Posted on 03/02/2004 12:56:10 PM PST by Rollee
OPINION -- Today, IllinoisLeader.com's Tribal Council announces the final Republican U.S. Senate candidate we will eliminate in our Survivor quest to determine our endorsement.
The Elephant Tribe currently has two competitors. They are, as they appear on the March 16 Republican primary ballot: Rauschenberger and Ryan.
Contender Norm Hill was cast out of the Tribe February 16. Contender Dr. Chirinjeev Kathuria was cast out February 18. Contender General John Borling was cast out February 20. Contender Jim Oberweis was cast out February 23. Contender Jonathan Wright was cast out February 25. Contender Andy McKenna was cast out February 27.
Moving on to the challenge...
We are sure the seventh candidate eliminated from the Survivor Elephant Tribe’s competition today knows full well no matter how good one is at this game, he is always at risk. This candidate plays the game hungry but confidently. We like that.
This candidate employed a smart and daring strategy by getting into the game early - first, as a matter of fact.
He also demonstrated brilliant organizational and strategic skills by hitting the ground running, front-ending his campaign with assets and personnel to jump out front of the competition. He has shown consistent political savvy by pumping his campaign with ads, endorsements, and announcements at crucial times to stay ahead of the pack.
Because this candidate always scored first or second in the polls, he has been able to stay above the fracas of competitor attacks, not compelled to crawl into the political mud-slinging pit to be seen and heard. This has been good for him and for the ILGOP as a whole, which remains seriously wounded by past and present Tribe members and leaders who selfishly drain the GOP’s espirit de corps.
Barring a Deanlike last minute campaign meltdown, we expect this player will emerge as the GOP primary winner. Due to his game playing skills and character demonstrated thus far, the GOP as a whole will be more likely to gather behind him after March 16, if the other players and their supporters are politically mature enough to do what is right for the sake of the President’s agenda and the country.
Because of his various attributes, not the least of which is his financial stockpile, we expect this game player will not only survive this preliminary competition but will also thrive in the ultimate competition against the Donkey Tribe primary winner.
But for this primary Survivor competition, the Tribal Council is focused on who will make the very best general election warrior for our tribe.
Here, at the end of the game, candidates have few faults, especially this "All Star" 2004 cast of U.S. Senate Republican primary players. These few faults must be weighed - which are of greater and lesser significance?
At another time and place, this candidate would have been our choice.
To his credit, he is the only candidate we know who took it upon himself to gather conservative and pro-family leaders together for two meetings to woo them. He was willing to face public grilling to garner support from people who knew their issues inside and out and who indeed are very picky.
When Al Salvi and Peter Fitzgerald gathered together conservatives in ‘95 and ‘97, pro-family leaders sent out marching orders to their troops throughout the state, and the grassroots began to multiply.
But it didn’t happen so easily in this campaign. With so many in the race, conservatives could be more selective and more demanding.
That said... Strike One
There are some issues this candidate either refused to address or dragged his feet before addressing. This prevented some skittish conservatives from jumping eagerly onto his bandwagon. They came not to resist him but simply not to trust him. The perception that he was unwilling to take hard stands on important issues caused pro-family leaders and Second Amendment activists to pause.
Pro-lifers wanted a candidate who held no rape and incest abortion exceptions, something that was offered them by two GOP gubernatorial candidates in 2002.
Pro-family activists wanted a candidate who would take a leadership role opposing gay marriage and homosexual civil unions.
Second Amendment activists wanted someone who would oppose the ban on assault rifles and support conceal and carry.
Looking ahead, this candidate gradually came out with policy statements worded carefully to express support but not too much. Mature conservatives understand our so-called “fringe” positions are used to damage a candidate in the general election, when the large chunk of independent voters must be won over. Strong views can sometimes come back to bite, and having strong views with no brass ring is fruitless. That’s where pragmatism comes into play.
Strike Two
However, there was one issue this candidate wouldn’t touch, the elephant in the elephant room - corruption in the Illinois Republican Party. He walked away from the overarching issue of 2004, obviously not wanting to alienate the remaining powers-that-be, impotent though they be.
When IllinoisLeader.com asked this candidate’s opinion as to whether Illinois Republican National Committeeman Bob Kjellander should step down, after Kjellander personally benefited by $800,000+ in lobbying fees after striking a deal with our Democrat governor for services still unknown, this candidate returned a “no comment.”
When columnist John Kass asked this candidate the same question in a Chicago Tribune editorial board meeting, Kass reported this candidate said “he did not know exactly what the other candidates were talking about but said he'd have an opinion, once ‘I find out what he did.’” Kass said the situation was explained to him, and he said he'd “reserve judgment until he had more facts.”
We suppose the main reason Kass got even that much out of this candidate was because they were talking face-to-face. Overall, this candidate’s staff surrounds him so tightly that it is difficult to reach him - perhaps another strategy.
While it is understandable and even admirable for a serious candidate to weigh the options before making a statement calling for a national committeeman to step down, this candidate’s refusal to step up against blatant corruption worries us.
Since this candidate has no legislative experience, we have no clue how he will respond to corruption when under the stress of being a U.S. Senator.
Republican conservatives are entitled to know whether our candidate would take on the corrupted establishment both in Illinois and D.C., to fight for us back home.
At IllinoisLeader.com, the corruption issue aces many other issues, because without removing the tumult of corruption surrounding the IL GOP, our ideas for reform will not be heard.
The ideas this candidate espouses about education reform will be meaningless unless and until the Republican Party’s collusion with powerful Chicago Democrats - the bipartisan combine - is addressed. All our reform ideas about education, promoting a culture of life, and strengthening the foundation of the one-man/one-woman marriage will not be heard until the ILGOP is deemed respectable enough to present them.
Remaining silent for fear of angering the powers-that-should-not-be causes us to withhold full endorsement and raises an additional concern. Will this candidate allow himself to be bullied by the bipartisan combine? While he says he will retain Patrick Fitzgerald as U.S. Attorney, will he maintain his courage?
While we are concerned about this candidate’s efforts to seemingly promote federal involvement in education, we are pleased he is breaking down racial, economic, and philosophical barriers with his candidacy. We hope to see more candidates do the same in the future.
Strike Three
Finally, we are disappointed with the recent revelations of a potential connection of this candidate to the abortion industry. For whatever reason, he was not willing to speak to IllinoisLeader.com and answer specific, fair questions on the issue. The answers could have cleared him from any perceptions he was willingly increasing his personal wealth via abortion. He instead chose, perhaps on the counsel of his handlers once again, to blow off the Leader’s questions. In our mind, that was poor strategy - hoping to render the matter irrelevant by ignoring it.
That’s a gamble, and it’s not forthright.
Still, we expect this candidate to emerge March 16 as the Republican primary winner because of his funding, his pleasing media presence, his developing network statewide, and his genuine ability to win the hearts of those with whom he speaks.
However, for our purposes - wanting a clear voice against party corruption and conservative issues - issues that cause people to go to the polls in the first place - we are looking for a Senate candidate with the ability and willingness to defend our positions on issues rather than hide behind consultants.
The question we asked ourselves in the end: “Which Senate candidate do we want to go toe-to-toe against Senator Hillary Clinton? Who will be a warrior, challenging her ilk’s radical leftist views?
Jack Ryan, you are a great candidate. You are clearly a fiscal conservative with a strong background on fiscal policy. Your sincerity is compelling and winning.
You are also a candidate who presents a good face to the Illinois Republican Party, an aspect that cannot be overlooked. While we think your obvious charm and personal charisma may have incited jealousy and suspicion among some conservative frumps, we consider them pluses. We’ve seen you work a room, and you are gifted at winning support.
But we agree, as former teenage heartthrob Rick Springfield said in this week’s People magazine, “I always think there’s some reason a guy is successful, and it’s not just because he’s cute.” Your successes in the business world and your well-run campaign demonstrate that.
But for now, the Tribal Council is snuffing your torch. Our game winner is one we believe will stand the greatest chance of survival against the primary winner of the Donkey Tribe and then stand for our issues in the U.S. Senate.
The Tribe has spoken.
We will announce our full endorsement of U.S. Senate Republican candidate State Senator Steve Rauschenberger tomorrow.
ARRGGHH! I've been PUNG!! It's working ... you've got it right! We in a heap o trouble now!
Nice to see you apparently had a safe trip home last night.
Jack Ryan and Steve Rauschenberger are good guys and good conservatives. There's a lot of good reasons they were the two finalists in the Leader survivor competition.
That being said, I think Jack is much the stronger general election candidate, and will win the primary fairly easily.
It got down to the final two over this past weekend. Yesterday they snuffed Jack Ryan, which is interesting for two reasons: 1) Ryan has leading all polls and 2) the owner of the Illinois Leader is also paid consultant to Ryan's campaign -- go figure.
Agreed, I just can't understand what Jack! hopes to gain with his current duck and run strategy! He might try to slide into home plate in the primary on the strength of TV ands and his perceived leasd in the polls. But that won't cut it in the fall. They dems will feast on him.
I hear he also no-showed at Schaumburg FIRST event a couple days ago, and ended up only drawing 6% in their poll. He came into last night's event with over 20% and got out at 4%.
He'd better start steeping up to the plate soon IMHO.
Hey CL, You're still pumping for the Milkman, right!
He sure took a couple of well aimed squirts at Jack! last night. Is there any new buzz coming out of his camp about Jack!O?? I have a feeling there may be something he's holding back until the right moment.
Politics will do that to you.
I have both Chicago Area (not totally up date) and All-Illinois (Brand new and a little un-vetted) Ping Lists. Will send you FReepmail. Just copy body of FReepmail text into the "T0:" line of your posts.
Whoa! News to me!!! Did she get a full scale ZOT-style banning or just few days in the Penalty Box? She can get a little agitated, but the terms you mention above are definitely over the line. I had no idea.
Whatever she's done, let me say this. Despite disagreements, she and I have stood literally shoulder-to-shoulder and back-to-back confronting crowds of leftists at various FReep events and I respect her for that?
Account not banned.
Account not suspended.
No such account?? ... Did she withdraw on her own??
I just pinged her yesterday. She didn't answer but the ping was not rejected. She appears to be gone ... probably the latter.
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