Playing both ends to win the middle
It's fine if the ILGOP has decided on the strategy of pairing a liberal with a conservative in the governor's race to try to win the middle. Just say so.
I was at the ICRC/Taproot Christmas party this past Sunday when Joe Birkett publicly stated that ILGOP chair Andy McKenna called him once and Jim Edgar called him three times in one day to urge him to run for the number two spot under Judy Topinka - all this while the ILGOP has claimed neutrality on these races.
Today, Pete LaBarbera of Illinois Family Institute exposes that the ILGOP is lying about its backroom maneuvers. Meanwhile, Birkett told LaBarbera, "I'm not lying ... This will be cleared up before the morning's over."
The game is dangerous. The ILGOP is trying to bed two mistresses - liberals and conservatives - while remaining married to the mob.
Worse, it doesn't want to be seen publicly with any of them.
14 comments:
Jill, let me start off by saying that I am a pro-life, family values conservative. But, to be fair, I am also a party hack.
I think the IFI's outrage is a little disingenuous here. From their website:
"If the IL-GOP will not support an openly pro-life and pro-family conservative candidate, tell them to at least to stay true to their pledge to be neutral in the gubernatorial primary race."
So the IFI doesn't really care about the party leadership giving back room support and endorsements to a primary candidate, as long it is one THEY approve of?
Jim Edgar is not part of the ILGOP anymore. He can do whatever he damn well pleases.
Besides, what is wrong with the ILGOP trying to pick a winner instead of a wannabe.
Judy can beat Blago. The others can't, as much as you want them to, they can't.
You do the math. Pull your head out and get some fresh air to your brain.
Hey Jill, did you get your Christmas cards from the Blagojevich campaign yet? Well you should, the way you are aiding and abetting them right now.
Keep playing into Governor Blago's and Speaker Madigan's dirty fingers.
Last weeks Lexington column in The Economist advised Democrats to reject Roe. It's an interesting column,
...in political terms, Roe has been particularly disastrous for the Democrats. The Republicans have generally had the better of the abortion wars (something most liberals admit as long as nobody from NARAL Pro-Choice America is in the room). Roe has proved a lightning-rod for conservatives; and many moderates dislike the Democrats'Roe-driven defence of partial-birth abortions. So consider a heretical proposition: why on earth don't Democrats disown Roe?
I don't know if a court with Alito added will over turn Roe or not, but I think social conservatives had best be prepared of an state wide legislative battles on abortion and marriage.
Topinka and Birkett or who ever gets elected might be pretty irrelevant in those coming battles. I suspect what Lexington says further on is true of many Republicans,
Roe has given Republicans a free ride: they can claim to oppose abortion in the comfortable knowledge that it will never be banned. But imagine if Roe were overturned. How many Republicans would vote for a ban on abortion that only one in five Americans support? The conservative coalition would be split asunder.
Just more maneuvering by agents of the combine to own or control all the horses in the race -- that way (as it has been for more than 25 years) no matter who wins, THEY WIN!
Jill, I understand what you point is, but – for lack of a better way to say it – I think it’s a pointless point.
Is there a game going on here? Yes, I suppose you could say there is. It’s pretty obvious to anyone who regularly reads a newspaper that McKenna and much of the party “leadership” (quotes not meant to disparage them, but to signify that who is meant by leadership is an open question) is backing Topinka. And why not? Sure, I think Brady can, should and would beat Blagojevich. But if I were a betting man I’d put a lot less money down on that race than if it were between Topinka and Blagojevich. She is one of the highest voting getting statewide candidates in IL history. She already has a statewide campaign organization. The RNC has made noise about investing money into the race if she wins (which, btw, reminds me…..I don’t see you posting any criticisms of Rove, Mehlman and Bush for their “backroom” support of Judy and lack of neutrality…why is that?). From an objective standpoint, she is clearly the strongest candidate that the GOP has right now. I think McKenna is doing the responsible thing. He is doing what a party chair should be doing. He is trying to work behind the scenes to construct the most electorally viable ticket (and don’t think for a moment that it would matter one way or the other to McKenna if that mean a pro-lifer or pro-choice candidate at the top of it), while publicly leaving himself breathing room to still give full throated support to the eventual nominee if it turns out not to be Topinka.
Let’s not forget the real issue here. The IFI message contained clear information with Joe Birkett as its source that there was/is an effort by the IL GOP to bolster Topinka’s campaign. Birkett’s revelation made it evident that the IL GOP, in the person of Chairman McKenna, wants Topinka to win. It makes little difference if McKenna called Birkett or if McKenna got a call from Birkett (which, by the way, Birkett placed at McKenna’s urging). It seems that Tsarpalas is trying to cloud the real issue by casting doubt as to who called whom. It doesn’t really matter.
More significantly, note that Birkett is quoted as saying, “Clearly he was encouraging me to run.” According to Birkett, McKenna told him that it would be a good idea for him to join the ticket (with Topinka).
Topinka’s liberal (not moderate) stand on many family issues, most notably abortion and the “gay rights” agenda, make her candidacy very problematic for a pro-family organization like IFI.
The behind-the-scenes backing by Chairman McKenna is also very problematic for a number of reasons. First, because Topinka’s views are in direct conflict with the principles enumerated in the Republican Party platform. Also, because these tactics are those of the ethically-challenged elitist insiders that currently have a choke-hold on our State Party.
The IFI’s agenda should be very clear to those who understand what is and has been happening in our state party and in conservative activism. It is appropriate for IFI to expose these matters. Conservatives and true Republicans have a right to know what is going on within the Topinka campaign and within the IL GOP.
As far as assuming or suspecting that this is an attempt to push McKenna and Tsarpalas out, remember that as office-holders within OUR party (and I for one still consider it my party), they are accountable for how they conduct themselves and for the direction they are taking the party.
It is interesting that IFI’s motives are questioned rather than those of either McKenna or Tsarpalas, both of whom have given cause for doubts as to their own agendas.
Anonymous wrote:
"...Besides, if you had some sense, you would know that the Governor doesn't really have an impact on this type of legislation..."
Did you not notice that the current IL governor has impacted "this type of legislation" with his edicts - requiring pharmacists to dispense abortifacients/contraceptives, unilaterally adding embryonic stem cell funding to the state budget, etc.??? I don't understand how a man of Joe Birkett's values can be yoked with Judy Barr Topinka's pro-abortion/pro-homosexual activism.
Are we trying to win a race just for the sake of winning? What good does it do to have a Republican governor if they don't support our family values (which I thought were the values of the Republican party)? Furthermore - the addition of a conservative lieutenant governor seems like a marketing spin. What control would a conservative lieutenant governor have on a liberal governor's actions?
Jill - GOP needs to focus more on the economy, jobs, homeland security and education and less on who is having abortions or which gays are sleeping around... Can you name the last 'Conservative' (by your standards) Governor?
Didnt think so..
Most people in Illinois including conservatives are moderate.
Hey, lay off. IFI had to take time out of their Blago/Madigan bashing to deal with this issue. All they want is for the ILGOP to support their IFI approved candidate in the primary.
Then they can get back to their normal job, which is bashing liberal democrats...NOT.
You can't be fiscally conservative without being socially conservative. Many of the social problems create a direct drain on our nation's finances. If we had a better moral foundation, would we need such a large police force, prison system or welfare system (some truthfully fall on hard times and need help, but the vast majority result from the suffering of children due to the impact of parents' poor moral choices -- I've worked for years to help these children, and the stories always lead back to moral issues)? Corporate dishonesty also creates a huge drain on our system (i.e. Enron). You can try to rationalize away the connection, but in the end your rationalizations are empty. We need a socially and fiscally conservative governor if we want to solve our fiscal problems. Throwing money at problems only encourages them to multiply because they're being rewarded.
I was at the Heritage foundation lunch yesterday, Sandy Rios was a member of the panel speaking before the lunch. She said what a mistake she thought it was for the party to be supporting JBT, the crowd agreed with her. The moderator ofthe lunch was none other than Andy McKenna. After the lunch as I was leaving, I saw Andy speaking to Sandy as I put on my coat I heard him tell her that neither he or the party is or has been backing Judy. Now why lie? Joe Burkett has said that Andy has contacted him, I personally have heard Judy's people complain that the party forgot to give us Judy's petitions when they were handing them out for the other offices.
Gee, why would Joe Birkett lie? I mean, he only sends innocent people to jail, so it's not like he above stroking his ego by claiming the GOP begged him to get into this race. IFI's been had.
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