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* ILGOP fundraising email…
Rich,
Everyone knows that Billionaire Bully JB Pritzker is best buddies with former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan. He even donated millions of dollars to Madigan’s campaign.
Chip in to stop corruption in Springfield!Now that Madigan has been indicted for his decades of corruption, JB Pritzker is hiding and avoiding questions.
But we know better.
Pritzker and Madigan are birds of a feather: two corrupt politicians who will do anything and everything to hold onto power. In fact, the investigation into Madigan’s bribery, racketeering and corruption might also implicate Pritzker.
Rich, if Madigan can face justice after nearly four decades of corruption, then justice can come for anyone – even JB Pritzker.
Can you chip in $22 so we can hold Pritzker accountable?
Thanks for helping us hold corrupt Chicago politicians accountable.
Sincerely,
Illinois Republican Party
* Brenden Moore takes a long look at the Madigan operation. Excerpt…
Though much of this could be described as “Campaigning 101,” Madigan’s program stood out for its meticulous and relentless nature. Candidates would often be required to knock on a certain amount of doors in their district every day. And staffers would ultimately report back to Madigan on the candidate’s progress.
“They were meticulous about record-keeping, about setting goals and hitting them,” said an Illinois Democratic operative. “And that’s what Madigan did really well.”
A Republican political operative who has run campaigns against Democratic House candidates added that Madigan’s operation “was organized, it was methodical, it was thoughtful.”
And it extended beyond door-knocking. It also meant protecting members from difficult votes in the House, whether that be blocking unfavorable bills from being considered, allowing targeted members to vote against Democratic bills if it went against their district or temporarily replacing them on a committee to avoid a politically tough vote.
* Ben Joravsky at the Reader…
All in all, I agree with state Rep. Kelly Cassidy, who broke from Madigan before other Democrats dared. On my podcast, I asked Cassidy about Madigan’s legacy, and she said it’s not one way or the other: “all the best and worst things that have occurred in this state have his fingers on them.”
By the way, I’d like to thank Cassidy and her 18 Democratic legislative allies who forced Madigan to retire last year by refusing to vote for his re-election as speaker.
If he was still the speaker when the feds indicted him? Ouch. MAGA’s Griffin-funded commercials would be using Madigan as a hammer to pound every Democrat in the state. They’ll still try to do that—just might not be as effective with him out of office.
Madigan had to go. He’d overreached. But when I watch the Rauner/Griffin crowd chortle and cavort over his indictment, well, I definitely don’t feel like joining that celebration.
* Collin Corbett, the founder of Cor Strategies, does quite a bit of polling and other Republican campaign work in Illinois. His conclusion…
Finally, Mike Madigan isn’t on the ballot in 2022. I’m afraid Republican operatives will use this as an excuse to fall back on the mostly failed “Madigan! Madigan! Madigan!” strategy. This tactic works in specific instances where the Democratic candidate has low name recognition and direct dots can be connected showing they’ve worked with Madigan to make people’s lives worse: a prime example being Justice Thomas Kilbride in 2020. But the vast majority of the time, “your state rep is bad because Mike Madigan is bad” has failed miserably—voters would gladly vote against Madigan if given the chance, but guilt by association doesn’t stick.
A red wave is coming in November of 2022 because, for the first time in memory, Republicans dominate on every issue voters care about right now.
In poll after poll over the past year, the top issues to Illinoisans have been crime, the economy, and inflation, three issues on which voters strongly favor Republicans. That’s where our focus needs to be. (Additionally, while voters have extremely short attention spans on national security issues, if Russian aggression continues as we approach November, that’ll be yet another top issue for voters that favors Republicans.)
With suburban voters and key demographics softening towards Republicans, the stars are aligning for Republicans in this election…as long as we don’t screw it up. And thinking the indictment of Mike Madigan last Wednesday was the key to us winning in November is exactly how we can screw it up.
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Mar 10, 22 @ 2:59 pm
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Don’t listen to Collin Corbett. It needs to be 100% about Mike Madigan. Don’t like JB? Attack Madigan. Don’t like Anna Valencia - well clearly, it’s Madigan. This is easy. Please use this formula.
Comment by Chicago Cynic Thursday, Mar 10, 22 @ 3:19 pm
==Don’t like Anna Valencia==
Then you must love, love, love Alexi and all his baggage.
Comment by NonAFSCMEStateEmployeeFromChatham Thursday, Mar 10, 22 @ 3:22 pm
what’s the significance of $22? The number of times Madigan beat the GOP?
Comment by very old soil Thursday, Mar 10, 22 @ 3:25 pm
“If he was still the speaker when the feds indicted him? Ouch.”
Whole different world, obviously. The DPI has turned a key corner, regardless of this election’s outcomes. That’s the path the party needs to stay on.
The GOP still supports Trump (see Twitter account) and is building the party around his organizing ideas. What say you, ILGOP?
Comment by Grandson of Man Thursday, Mar 10, 22 @ 3:26 pm
=== Don’t listen to Collin Corbett ===
That’s bad advice. Corbett’s got a good point. Hit on Madigan but do it in a precise manner. Go after Welch for his work on the committee that essentially clearedMadigan of wrongdoing. Go after candidates who still supported him for Speaker post summer 2020 ComEd scandal. Just screaming Madigan will not work in districts with real problems.
Comment by Lakefront Thursday, Mar 10, 22 @ 3:28 pm
===That’s bad advice===
He’s being facetious.
Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Mar 10, 22 @ 3:29 pm
I wonder if members have decided to discard “the Program” because of its ties to Madigan. /s
Comment by Hannibal Lecter Thursday, Mar 10, 22 @ 3:33 pm
=Republicans dominate on every issue voters care about right now.=
Says the gop guy. Not the rest of the country. Definitely not Illinois.
Comment by JS Mill Thursday, Mar 10, 22 @ 3:58 pm
=== Definitely not Illinois. ===
Definitely not Chicago, and probably not Suburban Cook. Outside of that watch out.
Comment by Hannibal Lecter Thursday, Mar 10, 22 @ 4:39 pm
What’s the saying: Counties don’t vote
Comment by very old soil Thursday, Mar 10, 22 @ 5:09 pm
The IL GOP has no winning strategy, they have no truly attractive and compelling candidate, NO they don’t. In any other state, the GOP might have the opportunity to create a RED roll, but the IL GOP cannot get out of their own way. The only hope the IL GOP has is if the IL Dems create their own defeat by continuing to insist on focusing on eating and minimizing their own.
IL Dems should keep the parts of “The Program” that required these electeds to actually be engaged in their areas, have at least half a personality, get out in the streets and meet their constituents; all the good of “The Program” sans the iron fist of centralized control of the fund-raising, then the assured recirculating of raised monies to enrich the cronies, and the no shared knowledge of who has access to “the Bank”.
The Governor could and should receive a second term, but his office and the IL House and Senate need to get to some forward-thinking order that focuses on the holding back ANY gaining of ground from the current dysfunctional IL GOP, instead of squandering, or allowing, energy on internal urinating matches.
JB wants to toss his hat and record in the ring for the Presidency, welp, I hope he and his stay focused on the elephants and not get waylaid stomping on ants because the ants dared.
Comment by The Hills 60010 Thursday, Mar 10, 22 @ 5:10 pm
Big big loses in November. Illinois could put Republican Congressperson McCarthy in the Speakers chair.
Comment by Frumpy White Guy Thursday, Mar 10, 22 @ 5:26 pm
This thing about using the money as a stick to get members and candidates to walk precincts: look, those candidates that didnt walk or make phone calls or follow The Program tended to have another name after the election.
Losers. They would lose their race.
Given that, it would be foolish to continue to spend money on a race that was likely to go nowhere.
They should have pointed out that the HGOP and SGOP was doing
the exact same thing w regards to leaders doing most of the fundraising and dolling it out as needed to targeted races.
Comment by low level Thursday, Mar 10, 22 @ 6:17 pm
= Outside of that watch out.=
Duos he has been going blue for years. The rest of the collars have had good democratic results of late.
And in Illinois the area where 70% of the population lives is the ballgame.
Comment by JS Mill Thursday, Mar 10, 22 @ 7:17 pm
LOL
Comment by dooooooode Thursday, Mar 10, 22 @ 8:48 pm
=== and direct dots can be connected showing they’ve worked with Madigan to make people’s lives worse: a prime example being Justice Thomas Kilbride in 2020.===
Thomas Kilbride worked with Madigan. He didn’t make people’s lives worse.
Comment by Da big bad wolf Friday, Mar 11, 22 @ 3:33 pm