Political Arena

Earlier this year Illinois Republican Party chairman Andy McKenna’s pronounced that there would be no litmus tests for Republican candidates in 2010. As usual, poor Andy was exactly wrong. In fact, one big litmus test has been added in 2009: whether or not a person supports voting rights for rank and file Illinois Republicans.

After all, the Republican failures we’ve seen in Illinois have been Party failures first. Any candidate aligning themselves with the old guard failed McKenna bunch by opposingSB600 has picked the wrong side. And as the field of Republican candidates for governor gets fatter, it will nevertheless remain easy for GOP voters to distinguish between those who get it and those who don’t when it comes to the need for new Party leadership.

In a series of emails among those on the Western Kane County Republican Organization email list yesterday an exchange took place about the prospective 14th congressional district candidacy ofEthan Hastert, the son of former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert.

During the next few months, the various candidates stepping up to run against Democrat Bill Foster will be vetted. Some of that work will be done by what remains of the local GOP organizations after years of neglect by lazy and uninspired leadership.

It’s not fun having to deal with the reality that is the current American political system. One smart and successful young woman recently took me to task for my columns advocating for more participation – suggesting that there has to be a better way. She implied that most clear-thinking people want nothing to do with the rot that is today’s political process. Parts 1 and 2 of this series are found here and here.

“I read your article from today,” one smart young person recently began in an email to me.

“However, as a member of the jaded populous I just wanted to weigh in with the kind of (expletive deleted) attitude you may be facing so that maybe you can address it.”

You listen to talk radio when you can. You catch the latest on cable news. You scan the Internet for the latest news and commentary. You watch the Republicans in your area and nationally…

Here’s an excerpt from a note I received just yesterday:

“Most of us cannot stomach politics. We’re watching what appears to be the rapid disembowelment of our country – and it’s not easy to stay ‘checked in’ to it all. I’m not surprised that others are staying checked out. Not that I don’t care anymore but it’s all just too horrible to watch without a game plan of some sort. People are busy with their lives but need to get involved. But what’s the plan?

The headlines I read this morning upon returning to the U.S. after twelve days of traveling abroad assure me that nothing much has changed since I left.

One of Matt Drudge’s headlines –

Geithner to Tell China No One More Concerned About Deficit Than Obama…

The big media pundits – flying along up there at 30,000 feet like I mentioned here – continue to think Mark Kirk is the go-to guy for Republicans in Illinois when it comes to the U.S. Senate seat.

This is terribly ironic since Pennsylvania U.S. Senator Arlen Spector, who in many ways has a more “Republican” voting record than Mark Kirk, just jumped ship and is now a Democrat. The geniuses who run things at the National Republican Senatorial Committee evidently don’t learn. The NRSC’s Sen. John Cornyn talks up Kirk’s candidacy even as he and his fellow Republican senators bash their old pal Arlen.

Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich has been on TV a lot lately both commenting on President Obama’s blunders and promoting the Tea Parties taking place all over the country on April 15th. Newt is eminently quotable – and here is one of my favorites from him:

“On the really big things it is repetition that matters. I think our leadership has to get back in the habit of understanding that if you truly want to have a dialog with America, with over 300 million Americans, you have to pick a handful of big ideas, you have to talk about them endlessly, and gradually, over time, you’ll build an echo effect and a resonance and the country will learn and you’ll have a genuine dialog.”

Yesterday I noted 5th congressional district Rosanna Pulido’s 24% showing in the special election to fill the seat vacated by Rahm Emmanuel. That result only surprised a few dreamers.

The path to victory for Republican Party platform principles in Illinois is through the construction of ward, township, and county GOP organizations that are doing their part. We need committed people serious about having a presence in the community. We need the active recruitment of candidates, participation in the local public debate, and constant activity that reaches voters at the neighborhood level.