Leadership/Communications

The next presidential race is still a ways off but one name that is being tossed around in a favorable way is that of South Carolina U.S. Senator Jim DeMint. This column has noted his work in the past and he continues to impress me. Other Republicans aren’t so favorably disposed.

The old adage that “personnel is policy” applies in politics too. If Republicans hope to put together a winning coalition much like Ronald Reagan did thirty years ago, social conservatives will have to be on board. It’s foolhardy to think the GOP can win without them.

Thinking that “times have changed” and that human behavior doesn’t matter except when it comes to economic behavior – well, that’s incredibly short-sighted and naïve.

After the pick-up of the senate seat in Massachusetts, the announced retirement of Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh in Indiana, and the polls showing other probable pick-ups for the GOP in the U.S. Senate from coast to coast, Kirk’s win is no longer as critical as some people have argued.

Let’s quickly review recent history. Republicans held the Congress and the White House but fail to govern successfully because they walked away from their Party’s Platform principles. Why did they do that? At times it was because of corruption, or timidity or incompetence; at times, all of the above.

We’ve been here before, folks, so don’t be surprised if you feel a strong sense of déjà vu. The argument is being made once again that we have to support an unacceptable Republican lest a Democrat win. How many times do we need to refute this? As many times as it takes.

As I noted yesterday, W. Edwards Deming brought about a quality revolution in Japanese industry that eventually skipped over the Pacific Ocean and began to be applied more often in the United States in the 1990s. (Those of us who remember the gap between American made cars and Japanese imports in the 1970s remember why many of us eventually bought a Honda, Toyota or Nissan.)

The Illinois Republican Party is up to its old games – working overtime to block any new blood or enlightened thinking from making its way into its leadership ranks. In fact, that’s really the only time you see the IL GOP in action – when it is rigging conventions, disenfranchising or threatening to sue rank and file Republicans, or keeping the “country club” closed to outsiders.

If a plan to balance our state’s or the federal government’s budget doesn’t really balance – or doesn’t realistically set a date for it to balance within a few years – then it’s a plan that should be rejected. Kicking the budgetary can down the road is not leadership.

National columnist, author, and former undefeated professional boxer Matt Barber has weighed in on several Republican races including the Illinois GOP U.S. Senate primary – we linked his entire article here. Matt has given us permission to excerpt the section relevant to Mark Kirk, which follows.

The last candidate to cover in this review of the GOP governor hopefuls is that of state Senator Kirk Dillard. For those who have been looking for the perfect man for Illinois Governor, well, good luck with your quest. My sense is that you may be disappointed.

Next up in our brief review of the GOP gubernatorial candidates is Adam Andrzejewski. From reports, Adam could have the financial resources he needs to compete in January.

After months of political conversations I can report that people I respect are supporting several different candidates in the governor’s primary. Some are with Dan Proft, others think Jim Ryan has grown wiser during the past eight years. But most fall into either the Adam Andrzejewski or Kirk Dillard camp.

Conservatives have been hearing speeches, reading campaign materials, and seeing the positions candidates are taking on the issues for decades. Many of those politicians professing to be supporters of limited government and traditional values have gotten elected. So the question is begged – why is government at all levels such a mess?

If politics was only a matter of ideology it’d be so much easier to figure out who is the best candidate to support. Voters could follow along a check list of a person’s positions on the issues and make a judgment about who best represents their values.

Unfortunately, as this column continually notes, a lot of men and women who hold office as conservatives are – for the most part – useless to the cause of advancing solutions based on the Republican Party’s Platform principles. There is no reason to elect any more of them – and nothing good is accomplished by giving any one of them a political promotion.

I have recently reported on what the experts were saying about the War in Afghanistan (see series of notes here). Today, we bring you a few links and excerpts from commentators following President Barack Obama’s speech yesterday announcing his plans for sending more troops.