AP
Former state Sen. Bill Morris of Waukegan has some advice for the 19 House Democrats who want to overthrow Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.
“They have to come up with a better name,” said Morris, a member of the so-called Crazy Eight group of independent-minded Democrats who sparked a six-week battle in 1977 for the Illinois Senate presidency.
Morris was mostly joking. “The 19,” as the group is currently known, has bigger challenges than what to call itself, not least of which is how to become 60 — the number needed to choose a speaker.
But a cohesive identity that captured the public imagination was no doubt an asset for the Crazy Eight during the protracted 1977 holdout that ended with Democrat Tom Hynes of Chicago being elected on the 186th ballot.