If the ILGOP would simply stop shoving Friends of George (Ryan) down our throat for the top office, they could start being competative in Illinois again. Illinois is obviously more Democrat than it was 20 years ago, but that doesn't mean candidates who are pro-life and pro-family "can't win". (I have two Dems representing me in the state legislature and they more socially conservative than alot of so-called Republicans) It does mean we need the right kind of conservative to appeal to voters statewide.
Mark Kirk is part of the old RINO guard who got elected on the coattails of another RINO, and touts his "suburban agenda" as proof of his electablity. He is not "moderate", he is far to the left of the "average" voter on abortion and other social issues. Amazing how I'm in a much more Democrat area than him and NONE of the candidates out here need to be pro-abortion to "win". I'd love to ask Kirk at a public forum to explain why pro-life is such a losing issue when my "suburban area" does nothing but elect pro-lifers, including Congressman Lipinski.
The only good thing that could come out of this election is Pat Quinn replacing Blago as Governor. Even after Retzo, the odds that Blago will "be indicted" as a sitting Governor seem pretty slim to me, but perhaps we can find a way to force him out anyway and clear the way for Quinn. Pat Quinn is not conservative but he is anti-combine. A Quinn governorship would bring back honesty and integrity to the Governor's mansion and prevent Mike Madigan from installing little Lisa as Governor.
The lesson to be learned is pro-life conservatives should run. But they should not campaign "Vote for me because I am pro-life.
They should campaign saying "Vote for me because you and I agree on the issue you feel most strongly about. In Illinois, that means good govenment vs corruption for the winning candidate.
If the Oberweis "image" had been good government, anti-corruption, he probably would have won the primary. Instead, he, and especially his spokespeople, made anti-immigration his image. That split the conservative primary voter right down the middle. Some pro-immigration conservatives like me voted for Obie anyway.
But every time Obie's spokespeople blasted Brady/Gidwitz on immigration, it helped Brady. The anti-immigrant Brady/Gidwitz supporters did not abandon Brady on that issue. And many conservatives abandoned Obie on that issue.
The Parke-Crespo race certainly had immigration backlash overtones. Parke's campaign manager and asscoiates rant the primary anti-immigrant/anti-Froehlich because Froehlich had Hispanics in his organization. The anti-immigrant forces appeared mean-spirited and the suburban Republican... including conservatives ... wanted none of it. That anti-immigrant primary hurt Parke in November. The voters had developed that image that Parke was mean-spirited because his supporters were.
That doesn't mean an anti-immigrant candidate can't win. It just means he has to appeal to the pro-immigrant voters on other issues and not be a single issue candidate, and especially not mean-spirited in image.
Kirk will speaking, along with Tom Roesser, at the Republicans of Wheeling Twp. monthly meeting next Saturday morning at 8:30. I am sure you could get some face time with Kirk, although Ruth might not take too kindly to you embarrassing the congressman ... it's a committeeman thing.