Vallas a Republican
It was in this column three weeks ago that I reported something Daley, House Speaker Michael Madigan, County Board President Todd Stroger and a whole host of ward bosses hate to think about.
Vallas, who back in 2001 resigned after differences with Daley, is considering something, well, drastic.
He is considering running for president of the patronage and contract rich Cook County Board as — brace yourself — a Republican.
“Paul has a lot of options,” his brother and adviser Dean Vallas said at the time.
“We would certainly welcome any Democrat,” said Illinois GOP Chairman Andy McKenna by phone Sunday. “We certainly respect Paul Vallas. … He has demonstrated he knows how to administer a complex governmental entity.”
The state Republican Party, which has been almost as big a mess as Stroger’s Cook County government, needs a messiah. A uniter. A vote-getter. A maverick.
Though neither McKenna nor Vallas confirm there is something in the works, trust me, there is.
And the raw political fact of the matter is that Vallas could win.
Cook County residents are so fed up with having the highest tax rate in the nation, so disgusted with Stroger’s family and friends feeding at the public trough, and so sick of inheritance politics where the father’s job is passed on to the son regardless of qualifications.
This could be the time for a revolt.
Or it could just be time for Vallas to end any chance for a career in Illinois politics. It’s one thing to say that the conditions might be right for a revolt, but it’s important to remember a poorly funded candidate who ran a crappy campaign. Beyond that, it assumes that the winner of the primary will be Stroger which I don’t think is a safe bet at all. Running against a Dem who isn’t Stroger would just make him look foolish.
August 25th, 2008 at
No, that’s really a GREAT idea. Just ask County Board Prez. Aurie Puchinski.
August 25th, 2008 at
“….so sick of inheritance politics where the father’s job is passed on to the son regardless of qualifications.”
If that were true there are a lot of incumbents’ voters who didn’t get that message — from Congress to Springfield to Clark and Washington in Chicago.
And don’t forget those moms helping their kids, too.
August 25th, 2008 at
Paul’s brother has been behind every boomlet First, it was for guv as a Dem, then for guv as a GOP, now cook county prez?
August 26th, 2008 at
I think Vallas would have a better chance in a primary. In the last primary didn’t Claypool almost win?
Vallas has the problem that he would run a campaign under the Republican banner and they cannot win an election to save their own life. They have no organization and no money. he would be on his own.
If Vallas were inclined to run as a Republican he would be better off running as an independent. I would think the primary challenege is the best path to victory.
August 27th, 2008 at
Looks to me that Carol Marin is just trying to destroy Vallas by trying to encourage him to change parties!
Vallas might win if he bucked the establishment as a Democrat, or even if he claimed to be an independent. But if he ran as a Republican, he would simply lose. Period. Marin knows that and is obviously shilling for the Stroger establishment. Maybe she wants a patronage job?