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.