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* A subscriber dug up the late Bill Campbell’s portrayal of Big Jim Thompson from back in the day…
Background on Campbell is here, by the way. He was a great mentor to a lot of us in the biz, myself included.
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Nov 19, 14 @ 9:25 am
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Loved his cartoons. My favorite showed Thompson on a stage dressed as a magician waving his wand over a top hat from which he had just pulled a piece of paper on which it said “Proposed Rabbit”
Comment by Publius Wednesday, Nov 19, 14 @ 10:09 am
Jay Cutler for Gov?!
Comment by ChrisB Wednesday, Nov 19, 14 @ 10:11 am
Proof that it’s never been a gentle sport.
Comment by A guy... Wednesday, Nov 19, 14 @ 10:20 am
Bill was one of the most talented cartoonists I have ever seen. I attended Carl Sandburg College and partied with him for 2 years prior to his disabling accident. He later told me that when he awoke after the accident and could not move, he looked up to heavens and said, “I guess I really f&*$#@% up this time!” His work lives on.
Comment by One of the 35 Wednesday, Nov 19, 14 @ 10:23 am
The cartoon is ironic. In retrospect, kind of a “no man is a hero to his own valet” reflection. I am sure the cartoon was done early in Thompson’s tenure. As we all know now, Thompson went on to be the longest serving Illinois governor and widely considered to be one of the greatest. How many others had an entire, one block square state building built and named after them during their lifetime?
Can Rauner pull of a similar feat of beating low initial expectations from the governing class? We’ll see…I think he has a good chance…
Comment by Conservative Republican Wednesday, Nov 19, 14 @ 10:27 am
Was Campbell the guy who told Thompson he was greener than goose-stuff his first year? Big Jim liked to tell that story on himself.
Comment by Wordslinger Wednesday, Nov 19, 14 @ 10:39 am
Thompson was the beneficiary of some amazing luck and some weak opponents, plus Lyndon LaRouche.
As for the Thompson building:
His successor, Governor Jim Edgar, saw to it that posterity would know who was responsible for that steel and glass monument to egotism run amuck and so it came to pass that the State of Illinois Building was renamed. It was so poorly thought out that the old State of Illinois Building (since renamed for Michael Bilandic) was never closed because the state needed the office space.
Thompson, himself, has been critical of the Helmut Jahn designed building that he once championed, but he blamed its condition on bad maintenance.
There is a street named for Thompson in East St. Louis too.
Comment by Under Further Review Wednesday, Nov 19, 14 @ 10:59 am
One of my favorite Campbell drawings was the one showing a legislator holding two huge stacks of bills. The cut line said something like, “vote on them, I don’t have time to read them.”
We all missed his work. Makes me want to find the compendium that I purchased after his accident.
Comment by Norseman Wednesday, Nov 19, 14 @ 11:25 am
This was funny but confused me. I was very young during the time he was governor, but I can believe this was done earlier in his tenure. It’s hard to argue that he wasn’t a good governor otherwise he wouldn’t have served as many years as he had.
Comment by Levois Wednesday, Nov 19, 14 @ 1:19 pm
The days of Mike Howlett suggesting loudly and too often that Thompson change his dog’s name from “Gov” to “Pres”. You know, back when the SOS was a diving board.
Comment by A guy... Wednesday, Nov 19, 14 @ 1:22 pm