Items related to Nobody Calls Just to Say Hello: Reflections on Twenty-Two...

Nobody Calls Just to Say Hello: Reflections on Twenty-Two Years in the Illinois Senate (Illinois Lives) - Softcover

  • 4.44 out of 5 stars
    16 ratings by Goodreads
 
9780809335855: Nobody Calls Just to Say Hello: Reflections on Twenty-Two Years in the Illinois Senate (Illinois Lives)

Synopsis


A loyal partisan and highly principled public official whose career overlapped with those of many legends of Illinois politics-including Mayor Richard J. Daley, Governor James Thompson, and Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan-Democrat Philip J. Rock served twenty-two years in the Illinois Senate. Fourteen of those years were spent as senate president, the longest tenure anyone has served in that position. This nuanced political biography, which draws on dozens of interviews conducted by Ed Wojcicki to present the longtime senate president's story in his own words, is also a rare insider's perspective on Illinois politics in the last three decades of the twentieth century. 

A native of Chicago's West Side, Rock became one of the most influential politicians in Illinois during the 1970s and 1980s. As a senator in the 1970s and senate president from 1979 to 1993, he sponsored historic legislation to assist abused and neglected children and victims of domestic violence, ushered the state through difficult income tax increases and economic development decisions, shepherded an unruly and fragmented Democratic senate caucus, and always was fair to his Republican counterparts. Covering in great detail a critical period in Illinois political history for the first time, Rock explains how making life better for others drove his decisions in office, while also espousing the seven principles he advocates for effective leadership and providing context for how he applied those principles to the legislative battles of the era. 

Unlike many Illinois politicians, Rock, a former seminarian, was known for having a greater interest in issues than in partisan politics. Considered a true statesman, he also was known as a skilled orator who could silence a busy floor of legislators with his commentary on important issues and as a devoted public servant who handled tens of thousands of bills and sponsored nearly five hundred of them himself. 

Nobody Calls Just to Say Hello, which takes its title from the volume of calls and visits to elected officials from constituents in need of help, perfectly captures Rock's profound reverence for the institutions of government, his respect for other government offices, and his reputation as a problem solver who, despite his ardent Democratic beliefs, disavowed political self-preservation to cross party lines and make government work for the people. Taking readers through his legislative successes, bipartisan efforts, and political defeats-including a heartbreaking loss in the U.S. Senate primary to Paul Simon in 1984-Rock passionately articulates his belief that government's primary role is to help people, offering an antidote to the current political climate with the simple legislative advice, "Just try to be fair, give everyone a chance, and everything else comes after that."

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author

Philip J. Rock (1937–2016) served fourteen years as the Illinois Senate president, longer than anyone in state history. Born a Catholic, a Democrat, and a Cubs fan, he demonstrated how a public official can be both a partisan politician and a principled leader striving to make government better serve its constituents. Widely acclaimed “for trying to do the right thing” and being fair to Republicans and Democrats alike, he interacted regularly with several giants in Illinois history, including Governor James R. Thompson, Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, and Chicago mayors Richard J. Daley, Harold Washington, and Richard M. Daley, which gave him a unique insider’s perspective on politics in both Illinois and Chicago. Many say he was the greatest statesman in Illinois politics in the last quarter of the twentieth century.
 
In his more than twenty-five years as a journalist, Ed Wojcicki gained extensive experience in reporting on local and state government in Illinois. For ten years he was the publisher of Illinois Issues magazine at the University of Illinois Springfield, where he also oversaw the publication of numerous books about Illinois government. A native of St. Louis, he is the author of A Crisis of Hope in the Modern World and a contributing author to four other books. He lives in Springfield, Illinois.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Buy Used

Condition: Very Good
May have limited writing in cover...
View this item

FREE shipping within U.S.A.

Destination, rates & speeds

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780809330713: Nobody Calls Just to Say Hello: Reflections on Twenty-Two Years in the Illinois Senate

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  0809330717 ISBN 13:  9780809330713
Publisher: Southern Illinois University Press, 2011
Hardcover

Search results for Nobody Calls Just to Say Hello: Reflections on Twenty-Two...

Stock Image

Rock, Philip J.; Wojcicki, Ed
ISBN 10: 0809335859 ISBN 13: 9780809335855
Used Paperback

Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.05. Seller Inventory # G0809335859I4N00

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 15.78
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Wojcicki, Ed,Rock, Philip J.
ISBN 10: 0809335859 ISBN 13: 9780809335855
Used Paperback

Seller: Midtown Scholar Bookstore, Harrisburg, PA, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Very Good - Crisp, clean, unread book with some shelfwear/edgewear, may have a remainder mark - NICE Standard-sized. Seller Inventory # M0809335859Z2

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 11.91
Convert currency
Shipping: US$ 6.00
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 6 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Ed Wojcicki
ISBN 10: 0809335859 ISBN 13: 9780809335855
New Paperback

Seller: Grand Eagle Retail, Mason, OH, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. A loyal partisan and highly principled public official whose career overlapped with those of many legends of Illinois politics-including Mayor Richard J. Daley, Governor James Thompson, and Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan-Democrat Philip J. Rock served twenty-two years in the Illinois Senate. Fourteen of those years were spent as senate president, the longest tenure anyone has served in that position. This nuanced political biography, which draws on dozens of interviews conducted by Ed Wojcicki to present the longtime senate president's story in his own words, is also a rare insider's perspective on Illinois politics in the last three decades of the twentieth century. A native of Chicago's West Side, Rock became one of the most influential politicians in Illinois during the 1970s and 1980s. As a senator in the 1970s and senate president from 1979 to 1993, he sponsored historic legislation to assist abused and neglected children and victims of domestic violence, ushered the state through difficult income tax increases and economic development decisions, shepherded an unruly and fragmented Democratic senate caucus, and always was fair to his Republican counterparts. Covering in great detail a critical period in Illinois political history for the first time, Rock explains how making life better for others drove his decisions in office, while also espousing the seven principles he advocates for effective leadership and providing context for how he applied those principles to the legislative battles of the era. Unlike many Illinois politicians, Rock, a former seminarian, was known for having a greater interest in issues than in partisan politics. Considered a true statesman, he also was known as a skilled orator who could silence a busy floor of legislators with his commentary on important issues and as a devoted public servant who handled tens of thousands of bills and sponsored nearly five hundred of them himself. Nobody Calls Just to Say Hello, which takes its title from the volume of calls and visits to elected officials from constituents in need of help, perfectly captures Rock's profound reverence for the institutions of government, his respect for other government offices, and his reputation as a problem solver who, despite his ardent Democratic beliefs, disavowed political self-preservation to cross party lines and make government work for the people. Taking readers through his legislative successes, bipartisan efforts, and political defeats-including a heartbreaking loss in the U.S. Senate primary to Paul Simon in 1984-Rock passionately articulates his belief that government's primary role is to help people, offering an antidote to the current political climate with the simple legislative advice: ""Just try to be fair, give everyone a chance, and everything else comes after that. A loyal partisan and highly principled public official whose career overlapped with those of many legends of Illinois politics, Democrat Philip J. Rock served twenty-two years in the Illinois Senate. This nuanced political biography is a rare insider's perspective on Illinois politics in the last three decades of the twentieth century. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780809335855

Contact seller

Buy New

US$ 24.99
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Ed Wojcicki
ISBN 10: 0809335859 ISBN 13: 9780809335855
New Paperback

Seller: AussieBookSeller, Truganina, VIC, Australia

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. A loyal partisan and highly principled public official whose career overlapped with those of many legends of Illinois politics-including Mayor Richard J. Daley, Governor James Thompson, and Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan-Democrat Philip J. Rock served twenty-two years in the Illinois Senate. Fourteen of those years were spent as senate president, the longest tenure anyone has served in that position. This nuanced political biography, which draws on dozens of interviews conducted by Ed Wojcicki to present the longtime senate president's story in his own words, is also a rare insider's perspective on Illinois politics in the last three decades of the twentieth century. A native of Chicago's West Side, Rock became one of the most influential politicians in Illinois during the 1970s and 1980s. As a senator in the 1970s and senate president from 1979 to 1993, he sponsored historic legislation to assist abused and neglected children and victims of domestic violence, ushered the state through difficult income tax increases and economic development decisions, shepherded an unruly and fragmented Democratic senate caucus, and always was fair to his Republican counterparts. Covering in great detail a critical period in Illinois political history for the first time, Rock explains how making life better for others drove his decisions in office, while also espousing the seven principles he advocates for effective leadership and providing context for how he applied those principles to the legislative battles of the era. Unlike many Illinois politicians, Rock, a former seminarian, was known for having a greater interest in issues than in partisan politics. Considered a true statesman, he also was known as a skilled orator who could silence a busy floor of legislators with his commentary on important issues and as a devoted public servant who handled tens of thousands of bills and sponsored nearly five hundred of them himself. Nobody Calls Just to Say Hello, which takes its title from the volume of calls and visits to elected officials from constituents in need of help, perfectly captures Rock's profound reverence for the institutions of government, his respect for other government offices, and his reputation as a problem solver who, despite his ardent Democratic beliefs, disavowed political self-preservation to cross party lines and make government work for the people. Taking readers through his legislative successes, bipartisan efforts, and political defeats-including a heartbreaking loss in the U.S. Senate primary to Paul Simon in 1984-Rock passionately articulates his belief that government's primary role is to help people, offering an antidote to the current political climate with the simple legislative advice: ""Just try to be fair, give everyone a chance, and everything else comes after that. A loyal partisan and highly principled public official whose career overlapped with those of many legends of Illinois politics, Democrat Philip J. Rock served twenty-two years in the Illinois Senate. This nuanced political biography is a rare insider's perspective on Illinois politics in the last three decades of the twentieth century. Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780809335855

Contact seller

Buy New

US$ 60.13
Convert currency
Shipping: US$ 37.00
From Australia to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket