As Edgar paused momentarily — and then settled on the word “incompetent” -— there was a brief yet boisterous eruption of applause and laughter among the crowd. Edgar provided this critique of the ongoing budget stalemate in response to a question from Jak Tichenor, the policy institute’s interim director, following Edgar’s prepared remarks.

First noting that Edgar had worked with Madigan and a Democratic Senate president while he was governor, Tichenor then asked him what the secret was to working across party lines, and with Madigan, given that the current political climate makes a full budget deal seem ever more elusive.

Edgar acknowledged that Madigan could be “extremely difficult to negotiate with.” He joked that when he had to undergo quadruple bypass in his first term and while he was running for a second, that he dedicated one of those to Madigan.