If the speaker of the Il house does it then it's not illegal

[stevebreeze]

Seriously how the hell do we get rid of Mike Madigan. His insistence on maintaining his power to direct Democratic politics of all house races is going to cost the Democrats dearly in the next election. We can not clean up politics in IL without changing the way we run elections (i.e. public funding) and we can not even pretend to have done that until we dethrone Madigan.

[davsand]

1. Is there any place in Illinois where his scorched earth campaigns haven't pissed off locals?

Seems to me that the more I talk to Dems across the state, the more I realize there just are not too many places where the vicious campaigns they want to run have not managed to piss off locals in one way or another.

I've seen them come in and run Primaries that are just WAY over the top--then they lose in the General because they have left that candidate looking like a complete jerk. I have also seen them come in and cause nothing but dissension in the local party that continues well after election day. The arrogance is staggering.

Sad to say, none of us will ever see publicly funded campaigns in this state simply because Madigan and his Republican counterpart really like having the fiefdom that is created by the money and power they wield.



Laura

[stevebreeze]

2. there has got to be a way, we just have to find it

One thing that occurred to me today is how the new law is so obviously and ridiculously unfair.
As I understand it Madigin as head of the Democratic party can give as much money as he wants, yet you and I are limited to $5K. Isn't that unequal protection under the law? I don't know why it wouldn't be but I am no lawyer, just pissed off.