Posted on 07/29/2002 8:15:26 PM PDT by SpyderTim
GOP boss poised for new challenge By Eric Krol Daily Herald Staff Writer Posted on July 29, 2002 With the scandal-marred Illinois Republican Party in as dire straits as it's been in 30 years, the task faced by new Chairman Gary E. MacDougal is no easy feat.
MacDougal was tapped by governor nominee Jim Ryan to fill the vacancy left when former Chairman Lee A. Daniels resigned. Daniels, the Illinois House minority leader, quit amidst a federal review of the alleged use of legislative staff members for campaign work.
The new chairman, appointed Friday, quickly must raise money, unite the party and stave off a Democratic sweep in November. And he must do so while facing criticism that he's too conservative for the task and while watching his party get continually battered by corruption charges stemming from Gov. George Ryan's tenure as secretary of state.
"Facing this job is a daunting thing," said MacDougal, 66, a former longtime Barrington Hills resident who now calls Chicago home. "I've climbed the Matterhorn. I've climbed the Grand Teton. Those seem like molehills compared to some of the challenges we have up ahead."
MacDougal, who helped Gov. Jim Edgar change the state's welfare system during the 1990s and wrote a book about it, sat down with the Daily Herald after being named chairman to outline his plan of attack. Here is an edited version of that conversation:
Q. Why would you take what many consider to be a thankless job, without pay, that comes with complaints from throughout the state?
A. I've gotten phone calls from friends who question my sanity. I reached a stage in life where the opportunity to make a difference is what drives me. I'm not in need financially and I feel like I've been a very fortunate person. I started out with nothing and made some right steps. The opportunity to give back and help other people is a good deal. I believe in Jim Ryan. I believe the state deserves better than it's been getting. If I can play some small part, that would be making a difference. It's what I call psychic income.
Q. What will your first moves be as chairman?
A. The first move is to sit down with the various people who have points of view on what ought to be done. I've already got a meeting with (Illinois Manufacturers' Association president) Greg Baise next Tuesday. I just put a call into Bob Kjellander (who favored Baise for the chairmanship), and some women's groups want to sit down with me. My door is open and I'll be doing some listening. Then I can decide the priorities. The clear priority is anything I can do to help Jim Ryan become the next governor. To help the statewide ticket.
Q. How do you overcome the scandal-tarred image some voters may have of the Republican Party this fall?
A. First of all, Jim Ryan and our slate are the new broom. So people can spend time worrying about George Ryan. But a comparison between a man, Jim Ryan, with proven executive experience who has put Democrats and Republicans in jail versus Rod Blagojevich, the son-in-law of a Chicago ward boss, common sense will tell you who the person most likely is to put the scandals behind us.
Q. What are your ties to Carpentersville's Jack Roeser (president of the very conservative Family Taxpayers Network) and do you think that's a liability for Jim Ryan as he tries to run to the center and attract moderate voters?
A. I have ties to a lot of people. I've got a Rolodex with several hundred names in it. I think Jack Roeser has done some good things. I think his zealous pursuit of the gambling situation has been admirable. I will listen to Jack Roeser. I will also listen to people who don't agree with Jack Roeser. The big message should be that this is a party of inclusion.
Q. Past electoral history shows it's the swath of moderate independent voters who decide statewide elections in Illinois, with Gov. George Ryan in 1998 and Al Gore in 2000 over George W. Bush taking advantage of that to win the state. What should Republicans be doing to attract that type of voter?
A. I need to think further about this, but it's clear to me we need to reach out to those people and let them know we are, in fact, compassionate conservatives, that we do care about the less fortunate. Convincing them that we are not a hard-edge party, that we do have a soft side, because we do. The party should get the credit for welfare reform, helping people get jobs and be self-sufficient. We have to communicate better what we're all about.
Q. The state party organization itself is broke right now? What do you do to raise the money needed to mount the get-out-the-vote effort the party must do this fall?
A. Raising money will be a challenge. There's not much money in the bank. I feel comfortable talking to CEOs. I've been a CEO. I know the world from their perspective. I'm hopeful that Jim Ryan and I and some other businessmen that I will enlist will be able to go out and get some more money in the till to be able to do the things the state party is supposed to do, like register voters, voter turnout, absentee ballot work. How much money we can raise, I can't say yet.
Q. Do you plan on putting some of your own money into the party?
A. I will make a contribution, but mostly I'm giving the sweat of my brow.
Q. What do you say to critics like Lt. Gov. Corinne Wood who've hinted they'd like to see a chairman who represents a cross-section more than white conservative males who oppose abortion rights?
A. I see a disadvantage in being a white male in terms of the credibility of my outreach effort. But what governors are all about is education and the economy of the state. Right-to-life questions are decided by the Supreme Court. I know there's enough common basis to reach out there.
Q. It's early, but Jim Ryan trails in the polls, something unheard of for a Republican governor candidate the last 25 years in Illinois. What should Jim Ryan do to narrow the gap with Rod Blagojevich?
A. That's a good point, and (new Ryan campaign manager) Carter Hendren's the pro, and I defer to his judgment on that. But I remember when I was an assistant campaign manager for George Bush (in 1988). We were down 17 points to (Democrat) Michael Dukakis. In August, we were down, going into the convention, 10 points. Here we are sitting in July, and I don't know what the deficit is, it's a modest deficit. It's going to be a very, very close race. Obviously, when you're way ahead, as Jim Ryan was in the primary, you can be very cautious. The mantra is "make no mistakes." But when you're in a close race, and you're running a little bit behind, you've got to be more aggressive and you have to take some chances. And I think you'll see that.
Q. You titled your book "Make a Difference: How One Man Helped Solve America's Poverty Problem." Is that the sign of a hefty ego or just a healthy one?
A. That subtitle was pushed on me by my editor. My subtitle was "Breakthroughs in the Fight Against Poverty." The editor said, Gary, that title will never sell. I said: "That displays an ego that is uncomfortable to me." He said, "I need to sell books."
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