Unintimidated whatsoever by concerns that a price could be paid by the passage of the 36 year old Equal Rights Amendment, House Speaker Mike Madigan used House Rules to replace two Democrats in Jud 1 today. Madigan's shrewd political tactic was to replace State Reps Careen Gordon and Jay Hoffman by State Reps Mary Flowers and Greg Harris, who each voted Yes in support of the ERA, keeping the committee vote along party lines -- Dems for, GOP against.
Gordon and Hoffman each face threats by Republican conservatives in their home districts, so Speaker Madigan relented to their begs to be let off the hook and not have to make the tough vote "No" as their conservative districts would demand. Hopefully, Gordon challenger David McAloon and Hoffman challenger Kay will use this spineless maneuver to demonstrate to their districts how phony their current state reps are.
So what's the big deal about passing the ERA in committee?
This can be seen as nothing less than rubbing the prolife/profamily movement's face in the fact that Democrat liberals are in control of Illinois and, well, they have to live up to their quid pro quo agreement with the pro-abort, anti-traditional family lobby in Springfield.
Mark this day as the day Mike Madigan has shed the pro-life disguise he has been hiding behind for years as he so wittingly convinced gullible pro-life and pro-family lobbyists for years that he's "one of them."
The tragedy is that phony disguise has kept Madigan in power for so long. I, for one, am weary of having our noses disgracefully rubbed in the fact that we strive to defeat the ERA in order to protect innocent life, defend traditional families and hold on to the greatness of a constitution that already treats the sexes equally.
And has anyone pointed out to Mr. Madigan that someday he may have to explain to one of his daughter Lisa's little ones that == thanks to Grandpa and the maneuvers he pulled while Speaker of the Illinois House in 2008 -- that when they turn 18, those little girls will be required to register for the draft?
This is bigger than a committee loss. Anyone who holds to traditional values should be outraged. The question is, what are you/we going to do about it?
