5/21/11
Yesterday, the Democratic (Speaker Mike Madigan, really) controlled Illinois House released its decennial remap of its districts. What is not surprising is that Mike Madigan, who, in addition to being the most effective Illinois politician since the death of Richard J. Daley, has proven to be one of the world’s foremost cartographers, went a long way toward insuring continued Democratic dominance of the state House for the next ten years by repeatedly lumping incumbent Republicans into the same districts. What is especially remarkable is the reason that Mr. Madigan was able to once again exercise his considerable map making skills: he managed to maintain control of the House despite the Republican tidal wave that swept the country, and, at least regarding the U.S. House, the state of Illinois, in 2010. Say what you will about the man, he is very good at what he does. But I digress.
While it is not a surprise the Mr. Madigan and his many minions were able to manufacture a map that maintains their majority in the House, the reaction of at least one Republican was a surprise. Representative Mike Fortner (R., West Chicago), the GOP’s point man on redistricting, according to the Chicago Tribune (Saturday, 5/21, page A4), questioned whether packing together so many GOP incumbent lawmakers was “reasonable.” What a silly question. Of course it wasn’t reasonable; it was politics.
Mr. Fortner himself was placed in a district with one of his fellow GOP incumbents, Tim Schmitz of Batavia. In response, Mr. Fortner said he wants “to find out why they (Speaker Madigan and his sycophants (my words, not Mr. Fortners)) did the things they did.” Even though I have never attained the lofty post of point man for the GOP remap or even that of a lowly Illinois State House backbencher (or much of anything else, for that matter), I can answer that questions for Representative Fortner: Because they can. Or, as Mr. Fortners’s GOP colleague, Sidney Mathias (R., Buffalo Grove) a man who appears to be more schooled in the ways of the world, or at least in the ways of Mr. Madigan’s world, than Mr. Fortner, put it, in a way that would make George Washington Plunkett proud, “It certainly is, to the victor goes (sic) the spoils.”
I don’t know Mike Fortner. I don’t know if he is a young man or an older man. I don’t know if he is a great guy or an insufferable curmudgeon. I don’t know if he is a smart man or dim bulb. I don’t know if he is a popinjay or a yeoman. However, judging from his statements in the wake of Mr. Madigan’s seizing his duly won spoils, one has to wonder why a man of such naiveté is in the position the House GOP has put him. Perhaps this says a great deal more about the state of the Illinois GOP than it does about Mr. Fortner.
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4 comments:
Mike Fortner is a Ph.D physicist at Fermilab and a professor at NIU. He is easily the smartest legislator in the Illinois House. It is very likely the MSM has taken his comments out of context. He deserves to retain his seat and to move on to higher office if he has the desire and given the opportunity to do so.
Dr. Fortner doubtless knows his physics, but he’ll have to learn a lot more about how politics works in this state if he hopes to move up the ladder in the tribal world of Illinois governance, unless, as you conjecture, his comments were taken completely out of context.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
I agree with the first comment. Mike is a very smart physicist and accomplished cartographer, having submitted the winning proposal on how to remap Ohio's districts.
I think Mike's comments were purely political in nature. He knew what was coming and it didn't surprise him at all. He was just trying to spin the issue to attempt to gain any political points he can.
Another thing that separates Mike from the crowd (besides his Ph.D in physics) is his refusal to shave his beard off as all campaign consultants advise candidates.
So yes, Mike is not a typical go along to get along tribal Illinois politician, but he is good guy.
5/26/11
I’m delighted to learn that he is not a “go along to get along” politician, but if he is going to be able to deal with those types he has to understand the nature of the business. His comments may have been taken completely out of context, as the other commenter indicated, and/or he might have been engaging in some spin (which would make sense for a physicist, come to think of it), as you suggested. However, taken at face value, Dr. Fortner’s observations indicate that he does not yet understand the bare-knuckled, take no prisoners, suffer no fools (and, come to think of it, spare no cliché) politics of the 13th Ward, whence his most salient adversary originates.
Nonetheless, your saying he is a good guy means a lot to me; I have learned much of him today and wish him well in his career. His prospects would improve exponentially, though, were he to read The Chairman and The Chairman’s Challenge, by yours truly.
Thanks, Jay, for reading, commenting, and enlightening me.
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