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Reformers say they’re ready to bargain

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Illinois

* John Patterson called up a member of the governor’s reform commission, former state Sen. Duane Noland, and asked him if he would have voted for all the commission’s recommendations if he was still in the General Assembly…

“That’s a great question. Would I vote for the whole thing? Probably not. But I don’t believe that’s what we’ve asked.”

“We never felt we had all the answers. That’d be pretty naïve.”

“Nobody said it had to be “all or none.”

So, I just called Noland and read to him a passage from the commission’s report…

As such, we cannot endorse efforts to selectively implement some reforms while ignoring other key proposals. Half-measures will not suffice to repair our State’s troubled infrastructure or our citizens’ broken confidence.

Noland said he didn’t even know that statement was in there.

* Senate President John Cullerton and commission chairman Pat Collins just held a press conference to say they are negotiating on a reform bill. That’s good to hear.

Collins, however, insisted that he hasn’t been confrontational or ever demanded an “all or nothing” approach. OK, here’s another line from the report which was widely quoted by newspaper editorial boards…

This blueprint for reform will be meaningless unless the changes we have envisioned become reality.

Collins was never confrontational? From his City Club address…

“We should get people in there who will take a position and vote, or we should shrink the legislature even further”

He later retracted that shrinking comment, but he can’t possibly say he was never confrontational…

“What this state needs a little bit more of is people who aren’t cowering in their shadow because they’re afraid of how somebody is going to react to the truth,” Patrick M. Collins told the City Club of Chicago on Wednesday.

Collins also took a shot at me today. Perhaps if he had returned the last three phone calls I’ve made to him he could’ve said this stuff to me, personally.

Questioning the details or the consequences of some of your proposals is not somehow evil, Mr. Collins. It’s the American way.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 2:19 pm

Comments

You may step down from the witness stand, all ye who question my plan. But counsel requests the right to recall these witnesses to the stand.

I think Collins needs some time off to decompress from prosecutor mode.

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 2:32 pm
Pat Collins is used to bullying and threatening people — and used to having his way 100% of the time. He has exhibited the emotional maturity of a three-year-old during his turn with the “reform” commission.

As a politician he would be the bullying, threatening, petulant mirror image of our former governor.

Comment by Anon Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 3:00 pm
Actually, I am grateful to Mr. Collins but he is rather young. And yet…if a former prosecutor isn’t allowed to express some outrage, then who.
Not likely us ordinary citizens. We voted Blago into office…twice. We need somebody to show some emotion here.

Comment by Cassandra Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 3:15 pm
Off the coast of Somalia, the new Illinois sea vessel, the SS Ethics, was prematurely launched without a full crew on board. Before they were able to determine her seaworthiness, the outgoing tide has captured the ship and she is quickly being carried out to sea, unmanned and floundering in the waves.

Suddenly appearing from around the head of the bay, a pirate ship has appeared, the SS Lisa. Her captain, MJM, is one of the most feared of all booty-loving, one-eyed, scallawags from Paul Powell’s sunken shoebox.

A cannon on the SS Lisa roars and a large cannonball has broken the SS Ethics’ mast at the deck. It falls into the sea. Utterly immobile, Captains Quinn and Collins valiantly throw sidearms, cannons, and powder overboard as they propose to Captain MJM a compromise.

The filthy crew of the SS Lisa give three loud cheers as they swing from their ship onto the decks of the SS Ethics and find it an abandoned ship with the exception of it’s two captains and a handfull of syndicated newspaper columnists.

“Prepare to walk the plank!”, the furious pirate captain shouts at Captain Collins. The valiant captain requests that Captain MJM not take into consideration any statements of war made by Captain Collins during his sentencing. “I swear”, claims Captain Collins, “nothing I said should have been considered a threat!”

“Prepare to meet thy Maker!”, the one-eyed King of the Pirates sneered at the doomed former prosecutor. “I have ye on record, threatening me-self and my lurverly crew of the good ship SS Lisa! You will be sleeping wit’ da fishes tonight, Captain Collins!”

“Where’s Captain Quinn?”, asked MJM’s First Mate. “He’s gettin’ away!”, cried out a hook-handed swag in a sweaty striped shirt. The pirates ran to the rail of the stricken vessel to watch Captain Quinn stand up from a row boat bouncing in the water. John Kass breathlessly rowed the little boat away from the battle as quickly as he could.

“Yer not gettin’ fer!”, Captain MJM shouted at Captain Quinn. Quinn defiantly stood up in the little white rowboat and looked up at the King of Pirates and said, “You will hang for this Mr. Madigan! You and your entire crew of drunken sailors!”

Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 3:21 pm
you’re sore no one asked you to sit on the Commission, is that it?

Comment by BannedForLife Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 3:30 pm
Rich - You seem a little thin skinned today!

Comment by Chi Gal Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 3:31 pm
BannedForLife, I would’ve turned them down since my time is so limited as it is. But, thanks for attempting to read way too far into something.

CG, I’m just responding to a false claim. That would be my right, especially since this is my blog.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 3:33 pm
Rich, the guy has no class. Blow him off.

His reputation precedes him, as does yours. Old AA knows who I would rather have with me in the foxhole.

As I noted to wordslinger last week, Collins is not representing anyone in any of the major matters before the Northern District.

Comment by Arthur Andersen Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 3:43 pm
Why is Bill Black the only person in the statehouse willing to stand up and say, “The Speaker is the problem.”

Furthermore, Cullerton is just putting on a show for the public, pretending to care about reform. Just try to ask him about specific points in the commission’s report, and you’ll likely get the same answer I did: a security guard pushing you out the door.

Comment by Sonic Infidel Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 3:56 pm
Rich:

Could you elaborate on what Pat Collins said about you?

Comment by Steve Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 3:59 pm
SONIC

The reason Black is the only person saying that “the speaker is the problem” is because Black is the only one that thinks that is the case.

Comment by MOON Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 4:02 pm
Collins is a loud mouthed punk and would be bully. His presence is just another reason why Quinn shouldn’t be governor.

Comment by Bill Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 4:09 pm
Uh, I don’t think so MOONie!

Comment by Bill Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 4:14 pm
Starting an issue over ‘confrontational or not’ and ‘all or nothing’ just dilutes the dialog and gives the ‘legislators’ wiggle room to do less or nothing. We need to keep ‘the eye on the ball’ here.

Comment by sal-says Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 4:17 pm
Moon is delusional. MM proved he is part of the problem with his hydrogen bomb proposal to wipe out all 3000 appointees. RodB is wiping tears of pride off his face - a chip off the old block. If we get a chance to look behind the curtain we may learn what MM is hiding.

Comment by dupage dan Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 4:26 pm
DD,
I think Rod’s tears are from laughter.

Comment by Bill Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 4:31 pm
“I would’ve turned them down … ”

still, you would have appreciated the opportunity, seeing as you’re (one of) the world’s leading experts on IL state govt

Comment by BannedForLife Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 4:47 pm
Sal-Says,
I think what Rich has been trying to say is that Collins delivered this report to the very people who must approve it with all the courtesy of a telemarketer calling your home just as you sit down for dinner with the wife and kids.

Perhaps they’re selling you something you might need, but the timing and approach are more likely to end in a phone being slammed down.

Comment by Frank Booth Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 4:47 pm
Props to VM!

Comment by Linda Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 4:59 pm
As I told you earlier, Rich, unlike most people here I have met Mr Collins and he is an arrogant _____!

Comment by steve schnorf Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 6:15 pm
Wait a sec, wasn’t Blago a slick lawyer?

Comment by Watcher Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 7:14 pm
I’m ready to vote straight GOP just to teach the Dems that even a lifelong Dem like myself is sick of this crap — I don’t care how classless Collins may be or imperfect the committee’s proposals — up or down was this wrteched state’s best chance at honest government.

Comment by lake county democrat Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 10:04 pm
Collins has learned that being a citizen working an elected legislature is a whole lot different than being a federal prosecutor with the unlimited resources of the Justice Department, FBI, IRS, Postal Service, etc., at your disposal.

Hmm, maybe his success as a prosecutor didn’t stem solely from his unique brilliance.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 10:46 pm
Lake Co. Dem,
Have you read the entire report?

Comment by Frank Booth Thursday, May 7, 09 @ 11:44 pm