Via Political Wire, I don’t think he’s grandstanding, guys. The clenched jaw, the flailing arms, the out-and-out-shrieking — this looks a lot more like a bona fide fit than a performance for the three shut-ins in Illinois who spend time watching floor proceedings in the statehouse. I want you to watch this twice, first for the freakout and then for the reaction by the woman in red directly behind him. She’s the only one who betrays any sense that something magical is happening.

Incidentally, what caused it is the state’s pension crisis. Surprise:

GOP state Rep. Mike Bost flew into a rage after leaders of the Democrat-controlled General Assembly submitted an 11th-hour plan to overhaul the state’s pension fund that excludes Chicago residents from sharing in the financial burden…

The bill would instead shift the costs to suburban and down-state school districts, which could result in an increase of local property taxes in those more conservative regions.

The Democratic leaders and other supporters of the plan argue the proposed change is fair because the property taxes of Chicago residents pay the retirement fund for city public schools, and the state pays part of the fund for down-state teachers, according to the Herald & Review newspaper.

Two clips, one of his Beale-esque moment and the other a more mellow reflection this morning with Fox News. Exit quotation: “You cannot continue to spend money you don’t have.”