On electing a conservative in Illinois for governor, I'm not seeing this any time soon. Not with all the Dems in Chicago and the Daley/Madigan machine. This is what hacks me off with conservatives. We'll drive that bus right off the cliff and kill ourselves but, DAMMIT!, we made our point! We need to think long term like the liberals do.
Illinois CAN NOT AFFORD four more years of Blago. PERIOD. We have not had a capital budget in THREE years. The money was neither appropriated OR authorized. He even raided the speciality license plate funds and put it into the General fund. It's not going to the Prevent Violence, Susan G. Komen, Wildlife Prairie Park, etc fund. It goes into the general fund to be spent on whatever Rod chooses.
There that's all for now. Bill in Morton, IL
Bill,
Your analysis of history is flawed. Ideology (conservative, moderate or liberal) is not why or how the GOP has won in IL.
In the early 60s the IL GOP was also a disaster case. Orville Hodges was in jail. Stratton and Hoffman were more crooked but never gon convicted. Carpentier was the most crooked, the most corrupt SOS in my lifetime, much worse than George Ryan.
Bill Robinson&Co designed a strategy that Ogilvie implemented to kick the corrupt WestSide Bloc out of the IL GOP and have the GOP build a coalition with liberal good-government Democrats. I was there and knew those liberal Democrats personally. Their support of the GOP was totally on the basis of good-government and not on the basis of liberal-moderate-conservative.
From '62 to '98 the IL GOP has ONLY won when it has had the high road on good-government. While Bill Scott had the image of good-governmnt AND extreme conservative he had the support of the liberal Democrats and won. When he went downhill, it was due to his ethics, not his ideology. The same is true of every Republican.
Peter Fitzgerald had the image of extreme conservative. He did not win because of that image. He won because he had the good-government image ... and because one of his good-government successes as St Sen benefitted the building trades unions at the expense of the bi-partisan combine that ran McPier.
When Toopinka and the bi-partisan combine sabotaged Fitz, it was not because he was too conservative. It was because he was too honest.
The people in this thread are not typical of Illinois. Most voters (both R and D) are not ideological. They vote based on image. Corruption is the #1 factor in formation of that image for Republicans.
Yes, there is a double standard. As Swearingen of Standard Oil and Ogilvie's "Jack Roeser money-bags" used to say: You expect more from Republicans... and you'd better get it.
When the people of Connecticut bought that line, we wound up with Lowell P. Weicker, Jr. in the governor's office, as an independent no less (he knew better than to seek the GOP nod after GOP voters yanked his despicable and treasonous backside right out of his US Senate seat). Then the scum-sucking pig Weicker instituted a state income tax. He is gone now from public office and is not missed except by lobbyists and other pragmatists.
You mean, you mean if we don't elect Tooopinkovna and bring back the abortionist crooks (see it isn't just ideology there is also state capitol thievery, a way of life among the friends of Judy Snore), we might elect something really awful like, like, like a Democrat, like Blago!!!! Better Judy Snore and the 40 or 400 thieves, huh????? Ohhhh the jobs, the contracts, the taxpayer's money!!!!!! Mmmmmmmm, yummmmm chant the Pragmaticans and Pragmaticrats!!!!) And all that stands in the way are those suckers and rubes who think that issues matter!!!!
Besides the moderates have issues. They do too have issues!!!!! How about Prevent Violence, huh! Don't those right wing nuts care about Prevent Violence???? Or Susan G. Komen (whatever/whoever the hell that may be), huh!!! Don't the wingers care about Susie???? And, and, and the Wildlife Prairie Park, yeah that's the ticket! Blago doesn't fund Prevent Violence or Susan G. or, or, or Wildlife Prairie Park or ANY of the really BIG issues. All they want to talk about is the petty crap like life, liberty, property, guns, babies, marriage, opposition to confiscatory taxes and Judy Snore running around at Machineland alternative lifestyle parades and soirees, sucking up to the PervertAmerican community representing (barf) the GOP at their annual Pervfests. Puhleeeeze!!!!!
As to Blago's spending habits.... just keep repeating to yourself: It is only money. It is only money. It is only money. Also keep reminding yourself that Blago as Governor is the wage of spineless cowardly "moderate" Republicanism: Lyin' George Ryan, Gentleman Jim Edgar (Judy Bore's biggest backer which says more about him than it does about her), Big Jim Thompson, and a cast of dozens.
To reiterate what I have previously posted on FR. I will not vote for Judy Bore Toooopinka if she is nominated. I will vote against her. I will vote for Blago if necessary to keep Toooooopinkovna out of public life. I hope that Republicans will join me in not voting for her. Blago is a better choice for the GOP since his re-election over Toooooopinkovna lets the GOP internal party purge begin this November rather than decent Republicans being stuck with the worthless lifestyle leftist witch in power for four years, using taxpayers' money to buy enough "pragmatists" to keep the spineless and treasonous appendage of the Illinois GOP alive and in business.
I am glad we hack you off.
Do you want to explain the "long-term" thinking that you reference which makes electing a pro-homosexual, tax-squandering, probable gun grabbing, pro-abortion, pro-homosexual (and Lord only knows what else along those lines), good ol' windtunnel a good idea for the GOP generally and its conservative majority in particular????
Face it. You have conceded the issues war and will settle for money. Conservatives should just get the message that layering your lifestyle with gummint cash is their job whether they like it or not.
Here's some long-term thinking for conservatives: Require that any GOP primarty voter be a registered member of the Repubpican Party for a minimum of six months immediately prior to any primary. Party rules govern over state statutes according to a 1972 SCOTUS case having to do with the seating of the Chicago delegation to the Demonrat National Convention. Demonrats and independents should NEVER be allowed a say in the GOP nominating process. Barring them (as we did in Connecticut) will be the most effective reform the Illinois GOP could make. There are three things arguably in the middle of the road: yellow stripes, dead armadilloes and Republicans without principles (the moneygrubbing wing of the GOP complete with portable mattresses, portable red lights and sacks of quarters to make change). RINOs are also bad bus drivers and particularly bad unless the steering wheel and brakes are shaped like dollar signs so RINOvision can spot them.