Madigan losing Midas touch?

MIDAS TOUCH House Speaker Michael Madigan "has really been off his game the past several months," writes Capitol Fax publisher Rich Miller. Examples include running away from TV reporter Chuck Goudie, the awkward power play that ended Lisa Madigan's possible campaign for governor, sparring with his Senate counterpart over pension reform and, now, a very public spat with Better Government Association President Andy Shaw. Writes Miller: "The rich irony of Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan denouncing somebody else for attempting to be a 'kingmaker' is so obvious and laughable that I can’t help but wonder why a guy who’s been a take no prisoners kingmaker himself for so long in this state would ever think of saying such a thing." A great analysis from someone who knows a thing or two about how Madigan has operated over the years. Read it here.

DEAR MIKE Meanwhile, the BGA's Andy Shaw fires back at Madigan, who last week accused him of being an aspiring "kingmaker" and of using bullying tactics as the BGA investigated the government employment histories of 30 of Madigan's political volunteers. "Dear Mike," writes Shaw, "We haven’t talked in months, so I was surprised to learn that, in your capacity as Illinois Democratic chairman, you recently sent a letter to party leaders condemning the Better Government Association and my tenure as its CEO." We'll find out later this week whether Madigan accepts Shaw's invitation to the BGA's 90th anniversary luncheon on Thursday. Read Shaw's letter here.

MAKING THEIR PITCH No, the picture below is not a barbershop quartet, even if the subjects do look harmonious. It's the four Republican candidates for governor gathered together Saturday in Rosemont for the Restore Illinois Summit, put on by Americans for Prosperity. The event brought out conservative voters statewide and an array of local and national speakers. The candidates gave speeches explaining why they deserve the nomination in March and how they plan to defeat Pat Quinn in November. Correspondent Tara Garcia Mathewson was there and filed this report.

PENSION HOPE? The General Assembly returns to Springfield tomorrow for the second and final week of the fall veto session. The big question is whether, nearly five months after it convened, the special pension conference committee will have a bill ready to offer for a vote. Pessimism reigned until this surprise last week from four members of the committee on "Chicago Tonight." Check out the video here. There may be reason for hope after all.

SIMPLISTIC SOLUTIONS ABOUND The Associated Press today has a Q&A interview with Richard Dye, one of the authors of last week's study by the Fiscal Futures Project of the Institute for Government and Public Affairs that said Illinois is not merely in a temporary financial crisis, but suffers from a chronic ailment. Dye warns of the "simplistic" solutions to the state's financial trouble that seem to emerge from every corner. Everyone should heed Dye's words in this interview. I explain why and excerpt a few highlights here.

NIGHTMARE The Chicago Tribune over the weekend offered a city of Chicago version of the IGPA report cited above. It found that financial practices instituted during the Daley administration -- like paying for short-term expenses with long-term bonding -- are now causing big problems for the city. That's one of the articles summed up today in our daily news wrap-up from around the state. Get your daily news update here.

RUTHERFORD LIVING THE TWEET LIFE State Treasurer and GOP gubernatorial hopeful Dan Rutherford has long been an active and avid user of social media. At times he's been accused of sharing too much on his social channels. The Associated Press used Rutherford's trail of tweets to ask whether the treasurer was mixing official travel with campaign stops. I've got highlights from the AP story plus some added background on Rutherford's social media history. More than any other candidate, Rutherford understands that you have to have a little fun with social media. Examples here.

HEADLINES: Here are the headlines from the wrapup above:

• A Better Government Association analysis reveals that two Blue Island brothers are in line for six combined government pensions when they retire. (BGA)
  4. One of the most important questions for the five candidates for governor in Illinois is how they plan to handle the looming expiration of the state’s temporary income tax hike. (The Southern Illinoisan)
  3. Opinion: Senate President John Cullerton said the state’s unfunded pension mess was not a “crisis.” One report agrees it’s not a crisis…it’s much worse. (Herald & Review)
  2. And here’s a Q&A with one of the authors of that report, produced by the University of Illinois Institute of Government and Public Affairs. (Associated Press)
  1. The Chicago Tribune has an extensive investigation into how Chicago has routinely used bond money for short-term expenses and how that will affect future generations. (Chicago Tribune)