Senator Garrett on Cable and Streaming: Blago, Madigan, Thompson, Edgar and much more
Jeff Berkowitz: ... are you Rod's and Emil's girl...
Senator Garrett:... I don't think of myself as anybody's "girl."
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Senator Garrett: Yeah, [Blagojevich] has a different approach; he is younger, he is more progressive, he wants change, he wants it his way. And, Madigan wants it his way.
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Jeff Berkowitz: ...you’ve been there all those years. Has Rod been running a cumulative three billion dollar deficit?
Senator Garrett: ...Yeah, there are budget holes, they’ve been there with Rod Blagojevich, they’ve been there with George Ryan and they’ve been there with Gov. Thompson.
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This week’s City of Chicago and City of Aurora editions of Public Affairs features State Senator Susan Garrett (D-Lake Forest, 29th Senate District). The show with Senator Garrett airs through-out the City of Chicago tonight [Sep. 24] at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21 [CANTV] and tonight at 7:30 pm on Aurora Community Television, on Comcast Cable Ch. 10 in Aurora and some surrounding areas. The Aurora station reaches all of Aurora, Bristol, Big Rock and parts of Oswego, Sandwich, Sugar Grove and Montgomery.
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You may also watch the show with Senator Garrett and very recently posted shows with 14th CD Republican Primary candidate Mayor Kevin Burns and former Senator Rauschenberger on your computer at PublicAffairsTV.com. In addition to the very recently posted shows, prior shows on the "Public Affairs," podcast page feature a show with Senators Durbin and Dodd, Cong. Kucinich and others; Democratic Presidential Candidates Senator Barack Obama and Governor Richardson; possible Republican opponents to Senator Durbin next fall: Dr. Steve Sauerberg and Jim Nalepa; and 14 TH Cong. Dist. Democratic Primary Candidates Jotham Stein and John Laesch and 14th Cong. Dist. Republican Primary candidate Senator Chris Lauzen (R-Aurora). Additional previously posted shows feature Presidential candidates Giuliani, McCain and Cox, and many other pols and opinion makers. You may also watch these "Public Affairs," shows, and others, at www.itunes.com
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For more about Garrett's District, tonight's topics and a partial transcript of tonight's show, go here.
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Another partial transcript of the "Public Affairs," show with guest Senator Susan Garrett is included, below:
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Jeff Berkowitz: ...The Senate President Emil Jones is lined up with Gov. Blagojevich-
Senator Garrett: um, um.
Jeff Berkowitz: So, are you Rod's and Emil's girl, if I can use that expression?
Senator Garrett: No, I am not Rod's and Emil's girl ... I consider myself very independent and I am very proud of my independence so I don't think of myself as "anybody's girl."
Jeff Berkowitz: But, Hillary Clinton said to some unions and others, "If you want somebody to fight, I'm your girl." So, it's okay to use that phrase, right?
Senator Garrett: I'm not their "girl..."
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Jeff Berkowitz: …the six-ring circus. What does that mean?
Senator Susan Garrett [D-Lake Forest]: …it’s Mayor Daley, it’s [Senate President] Emil Jones, it’s [Speaker] Mike Madigan, it’s [House Republican Leader] Tom Cross, and it’s [Senate Republican Leader] Frank Watson and—
Jeff Berkowitz: And, did you say the Governor?
Senator Susan Garrett: And the Governor.
Jeff Berkowitz: Yes.
Senator Garrett: Didn’t want to leave him out. That must have been subliminal. I am sorry about that.
Jeff Berkowitz: Some would say—the Governor runs a big tent. Does he run the biggest tent in the circus?
Senator Garrett: I think they all have—
Jeff Berkowitz: Is he the biggest guy, though? [Former Senator] Steve Rauschenberger said Rod Blagojevich is the most powerful Democrat and perhaps the most powerful politician in the state of Illinois. He said not necessarily the most effective, but he said he is the most powerful. That surprised me. Would you say Blagojevich is more powerful than Speaker Mike Madigan…
Senator Garrett: I think what we are seeing is a power struggle.
Jeff Berkowitz: And, Emil [Jones] is somewhere in there?
Senator Garrett: Yes. Power struggle between Mike Madigan and Rod Blagojevich.
Jeff Berkowitz: Mike Madigan…he would be the Speaker of the Illinois House
Senator Garrett: And the Chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party.
Jeff Berkowitz: And he has held both those positions for all but two years of the last thirty, or something like that?
Senator Garrett: Yes. Yes. So, he [Madigan] is seasoned. He has been there. He knows how the game works and I think Rod is coming in—maybe with some of his other colleagues—
Jeff Berkowitz: Rod Blagojevich, the Democratic Governor?
Senator Garrett: Yeah, he [Rod] has a different approach; he is younger, he is more progressive, he wants change, he wants it his way. And, Madigan wants it his way.
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Jeff Berkowitz: Because Rauschenberger said this…he was on the show a week or two ago [watch that show with Senator Rauschenberger streaming/cable on IllinoisChannel or on Public Affairs] and he said that Rod has always had holes in his budgets, cumulatively there is about a three billion dollar deficit, and I think that Dan Hynes, the Democratic State Comptroller backs that up. [Go here for more about the Rauschenberger show, including a partial transcript]. You’re in the State Senate, you’ve been there all those years. Has Rod been running a cumulative three billion dollar deficit?
Senator Garrett: Well, unfortunately, the way the budget works is that on June 30th, there is a balance, and it’s balanced. July 1st, you know the bills start coming in and the payment, so you can absolutely say that at any given point in time, the budget is never perfectly balanced. Yeah, there are budget holes, they’ve been there with Rod Blagojevich, they’ve been there with George Ryan and they’ve been there with Gov. Thompson.
Jeff Berkowitz: No, were they? Really?
Senator Garrett: It’s the way, it’s--
Jeff Berkowitz: You missed Jim Edgar. Were they there with Jim Edgar?
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Senator Susan Garrett, as she is airing tonight at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21, CANTV on the City of Chicago edition of Public Affairs and at 7:30 pm on Aurora Community Television, on Comcast Cable Ch. 10 in Aurora and some surrounding areas. The show was recorded on Sep. 9, 2007.[You may also go here to watch Senator Garrett and many other politicians on PublicAffairsTV.com].
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Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. You may watch "Public Affairs," shows with Presidential Candidates Richardson, Obama, McCain, Giuliani and Cox and many other pols at www.PublicAffairsTv.com
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Senator Garrett:... I don't think of myself as anybody's "girl."
**********************************
Senator Garrett: Yeah, [Blagojevich] has a different approach; he is younger, he is more progressive, he wants change, he wants it his way. And, Madigan wants it his way.
**********************************
Jeff Berkowitz: ...you’ve been there all those years. Has Rod been running a cumulative three billion dollar deficit?
Senator Garrett: ...Yeah, there are budget holes, they’ve been there with Rod Blagojevich, they’ve been there with George Ryan and they’ve been there with Gov. Thompson.
**********************************
This week’s City of Chicago and City of Aurora editions of Public Affairs features State Senator Susan Garrett (D-Lake Forest, 29th Senate District). The show with Senator Garrett airs through-out the City of Chicago tonight [Sep. 24] at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21 [CANTV] and tonight at 7:30 pm on Aurora Community Television, on Comcast Cable Ch. 10 in Aurora and some surrounding areas. The Aurora station reaches all of Aurora, Bristol, Big Rock and parts of Oswego, Sandwich, Sugar Grove and Montgomery.
***********************************************************
You may also watch the show with Senator Garrett and very recently posted shows with 14th CD Republican Primary candidate Mayor Kevin Burns and former Senator Rauschenberger on your computer at PublicAffairsTV.com. In addition to the very recently posted shows, prior shows on the "Public Affairs," podcast page feature a show with Senators Durbin and Dodd, Cong. Kucinich and others; Democratic Presidential Candidates Senator Barack Obama and Governor Richardson; possible Republican opponents to Senator Durbin next fall: Dr. Steve Sauerberg and Jim Nalepa; and 14 TH Cong. Dist. Democratic Primary Candidates Jotham Stein and John Laesch and 14th Cong. Dist. Republican Primary candidate Senator Chris Lauzen (R-Aurora). Additional previously posted shows feature Presidential candidates Giuliani, McCain and Cox, and many other pols and opinion makers. You may also watch these "Public Affairs," shows, and others, at www.itunes.com
*****************************************************************
For more about Garrett's District, tonight's topics and a partial transcript of tonight's show, go here.
************************************************
Another partial transcript of the "Public Affairs," show with guest Senator Susan Garrett is included, below:
*********************************
Jeff Berkowitz: ...The Senate President Emil Jones is lined up with Gov. Blagojevich-
Senator Garrett: um, um.
Jeff Berkowitz: So, are you Rod's and Emil's girl, if I can use that expression?
Senator Garrett: No, I am not Rod's and Emil's girl ... I consider myself very independent and I am very proud of my independence so I don't think of myself as "anybody's girl."
Jeff Berkowitz: But, Hillary Clinton said to some unions and others, "If you want somebody to fight, I'm your girl." So, it's okay to use that phrase, right?
Senator Garrett: I'm not their "girl..."
*************************************************
Jeff Berkowitz: …the six-ring circus. What does that mean?
Senator Susan Garrett [D-Lake Forest]: …it’s Mayor Daley, it’s [Senate President] Emil Jones, it’s [Speaker] Mike Madigan, it’s [House Republican Leader] Tom Cross, and it’s [Senate Republican Leader] Frank Watson and—
Jeff Berkowitz: And, did you say the Governor?
Senator Susan Garrett: And the Governor.
Jeff Berkowitz: Yes.
Senator Garrett: Didn’t want to leave him out. That must have been subliminal. I am sorry about that.
Jeff Berkowitz: Some would say—the Governor runs a big tent. Does he run the biggest tent in the circus?
Senator Garrett: I think they all have—
Jeff Berkowitz: Is he the biggest guy, though? [Former Senator] Steve Rauschenberger said Rod Blagojevich is the most powerful Democrat and perhaps the most powerful politician in the state of Illinois. He said not necessarily the most effective, but he said he is the most powerful. That surprised me. Would you say Blagojevich is more powerful than Speaker Mike Madigan…
Senator Garrett: I think what we are seeing is a power struggle.
Jeff Berkowitz: And, Emil [Jones] is somewhere in there?
Senator Garrett: Yes. Power struggle between Mike Madigan and Rod Blagojevich.
Jeff Berkowitz: Mike Madigan…he would be the Speaker of the Illinois House
Senator Garrett: And the Chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party.
Jeff Berkowitz: And he has held both those positions for all but two years of the last thirty, or something like that?
Senator Garrett: Yes. Yes. So, he [Madigan] is seasoned. He has been there. He knows how the game works and I think Rod is coming in—maybe with some of his other colleagues—
Jeff Berkowitz: Rod Blagojevich, the Democratic Governor?
Senator Garrett: Yeah, he [Rod] has a different approach; he is younger, he is more progressive, he wants change, he wants it his way. And, Madigan wants it his way.
*******************************
Jeff Berkowitz: Because Rauschenberger said this…he was on the show a week or two ago [watch that show with Senator Rauschenberger streaming/cable on IllinoisChannel or on Public Affairs] and he said that Rod has always had holes in his budgets, cumulatively there is about a three billion dollar deficit, and I think that Dan Hynes, the Democratic State Comptroller backs that up. [Go here for more about the Rauschenberger show, including a partial transcript]. You’re in the State Senate, you’ve been there all those years. Has Rod been running a cumulative three billion dollar deficit?
Senator Garrett: Well, unfortunately, the way the budget works is that on June 30th, there is a balance, and it’s balanced. July 1st, you know the bills start coming in and the payment, so you can absolutely say that at any given point in time, the budget is never perfectly balanced. Yeah, there are budget holes, they’ve been there with Rod Blagojevich, they’ve been there with George Ryan and they’ve been there with Gov. Thompson.
Jeff Berkowitz: No, were they? Really?
Senator Garrett: It’s the way, it’s--
Jeff Berkowitz: You missed Jim Edgar. Were they there with Jim Edgar?
***********************************************
Senator Susan Garrett, as she is airing tonight at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21, CANTV on the City of Chicago edition of Public Affairs and at 7:30 pm on Aurora Community Television, on Comcast Cable Ch. 10 in Aurora and some surrounding areas. The show was recorded on Sep. 9, 2007.[You may also go here to watch Senator Garrett and many other politicians on PublicAffairsTV.com].
********************************
Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. You may watch "Public Affairs," shows with Presidential Candidates Richardson, Obama, McCain, Giuliani and Cox and many other pols at www.PublicAffairsTv.com
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