Who Am I?
I am the State Senate President and a State Senator from Illinois 6th District. - "Thank you for visiting my website. As Illinois State Senator for the 6th District, I am happy to provide my constituents and friends with this resourceful guide to Illinois and the district I represent." (State Senator John Cullerton Website, www.senatorcullerton.com, Accessed 12/11/08)

What I have done for Blagojevich:
I was one of Blagojevich's earliest supporters, standing with him when he announced his candidacy for Governor in 2002. - "Thousands of residents from Democratic strongholds across the city came out in force Sunday in support of U.S. Rep. Rod Blagojevich, who made his candidacy for Illinois governor official at the North Side steel mill where his father was a machinist. ... Officials on hand included state Senators John Cullerton" (Chicago Sun Times, Blagojevich Joins Race For Governor, August 13, 2001)

I voted against recalling blagojevich, an effort that fell just three votes short. - "The Illinois Senate on Thursday narrowly defeated a measure aimed at giving voters a chance to recall Gov. Rod Blagojevich, but lawmakers on both sides of the issue blasted the embattled governor during a debate that raised statehouse tensions to a new level. The legislation fell three votes short of passage ... Democrats voting no ... Cullerton..." (Chicago Tribune, Rancor Left In Wake Of Recall Loss, May 2, 2008)

I voted for three pay raises for Blagojevich in less than two years for a total of 18%. (SB241, HB3866, SB1102)

I endorsed him in the 2006 Democratic primary over his reformer opponent, Edwin Eisendrath: Nor does it mean Cullerton is voting for Eisendrath...Is he going to vote for Blagojevich?..."Oh, yes, absolutely," Cullerton said. "I think he deserves a second chance" (Chicago Sun Times, Gov Lacks Support In The Trenches, January 8, 2006)

What I have said about Blagojevich:
"Oh, yes, absolutely...I think he deserves a second chance" (Chicago Sun Times, Gov Lacks Support In The Trenches, January 8, 2006)

"We're not talking about ultimatums here and trying to stick it to [Blagojevich]. It just makes more sense to try to work with him" (Associated Press, New Ill. Senate president raises hopes, November 24, 2008)

What Blagojevich Says About Me:
"What's really good about him being state Senate president is that he wants to do a lot of things and get things done for people," (Chicago Sun Times, Springfield Shakeup, November 30, 2008)

My Broken Promises:
I called for a special election to replace Obama. - "Before I take office as the President, we should pass legislation changing the law to allow for special election for the replacement of Sen. Obama. And I believe that Sen. Jones will support me in that effort." (The Politico's "Ben Smith" Blog, "Illinois Official Float Special Election, November 9, 2008)

But I, along with my fellow Democratic leaders, refused to call a special election and allowed the appointment of Roland Burris to happen.

Mike Madigan and I sabotaged campaign finance reform with a bill that is even worse than the status quo - "Those caps on contributions -- $5,000 from individuals and $10,000 from corporations, unions and other groups, and a miserly $90,000 from committees run by party leaders -- are subject to all sorts of multipliers. A candidate can now have three campaign committees instead of one, and the limits are based on calendar year, not election cycle -- which not accidentally gives incumbents a big edge in fundraising. In-kind contributions are virtually unrestrained. There's more, but you get the picture.

We've argued repeatedly that caps on contributions won't check the influence of big donors: Politicians will always find loopholes to exploit. But it takes a special kind of audacity to draft a bill with the loopholes so clearly highlighted, and even more gall to try to pass it off as reform. This is an incumbent-protection bill." (Chicago Tribune, Anybody got a match?, June 11, 2009)

I'm trying to pass a massive tax increase, while avoiding the blame - "The current Democratic strategy for passing a state income tax increase couldn't be more transparent: Blame minority Republicans for all the horrors that allegedly will occur if -- for lack of more taxing power -- Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn chooses to slash spending on social services.

Senate President John Cullerton, House Speaker Michael Madigan, good luck with that one: Your party owns Springfield. Yet after failing to stop Illinois from chronically overspending by the billions, you expect voters to now blame the minority party for ... not helping you pass a Democratic-sponsored tax increase? (Chicago Tribune, Stand Firm, June 18, 2009)