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* Gov. Bruce Rauner reverted to his “Speaker Madigan and the legislators he controls” rhetoric today. Click here. Relevant comments start just after the 11 minute mark
* On to John Kass…
Old, wizened, wealthier than a great lord but running out of time, House Speaker Michael J. Madigan sits upon the Iron Throne and looks at what he’s done to Illinois.
Perhaps not a throne of iron exactly, but some great pyramid of bleached skulls of taxpayers who couldn’t make it out of this failing state alive.
It really doesn’t matter what he sits on. For decade upon decade, Boss Madigan has controlled state government and the state Democratic Party, while making a fortune in his legal practice by reducing taxes for owners of downtown real estate, most of whom are Republicans. He sits on high for now.
But he’s in his 70s. His Southwest Side 22nd House District was once heavily Polish, Irish and Lithuanian, but the old ethnics have given way to young Latinos.
Madigan draws the state political maps, but he can’t control the demographics forever. He’s as sentimental as a boning knife, so he’s wise enough to see the end of things.
And he finally has a real challenger in the March 15 Democratic Party primary: Jason Gonzales, 40, a successful business consultant with two postgraduate degrees, one from MIT, the other from Harvard.
* PR consultant Kitty Kurth linked to the Kass column on her Facebook page and then explained why she’s working for Jason Gonzales…
(F)or me it is all about what Mike Madigan did to Patrick Botterman. And what he has not done for the Illinois Democratic Party. I have endured decades of humiliation when talking with my Democratic friends around the country and what seeing how they are all light years ahead of us because Madigan won’t join the modern world. No email in bound or outbound for the Illinois Dems.
Botterman ran John Schmidt’s Democratic primary campaign against Lisa Madigan in 2002.
* From the Daily Southtown…
Ed Ronkowski, chairman of the Will County Republican Party, says House Speaker Michael Madigan is behind the influx of cash into the Democrat’s coffers.
“(Rep. Kate Cloonen) does exactly what Madigan tells her to do,” Ronkowski says. “When Madigan authorizes money for a campaign, he asks people to vote a certain way. Republicans don’t do it that way.”
Cloonen disputes that depiction.
“There’s never been a time when the speaker has come to me and told me how to vote. That’s not how it works,” Cloonen says.
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 11:24 am
Sorry, comments are closed at this time.
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===Ed Ronkowski, chairman of the Will County Republican Party, says House Speaker Michael Madigan is behind the influx of cash into the Democrat’s coffers.
“(Rep. Kate Cloonen) does exactly what Madigan tells her to do,” Ronkowski says. “When Madigan authorizes money for a campaign, he asks people to vote a certain way. Republicans don’t do it that way.”===
This is a case of purposely ignorant by the Will County Raunerite Chair.
How utterly embarrassing it must be to blatantly be so disingenuous.
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 11:30 am
Not many people read John’s tired old Conservative talking points. I’ll bet he believes that the guv’mint should have authority to “hack” your smartphone too.
Comment by Jack Stephens Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 11:31 am
Kass is another sad example of ‘Infotainment’ working for a publication whose sole mission is to make a profit.
A good journalist he is not. He is a sad example for journalism students…Textbook journalism Fail.
Comment by Austin Blvd Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 11:31 am
“Light years ahead of us because Madigan won’t join the modern world.”
Ms Kurth - Please google “gay marriage” and “concealed carry.” Then think hard and find another Speaker, Republican or Democrat, who could pull that off - in one session, no less.
Comment by paddyrollingstone Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 11:33 am
== “Speaker Madigan and the legislators he controls” ==
Oh, for the love of….
1) Old and very tiresome.
2) How about ‘raunner and the Repubs he controls’?
3) Is this the best raunner’s SuperStarts can come up with week after week after…? This is it?
Comment by sal-says Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 11:33 am
The credible John Kass of old would have ripped Bruce Rauner and his crony “Combine” pals.
The caricature aloof screamer that this caricature known by the character name “John Kass” is such a blowhard mouthpiece, that even a hurricane couldn’t change his ways now…
John Kass has limited integrity because the Kass that use to ride Daley about that “Combine” would never be such a Rauner hired hand as he portrays himself to be now.
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 11:35 am
Coincidence that he has this appearance right after being dinged for not talking about school choice? He is very reactionary to criticism.
Comment by burbanite Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 11:36 am
Oh this is hilarious! Ronkowski is just adorable, isn’t he? I guess no one showed him the speech with the applause marks, or the education approp bill that the HGOPs voted no on….or the dismal failure of the HDems to override…
Comment by Pawn Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 11:38 am
==It really doesn’t matter what he sits on.==
Bold strategy there, admitting that the last two grafs he wrote don’t matter.
Comment by Arsenal Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 11:42 am
Yeah, if Madigan could lose his seat and every Raunerite in a competitive race lose… man that would be so perfect. But the way things go, Madigan will win and so will most Raunerites. Worst of all, more John Kass columns.
Comment by Ducky LaMoore Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 11:45 am
Rich: can you run a link to the Kass column from last spring where he ripped Rauner for buyin/controllin Repub votes with his checks during spring session?
Will Kass write a MJM story on 3-16 about how 60% plus of the Speaker’s voters are with him? i doubt it
Comment by Not Rich Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 11:45 am
The “Other Mike Madigan” is going to have a tough time winning if Rauner keeps this up.
Comment by aspects Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 11:46 am
Ronkowski doesn’t know much about Kate Cloonen, if he thinks she’s a ‘bot.
The younger Kass was fun and railed against, but OW you captured how he is now. He’s jumped the shark on this one. Bleached pyramid of skulls.
Comment by AJ_yooper Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 11:48 am
=== Republicans don’t do it that way. ===
LOL. Those GOP guys are such kidders.
Comment by Norseman Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 11:48 am
Kass is the worst. Never should have gotten that column. Started off cribbing Royko in a way someone who has no talent might. Now’s he’s just like the Simpson cartoon version of old man yells at cloud.
http://i2.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/019/304/old.jpg
Comment by Chicago Cynic Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 11:52 am
Is Jimmy DeLeo still the “real” Governor of Illinois?
Comment by Ok Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 11:53 am
For kass not to call out rauner as part of the combine makes me realize how full of it kass has become.
Comment by anonymous Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 11:54 am
- paddyrollingstone - Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 11:33 am:
She’s talking about how the Democratic Party of Illinois operates as an organization. It really is a backwards organization and a lot of that has to do with the fact it really does not operate to build the party in Illinois.
Comment by Precinct Captain Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 12:00 pm
Kass simply can’t come out of his Game of Thrones analogy mode can he. Yes the Speaker is old, yes his district has demographically shifted, and yes the Democratic apparatus has been providing more and more patronage jobs to Hispanics.
The real question is now how relevant is Kass? Digital-only subscribers numbered 70,000 across all of Tribune Publishing’s newspapers at the end of June 2015. You can not read Kass without a subscription on line. As we all know print circulation and revenue has been in a steady decline for years.
Kass does zero investigative journalism, he has had nothing critical to say about our Governor, and he takes his occasional shot at a Mayor Emanuel. It appears to me Kass is keeping Bruce Dold happy so he can ride the Tribune out until it either collapses or he retires.
Comment by Rod Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 12:02 pm
Sorry, but “He’s as sentimental as a boning knife, so he’s wise enough to see the end of things.” is just bad writing, IMO. The first part is fine - he should have stopped there; but what exactly is he (not) seeing the end to? The knife? The political calculus? Is that just a token reference to the cooking stuff Kass puts on the Trib website? Dude needs to drop the Hemingway/Royko/Algren bluff
Comment by Dogwood Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 12:10 pm
Unlike his counterpart Mark Brown at the Sun-Times, Kass hasn’t done any actual reporting for almost 20 years. He’s trapped in his late-90’s Daley-era cliches. He couldn’t find Springfield with a map and a free Uber driver.
Kass and most Chicago reporters think Dem members are dying to cut a deal with Rauner, but big bad Mike Madigan is holding them back. Of course, anyone who understands the General Assembly knows Madigan could quit tomorrow and it wouldn’t change one vote.
Comment by FTR Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 12:10 pm
Kass. It rhymes with…something.
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 12:13 pm
I have to say I agree with Kitty’s comments. When you see what other state Democratic parties have and do it is amazing. The Illinois Dem infrastructure is so backward and so outdated it is not even funny.
But what is even worse to me is that I feel like the state Dem party has completely abdicated its responsibility to provide the kind of messaging — not just at election time but year around — that would back up what we are doing and what needs to be done. For example, is anyone out there talking about the things we were able to do with Quinn’s tax increase? That we actually MADE pension payments and reduced the backlog of bills from $9 billion to $4 billion? That should be front and center of Dem messaging. Because everyone knows that Quinn — a Democrat — increased our taxes, but in the complete void of any messaging about what was done with that money everyone just assumes it was wasted. And into that void Bruce Rauner and company can say anything they want and there is nothing to counter it.
YMadigan is an extremely skilled strategist, no doubt, but the lack of vision, and being willing to be out there with that vision, has painted us into a corner where the likes of Bruce Rauner can say whatever he wants, no matter how ridiculous, and get away with it, because no one knows or has every been told anything different.
Comment by Lakefront Liberal Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 12:14 pm
What makes Jason Gonzales any more of a “real challenger” than Michelle Piszczor was in 2012? My sources in the district tell me that Gonzales isn’t getting any traction. I suspect that in the end he will have about as much success as Pizsczor did.
Comment by Anonymouth Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 12:14 pm
Kass and Rauner are right!
Lets take closing our public state universities. By eliminating those jobs and all of the businesses in the communities….business will be able to expand and taxes will go down.
Thats how it works! You close a business and the over all tax burden gets higher.
Kind of like when you invade a sovereign nation and pay for it….
by cutting taxes!
Thats what the last “MBA” in Washington did.
Comment by Jack Stephens Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 12:14 pm
Reading the first article, you could safely guess that it came from the Tribune without knowing. How much more irrelevant can they become?
Reading the Ronkowski quote “Republicans don’t do it that way” I physically laughed out loud and almost choked. Has he been hiding in a closet? Hasn’t he heard about Rauner and the Republican legislators he controls? Maybe he’s right though, Madigan “asks people to vote a certain way” while Rauner “tells” Republican legislators to vote a certain way?
Comment by Finally Out (and now very glad to be) Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 12:23 pm
how care anyone criticize Madigan after all he’s done for Illinois.
Comment by jim Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 12:26 pm
This is confusing.
One one hand, you have Madigan as the all-powerful warlord who runs such a tight ship that’s he’s been able to control the state for decades operating out of the House chamber.
On the other hand, you have Madigan as an incompetent geezer who’s a national laughingstock to “Democratic friends around the country.”
I’m guessing neither view have much of a basis in reality.
Kass has been writing the same Madigan column for years. In fact, he’s been writing the same four or five columns for years, just putting new tops on them, week after dreary week. Must have skipped creative writing class.
I imagine Kitty would be happy with a Democratic Party of Illinois, whether it had emails or not, if it had thrown some samolians at her over the years for “consulting,” emails or not.
Large Democratic majorities in the statehouse would seem to be the object of the exercise, not emails.
And she might want to ask her “Democratic friends around the country” how many of them live in states where same-sex marriage was made legal by state law, by affirmative votes in the legislature virtually from Democrats alone, not court order.
Maybe she won’t be so humiliated then about the emails.
Comment by wordslinger Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 12:29 pm
If they had really thought it through they would have had the other Michael Madigan rent an apt. in the district like Gonzales and run him against Michael Madigan. Then they might have had a shot.
Rauner seemed super angry this morning and to some of the media’s credit they did call him out on the deficiencies of his budget.
Comment by burbanite Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 12:31 pm
That must mean Rauner is a Lancaster. The Lancasters certainly were two-faced, weren’t they, Kass?
Comment by A Jack Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 12:31 pm
–What makes Jason Gonzales any more of a “real challenger” than Michelle Piszczor was in 2012?–
Nothing, according to Kass. He wrote virtually the same column about her in 2012.
Pisczor column, 2012
–But for the first time in memory, the 69-year-old Madigan has a campaign on his hands. He’s used to running against handpicked stooges who don’t dare open their mouths. There are two other opponents in the Democratic primary. They have Latino last names, and neither seems to be campaigning. Realists might think they were put there to split the Latino vote.–
Gonzales column 2016
–And he finally has a real challenger in the March 15 Democratic Party primary: Jason Gonzales, 40, a successful business consultant with two postgraduate degrees, one from MIT, the other from Harvard.–
Compare the columns back to back. It’s called phoning it in.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-03-11/news/ct-met-kass-0311-20120311_1_boss-madigan-political-underdog-republican-plant
Comment by wordslinger Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 12:42 pm
I want a reprint of the Beer Can Chicken recipe. That’s Kass!
Comment by Anon Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 12:44 pm
John Kass is a living “moutza”.
Comment by Buzzie Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 12:46 pm
Madigan is 73. Kass is only 59. But it’s Kass who work is tired, old, and repetitive. I’m happy to hear he is no long included in the print edition. “Hu-ray! The billionaires are here to save us from Richard J. Daley, Vito Marzullo, and Boss Madigan. And it’s all because they love Illinois”. Good grief.
Comment by James Knell Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 12:47 pm
These posts are really hilarious. All the posters know that all Madigan is about is maintaining power, and he doesn’t need to do anything to maintain it other than keep feeding unsustainable amounts to public unions and unsustainable amounts to crony contractors who mark up profits for overpriced labor through prevailing wage.
He just needs to keep the fat public pension programs sending out checks on time and let the “double dippers” come and kiss his ring to get fat “second careers” in the public sector or consulting.
Schools stink, teachers are striking, and they want more to feed the beast? No problem. Voters don’t care enough to change the power structure in Springfield.
Credit ratings dropping like a stone and costing taxpayers hundreds of millions? Illinois voters don’t know and don’t care.
Spending money the state didn’t have to benefit the few while dooming the state to leaving businesses and the money makers in the state doesn’t matter, as long as the CTU, IEA and IFT get their raises every year and are able to retire early after big “spikes”.
Responsible governing has nothing to do with maintaining political power in Illinois. All it takes keeping the 15-20% feeding at the gubmint trough happy and letting the sheeple voters follow them.
Comment by Not a gubmint parasite Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 12:48 pm
MJM has become John Kass’s Baby Richard. All that’s missing is a moutza, a reference to his dad’s grocery store, and a recipe for beer can chicken.
Comment by Jocko Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 12:56 pm
===Credit ratings dropping like a stone and costing taxpayers hundreds of millions?===
That’s on Gov. Rauner.
Candidate Rauner blamed the credit ratings Pat Quinn had when hea was Governor, so the raiting drop is on Gov. Rauner. You’re welcome!
The rest of your rant has nothing to back anything, just like Rauner’s own rhetoric.
I think you are just blussfully unaware.
That’s fun.
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 1:01 pm
===All it takes keeping the 15-20% feeding at the gubmint trough==
That pretty much secured your placement in troll land.
Comment by Demoralized Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 1:13 pm
Has anyone seen evidence that Mr. Gonzales is “a successful business consultant”?
I am unaware of any.
– MrJM
Comment by @MisterJayEm Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 1:19 pm
The end of Madigan…..again — I guess eventually if you keep predicting it, it will eventual come true. A broke clock is right twice a day.
Comment by Facts are Stubborn Things Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 1:21 pm
Old, wizened, wealthier than a great lord but going out of his mind, John Kass sits within the Ivory Tower upon a Porcelain Throne and edits an article he originally wrote on an Underwood typewriter using carbon paper back in 1974.
He looks out at the Prairie State within his dying print empire and imagines eager masses lining up to pay cash money for a chance to be the first to enjoy his pithy ramblings.
His bankrupted paper is read by few, fewer than who watch an episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, yet Kass opens his thesaurus and searches for words that could give his 40 year old rantings, a semblance of freshness.
The Ivory Tower he works within is quickly emptying. He no longer receives throngs of young interns, who eagerly boot licked his Hush Puppies and asked him for a chance to edit their homework.
He is angry as he watches the parade of journalism move far away from the times when his head was one of the largest State Street parade balloons, floating high and proud above Carson and Field’s. He sees a photo of himself with Jane Byrne, faded into shades of pale blue, her vivid yellow Minnie Mouse dress, now a sickly jaundice colored memory.
Kass thinks of Madigan, and burns. This year, he believes, could be the year that he finally witnesses the end of Michael J. Madigan’s lifelong legislative career. This year, he believes, could be the year that he could point to his biannual article, as the moment when the Madigan empire began its descent.
“Old, wizened, wealthier than a great lord but running out of time, House Speaker Michael J. Madigan sits upon the Iron Throne and looks at what he’s done to Illinois.”
Perhaps not a wit of originality, but Kass and his Webster’s thesaurus chuckle at their linguistic conspiracy against the Illinois Speaker.
Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 1:35 pm
Kass is even full of it about beer can chicken. See Amazingribs.com
Comment by JackD Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 1:42 pm
So sick and tired of hearing….”because Speaker Madigan and the Democrats.” How much more can we take before, somebody in the GA (especially one of his own party) tells him, KNOCK IT OFF!
Jeez
Comment by Union Leader Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 1:44 pm
Hate to jump in here, because I considered Botterman as my best friend, and our organization still takes seriously the “What would Pat do?” standard for ethical political behavior. Kitty and her family were personally closer to Pat for many years longer than me. So these are personal and deeply held beliefs — and Wordslinger: your crack about consulting money was off target.
Yet I am also a pretty informed admirer of Madigan as Speaker and champion working for the Democratic caucus members. For many Democratic issues and organizations, we would be lost and losing even more in the present environment but for the legislative mastery of the Speaker.
Can we fairly separate this into two tracks for critique — Madigan’s as Speaker and as Head of DPI?
As Speaker there is much to admire, for many. As political boss there are three often stated areas of concern: He over-focuses on the legislative races to the detriment of other Democratic office races, he falls short on overall messaging and positive image-building for the party, and he is always the last to adopt modern targeting and high tech tools. In his defense, he continues to win more seats using his careworn methods, than his counterparts in other states.
Finally, there are the problems with intertwining the two roles (Speakership and Party Head) around money, influence, and opacity. Rauner has de facto created the same problem for the ILGOP as he continues to take it over and dominate it. Without being entirely naive to inevitable influencing, we would be better off the extent to which these roles are untangled and partially separated. I once suggested that idea to Madigan’s senior staff, for both better government and better politics, and met blank faces and laughter.
So yes, we need better political party processes, but supporting an attack on the legislative powers of the Speaker at this point, is the wrong path to that end.
Comment by walker Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 2:00 pm
The biggest take away is Fast Eddie V. must be laughin’ hard today because the “progressive” Kurth is usin’ ERV scribbner Kass to write about Gonzo.
Guessin’ Botterman might not be too happy to be dragged into the Rauner funded, Gonzo gibberish.
At last count more Ds had been elected up and down ballot during the time that Madigan has chaired the party. Toss endin’ the death penalty in with marriage equality and the “messagin’” seems to be workin’ o.k.
Comment by Annonin' Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 3:29 pm
He has distroyed Illinois. It is past time for him to go!!!!
Comment by Albert Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 6:36 pm
===He has distroyed Illinois. It is past time for him to go!!!!===
Bruce Rauner? It’s only been a year, and yes, Rauner is gutting and destroying Social Services, and some of the Rauner destruction is irreversible, but “past time”?
Let’s give Gov. Rauner a chance to try to govern.
…
I think you’re drive-by has been fun for me.
Thank you.
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 6:43 pm
Please. The fiction that Madigan does not require obedience when he wants you to vote a certain way is no longer plausible.
Dunkin is only the latest, albeit highly visible, example of this.
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 9:43 pm
One can be an all powerful “warlord” and also be an archaic impediment to progress when compared to other Democratic parties around the country.
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 9:46 pm
The GOP only wishes they had a Mike Madigan. They are still smarting their loss of the Illinois House in 96——— with their own Map !
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Feb 22, 16 @ 9:59 pm