Jim Dodge argues that House Speaker Mike Madigan’s treatment of Rep. Scott Drury (D-Highwood) after Drury refused to go along with everything Madigan wants also sends a message to voters.
“The message is you need to just do what I say, and keep quiet about it,” Dodge, an Orland Park Republican running for state treasurer, told the Prairie State Wire. “This is classic behavior for Democrats, even when one of their own has the courage to stand up to the system.”
The clash between Madigan (D-Chicago) and Drury has waged ever since Drury didn’t vote for Madigan to return as House speaker. Drury, a former federal prosecutor, is running for attorney general in the Democratic primary and Madigan has been far from a supporter, culminating in a union the Illinois News Network reported has ties to Madigan trying to get Drury removed from the March 20 ballot.
Jim Dodge
“That’s the Madigan way and the way he does things should tell you something about him,” Dodge said. “Be it a candidate or an initiative, if it’s not in line with what he wants he will try to find a way to have it destroyed and the attacks are relentless.”
Dodge said the state and its residents are the real losers, and that explains why things have been so dire for so long for the cash-strapped state.
“Illinois has a lot going for itself in terms of the people and the skilled labor force it has, but the only way we can get back to that is by removing Madigan from power,” he said.
Dodge said the fact that Illinois has one of the highest effective tax rates in the country has left plenty of voters perplexed and angry, not to mention committed to electing enough Republicans to Springfield to oust Madigan as speaker.
"All the state’s dysfunction came during Madigan’s watch and can be attributed to decades of control by one party,” he said. “It’s beyond time we make a change.”
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