MICHAEL MADIGAN, INDICTED.

He served as speaker of the Illinois general assembly for my entire career at Northern Illinois.  Those were not good years for state governance.  "Let the record show that Mr Madigan became speaker of the Illinois general assembly before the Chicago Bears last won a Super Bowl.  Maybe we owe the Soviet Union an apology, they at least had the good grace to disband when their gerontocracy and their politics proved to be past their sell-by date."  Although I've long suggested that the Chicago Democrats in Chicago and in Springfield ("Springfield politician" is a code word for "Chicago Democrat") have gone beyond the usual favor-trading and grifting, corruption investigations turned up little or nothing.  Until this week.  "Madigan is now one of the most significant politicians in Illinois history ever to face criminal charges, despite having left office more than a year ago."

The link goes to a full report on elements of the complaint.  John Kass, who knows more about the workings of the Chicago Combine, breaks it down.

I thought of Illinois Gov. Pritzker, the state’s porcelain prince, scrambling to distance himself from Madigan now that Pritzker is the Democratic boss. He bought the state party with his inherited hotel billions.

After the indictment, Pritzker made sure to make himself available to reporters, braying loudly about how much ethics mean to him, as if he was as pure as Caesar’s wife. And he didn’t mention his toilet caper once.

Yes, you’re allowed to smirk.

Thge "porcelain" reference is to a provision in the Illinois tax code by which if you rip the fixtures out of a house, it's "uninhabitable" and can be taxed at a lower rate. In the scheme of things, that's less awful than killing Illinois businesses and pretending it's saving lives.  Illinois, though, has been broken by the Combine.

Illinois and its politics are broken beyond repair. The racketeering indictment goes back at least a decade, with the federal investigation still continuing. And those who voted Democrat in election after election, so his servile minions in the legislature could maintain him as speaker and boss, decade after decade, are also responsible.

But there is one thing about Mike Madigan. Unlike Pritzker, he’s no hypocrite.

No, he just managed the rot.

I’ve been telling you for more than 20 years now, that big federal bus driven by the guy called ‘RICO’ keeps rolling. It’s been rolling from Chicago to Springfield and back again so many times now over the past several years, picking up state legislators, state senators, suburban mayors and corporate executives that RICO (Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act) can now drive it blindfolded.

I’ve waited for this Boss Madigan indictment day day for years. What is stunning, but not surprising are all those Democrats (and some Republicans), screaming at Madigan now, screaming and pointing like frightened primates at something dangerous at out there in the dark. What are the monsters they fear? The feds. And the voters, with elections coming.

This is primary season. It's time to turf them out.