Posted on 02/29/2004 8:48:41 AM PST by Chi-townChief
Greatly restricted by lack of campaign resources, Elgin state Sen. Steve Rauschenberger is fighting uphill in his effort to emerge as standard-bearer in the Republican Party's U.S. Senate primary.
Several independent polls have the senator trailing front-running Jack Ryan by double-digit margins and also running behind Aurora dairy magnate Jim Oberweis and Chicago businessman Andy McKenna.
Nonetheless, we support Rauschenberger for the GOP nomination, finding him the most thoughtful and articulate in the large field of candidates. He also is the one with the most legislative experience and mainstream GOP idealism.
We think if elected in November, he would best be able to represent the interests of all Illinoisans, the most likely to bridge partisan divides in Washington. His history of doing just that in Springfield, and of building coalitions for the common good in this state, is well-known.
Rauschenberger's experience includes two terms in the Senate, and a rapid rise to leadership as chairman of the Appropriations Committee in just two years. A master of detail, he has authored complicated legislation on rate regulation, utility deregulation, cost-structure issues.
Fiscally conservative, the family furniture businessman also styles himself a "pragmatic progressive" on social issues. He favors building the third airport in Peotone and leveraging a larger percentages of federal road and bridge funds for rebuilding Illinois' infrastructure, especially extending Interstate 355 south to New Lenox.
Among the other candidates, we find Ryan an intriguing alternative. Extremely bright and articulate, Wilmette-raised Ryan prepped at New Trier High and then attended Dartmouth College, graduating with high honors and then earning an MBA from Harvard Business School. He then went on to obtain a law degree from Harvard Law.
His business success is legend: In 15 years at the Goldman Sachs investment banking firm, he made partner and earned millions before retiring at age 40. For the last three years, he has taught at all-African-American Hales Franciscan High School in Chicago, teaching classes in history, English, law and SAT preparation.
In this campaign, he is arguing for promoting wide parental choice in education, vouchers to help deserving students fill the estimated 40,000 empty desks in private schools, reforming No Child Left Behind (which he supports in concept). He wants to bolster homeland security with increased and redirected federal outlays, strike out at corporate welfare, hold the line on military spending by redeploying our defenses to fight terrorism at its roots.
As for the other hopefuls, we find Oberweis too doctrinaire — particularly on the illegal immigrant issue that he has only recently embraced — and too conservative to erect an inclusive party tent. McKenna has strong business-building credentials, but has not articulated solid positions on some issues important to us here in the Southland.
We applaud many aspects of the somewhat lonely candidacy of Major Gen. John Borling, combat fighter pilot who was for 6½ years a Vietnam prisoner of war. In particular, he makes a strong case for "a common crucible of service" to country, espousing universal service that could provide not only for the common defense, but for border security, reforestation, protection of dams, power plants and nuclear facilities. The socially moderate Borling is the only GOP pro-choice candidate.
Other candidates in the race include Dr. Chirinjeev Kathuria, who feels he has lived the American Dream while building several spectacularly successful high-tech businesses, and downstate conservative Jonathon Wright, a prosecutor and former state representative.
I thought his name was Obama Bin Lyin.
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