POLITICAL JUNKIE MY WANT TO
CHECK OUT.
PARIS.
>>Reporter: YES ABSOLUTELY
RIGHT.
FORMER ILLINOIS HOUSE SPEAKER
MADIGAN RULED STATE POLITICS
FOR DECADES.
AMID EXPANDING COMMENT BRIBERY
SCHEME INVESTIGATION HE
STEPPED DOWN FROM 2 POWERFUL
POSITION THIS YEAR TO
SPEAKERSHIP AND ROLE AS CHAIR
OF THE ILLINOIS DEMOCRATIC
PARTY.
NEW POD CAST FROM THE BETTER
GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION TELLS
THE STORY OF MADIGAN AND HOW
HE RAN ILLINOIS POLITICS FOR
SO LONG AND VERY OWN AMANDA IS
ONE OF THE MANY JOURNALIST
FEATURED IN IT.
JOINING US TO TALK ABOUT THE
POD CAST IS JUSTIN KAUFMAN.
PRODUCER AND HOST OF THE
MADIGAN RULE.
ALSO REPORTER FOR THIS GROUP.
GOOD TO SEE YOU.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>>Reporter: GOOD TO HAVE YOU.
SO POD CAST TAKES LISTENERS
ALL THE WAY BACK TO MADIGAN
EARLY DAYS IN POLITICS
STARTING WITH HIS TIME AS DPAR
PANEL TRUCK WORKER.
EXPLAIN THAT.
>> WELL HE GREW UP SOUTH WEST
SIDE OF CHICAGO DOWN BY MIDWAY
AIRPORT.
13 WARD WHICH IS 22 DISTRICT
WHICH HE REPRESENTED.
HE CAME FROM A FAMILY THAT WAS
POLITICAL.
DAD PRECINCT CAPTAIN AND FIRST
JOB WAS HE GOT ON THE BACK OF
THE TRUCK.
HE WORKED HIS WAY UP.
HE DID INTERNSHIP IN THE LAW
OFFICE AND HE GOT INVOLVED
WITH MAYOR DALY AT THE TIME
AND FOUND HIMSELF AS DELEGATE
ACTUALLY SENT TO WORK ON THE
ILLINOIS CONSTITUTION
CONVENTION IN SPRINGFIELD IN
1970.
THAT IS HOW HE GOT HIS START.
IT REALLY IS A STORY ABOUT A
CHICAGO KID WHO ROSE TO RANK
AND BECAME CHICAGO POLITICIAN
WHO BECAME ESSENTIALLY AWARD
BOSS WHO BECAME A SPEAKER OF
THE HOUSE.
NOT JUST SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE.
LONGEST SERVING STATE HOUSE
SPEAK INTERAMERICAN HISTORY.
NOT JUST ILLINOIS.
AMERICAN HISTORY.
>>Reporter: WHAT HAVE YOU
LEARNED IN THE EARLY DAYS THAT
PLANTED THE SEED TO WHERE HE
WOULD BECOME SO SUCCESSFUL AS
PARTY BOSS.
>> OLD ADDAGE ALL POLITIC IS
LOCAL.
MADIGAN TOOK IT TO THE NEXT
LEVEL.
SUPER SIZING OF CONSTITUENT
MAKING SURE EVERYBODY IN THE
TAKEN WARD WAS TAKEN CARE OF.
I'M NOT SAYING PICKING UP
GARBAGE OR MAKING SURE POT
HOLE ARE FIXED.
MAKING SURE THAT THE KIDS HAD
JOBS AND EVERYONE WAS
ESSENTIALLY HE WORKED FOR MAD
BEGAN MACHINE AND MAD BEGAN
ORGANIZATION, YOU WERE ABLE TO
FIND I DON'T WANT TO SAY
REWARD BUT BE ABLE TO TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF PATRONAGE, A BIG
PRIZE AT THE TIME WHEN IT CAME
TO CHICAGO POLITIC.
I THINK OBVIOUSLY SUPER
SERVING HIS CONSTITUENT THEN
LOYALTY AND DISCIPLINE AND
JUST BEING AROUND REALLY
IMPRESSIVE POLITICAL MIND.
I MENTIONED MAYOR DALY AT THE
TIME AND HE SPARRED WITH IN
THE EARLY DAYS HE LEARNED HE
STUDIED UNDER A THE OF
IMPRESSIVE NAMES INCLUDING
BILL ROCK AND HIS PEER WITH
YOUNG GOVERNOR EDGAR STATE REP
AT THE TIME AND GREAT STORIES
THAT ARE TOLD BY FORMER
GOVERNORS AND LAWMAKERS
CURRENT AND FORMER ABOUT THOSE
DAYS OF HIM COMING UP.
>>Reporter: HE HAD A GOOD
WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH
FORMER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR
EDGAR AND THAT LOYALTY WAS
BUILT NOT THROUGH HARD POWER
OR THREAT BUT SEEMS LIKE
THROUGH REWARDING OF JOBS AND
IN YOUR POD CAST YOU TALK
ABOUT HOW HE SPENT A LOT OF
THE WORKDAY ACTUALLY CHECKING
UP ON FOLK THAT DID POLITICAL
WORK FOR HIM AND MAKING SURE
THEY WERE SET UP WITH JOBS.
>> THAT WAS THE WAY IT WAS.
THAT WAS POLITICS BACK IN THE
DAY RIGHT.
BEFORE THE IT WAS MADE ILLEGAL
THAT YOU COULD REWARD CAMPAIGN
WORKERS WITH STATE JOBS THAT'S
WHAT YOU DID.
YES HE WANTED TO MAKE SURE HE
HAD JOBS OPEN AT DIFFERENT
DEPARTMENT IN THE STATE.
MAKE SURE THAT HELPED THE
CITY.
ALL OVER THE PLACE MAKING SURE
HIS PEOPLE WERE TAKEN CARE OF.
IN RETURN THEY WORKED HARD FOR
HIM.
RIGHT NOW ALLSTATE GOVERNMENT
THERE'S NOT AN OFFICE THAT
SOME ONE HE DIDN'T.
>>Reporter: EVERY LEVEL OF
GOVERNMENT TOWNSHIP ALL OVER
THE PLACE THAT JUSTIN, WHAT
DID YOU LEARN THAT SURPRISED
YOU?
SO MUCH REPORTED ON MADIGAN
OVER THE YEARS. ANYTHING FROM
TALKING TO PEOPLE THAT WORKED
WITH HIM THAT KIND OF SHOCKED
YOU?
>> YOU AND I HAVE COVERED MIKE
MADIGAN OUR ENTIRE CAREER.
YOU GET TO A CERTAIN POINT
WHERE YOU THINK YOU HAVE HEARD
IT ALL OR YOU FOLLOW WHATEVER
THE POLITICAL
CHARACTERIZATIONS ARE OF HIM.
I LEARNED A TON ABOUT WHO HE
WAS AND ALSO JUST WHO HE WAS
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS.
HOW HE ACTED WHEN HE WAS
WORKING WITH HIS NOT JUST HIS
ALLY BUT HIS FOLKS.
WHAT I FOUND INTERESTING WAS
HOW MUCH REFERENCE THAT OLD
REPUBLIC HAVE FOR MADIGAN.
FORMER GOVERNOR RYAN FORMER
GOVERNOR EDGAR.
THEY DIDN'T TALK OF HIM AS
MAYBE HIM BEING ADVERSARY HAD
YOU TO GET PAST.
THEY TALKED ABOUT THE FACT
THAT HE WAS ALWAYS A STRAIGHT
SHOOTER.
SAID WHAT HE MEANT.
DIDN'T LIE TO THEM.
WASN'T DISHONEST.
CAME STRAIGHT AT THEM WITH
WHAT HE WANTED TO DO AND
ACCOMPLISH.
HE WAS ALWAYS AVAILABLE TO
MAKE A DEAL.
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT
EVERYTHING THAT HAS HAPPENED
TO MADIGAN IN THE HAS 5 YEARS
TO FAILED FAIR TAX TO
EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED WITH
CONTINUE TO HAPPEN WITH THE
COMED SCANDAL.
THEY FORGET WHAT A SUCCESSFUL
POLITICIAN HE WAS WORKING
ACROSS THE AISLE AND GETTING
THINGS DONE FOR PEOPLE.
>>Reporter: IT CAME TO AN END
UNDER GOVERNOR BRUCE HAD
FAMOUSLY HAD A HORRIBLE FEUD
WITH HIM THROUGH THE ENTIRE 4
YEARS IN OFFICE.
HE TOLD YOU SOMETHING IN YOUR
POD CAST ABOUT A LUNCH THAT HE
HAD WITH MADIGAN BEFORE HE WAS
GOVERNOR.
WHAT DID HE SAY.
>> YES.
A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY THEY KNOW
THIS.
BUT THE GOVERNOR TOLD ME AND I
HAVE 4 OF THE 5 LIEUTENANT
GOVERNOR TO TALK ON THE POD
CAST.
>>Reporter: DO A CAMEO.
>> I DIDN'T THINK ABOUT THAT.
BUT GOVERNOR ROUNDER TALKED
ABOUT HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH
THE SPEAKER BEFORE HE GOT INTO
POLITIC.
GOVERNOR ROUNDER WAS
BRUCE, THE PHILANTHROPIST.
HE WAS RAISING MONEY FOR
EDUCATION AND HE WAS GIVING
MONEY TO DEMOCRAT INCLUDING
SPEAKER MADIGAN.
SO THEY WOULD MEET FOR
BREAKFAST.
IN THE CITY.
GOT TO KNOW EACH OTHER AND
THERE WAS A COUPLE TIMES WHERE
BRUCE TOLD THE STORY WHERE HE
SAT DOWN WITH MIKE MADIGAN.
WHY DO YOU DO IT.
WHAT IS IT.
YOU WANT TO BE GOVERNOR.
WHY DO YOU WANT TO CONTINUE TO
BE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE WHAT'S
IN IT FOR YOU. GOVERNOR
SAYS, HE SAYS MIKE MADIGAN
JUST SAID IT'S IMAGINE POWER
AND MAKE MONEY OFF PLANNINGING
POWER.
THAT WAS HIS PHILOSOPHY.
THAT WAS THE EEVT OS WHEN IT
CAME TO TALKING TO BRUISE
ROUNDER AT BREAKFAST AT
CHICAGO CLUB DOWNTOWN.
THERE'S A LOT OF STORIES LIKE
THAT.
PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT MIKE
MADIGAN YOU KNOW THIS FAMOUS
DOESN'T TALK TO THE MEDIA
MUCH.
>>Reporter: CERTAINLY SEEMS
THAT WAS THE END AND MANE FOR
MADIGAN.
SURPRISED HE WOULD ACTUALLY
SAY THAT OUT LOUD.
LASTLY WHAT IS MADIGAN LASTING
HELPING IS SITUATION NOW THAT
HE'S GONE?
>> THAT'S THE CORE OF THE POD
CAST IS ABOUT.
IT'S ABOUT IF HE IS HE THE
MOST SUCCESSFUL AND POWERFUL
POLITICIAN IN ILLINOIS HISTORY
OR IS HE THE CORRUPT
POLITICIAN OUT FOR HIMSELF AND
PEOPLE AROUND HIM AND HE DID
THAT ANY MEANS NECESSARY
INCLUDING TAXPAYER MONEY.
THAT'S WHAT WE DON'T KNOW.
BUT IN THE POD CAST TRYING TO
FIGURE OUT WHICH ONE KIND OF
RISES TO THE TOP AND IF THEY
CAN BE MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE.
THAT'S KIND OF WHAT WE GET
INTO.
AT THE END OF THE DAY I'M NOT
SURE I HAVE AN ANSWER FOR YOU.
>>Reporter: IT SEEMS LIKE AT
TIMES WILL PROVIDE AN ANSWER
TO THAT.
SEE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IN 10
OR 20 YEARS.
JUST CONTINUE THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR BEING HERE.