Call It A Comeback
I may have missed this becoming moot, but Michael Sneed reports 1992 and former GOP Party Chair Rich Williamson is in line to become ambassador to the UN. He’s been serving as a top aide to Negroponte.
Anyone is better than Negroponte, but the surprising thing is that Williamson was a McCain guy and most of McCain’s supporters are persona non grata in the Bush administration.
Phil Crane’s take on Medicare. Mind you, not the oft troubled Medicaid, but Medicare that provides health insurance coverage to an age group that would be unable to afford reasonable health care due to their age.
To be fair, that quote is from 1976, but his message hasn’t changed much. Crane isn’t a guy who looks to modify a program as much as tear it apart.
Of course, there is a realistic opponent out there–to the right is Melissa Bean’s ad–click on it and get familiar with her.
More evidence that National Taxpayers United of Illinois, headed by Jim Tobin, is off its rocker, the group sent a news release last week entitled “Rauschenberger: Same old tax-and-spend Republican.”
This is the same group that at one time said called former state Sen. Patrick O’Malley “a closet liberal.”
Does anyone meet this group’s criteria anymore?
Mike Lawrence makes the point about how much pandering Blagorgeous is doing…
Phil Kadner takes it up on education
And to be fair, Rich Miller points out a good shot that Blagorgeous gave Da Mare.
Even then, there is some juicy points about Blagorgeous
Blagojevich is not a well-liked governor among political insiders. I don’t care much for his leadership style, either, which has more in common with campaigning than actual governance. He is supremely self-centered. He constantly preaches reform, but spends most of his time hanging out with a few chosen lobbyists and other hacks who made their fortunes at the public trough.
Blagojevich also hasn’t grown much in the 14 years he has been in public office. He’s still the details-averse, devil-may-care goof that he was when he first arrived at the Illinois House, courtesy of his powerful father-in-law, Ald. Dick Mell.
While we often expect the Mayor to come out ahead, if the Republicans nominate a conservative candidate for Governor, the Mayor’s best choice will be Blagorgeous. And that will be a painfull pill to swallow. There aren’t any Jim Thompsons or George Ryans who are city friendly in the state GOP except Topinka and she is probably unable to win the primary.
Joyce Morrison often argues that private property is good for conservation. Then she argues its bad if it involves liberal groups owning private property.
Of course, her argument is that landowners know more about the land then others. But she says:
There are areas in Illinois that are highly wooded and have been a paradise to explore. The worst thing one would encounter is a chigger, tick or poison ivy. However, in some areas you have to watch for timber rattlesnakes usually seen in July or August, but that is about as wild as it gets.
Recently there have now been numerous reports of cougar and wolf sightings and people are getting a little more careful when they go into the woods. They are being told these animals are the act of irresponsible owners who had an exotic pet and find they cannot manage it, so they turn it loose it the wild.
Last week an Illinois school bus driver related seeing a bear on a very rural road bordered by a wooded area. The kids were ecstatic but the driver is still in shock.
Errr…all three existed naturally in Illinois until humans took away their habitat and frankly, with a little caution all of them are not that dangerous to humans.
Guns and schools make the rant as well. Why? Well, it’s Joyce.
Joining the Holy War against gay marriage is Kevin McCullough who says:
Check Obama?s own campaign literature. The State Senator was a co-sponsor of Senate Bill 101. Defeated for years by narrow margins in Springfield the State Senator is proud to have associated himself with a bill that mandates discrimination on the simple basis of chosen sexual behavior.
For those playing at home, SB 101 would make sexual orientation a suspect classification meaning taking it into account in employment would face a high legal barrier. How that is mandating discrimination is beyond those who understand the English language.
The rest is an attack on Obama’s position on gay marriages, but fails to mention that Obama is against gay marriage and for civil unions with the same rights. While I’m for the same rights, I understand the political tightrope he is playing on. So let’s be clear here, Obama is for civil unions that have the same rights under law as marriage, but doesn’t want to call them marriage because he sees that as a religious sacrament.
For those wondering why African-Americans, who consistently poll as more socially conservative than other groups, continue to vote for the more liberal social party, you might notice that the Republican Party also has another set of issues that poll poorly amongst African-Americans–racial issues. There is a way to reach out to African-Americans and it is the issues that matter most to them. I think both parties would be better off and African-Americans would be better off with more competition for their votes. However, we aren’t at that point yet.
Of politicians making serious efforts, I can only think of Jim Talent (R-MO) who spends significant time talking to African-Americans in their communities. He has monthly meetings with small business owners who are African-American. While results are not so big so far, a sustained effort like that is more likely to work than demagoguing on gay marriage.
After all, something the supposedly small government party might want to remember is–don’t like Gay Marriage? Don’t perform one, don’t have one, and it isn’t your problem.
Greg’s point about the Republicans deserves more attention:
The circular firing squad is often used to describe the Illinois GOP. However, they are the exception rather than the rule. The IL GOP is still fighting the 1970’s battles between the old line GOP permanent minority and the Reaganites. Since that battle has been won at the national level, and the Republican Party is the Party of Reagan, look for it to happen in Illinois, too.
(This of course begs the question of whether or not the Repbulican party becoms the dominant party in Illinois. That’s a different discussion>)
Republican conservatives understand that tearing down the old party is what they want. They want to have those fights and then build the party up to challenge Democrats on a host of social conservative issues including taxes and morality issues.
The argument is that once the party is pure, the party can then win elections again by being correct. The problem is that the way to win elections is get 50% +1 of the vote and I am always confused by how moving to the right attracts that moderate voter.
Politics is a game of coalitions, and I just don’t see how a conservative based party can hope to win in a moderate to moderately liberal state. California’s recent recall election I think makes my point–Arnold won largely because he ran in the middle–not to the far right. He doesn’t appear to be helping down ballot social conservatives gain a foothold so I’m all for the plan to remake the Illinois Republican Party as conservative only–it’ll help Democrats.
On the other hand, a more effective strategy is to include people like Tom Cross who isn’t socially conservative and is close to the median voter.
Greg asks a good question over at a New Can of Worms.
The liberal make up of the democrats makes a split a forgone conclusion. This is because they are all competing for government attention. Nationally, Republicans have determined they only want one thing from government and that is to be left alone.
It’s easier to unify around not wanting something than competing for funding…That’s the current national Republican coalition’s advantage.
Logrolling, Greg, logrolling builds coalitions. It isn’t pretty, but it always works.
That said he points out the recent strains between the Governor and, well, everyone else.
Let’s run down the issues:
The following is a summary of several issues Rich Miller is covering at the Capitol Fax:
1) Madigan on the budget–Blagorgeous wants to borrow for essentially current expenditures, Madigan thinks its irresponsible
2) Madigan on education–Madigan is actually worried that the Illinois Constitution may matter. Blagorgeous has moved to a position that is at least Constitutional
3) Everone on University’s health care options–DOA and being allowed to rebid
4) Everyone on reorganization of state agencies–Senate Exec Committee voted a bill out to kill the move
5) Hynes points out the State Constitution to Filan. Filan asks for an audit from the Comptroller apparently unaware of the only appointed State Officer who would normally be in charge of Audits. He’s called the State Auditor.
6) Madigan on trucking fees—Madigan is calling for relief for trucking companies from the last series of fees by Blagorgeous
7) Madigan on Spending–Madigan has called for reductions in Blagorgeous’ call for increased spending
Now there are some issues of tension between Madigan and Emil Jones.
1) The Willmette Bill advanced out of a sub-committee designed to kill it in the House. The Bill would allow for self-defense as a defense against charges for illegally having a hand gun where banned. It’s a strange bill for obvious legal reasons, but it uncovers a little known bit that the Illinois House is far more friendly to gun owners than people realize.
2) Educational issues with a compromise coming out of the Senate on the Board of Ed
3) Madigan brought Senate Minority Leader Frank Watson over for testimony on a bill to reduce the Governor’s ability to borrow
Mostly though, we aren’t seeing a circular firing squad, we are seeing a firing squad with a nice hair cut as the target.
Now to make it worse, Blagorgeous is playing hardball with lege members with press tactics:
THE HOLE Governor Blagojevich is employing an unusual, some say patronizing, lobbying method this week.
The governor is asking House Democrats to fill out a form that reveals whether they support or oppose six bills to increase business taxes which made it through the House Revenue Committee yesterday. The state representatives are required to put their names on the top of the form.
This is a highly unusual method, to say the least. Usually, legislative liaisons wander through the chamber or visit members in their offices and mark up their own rollcalls. This can lead to some misunderstandings and outright flip-flops, however, so the guv has decided to put everyone on record. Word is the governor’s staff has told some legislators that they want to use the form to find out “who our friends are.”
Jones has said no to ag ‘fee’ increases
JONES NIXES AG TAXES Senate President Emil Jones met with some farmers early yesterday morning, then returned to Springfield and said he wouldn’t back the governor’s tax hikes on farmers. The farmers were constituents of Sen. John Sullivan, Jones’ most highly targeted incumbent. The announcement was yet another blow to the governor, whose tax hike plans are rapidly falling apart.
Jones and Madigan have issues, but those are normal tensions. The Blagorgeous is starting to see a wholesale defection and given his apparent inability to do anything, but hold press conferences and look Blagorgeous, he is seriously reducing his ability to work with the Lege.
And he is making a fairly effective challenger within the party of Miguel de Valle.
Normally, the Executive has the ability to divide and conquer his legislative allies, but that is a balancing act and currently, the Governor has shown little ability to attract support and the Lege is showing a fairly decent ability to ignore him.
Well, except one of Jack Roeser’s guys getting tossed for fighting. Sheesh, you think this is the floor of the legislature or something, pal?
Kjellander survived and the pro-life plank is quite small. Of course, support for the Chief is apparently 4 paragraphs.
The Leader Boards are alive–have at ’em. I can’t tell the satire from the normal bizareness today.
Denny, the Speaker (only the truly important Mike Madigan and actual south sider gets Da in Illinois politcs), has written a book entitled
That?s why HOH is proud to announce the first-ever ?Give Denny Hastert?s Book a Better Name Contest.?
Send your ideas to hoh@rollcall.com, and the best suggestions will be published in an upcoming column. Please keep it clean, folks, because Roll Call is a family newspaper. HOH is also sure that there will be lots of uses of the words ?coach,? ?team? and ?teamwork,? so be sure to use your imagination.
Kjellander, O’Hare, wrestling, and other jokes are encouraged. Either e-mail hoh@rollcall.com. Keep those clean, feel free to be more ‘free’ in comments.
Though frankly, I’d love for a Blagorgeous book right now. Given his attention span each chapter would be a page.
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