The Continuing Travails of the Illinois Circular Firing Squad Team
With the quote of perhaps the year:
“My favorite conversation with Jack Roeser was about the second year I was governor when he came in and said, ‘We should be more like George Ryan,’” Edgar says. “Of course he turned on George Ryan — not because of the ethics issue but because George turned out to be more liberal than he thought he was going to be.”
There’s a lot in the article and I’ll revisit it, but it’s a must read.
March 15th, 2007 at
Nice find.
Aaron missed some things. There are some younger guys stepping forward doing a better job and much more practical than the older crowd. Even Dan Proft is moving somewhat out of politics and into other fields.
There aren’t quite a few conservatives that are shunned by national groups and I’d note that KJ is pro-life…And let’s face it a $7 billion tax hike is the gift that helps rebuild the party.
In his defense, time and space are limited.
March 15th, 2007 at
“Cross says voters are used to hearing stories about corrupt Chicago Democrats, but they expect Republicans to meet higher ethical standards. When Republicans fail the ethics test, Cross believes, voters punish them disproportionately. “When we take a hit on ethics, it’s a huge hit,” he says.”
Cross strikes me as a decent, smart guy. That noted, this meme is a pretty thin gruel. I recognize it is all they have, and it has just enough mea culpa in it to sound contrite. But honestly, a guy like Cross can do better.
March 15th, 2007 at
It’s a good piece overall, but allowing DIllard to bash Watson without pointing out that a Democrat almost won Lee Daniels’ old DuPage seat (with zero help from Speaker Madigan) is a big ommission.
Also, Roeser’s absolutely miserable won-loss record wasn’t mentioned. There’s more, but I’ll save it for my own piece.
March 19th, 2007 at
Excuse me, Rich, but you were so gung-ho behind Topinka. In fact, your Capital Fax and newspaper columns were all but an in-kind contribution to her campaign. And she lost miserably just a few months ago. So I guess you know what you’re talking about regarding win-loss records.
Or perhaps there is some merit to faighting the fight not because you win or lose, but because it’s a noble cause.