Ironically, the most fiscally conservative governor we've had in that period is our current Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich who even had the balls to take back previously allocated monies from colleges and others after the fiscal year was half over!
There wasn't a program Thompson, Edgar, or Ryan didn't think should be funded. And don't forget the Republican-directed works projects in Springfield, including the Lincoln library.
Keyes is a solid conservative whose approach is controversial. On a small budget, and without support from the current leader of the party, he's created a lot of publicity. Remember, even supposedly bad publicity is still good. At least he has a head on his shoulders and sticks to convictions. Both Republicans and Democrats could learn something from that.
One final point--for a state that virtually never votes Republican for president, Illinois recently has shifted to a state that is "in play". If Keyes was as bad a liability as is stated, President Bush couldn't be that close to Kerry in this state.
Illinois is not in play and probably never was. There was one poll prior to the debates that suggested it might be but its been superceeded by several other nasty polls with 10-15 point margins in favor of Kerry. President Bush isnt campaigning in Illinois and wont be. Its a lost cause like California and Massachusetts. If he did come to Illinois, he wouldnt come within tweny miles of Keyes and he would probably have the Secret Service sit on Keyes to make sure he didnt get any closer.
"The Republican party in Illinois didn't exist prior to Keyes (President Bush didn't have a campaign effort here until the past month). Our state's party was decimated from within by RINO's over the past 30+ years."
Boy are you right. RINO's are ruining our party here in Illinois. I truly believe they will vote for Obama rather than vote for Keyes. Of course, this will damage Bush who needs as many Pubs as possible in the U.S. Senate. The only thing I take exception to in your comments, is Blagojovich being more conservative. He is in some areas, but now your tolls are going to go from 40 cents to 80 cents on the IL tollways,and truckers are really going to get socked, to fund more highway building & maintenance, even though George Ryan had hit us taxpayers up for the same thing with his Illinois First program a while back. Well, I still find it unfathomable that Illinois Pubs will go into the voting booth on election day and vote for Bush and then vote for Obama? Or not vote for senator at all? They are screwing Bush over by doing this and keeping a Pub out of the Senate. What fools, what RINO's. How disgusting.