IL Senate Constitution Party Candidate Koppie Benefit From Protest Vote

RFFM.org ^ | October 7, 2008 | Dan Zanoza

[Daniel T. Zanoza]

Editor's note: The following interview was conducted with Chad Koppie by Dan Zanoza, the Executive Director of RFFM.org. Koppie is seeking the U.S. Senate seat in Illinois under the Constitution Party banner. Koppie talks about abortion, gun control, the economy and other matters of import facing America today.

Biography: Chad Koppie is a longtime activist. Koppie is a retired commercial airline pilot. He flew for Delta Airlines. He eventually held the position of Senior Jumbo Jet Captain. Koppie's family is also intimately involved in the farming industry. Koppie's family still operates a farm in Gilberts, Illinois. Koppie has run for and served on the Illinois District 300 School Board, Rutland Township Board of Trustees, Humana Hospital Board, and currently holds office as Kane County Regional School Board Trustee.

Chad Koppie: "In His Own Words"

Q. You are running on the Constitution Party ticket. Can you tell RFFM.org readers why you entered the U.S. Senate race in Illinois?

A. There are probably too many reasons why I am undertaking this challenge to list for your purposes. But let me share a few of my concerns with your readers.

I believe America is on the slippery slope to moral decay. Indeed, we are well underway down that slope and our country needs leadership. I'm not talking about the need for more politicians. I am saying we need to send statesman to Washington, D.C. and America has strayed away from that premise for years now. Due to this fact, we are seeing the impact on our culture, our economy and the way our nation is viewed around the World. We are seen as a country which has lost its moral base.

Q. Let's get down to brass tacks. What are some issues you care about most and would be your priority...

[PhilCollins]

I plan to vote for Koppie. He’s the only candidate, in that race, who is pro-life, pro-gun, and anti-illegal alien. Other than Durbin, Koppie is the only candidate, in his race, who has held an elected office.

[BillyBoy]

BTTT

Chad has my vote.

[BillyBoy]

The reason why Sauerberg's supporters seems so hellbent in trying to sell him on FR lately is because they're scared of Chad Koppie, who's far more qualified and far more conservative.

Sauerberg's polling absolutely nothing and Durbin is coasting to re-election, but there's 10 times as many threads on this forum for Sauerberg than there was for Durbin's opponent from six years ago (Jim Durkin, a fairly decent conservative state rep. who ran a better campaign) Obviously the ILGOP fears being humiliated with "electable" Sauerberg and needs conservatives to have a respectable showing.

The ILGOP really stepped in it by shoving another RINO down our throats in the primary. They figured it would be a two-way race and we'd have to support him.

[Clintonfatigued]

Durban would have been the overwhelming favorite no matter who won that primary, because no one well-known bothered to run. The ‘Rat dominance of Chicago, the leftward trend in the Chicago suburbs, and the economic & demographic decline of downstate Illinois guaranteed that.

[fieldmarshaldj]

This country is SOOO f’d. We’re giving these criminals and cretins carte blanche to destroy everything in sight, preserve and augment their own power and line their pockets. It’s disgusting.

[Clintonfatigued]

Too many Republicans and conservatives moved away from Illinois. There weren’t enough left behind.

[BillyBoy]

Well there's a difference between running a respectable campaign and losing and running a pathetic campaign where the incumbant rolls over you. Durkin 2002 is the first example and Sauerberg 2008 is the latter.

Jim Durkin had no shot against Senator Durbin in 2002 because he had no money, and couldn't even run TV ads. However, he did unify all the anti-Durbin base in the state, and won nearly 40% of the vote, as well as probably two dozen counties in Illinois (mostly the safe Republican areas)

Steve Sauerberg, at best, is polling about 10 points BELOW Durkin's numbers. Generally, even a lousy GOP candidate should get at least a third (33%) or so of the electorate to vote for them statewide, simply because at least one third of the electorate is going to oppose the other party no matter what. If you get less than 33% (Keyes got 27%), the candidate has probably not only failed to get any crossover Dem votes or independant votes, but probably lost some of their "base" of Republican-leaning voters as well.

Sauerberg is a rather successful doctor and basically got the state GOP to support him by pledging to spent millions of his own money to make up the difference, so money isn't the problem. Sauerberg is.

I just think it's really pathetic that Sauerberg's volunteers have resorting to lying and trying to con conservatives into thinking Sauerberg is conservative to get their votes.

[BillyBoy]

>> Too many Republicans and conservatives moved away from Illinois. There weren’t enough left behind. <<

That's part of the problem too. It seems the GOP states are moving further right and the DEM states are moving further left. Most conservatives here in the Chicago area are hoping to move to Indiana if we had the opportunity.

Some pundit recently said the reason why Illinois 2008 no longer votes Republican like Illinois 1988 is that most of people who USED to vote Republican here 20 years ago are now in one of there places: 1) Florida, 2) Arizona, or 3) Six feet under.

Hey, my uncle grew up in Illinois and now him and his whole family live in Florida, so I can see what they mean by that. I think alot of old Republican voters from Illinois are now retired in the south or west.

Of course, some southern freepers would argue the opposite --- according to them, all their states that used to elect FDR luvin' socialists 30 years ago were "true conservative" states and have been "ruined" by supposedly "liberal yankees" moving there. I think the opposite is true, most of the folks moving down south are conservative, while most of people moving up north are liberal.

I've told them many times I would gladly do an exchange program where we will take our "liberal" yankees back if they take back our southern transplants -- namely Jesse Jack$on (father and son), Bobby Rush, and Danny Davis. (and Hawaii can have Obama back, too).

So far they haven't taken me up on the offer.

[fieldmarshaldj]

"(and Hawaii can have Obama back, too)."

*cough*Indonesia*cough*

[BillyBoy]

I don’t care who takes him (hell, I’ve heard humors Obama was born in Canada too) as long as the south carolina freepers who whine about evil “yankees transplants” get their guy Jesse Jackson back in his “home” state. Fitting irony. ;-)

[fieldmarshaldj]

Je$$e $cum Jack$on and Junior would never come back to South Carolina because unlike in IL, they could never get elected.

[BillyBoy]

>> Je$$e $cum Jack$on and Junior would never come back to South Carolina because unlike in IL, they could never get elected. <<

News to this Obamabot who currently serves as House Whip:

Je$$e Jack$on was never elected statewide in Illinois, he was merely elected in a "safe" Democrat district. Is that doable in South Carolina? Certainly. (though I'm not sure Jessee could do it in his hometown of Greenville)

The thing is these southern freepers constantly whine about how these evil yankees are moving in and "telling him how things are done up north and we don't care". According to them, NO southerner would never move up north and try to get elected. This is news to all of us in the Chicago area, who have to put with the Je$$e's constantly lecturing Illinoisans about how things were done in "Selma". We really don't care about "Selma". Like I said, I'll gladly take the yankees back if they can have all the liberal blowhards they sent us.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Jim Clyburn, ugh. He wouldn’t have the seat were it not for the racist Justice Department mandate, but he’s nowhere near Greenville. Greenville is one of the most heavily GOP areas of SC (even the Mayor is a Republican, and it’s really just an “inner city” of less than 60,000 that can’t annex out, otherwise it’d be a city of about 300,000+ and the largest in the state).