Monday, June 16, 2008

Way Better than Krashesky's NewsViews w/ Rauschenberger and Durkin: Berkowitz w/ Sen. Kwame Raoul on cable and streaming

Jeff Berkowitz: Would it be the case that Speaker Mike Madigan and Governor Rod Blagojevich hate each other?...
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Jeff Berkowitz: Speaker Mike Madigan related this story. Once when he was speaking just with Rod Blagojevich and they were negotiating something, Speaker Mike suddenly realized Rod wasn’t talking to him, he was talking to the two thousand people behind the Speaker. There weren’t two thousand people, of course, but that’s how Mike Madigan sees Rod Blagojevich...
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Tonight's City of Chicago and City of Aurora edition of "Public Affairs," features Senator Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago) . The show with Senator Raoul airs throughout the City of Chicago tonight at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21 (CANTV) and also tonight in Aurora and surrounding areas at 7:30 pm on ACTV, Cable Ch. 10. The Aurora station, Aurora Community Television, Comcast Cable Ch. 10, reaches all of Aurora, Bristol, Big Rock and parts of Oswego, Sandwich, Sugar Grove and Montgomery.

Turn on, tune in and watch discussions Of Barack Obama, Trinity Church,the sixteeen billion dollar pension bond sale, the enhanced penalty for illegal gun sales and the battle over the operating and capital budgets between Speaker Mike, Senate President Jones and Gov. Blagojevich on tonight's show in Chicago and Aurora with Senator Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago). Go here for partial transcripts of tonight's show, as well as for a more detailed list of topics discussed on tonight's show and for more about our guest.
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You may also >watch the show, taped on June 1, 2008, with Senator Raoul(D-Chicago) here.
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A partial transcript of tonight's show is included, below:

Rod and Speaker Mike: They hate each other's guts?

Jeff Berkowitz: Would it be the case that Speaker Mike Madigan and Governor Rod Blagojevich hate each other? Would that be too strong?

State Senator Kwame Raoul[D-Chicago]: I can’t speak for them—

Jeff Berkowitz: Does it appear that way? You’ve seen them up close. Up close.

State Senator Kwame Raoul: They’re not too fond of each other.

Jeff Berkowitz: Not too fond of each other. And Senate President Emil Jones and Speaker Mike Madigan, they don’t get along too well either.

Senate President Jones and Speaker Mike: they seldom feel the love.

State Senator Kwame Raoul: I don’t think it’s [strained] to the same extent the relationship between the Governor and the Speaker is strained. I think there is residue from last year when the Speaker felt that the President betrayed him on a promise to override the budget. And there’s animosity on the President’s part because he felt like the Speaker was meddling in his caucus.

Jeff Berkowitz: [The tension between Jones and Madigan] is not quite as personal as it appears to be between Speaker Mike and the Governor.

State Senator Kwame Raoul: Right.

Speaker Mike: Plotting for Lisa?

Jeff Berkowitz: That’s a personal distaste. Maybe some of it is because Rod’s looking at Speaker Mike Madigan with his daughter the Attorney General, who everybody has always thought would like to be Governor. He may be suspicious that Speaker Mike, whatever he’s doing, may be doing to help his daughter become Governor, as opposed to execute good public policy. That’s how Rod may look at it. The Speaker may look at it and say Rod’s not serious about public policy. He says it’s like the permanent press conference [or permanent campaign for Rod]. Speaker Mike Madigan related this story. Once when he was speaking just with Rod Blagojevich and they were negotiating something, he suddenly realized Rod wasn’t talking to him, he was talking to the two thousand people behind him. There weren’t two thousand people, but that’s how Mike Madigan sees Rod Blagojevich, I think, and that’s the problem he has. He doesn’t see him as somebody who’s seriously involved in governing. When you put it all together—Jones, Madigan, Blagojevich, Illinois Democratic government—and that’s what it is, because Democrats have it all. They have the House. They have the Senate. They have the Governorship. Some would say they have the state Supreme Court. It’s all dysfunctional.

State Senator Kwame Raoul[D-Chicago]: I would agree that our government, all together, comprehensively, Democrats and Republicans, are dysfunctional. One other thing—

Do Republican Leaders Cross and Watson matter?

Jeff Berkowitz: Why do you include the Republicans in that? What do they have to do with it?

State Senator Kwame Raoul: Let me explain that. Too often people focus on partisan politics. And the greatest divide is not the partisan politics, it’s the regional politics. The number one lesson I learned when I first went down to Springfield after Barack was elevated was, outside the city of Chicago, there’s the state of Illinois, and the two are not the same, as far as it’s viewed in Springfield. There’s a strong anti-Chicago animus from legislators, from their constituents—

Jeff Berkowitz: From downstate.

State Senator Kwame Raoul[D-Chicago]: And that’s stronger than the partisan politics. So often times, you have measures that are not passed on a partisan basis, but more so on a regional basis.
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Thanks to "Public Affairs," intern Amy Allen for preparing a draft of the above partial transcript of tonight's show.
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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 Obama, McCain, Giuliani and Cox, tonight's show in Chicago and Aurora with State Sen. Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago); our prior shows with Comm. Forrest Claypool (D-Chicago), State Rep. Candidate Joan Solms (R-Aurora), 6th CD Democratic candidate, Colonel Jill Morgenthaler (Ret.), State Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) and shows with many other pols at www.PublicAffairsTv.com
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Recently posted shows on the Public Affairs YouTube page include tonight's show in Chicago and Aurora with Sen. Kwame Raoul(D-Chicago), this week's show in the Chicago Metro suburbs with Senator John Cullerton (D-Chicago)- watch here; our prior shows with State Rep. candidate Joan Solms (R-Aurora), Comm. Forrest Claypool (D-Chicago) on the Obama Presidential campaign and shows with many other pols