In the early 1990s a movie was made based upon the book “Searching for Bobbie Fischer” by Fred Waitzkin. For older Americans (like me) that remember the 1972 chess championship between the USA’s Bobbie Fischer and the USSR’s Boris Spassky—the name Fischer probably rang a bell. The late Bobbie Fischer was a world famous chess phenom that became a myth and is now a legend. In the years after the match, many chess fans pined for another Fischer-like star to rise. The book and film are based upon the true story of one very young chess champion.
In Illinois politics, people on the right are searching for a champion that can provide Donald Trump like leadership in this failed state. What our side is definitely not searching for is the Illinois version of California’s Willie Brown.
Anyone paying attention to politics for a long time probably remembers Willie, the former Democrat Speaker of the California State Assembly and former Mayor of San Francisco. Years ago he was regularly in the national news and was a popular guest on political talk shows. Newer political observers might recognize his name—he’s the guy that gave us Kamala Harris. (How he did that I’ll let you read about that elsewhere.)
Willie was a lot like our former Speaker of the Illinois House, Democrat Michael Madigan…only, let’s say, a bit more colorful. In their prime, both men were the ultimate power brokers. Both understood politics and knew how to win. Neither were all that good when it came to public policy, so both men share blame for the poor condition of their respective states.
As many readers know, Mike Madigan was recently convicted of crimes. Believe me, that does not mean Illinois Republicans will now start winning. Democrats like Mike know how to train their successors.
The continuing mess that is Illinois is not the fault of the countless good people on the political right trying to do their part to help affect change. Those who are to blame on the right, and who do need to be the focus of attention, come in several varieties. Some have raised and spent many millions of dollars and have nothing to show for it. Some fail to comprehend the solution even when it is presented to them. Others fail because their aim is an improved self esteem and/or the desire for a sense of importance.
As I said last time, we do not lack conservative talent in Illinois. Unfortunately, however, some of the talented individuals who have stepped into the fray have priorities that get in the way of them having a large scale positive impact. For example, some desire to be a kingmaker like Willie Brown.
They want to build their own bullpen of workers who will answer to them and do their bidding. These Illinois Willie Browns may help get a few people elected, but their misplaced focus on being a grand poobah prevents them from building what needs to be built.
How do I know this? I’ve watched these Willie Brown want-to-be types for a very long time. The sooner you recognize them, the sooner you can avoid and work around them.
The psychology of those who participate in politics and government is important to understand. Next time we will address one particularly interesting psychological case–that of Illinois mega donor Richard Uihlein.
Up next: They mystery of Richard Uihlein.
