IL Dems Back Away From Governor Who Makes Waves, Backs Losers

CHICAGO — There's a saying in Chicago politics coined by the late Chicago ward boss, state Sen. Bernard J. Neistein: "Don't make no waves. Don't back no losers."

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has done both, repeatedly.

Voters rejected his $56 million marketing campaign to convince them to approve an income tax hike he tried to sell as "fair."

Pritzker's top-of-the-ticket influence wasn't enough to get his pick for state Senate president, Sen. Kimberly Lightford, elected over Sen. Don Harmon — who didn't support the billionaire in the 2018 gubernatorial election.

Last month, the governor made failed attempts to bully Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle into following his politically motivated coronavirus vaccine policies that local public health officials say make it harder for old folks to get shots.

And this week, Illinois Democratic Party Central Committee members balked at the governor's intensive lobbying effort to have his preferred candidate, Chicago Ald. Michelle Harris, take over as state party boss for former House Speaker Michael Madigan.

If Pritzker keeps acting like a boss without actually being one, well, he could end up like the guy he replaced. One term and done.

Illinois Republicans are already mocking the governor for his string of politically embarrassing losses while quietly preparing to skewer Pritzker for what the latest "L" means: Even members of his own party won't give him the power he wants.

Not even at the promise of access to inherited money in Pritzker's piggy bank.

"It shows that J.B. Pritzker has continued to make enemies in the party, and that's no good for the governor or his agenda," state Rep. La Shawn Ford said. "He goes in with knives, and people don't forget feeling the cut. … That's going to hurt his ability to get things done and keep people [in the party] from wanting him to be successful."

Despite Pritzker's crafted kumbaya Tweet congratulating U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly — who was elected state Democratic Party chairwoman despite Pritzker's wishes — there's no getting around the reality of what happened.

Pritzker's failed attempt to force an old-school consolidation of power in the state Democratic Party has left him standing on the wrong side of history alongside Madigan — the center of a federal corruption probe and the Republican's favorite foil for campaign attack ads.

With Madigan shoved to the sidelines, an ongoing federal corruption probe marching forward and the state Democratic Party's decision to defy its well-moneyed governor's wish to hand-pick a party chairwoman with Chicago Machine ties, Pritzker's phony reformer act has been laid bare, again.

In January 2020, Pritzker decried the "poisonous" corrupt political culture that he participated in under Madigan.

"Those who protect the culture. Those who tolerate it. Those who promote it. Well, they'll have to answer for their role in it," Pritzker said back then, and since then has done exactly nothing to push ethics reform in America's most corrupt state.

In autumn, after the feds implicated (but did not indict) Madigan as the beneficiary of a ComEd bribery scheme, the governor staged the beginnings of a phony mutiny against his strongest ally in Springfield.

Madigan must resign if the allegations are true, the governor said in November in an attempt to deflect from the truth: Pritzker and Madigan have been political cohorts since the billionaire won the 2018 Democratic primary.

MORE ON PATCH: Did Pritzker's $10 Million, Clout Jobs Buy Madigan's Influence?

Pritzker donated more than $10 million to campaign funds controlled by Madigan.

He appointed a second-generation Madigan loyalist to his Cabinet: Deputy Gov. Dan Hynes, son of the late Tom Hynes, a former state Senate president, Cook County assessor, 19th Ward boss and longtime ally of Madigan and the late Cook County President John Stroger, not necessarily in that order.

Madigan sent Pritzker a long clout list of bureaucrats, and the rookie governor put dozens of them on the state payroll.

Their alliance was strong. Madigan successfully whipped the Democratic super majority to pass Pritzker's ambitious legislative agenda — legalized weed, gambling, a Chicago casino and a massive infrastructure bill funded by a gasoline-tax hike.

As soon as Madigan relinquished power, Pritzker tried to take it.

The billionaire positioned himself to be the party's money guy behind a new, party leader with a Democratic Machine pedigree.

Harris is the protégé of Stroger — who didn't make waves or back losers, and got elevated with Madigan's help to take over as Cook County Democratic Party chairman.

After Stroger's death, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley appointed Harris as 8th Ward alderman. She replaced Todd Stroger on the City Council, whom Cook County Dems appointed to replace his father as County Board president, the Chicago Way.

Harris became a strong ally of former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who in turn became her biggest political patron, donating $134,878 to campaign war chests under her control.

She now serves as Lightfoot's City Council floor leader.

Longtime Democratic Party insiders say there's a reason powerhouse politicians turn to Harris to further their agenda: She's well liked by her elected colleagues and understands how to navigate complicated power dynamics and gigantic egos, a skill she acquired watching Stroger work with both boss-style mayors named Daley.

Kelly's ascension to party chair over Harris neither signals an end to old-school machine politics nor a rejection of Harris.

The only loser here is Pritzker.

With the Democratic Party divided, how long will voters back him?

Mark Konkol, recipient of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for local reporting, wrote and produced the Peabody Award-winning series, "Time: The Kalief Browder Story." He was a producer, writer and narrator for the "Chicagoland" docu-series on CNN, and a consulting producer on the Showtime documentary, "16 Shots."

More from Mark Konkol:

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• Army Vet Suffers Consequences Of IL's Inept Unemployment System
• Pritzker's Stats Obsession Will Intensify Vaccine Hunger Games