Profiles In Courage? Top Illinois Officeholders Turn On Michael Madigan. – Quicktake

By: Mark Glennon*

What do Illinois’ top politicians know now that they haven’t always known that would cause them to throw House Speaker Michael Madigan under the bus?

You’d think they’d have at least have tried to spin up some pretext. Maybe wait a couple weeks then lay out the facts pertinent to Madigan surrounding the pending federal criminal cases and ethical issues reported over the last couple years. At least make it sound like this is about more than political expediency at its most venal.

Nah. In Illinois, there’s no cost in being shameless.

Madigan has been the Speaker of the Illinois House and exerted unparalleled influence over the state nearly continuously since 1983, earning a reputation as among the shrewdest and most successful politicians in the past century.

That’s in a diabolical sense, of course. No informed Illinoisan doubts that the source of his influence is unmitigated graft, both legal and illegal. Everything is pay to play. Everything.

Yet no major Democratic Illinois officeholder has ever dared criticize him for the simple reason that he brought in extraordinary amounts of money and helped elect Democrats to office with astonishing success.

Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan

Never mind how he did it.

Until Now.

Why?

Because of lousy election results on Tuesday. Governor JB Pritzker’s keystone proposal – a progressive tax increase – went down in flames with bipartisan opposition and Democrats in general fared worse than expected. Illinois Supreme Court Justice Tom Kilbride, a Madigan buddy, lost his bid for retention to the bench.

U.S. Senator Dick Durban went first. “Candidates who had little or no connection with him whatsoever were being tarred as Madigan allies who are behind corruption and so forth and so on,” said Durbin.

Governor JB Pritzker then said Madigan should step down as head of the Illinois Democratic Party. “Opponents [of the Fair Tax] were able to tap into voters’ concerns about corruption and their lack of trust in government,” said Pritzker. “The Republicans and the billionaires that sided with them were effectively able to use the speaker as their foil, and that hurt our ability, our state’s ability, to get things done.”

U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth one-upped him, calling for him to resign his House position as well.

And former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Madigan will have to “evaluate” his role as head of the Illinois Democratic Party.

They’ve had enough of Madigan’s corruption, in other words. Right?

No. All that’s new is that they’ve seen that voters have had enough. It’s their own elections that matter, not the state.

Credit the politicians, at least, for not hiding their motives and true character. That’s what “shameless” means.

*Mark Glennon is founder of Wirepoints.

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Suzanne Dale Rosenorn
3 years ago

Madigan’s turncoats want to have a the power hes had. Crooks all of them Demonrats.

M. L.
3 years ago

Join gab.com and start posting there, please!

John matuszak
3 years ago

its not about ending Mike Madigan, its about ending the the “pay for play” of Illinois.

Douglas
3 years ago

This is outrageous. It takes leadership to screw the people of illinois, and no one can do that job better than Mike Madigan–we have to have him! I’d write more, but I must get a belt and hand it to my wife so she can beat me with it. After all, I am from illinois and don’t know any different.

Last edited 3 years ago by Douglas
bob
3 years ago

Whoaaa…hold on a second. Didnt Pritzkers guy who ran the Fair Tax attempt cry that Rauner and Republicans destroyed the state ? My goodness. And who the heck really cares what Emmanuel says anyway ? He must be trying to stay relevant and angling for another cabinet position. He did so well running Chicago into the ground he would be a perfect fit to help with the corruption and destruction in Chicago.

madigans_spooge
3 years ago
Reply to  bob

Just to be clear, here is the running list in order of people that Pritzker says have destroyed IL:

  1. Rauner
  2. Trump
  3. Some sort of combination of Rauner and Trump
  4. People who were ‘uniformed’ about the ‘fair tax’
  5. Ken Griffin
  6. Madigan
NoHope4Illinois
3 years ago

You do understand that at least half the electorate, particularly state unionists, believe Pritzker. Pritzker says these ‘whoppers’ for a reason.

madigans_spooge
3 years ago

No doubt. That is why I listed the reasons so that it would be easier for them to know at any given time who is currently ruining IL.

Suzanne Dale Rosenorn
3 years ago

Pritzkers lies are as big as his waistsize.

Suzanne Dale Rosenorn
3 years ago
Reply to  bob

Why did this creep suddenly reappear before elections? Thought he moved out of state to D.C.

Dr Nemo
3 years ago

So they lost the tax amendment vote. Just means they’ll raise the income tax they already have along with some others and maybe make another run at the amendment next election. All this Democratic bloviating about “Ain’t Madigan Awful” is blowing smoke at the rubes. Of course the D press will pretend that they really mean it this time and once again express admiration for their heroes’ determined push for honest government. LOL. The party men have no intention of getting rid of Himself. He is the keystone of the party and has been for decades. The party maintained its… Read more »

John matuszak
3 years ago
Reply to  Dr Nemo

he is the “keystone” because he is the guy you bring your money to of you want to do business in illinois

Riverbender
3 years ago

Based upon some past Chicago election results the one that replaces Madigan might be worse.

Governor of Alderaan
3 years ago

Funny to hear the toilet-removing Dictator complain about the corruption of others

Governor of Alderaan
3 years ago

Were the Germans who turned on Hitler in April 1945 courageous?

Ex Illini
3 years ago

Madigan is the ultimate survivor. The metoo movement couldn’t get him, and if the feds had enough they would have indicted already for the ComEd scam. But no one lives forever Mikey. You look more frail by the day.

3 years ago

If he goes, watch the entire org go far far left—and watch the indictments as protected people turn.

NoHope4Illinois
3 years ago

Madigan may get run out, but he will ‘salt the earth’ on the way. Madigan can crush Pritzker, Emanuel, and Durbin with a single phone call – they know that. That’s why I don’t see it happening.

Downstate cynic.
3 years ago

The special interests that contribute to Madigan will control these lightweights( using this term figuratively, not literally.) As usual they never seem to understand it is their disregard for existing law, their policies and poor management that voters are reacting too. Nothing will change even if Madigan leaves. He will never face any repercussions or blame for the pending financial collapse of the state. He will become the most successful lobbyist in the state. States like New York, California and Illinois have been gerrymandered into forever blue states. If you do not like political favoritism, voter fraud, rising taxes, decline… Read more »

bob
3 years ago

Pretty sure there are only a couple left that have not been infiltrated

Leslie Munger
3 years ago

Politics over people. They love Madigan’s money and the power they get. Finally, it’s impacting them personally with election losses and now they are concerned. Imagine how much earlier we could have gotten here if we only had Fair Maps. Shameless is correct.

Eugene from a payphone
3 years ago

Looking at races for the Illinois General Assembly on the Chicago Board of Elections results site, some voter totals were as high as 10,000 to 11,000 votes cast in a given district. Madigan, running unopposed garnered 100% of the 875 votes cast in his district. Like fleas leaving a dead dog, Durbin and Duckworth and Governor Wideload are just looking for a new host now that they see his own voters rejecting Madigan by their absence.

NoHope4Illinois
3 years ago

It will be extremely interesting to see the election data and how many who voted ‘No’ on the Pritzker – Madigan ‘Fair Tax’ voted for Joe Biden and his massive +$4T tax and +$10T ‘Green New Deal’ taxes and fees.

The ‘Karens’ are domestic terrorists. And ‘Karens’ can be men to.

Eugene from a payphone
3 years ago

Over 90% of Chicago voters voted yes on the fair tax. Those folks are now hoping Biden bails out the pension funds. Stay vigilant!

madigans_spooge
3 years ago

its probably time to split Chicago off from the rest of the state.

KJ
3 years ago

Mike needs a big fish to distract, and I bet he’s angling for a fat one.

NB-Chicago
3 years ago

Was just listening to wttw-chicago tonight and Mike Flannery made an important point–now that Kilbride lost, Madigans & co are already planning to redistrict those districts that dumped Kilbride and make more it dem friendly to elect new supreme courts judge. That’s #1 priority for machine. Then maybe Madigan will resign.

anonymous
3 years ago
Reply to  NB-Chicago

Mike Flannery is biased.

Rick
3 years ago

The Biden administrations FBI will stop the Madigan investigation. The FBI doesn’t go after their domestic own fellow democrats, they are too busy with Russia. Just watch the fix is in for Madigan, he may have to leave, but he wont see a minute of jail time.

s & p 500
3 years ago

Prop 15 in Calif. looks likely to fail. That’s three tax increases for schools that have failed in just two years in L.A. Voters in Calif. might actually be getting tired of getting hit up for more money. Unions had big hopes for changing Prop 13 (the Howard Jarvis tax cut from 1978) for commercial property.

https://abc30.com/proposition-15-california-prop-explained-property-tax-increase-ca-results/7400226/

NB-Chicago
3 years ago

But none of the dem bigwigs are calling for an end the the whole dem machine/ pay-to-play eco-system where public sec union dues, trial lawyers $, etc are donate to ‘friends of madigan’ campaign funds to curry favors, squash reform legislation and keep us 2nd class illinoisans down on the farm…madigans just the figurehead. Who are they going to replace him with?

anonymous
3 years ago

People I know in Illinois are NO FANS of any of these DUMB A** Democrats. Pritzker is a jag, Duckworth and Durbin live high off the people of Illinois doing nothing. Madigan is someone who should have been told to get down long ago.

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