Illinois Speaker of the House Mike Madigan is Absolutely Right and Correct to Reject Candidate Caps.

There is great outcry voiced by the news media that Speaker Madigan should put caps on party contributions to candidates. Oh, Hell No!  That is the only way good candidates get into office and really effective people get to stay in office.

The Chicago Tribune made this beef on Friday October 9th, “Democrats are OK with curbs on individuals, corporations, labor unions and political action committees. But putting limits on those groups without restricting party contributions gives party leaders even more power than they already have. By propping up campaigns — or withholding money — party leaders maintain their tight-fisted control over rank-and-file members.

Democrats say limits on party contributions would give special interests an edge: Though the proposal would limit how much a PAC could give, several PACs working for a common cause could each contribute the maximum. Result: The PACs could outspend the parties.”

That’s right.

The Reform glue-sniffers can’t have that – they want to put more lead in their hose on Election Day, by limiting Party Contributions, while boosting PAC gifts.  Last year, the memory challenged Deborah Harrington got angry – really angry – for all of us!

“The people of Illinois forced this veto,” said Change Illinois! co-chair Deborah Harrington, president of the Woods Fund of Chicago. “Today we ask them to rise up again and join us in urging their legislators on the need to impose limits on all campaign contributions.”

Deb Harrington’s ‘rising up angry’ was over the Quinn veto of the Change Illinois legislation and the subsequent slow-walk of Deb’s concerns by elected official who actually know what they are doing. Deb Harrington has a very foggy memory of Barack Obama and Bill Ayers joint contributions to the Woods Fund of Chicago, but Deb knows all about obstructing the election of real professionals from public office.

Politics is an art.  Progressives can not finger paint.  Mike Madigan is Cimabue, the last master of Byzantine style and the mentor of Giotto.

The cap limiting a $100,000 contribution by either political party is stupid, because it serves to advance really stupid people with Progressive credentials.  Jan Schakowsky, Illinois’s Turkish Delight, is in Congress because she was such a pain in the derriere her whole career in Springfield and she was appointed to launch her limbs out of the State where she can do little harm.  When old Sidney Yates hung up his gloves, Springfield waved goodbye to Jan – “Jan, here’s your hat; what’s your hurry!”
Progressives now legislate competency out of office with Reforms like the Cap on Contributions, which give more sand to the scales held by 501©3 Guerrillas like the Woods Fund of Chicago.

Political Parties provide a gradus and have a strict rule – ‘Don’t Screw Up!’  Progressives return hapless dopes to office all the time and make room for new ones like Julie Hamos and Toni Preckwinkle, because the Party does not go broke backing them.  They get funded by Emily’s List, Planned Parenthood, ACORN/SEIU and other PACs.

Political Parties should back their candidates to the absolute limits of the candidate’s worth and the depth of their coffers. The better the candidate the more the Party offers.

Speaker Madigan is training Giottos – Republican and Democrat.

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Patrick Hickey is a regular columnist for the Chicago Daily Observer

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