Rumors are Flying...
Friday afternoon I got a call from someone who said he had heard a rumor that I was Rev. and State Sen. James Meeks' consultant in his contemplated bid for governor. I chuckled. By tonight I had heard that I was his campaign manager, major domo, guru...whatever.
First off, I am a Republican. I support the Republican ticket from top to bottom. I support Judy Topinka for governor. No, she was not my first choice in the primary, but she is our GOP nominee and I support her. There is only one time in my life I did not support the Republican nominee...and that time I did not go out and support someone else; I just maintained a sullen silence. This will not be a second time.
So how did this get started? Sometime back a mutual friend asked if I would sit down and talk with Meeks. I said sure; I have lunch or dinner with Democrats and representatives of third parties three or four times a month. But I explained that I am a Republican, and I would be supporting the Republican ticket in toto.
Earlier this week I had dinner with Rev. Meeks at a downtown Chicago restaurant. We talked about politics, religion, what his chances were, how African-Americans view conservatives and how conservatives view African-Americans. He's a fascinating guy. Anybody who can build a church from the ground up to having 20,000 active members has to be something special. Over a decade ago I recruited the black man, Torrie Newsome, who was chairman of the Waukegan Twp. Republicans a few years ago into the party. A few years ago I wrote a campaign plan for his wife, Edie, who became the first black woman ever to be a Waukegan Alderman...and she did it as a Republican in a Democrat district. My son-in-law is black. I have long believed that a great many blacks would find a more comfortable home in the Republican Party than with the Democrats. I never let an opportunity pass to dispel the slander of racism that so many on the left tar those of us on the right with. But Rev. Meeks knew before dinner and after that whatever camaraderie we might establish, I was and would be supporting the Republican nominee for governor.
The pro-life issue is the focus of what motivates my involvement in politics. I consider it the great civil rights issue of our time. Now it may seem odd that I would not support an overtly pro-life independent over a non-pro-life Republican. But these things happen in a larger picture. Right now, the Republican Party is the only safe place for a pro-lifer to be. And even when a Republican is not right on the issue, I have yet to see a situation where the pro-life cause is helped by weakening the Republican Party. Some conservatives thought to teach Jim Ryan a lesson four years ago - and what we got was Rod Blagojevich who made this into one of the most radically pro-abortion states in the country. I would not have something like that on my conscience. But my attitude on the matter is something like Abraham Lincoln's was about the Whig Party: so long as the Whig Party was the anti-slavery party, Lincoln was a partisan Whig. When it became the me-too party, he ceased to be a Whig. So long as the Republican Party is the pro-life party I will be a partisan Republican.
Rev. Meeks and I hit it off nicely at dinner. He strikes me as a serious and likeable guy, with a great deal of talent. I hope our friendship will grow and that it will help draw new lines of understanding and cooperation between African-Americans and Republicans. But just as I am an American, I am also a Republican. Though I may occasionally think a foreign country has the better of an argument with us, if a dispute comes, I side with America. In politics, I am a Republican. I'll continue to break bread with members of other parties - and while they're hoping for my conversion, I'll be hoping for theirs.
Sometime I'll write an assessment of what effect I think a Meeks entry would have on the race. He certainly would draw a chunk of normally-Republican conservatives. In the end, though, I think he is likely to draw far more black and discontented downstate Democrats.
16 comments:
Rev. Meeks I truly believe is a good man who does seek to do what's right. I don't know about him running for governor but if this puts the black vote back into play and helps realign Illinois politics, then he would have served his purpose.
The Belleville News Democrat ran a story today about Meeks asking St. Clair County Board member Steve Reeb to be his Lt. Gov.
Is this news getting around the state?
I doubt that Meek's third party- Republican- ticket will draw too many Democrat votes.
Wishful thinking, though, Charlie.
Meeks is in!
This is great...it's always about you Charlie...thanks for the laugh.
Yep, when you need someone to help a dishonest Dem with an an "R" by their name to destroy the Republican Party from the inside, Charlie's your guy. Whether it's helping a spoiler give an election to the pro-abort Topinka or if you're looking for sell outs to work on a rigged committee for Bob Kjellander, Charlie's the man to call.
I think the best part is, he'll give us his analysis...like we care.
Charlie,
Good stuff on Meeks. However, in talking to quite a few evangelical leaders over the last couple of months, I think that many of them will punch in Meek's name when it comes to governor, especially those evangelicals who are motivated about the prolife cause and the marriage amendment. Meeks did himself a lot of good by circulating the petition at his church.
I think his presence in the race will dramatically realign politics in Illinois for years to come. I don't think that Judy or Rod will be able to dismiss Meeks as a crackpot, because whoever wins will have to deal with Meeks if they want any support from the African-American community. Even if he doesn't win the seat, he isn't going anywhere.
I respect a man like Meeks who is willing to speak out on the issues he believes in. I don't agree with him on every issue, but on the social issues, he's right on.
I think Judy is going to have a hard time getting conservatives to swallow her positions.
We'll see, though, how it all plays out.
Wake up people. If Meeks gets in the race Topinka wins in a cakewalk. Meeks takes many more votes from Blago than Topinka. Anyone who tries to say otherwise is delusional and doesn't know squat about the Illinois political game.
Topinka needed Bill Brady as a spoiler to get by the Primary, and Meeks is her only hope now.
The fact that Charlie Johnston claims the Meeks people are sniffing around him should tell people all they need to know.
Judy loses either way. You know it, and she knows it.
Maybe next time.
3:15-
This isn’t a primary election. Topinka needed Brady to pull off the March win. With out him, she would have lost BIG. A third party conservative ticket isn’t going to do her much good.
Now, wishful thinking Republicans can paint Meeks up as a Democrat and that he is going to take votes away from Rod, but his message is going to tell a different story. With the exception of his tax increase idea, he is all the way to the right. A good chunk of the conservatives that show up on Election Day will vote for him. His polling shows it, Rod’s polling shows it, and Judy’s polling shows it. I know a lot of African-American Democratic voters that aren’t in favor of paying more taxes. The fact that Meeks is African-American doesn’t mean that he will automatically get the African-American vote.
Topinka is the one that’s in trouble. Her campaign is a mess, she doesn’t have any money, and the money she was hoping for from the RNC is, well, lost in some “undisclosed location.”
Thanks for the report and analysis, Charlie. Realignment is the only hope of the GOP to return Illinois to a red state.
Charlie, you should of worked for Meeks, be true to your issues not artificial party labels that in Illinois have no meaning
Interesting post, but I'd challenge the idea that we have Blago due to "Some conservatives thought to teach Jim Ryan a lesson four years ago". Ryan lost primarily because of the Nicarico scandal, where Ryan convicted an innocent man and then refused to admit he was wrong despite overwhelming evidence. It's nice to have party loyalty, but JBT stretches to the max the question of what is a Rebublican?
If he runs Meeks will get a lot of votes from Conservatives who would otherwise sit out the Governors race, they really have no dog in this hunt.
I certainly agree with the person who said Topinka's campaign is a mess, and she's a mess as a candidate. That's obviously true and in a one-on-one she would have no chance.
But Meeks gives her that chance.
Meeks would get some conservate Repub votes. No question. But he takes many more from Blago.
Most Repubs won't in fact vote for a 3rd Party candidate. All the history shows that. They'll stick with the person with an "R" just because they think that's their duty, even if it's the biggest traitor to the Republican cause like Topinka.
But Meeks severely hurts Blago. It's not about being conservative. Black folks will vote for a conservative - it's being a Republican that many of them can't stomach. Meeks gets a much different reception than Keyes for example - even if they talk about the same issues.
Meeks puts Blago's reelection in severe jeopardy because he cuts into the core Dem base - the African American vote.
What Blago needs to do is to start sounding the alarm that Meeks will only succeed in helping to elect a Republican, and a vote for him is really a vote for the GOP.
That's not only a winning strategy, it's based on reality
Meeks will get African Americans to vote for him because A, he is Black. B He is not a crackpot liek Sharpton. C. He has something to say. As far as him being far right, he is quite representative of A LOT of Arican Americans. Right on social issues, perhaps moreso than gopers. Him saying that the DNC has taken black voters for granted is noting new, white and black republicans have been sayin gthat for years.
All Meeks needs to do is take a chunk of Rod's votes from the city.
Please remember Roland Burris in 02! He was placed there to take Black votes away from Vallas, it worked and he is no where near as impressive or dynamic as Meeks. Meeks has a message, education funding. He will destroy Rod.
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