Governor Bruce Rauner is making another high-profile pitch for term limits. The longtime House Speaker Michael Madigan has an opposite view on the idea … as he told Amanda Vinicky at the Democratic National Convention.
Madigan’s been House speaker for a long time (nearly uninterrupted since 1983), and during that time, he’s amassed a lot of power.
That’s a big asset for Democrats trying to fend off the governor’s agenda, Madigan says.
“Why, I think it’s pretty clear that my longevity has put me into a position where I can successfully resist the extremism of Rauner, provide a check against the extreme ideas that he wants to bring into government.”
Madigan has long said Illinois already has term limits --- they’re called elections.
Still, term limits are popular with the public. Madigan ignored a question about why he hasn’t allowed the House to even vote on the subject.