Rauschenberger tries to pass the buck
Last week, State Senator Steve Rauschenberger implied that others [Topinka] were to blame for the Alan Keyes fiasco that took place after Jack Ryan dropped out of the U.S. Senate race. Now, there is no doubt that bringing in Keyes was a disaster, pure and simple. However, the good Senator must be suffering from short-term memory loss.
Speaking to the Illinois Coalition for Jobs, Growth and Prosperity , Rauschenberger said:
"The Republican Party in Illinois cannot win next year's general election without reclaiming the ethical high ground with the voters. And frankly, you do not do that with a candidate tied to the legacy of George Ryan, Jack Ryan and the Alan Keyes fiasco and the current Republican national committeeman,"
Now, Steve is a smart guy, so you have to ask yourself, “how is it he is blaming others for bringing Keyes to Illinois, when it was his doing?”
According to a story by Liam Ford in the Chicago Tribune (Subscription Required) on August 14, 2005:
Keyes' entered the race only within the last few days as state Sen. Dave Syverson of Rockford and state Sen. Steve Rauschenberger of Elgin pushed for Keyes' nomination.
On Dec. 4, 2004 Aaron Chambers of the Rockford Register Star echoed the above story.
Some in the party said privately that they view the Keyes candidacy as Syverson's baby and they're preparing to hang a Keyes defeat squarely on the Rockford senator.
Syverson said Rauschenberger suggested they pursue Keyes, and that the move was backed by Fitzgerald. Syverson said he and U.S. Rep. Manzullo, R-Egan, were the first to reach out to Keyes, an account confirmed by Manzullo spokesman Rich Carter.
"Rauschenberger called me and bounced the idea off of me," Syverson said.
Now, it’s clear that Steve, as he did in the Senate race, wants everyone to drop out because it is the only way he can win in March. However, if you’re going to claim the ethical high ground, how about starting by telling the truth?
UPDATE
The following quote is from an October 26, 2004 story posted by the Medill News Service
Republican Steve Rauschenberger:
"I’m supporting Alan Keyes. I think he’s going to do better than people expect. As Keyes has moved on to the Illinois issues over the last few weeks, I think he’s beginning to connect with people. And as people are beginning to understand how liberal Obama is, they're going to be less and less comfortable with him."
Wow...with political instincts like that, is it any wonder Rauschenberger is polling so poorly?
30 comments:
It's about time someone call Stevie on all this Keyes stuff! Wasn't Steve and Dave Syverson responsible for Mr. 27%?? Where's Proft when you need him Steve...fixing tickets in Cicero?
Jack Ryan hates Proft now. Proft made a lot of money off of Jack Ryan and Alan Keyes, and doesn't seem to have done such a hot job.
The Keyes thing was soooo stupid. Many like Paul Caprio said BEFORE it happened. And I am a conservative.
It doesn't matter what a staff person tells the candidate...in the end, Rauschenberger needs to step up and tell the truth...he really is a horrible statewide candidate who keeps harping that GOP leaders need to "clear" the field for him....let's face it, as this posts states, it's the only way for the guy to win.
Don't forget that most of Tax&Spend Lyin'Ryan's "Illinois First" pork went through Approp Chairman Rauschy's committee...
more amnesia.
“I intend to run a hard-hitting campaign on the issues of the backgrounds of the other candidates and of the future of the state.” -- steve rauschenberger.
Steve...are you sure you wanna talk about their backgrouds? If so, then yours makes you the last person who should be governing our state.
Please, drop out before you are forever linked with Oberweis and Cox as LOSERS.
Hey fellas, don't forget that Rauschenberger not only voted for but SPOSNORED the bill in the Senate that gave taxpayer backed tuition to kids of illegal aliens!
And he voted YES on Foreign Consular ID's.
He sponsored enough bills gutting tax caps and proposing Internet Sales and Use taxes (via the "Streamlined Sales Tax" trojan horse) that IL Taxpayer's United have labled him a "TAXPAYER ENEMY."
He's a hyper-active busybody that would make your head spin with all the looney initiatives he'd come up with once elected.
Yet, on core issues he buigged out this last session by "NOT VOTING" on sex offender restrictions, firearms waiting periods, "All-Kids," Born Alive Infant, armed habitual criminals,juror protection, foreign child-labor protection, domestic battery, electing state central committeemen..... I could go on-and-on.
Get the picture?
I can't tell if the outright misrepresentation about not backing the Keyes campaign, plus the flurry of personal attacks recently issued by this candidate's media guru, should all be described as "Steve Gone Bad" or "Dan Gone Mad."
But either way, it reeks of desperation. I sense disaster looming large for the Rauschy camp.
Thanks President Nixon. I've been calling Taxenberger out on his hypocrisy for some time.
I love it when the guy who wrapped himself in pre-pubescent teenage girls the morning after they're spotted on national t.v. accuses other people of political grandstanding.
Or the sponsor of George Ryan's Illinois FIRST tax increases accuses somebody else of fiscal recklessness.
Biggest. Hypocrite. Ever.
Don't forget as Treasurer JBT had to sign-on to the Blago pension raid, that she now decries.
Fakery.
After the JKeyes debacle, i'd have voted for the dude in the powdered wig. At least the wheels are coming off of the Rauschie campaign before he won the nomination. All I want is a truthful accounting of their records. People talk about him like he is the greatest thing since carrot cake, butthe truth is out there.
This quote is from an October 16, 2004 cloumn by Aaron Chambers of the Rockford Star>
"I have to accept the entire responsibility for the simple reason the buck ends with me," Topinka told me Wednesday when I asked what level of responsibility she assumes for the Alan Keyes debacle.
Who is the hypocrite here? Judy throws Jack Ryan under a bus without anybody to take his place and the whole thing is Rauschy's fault? Gimme a break.
I applaud JBT for that quote.
JBT didn't bring Keyes into Illinois, but at least she was MAN enough to take the blame.
Looks like Steve owes JBT a cold one if you ask me.
Steve was talking this up at the GOP NW suburban picnic at Busse Woods last year in one of the local tents. The first I heard of Keyes running here was from from Raushy's lips a week before it hit the media.
John Ruberry, I heard Jack's people, who became Keyes people, who are now Rauschie's people talking up Keyes at the same picnic. I was excited at the time, but that was a huge mistake. JBT does accept responsibility for it. As for her throwing Jack under the bus, that could have been averted by one thing. 1. Jack apologize for hiding behind his kid (and lying). A simple, honest apology would restore his image to most.
I was dumb enough to vote for Alan Keyes and now I kind of regret it. It was a wasted vote. The only reason I did it was because I didn't really like Obama. I was no different than the Anybody But Bush crowd.
That whole fiasco during last year's senate campaign was a joke. Some Republicans must not have wanted that seat bad enough. As a result we have two liberal senators in the US Senate from Illinois.
Rauschenberger's comments at the IL Coalition for Jobs luncheon were hilarious.
"IL GOP headed for another defeat...no more insiders at the helm...tied to the George Ryan legacy."
Then he touts editorial boards and political press and the 55+ GOP legislators tied to just that, that backed him in the last (losing) Senate primary.
These are the same insiders who, for years, have been passing fake and phoney "Ethics" laws that look look like swiss cheese and have no teeth.
Don't forget he was GOP Senate Approp. chair when Ryan's "IL FIRST" pork-chop went through.
Is "standing up for YOUR middle-class values" the same as Rauschenberger sponsoring taxpayer tuition for illegal aliens?
Voting for foreign consular ID cards?
Voting to gut tax-caps?
Being AWOL by "NOT VOTING" on nearly 60% of the bills sent to Balgojevich?
Hang it up Steverino.
The IL GOP is going in reverse fast, due to people like Steve. Heck, the GOP is stronger in true-blue Massachusetts and NY than it is here.
Anyone with significant involvement in the Alan Keyes fiasco deserves to have the "keyes" to the car confiscated before he attempts to drive it.
I wonder if Proft, the architect of Jack! and Keyes, is cynical enough to write the speech that attacked his former clients.
Still Topinka was chairperson and responsible for Keyes. Some would say she allowed Keyes to be the candidate to hurt conservatives in the state.
10:47...JBT didn't even have a vote in the matter...Syverson, doing Rauschenberger's bidding sure did though...check your facts and get back to us. Thanks
Yeh..............Steve, he's so good at bamboozling the editorial
boards. It's like their his only
captive audience!!
One other thing...Does Steve have a
clone out there?? Some days a beard and some days not!
To anon 10:16 "at least [Topinka] was MAN enough to take the blame [for Keyes]"
To anon 8:41 "[Topinka]didn't even have a vote in the [Keyes]matter"
Get real, Topinka sycophants: Topinka controlled at least 40% of the State Central Committee vote. Don't forget that she was pushing Barthwell (D.C. liberal) down everyone's throat. If she had pushed for a sensible Illinois candidate (e.g. Oberweiss or former ICC Commissioner Terry Barnich) palatable to the conservatives, she would have won over the Central Committee.
After her lack of leadership ability led to the Keyes putsch on the Central Committee, and after Keyes' defeat, Topinka was not shy about blaming the Central Committee and walking away from responsibility. Please cite me chapter and verse as to where Topinka publicly accepted responsibility for the Keyes debacle without dissing the Keyes voters on the ISRCC.
I too was at the infamous picnic, and heard Steve talking up Keyes. All the partisans here seem to forget a few simple facts regarding the "blame game" though.
1 . Like him or not, Oberweis should have been allowed his shot, and he was willing to spend his own money.
The biggest mistake WAS on the SCC for not taking him up on it. What was JBTs motivation in denying him?
Maybe that is what she is (and should be) taking blame for.
2. Had Keyes attempted to run even a bad campaign (as opposed to insane), he may have succeeded in improving registration and outreach. I think this is what some people were thinking when promoting the idea. (I thought it might work, but I never understood passing over Oberweis)
My view is that, presented with the opportunity to get Keyes here, JBT jumped at a chance to embarrass the "conservative wing" (like we need help!)
Even if it was Steve's original idea, Keyes performed perfectly for JBT. The question is, was that on purpose? Even for Keyes, you'd have to try to be that bad.
I wonder what happened to his Presidential Campaign debt? Does anybody know?
What people don't realize is Oberweis talked himself right out of that nomination after JACK! dropped out...the SCC was ready to go with him, until he opened his mouth. The man truly makes a fool out of himself anytime he's in a room...so because of the Milk Dud's inability to show some political judgement...we got stuck with Keyes.
Does anyone know how many copies Keyes' has sold of his debates with Obama? Something tells me he has a garage full of them at his home in Maryland.
Anon 3:05,
Interesting how easy it is to say things behind the mask of anonymity.
I heard Oberweis speak to a group the day he went in front of the SCC, and he sounded somewhat reasonable to me.
Of course, I'm might be a member of the flying monkey right who voted for Chimpybushitlerburton, so what do I know?
I guess anyone who doesn't couch their every word in PC Oprah speak or firey class war rhetoric is unable to "show poltical judgement."
I find it interesting that your view (from where?) is that he was so bad that they went with ....
Keyes?!
Sorry, not buying it.
Extreme Wisdom...I speak the truth, but believe what you'd like...and as for hiding behind a mask...are you not doing the same by not giving us your real name?
Oberweis blew the chance to be the senate candidate...it's that simple...so bad, that yes, they went with Keyes. That should tell you a lot about how bad he did in that interview.
Look, it doesn't matter what Oberweis did or said...has anyone ever gotten a look at that State Central Committtee? Talk about a worthless band of political wannabes.
Anon 12:52,
Just FYI, you can click the link, find my blog, and see who I am. So no, I'm not Anon...
I know not everyone knows that, so no big deal.
I'm sure you express your (or some one else's feelings) when you tell us that, so that too, is fair enough. I just think that some pre-judging might be going on there.
I tend to agree with Anon 12:54. No quite the best Central Committee.
If nothing else, Keyes was good poltical research. We now know that the floor for the Republican Party is 27%.
In a 3 Way race with Blago & Topinka, a credible conservative with a little money only need another 10-13% to win.
In a state sick of Blagos and Topinkas, two liberals splitting that vote while that credible conservative runs on a slightly moderated Republican Platform and a few bold ideas sounds like a doable proposition.
If Oberweis doesn't win, turning his operation over to such a candidate would be a graceful act that may well prevent the loss of 3-5 Republican seats in each chamber.
(given that a Topinka/Blago race will destroy Republican turn out and eviscerate the party.)
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