what ails Illinois, but to “Andy Shaw” making sure …”Andy Shaw”, puts himself into the discussion!

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, May 27, 13 @ 6:42 pm
“If I ‘get’ 2 Zoning Changes, AND a Loading Zone, do I get the Business License FREE, or is that only in June?”

Dopes!

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, May 27, 13 @ 6:43 pm
“plunging…sewer.”

I for one appreciate the wit and whimsy of Andy’s toilet-related humor and hope that he will continue pandering to my inner ten-year old. Say what you will, but Cindy Canary just never looked comfortable doing potty jokes.

Comment by Gunderstank Monday, May 27, 13 @ 7:53 pm
The BGA doesn’t care about better government, they care about making it look like they care about better government.

Comment by Just Me Monday, May 27, 13 @ 7:57 pm
I am a Democrat who is personally in favor of moving to either nonpartisan or bipartisan redistricting, similar to what is done in Iowa. But it is hard to support this effort when self-proclaimed leaders of the movement like Andy Shaw issue statements that are blatantly Republican Party talking points.

Comment by jake Monday, May 27, 13 @ 8:10 pm
I used for work for the Dems in the General Assembly. Shaw’s comments are true and it’s too bad so many of the commentators shoot the messenger.

Comment by Former Program Specialist Tuesday, May 28, 13 @ 12:19 am