Why I am not voting for Jim Oberweis as Kane County GOP Chair.
The daily Herald is reporting that it appears that Jim Oberwies is looking to run for Kane County GOP chairman and/or the 14th Congressional District position for State Central Committeeman. It also brings up Oberweis having an "ally" for chair and Jim running for Central Committeeman
As an elected Republican Committeeman in Kane County let me explain why I will not be voting for Jim Oberweis nor any "ally" for Chairman or Central Committeeman.
First and foremost: Violations of Ronald Regan's 11th commandment, if you want to do that as a candidate during a primary that is your choice. Don't expect me to consider that acceptable actions from someone who wants to be an elected leader of the party.
Party leaders at any level should not put 'conditions' on supporting a candidate that wins a Republican Primary unless they are really, really outside the mainstream or even the banks of the mainstream (see David Duke, Lyndon LaRouche). Sorry Jim, Judy does not even visit this neighborhood no less fall into it.
If he were to become county party chair I don't see Jim's focus being on winning local elections (picking up county board seats or helping Bob Mitchell beat Linda Chapa-LaVia) and that is what I expect out of my county chair.
I don't see Jim as being really available to people like me within the Kane County Republican Party to return a call or answer a question. I know my current county chair will return a call and answer a question. I certainly don't see Jim sitting down with the township organization chairs once a month to deal with issues at the county level or go over arraignments for the golf outing and the fall round-up.
If Jim wants to run for either of these offices or both that is his right, just as it is my right as an elected committeeman to do the same.
If he wants to go after Bob Kjellander, that's his right as well. I understand that after coming in second in three state-wide primaries as well as the whole 'not being picked as Jack Ryan's replacement thing' he may have a legitimate beef with some people. It is however my right and responsibility as a committeeman in Kane County however to say no to him using our organization as cover to promote his own agenda. Which as far as I can see is the only reason he is running for county chair and/or central committeeman.
We have local elections to contest and win and party infighting about the 'vision' of the party and Bob Kjellander is not the way to get that done.
Updates:
Yes it is a weighted vote and OneMan carries very little weight (in the vote, a lot in life).
Also I started thinking that an Oberweis chairmanship would just about kill any work we have done reaching out to the Hispanic community in the county.
OneMan
18 comments:
He's going to have to come out strong for JBT. He's really going to have to commit to her.
Otherwise he has no place as chair.
Greg Rivera had a column about Kane County GOP Politics. He didn't talk about Oberweis but gives you some background on what's goin on.
Does anyone know if the election of County Chairman is a "weighted" vote or is it one vote per elected committeeman?
If this man is put in place of leadership - which the party said he was not the choice in the primary election - you'll get the greatest majority of republicans NOT participating and you'll have the Keyes affect all over again. His actions were shameful at the unity breakfast. You put him in and you'll get more of that type of behavior.
Greg,
I see where you are coming from and if I didn't think this was mostly a way for him to go after Kjellander I would start to think about it.
However, the issue of the impact on Hispanic outreach for me is huge.
Kane is one third hispanic now.
Does "out reach" = caving in on illegal aliens?
He's going to have to come out strong for JBT. He's really going to have to commit to her.
The way that JBT came out strong for the last Republican Senate candidate?
What goes around comes around.....
OneMan, all of your whining about the 11th Commandment and calling for blind unity, are all of the same things we heard back in 1998 regarding George Ryan. That really worked out well for us.
If you aren't even thinking about how to make the IL GOP a serious, winning organization, why don't you get out of the game.
OneMan, there actually are a lot of good Republicans in this state who want to do something other than play pretend and join in the lies about how everything is fine. Most people aren't willing to help spread a bunch of lies.
Trainwreck after trainwreck. That's your idea of "unity".
Go away.
Anonymous,
I am not saying he can't break the 11th commandment just don't expect to be a leader of the party and do it.
If he wants to go after the party leadership he does not need to use the Kane County Republican Party as a tool to do so. We have local races to deal with. Does anyone think that the vast majority of voters gives two shakes about Bob Kjellander. This is not the sort of 'issue' we need to deal with now.
There is a time to deal with this party internal stuff, the year of a statewide general election is not one of them.
As for going away, sorry I care about the party too.
OneMan
You really shouldn't worry about an Oberweis chairmanship in Kane County killing the work the GOP has done in reaching out to the Hispanic community. That's because the Republicans in the U.S. House already did that when they passed that barbaric immirgration bill of theirs.
Ironic a supporter of Oberweis would use the word "trainwreck" to describe anyone or anything but Jim Oberweis himself.
If he wants to be a "party guy" which he never has, he has to be committeemen, prove himself, then run for leadership in the county organization. I think he wrongly looks at the party organizations of the county and state as business entities he can just walk into and run however he wants and be successful. It doesn't work that way, and that mindset is probably exactly WHY he's been rejected by the Republican Party in this state FIVE times now.
He could do a lot more good joining the effort to get rid of Blagojevich (the true enemy) than trying to rearrange the generals in this battle. His black and white, tunnel-vision approach to politics may be refreshing to a few, but it really shows he just doesn't understand politics and how to win elections - what a state party's job actually is.
"Oberweis for County Chair" has very little to do with the advancement of the Kane County GOP, and absolutely nothing to do with the GOP winning elections against Democrats.
It has to do with Jack Roeser and his cronies, such as Anonymous 9:21, desperately seeking relevance, and achieving their petty vendettas of destroying Kjellander and defeating Topinka. Having been defeated in every damned election they have ever entered, they are now in great need of a platform from which to try and accomplish all that. So now its "Oberweis for Kane County Chair." Rust never sleeps.
Sadly, Jimbo has totally gone over to the Dark Side of the Force. Accordingly, he will lose this vote, too.
I don't know, and don't particularly care, if Obie wants to be a Republican Party leader.
I can say though that Kjellander will be an issue in November, and a lot more people in Illinois will know his name then.
Kjellander symbolizes "business as usual" in Illinois. A lot of people are going to look at JBT and her refusal to renounce him and assume it will be Ryan II -- business as usual.
When will OBY get it ???? They are just NOT interested in him, his campaigns, his ideas or his views. He's just hungry for power ... any power & bent on one thing, destruction of the GOP party as we know it & ALL who disagree with him ... not winning elections. His interests are self serving & that of his cronies. They should do ALL they can to prevent him from winning the Kane Co. chair or central committee ; precinct committeeman unite & send this guy packing. Show what a non-mainsteam guy he is, use the press or handouts on the street if necessary.
His antics can not be helping his business. Maybe everyone boy-cott his products for a week or two & then maybe he'll get the picture & go away!!! Geezzz !!
If people are interested in him, then why did he gather 32% of the vote.... hmmm... Sounds like nearly a 1/3 of Republicans are interested in him!
"When will OBY get it ???? They are just NOT interested in him, his campaigns, his ideas or his views."
Kane County is interested enough that he won there.
"I don't see Jim as being really available to people like me within the Kane County Republican Party to return a call or answer a question."
In fairness to Jim, have you ever called him? Have you ever left a message that he has not returned? You may not "see" him as being available but you sure could give him the chance.
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