State GOP Faces Fight for Future, Not Just Senate (The Illinois Monster Raving Loony Party)

The Chicago Tribune ^ | August 5, 2004 | John Kass

[quidnunc]

Watching the Republican Party in the Land of Lincoln wear jester hats should be funny, since they've happily been making fools of themselves for weeks now.

But behind the Krusty the Clown makeup and the wigs, a desperate political fight is going on between somewhat discredited establishment GOP bosses and warring conservative factions over the future shape of their party.

State GOP bosses on Wednesday argued behind closed doors at the Union League Club to pick one of the following Senate candidates to replace the imploded Jack Ryan and face Democrat Barack Obama in November:

Either a sort-of Democrat who has given political contributions to Mayor Richard Daley and other Democrats; or a conservative Republican from Maryland who doesn't live in Illinois.

Illinois Republican officials would have been more comfortable with the sort-of Democrat, Dr. Andrea Grubb Barthwell, since they're more comfortable with Democrats, anyway, and have even endorsed Democrats over Republicans. But that would embarrass the White House.

So they finally reached for former UN Ambassador Alan Keyes, the Maryland conservative talk-show host and failed presidential candidate.

-snip-

[Randjuke]

We need a complete overhaul of the party brass in this state. It's a pathetic state of affairs.

Speaking as some one who watches from just across the Mississippi River from Illinois, you are 100% right. Maybe there are some good people in the Illinois GOP but if there are they sure keep a low profile.

[loveliberty2]

"If he starts quoting the Founders and gets all religious and preachy he'll LOSE, because IL is extremely liberal."

He'll probably lose anyway. That's not the point. You'd better hope that someone in this country has the guts to start "quoting the Founders," for if they don't use the simple common sense of America's founding ideas, we're going to lose something much more important than elections--our liberty!

Consider this: "The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time; the hand of force may destroy, but cannot disjoin them." (Jefferson) That's a bit "preachy," but its philosophy has provided liberty for more people than any other which has undergirded a people and their government.

Five minutes of the wisdom of Thomas Jefferson or James Madison or George Washington could be more valuable to the citizens of Illinois right now than an hour of the Far Left dribble they are accustomed to hearing! Let Obama learn a thing or two from this equally Harvard-educated constitutional scholar. Bring it on, and don't worry about the "preachiness." We heard enough of that from John Kerry at the Convention.

[texjan]

Try bugmenot.com--they give you a user name and password to use

[Clintonfatigued]

I've been an election watcher for over 20 years. And in all that time, this is the strangest and craziest Senate race I've ever seen. If someone had written a novel or screenplay about this race, it would be rejected as unbelieveable. But the unbelieveable has become reality. Can anyone name any other U.S. Senate race as off-the-wall as this one?

[TomasUSMC]

Keyes will crush osamabama to bits. AND he will do it by extolling the real power of the Republican Party. Its Pro Life stance. When he finishes crushing osamabama, which should take 48 hours, (obiwanosama is at this moment making a big ole u turn down in Mississippi and hauling is skinny demo ass back to Chicago.) then Keyes will start to rip into Micheal Moore and Kerry and Therezzzzzzza and the rest of the liberal scum.

Ole obama ain't never had to debate anyone tough yet. He'll be going from junior high football to the NFL in one day. This will be a National media event and Keyes will be all over it like an F5 Tornado, except this one is touching down and ain't letting up till November.

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

Illinois Republican officials would have been more comfortable with the sort-of Democrat, Dr. Andrea Grubb Barthwell, since they're more comfortable with Democrats, anyway, and have even endorsed Democrats over Republicans. But that would embarrass the White House.

Is it unthinkable to guess that some Democrats have crossed party lines just to cause problems within the Republican Party? I mean, the above excerpt makes no sense otherwise. It sounds like the state Republican Party has been covertly infiltrated by the Democrats. Is that an impossible scenerio?

[sinkspur]

Keyes will crush osamabama to bits.

Not in a million years.

Keyes doesn't live in Illinois, got into the race late, and doesn't have an optimistic bone in his body.

He may give him a debate (if Keyes can refrain from calling the voters moral reprobates), but Obama will beat him easily.

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

I would not be the first to make the claim that some candidates run with the wrong party label just to win or create problems for the in-name-only party. Consider Mayor Bloomberg who was a lifelong Democrat but switched parties to win the NY Mayor race. He is suspect. Or how about Jim Jeffords, to bring it to the U.S. Senate. Did he intentionally run as a Republican in 2000, planning to jump parties afterwards, just so he could win re-election more easily?

The very WORST thing IL could do is let the sort-of-Democrat have their campaign stage. Any option beats that option. Personally, I love Keyes. Though, there is the carpetbagger issue. Still, the other candidate looks like a lose-lose scenerio for Republicans in the long run. Who needs another Jim Jeffords?

[JohnnyZ]

Message to Chicago: you can be loud and proud and black and conservative.

And maybe even Republican, though let's not get ENTIRELY silly here!

[cfrels]

The only thing good about the tribune is John Kass.

I sure hope he's right about the conservatives winning....