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IL GOP Chairman Dismisses The Tea Partiers/9-12ers/Conservatives As “Fringe Element”?

By: anacreon (Diary)  |  January 21st, 2010 at 12:30 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

My hangover from celebrating Scott Brown’s victory hasn’t even worn off yet, and here we have another headache to deal with.  The Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady has, in essence, called every Tea Partier/9-12er/conservative in Illinois a “fringe element”.  He does actually call us out by name, but the inference is there.

As I have stated before in prior posts, I have traveled across Illinois and I have yet to find a Tea Partier, 9-12er or real conservative that supports Rep. Mark Kirk, aka “He Who Shall Not Be Nominated”.  So to be clear, we are members of the “Dump Kirk” crowd that Pat Brady is referring to.

Brady goes on to explain that that IL GOP is unified.  Huh.  Not the last time I checked.  For those outside of Illinois, we have a massive problem with what we call the Illinois Combine.  In a nutshell, the bigwigs of both parties put up candidates that are so similar to each other that you can’t really distinguish between a Republican or Democrat which results in the regular voter (almost exclusively Republican voters) getting the shaft.  All the while, those party bigwigs ignore what the voters want.

The establishment GOP, notably Sen. John McCain, Rep. John Shimkus, Rep. Aaron Schock, and Rep. Tim Johnson have endorsed Mark Kirk – many before petitions were even turned in.  Being told by the party bosses who we should vote for (even before anyone has “officially” declared) is a pet peeve of many a Tea Partier/9-12er/conservative.

There are many of us mentioned above who favor other candidates for the US Senate on the Republican side.  Many support and endorse Patrick Hughes, including the Homer/Lockport (New Lennox 9-12 fame), Rockford, Joilet, Effingham Tea Parties, plus the great Mark Levin and Laura Ingraham.  On the same day as Chairman Brady’s dismissal of many of us, the Tea Party Nation released it’s endorsement of Patrick Hughes against Mark Kirk.  I guess that makes them a “fringe element” as well?  What about the Gun Owners of America who also endorsed Patrick Hughes? Or the various other conservative groups, Right to Life groups, and others who are against Mark Kirk.  What’s Pat Brady’s response?  We are just a “fringe element”.

Not too long ago, Florida Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer was pushed to resign because of his ties and support of Charlie Crist against Marco Rubio, who enjoyed the support of Tea Partiers/9-12ers/conservatives.  Now, we here in Illinois seem to be faced with the same problem as Florida.  The largest and most significant difference between Florida and Illinois is that we have less than 2 weeks before we head to the polls to nominate our US Senate candidate!

Those national conservatives that are out there, please, help us here in Illinois.  You see what we’re up against.  Even our IL GOP Chairman is fighting against us!  If we can take New Jersey, Virginia, and now Massachusetts – the bluest of blue states – we can take Illinois back in the name of conservatism!

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COMMENTS

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  • http://www.rockfordteaparty.blogspot.com rockfordteaparty

    Its time for all the same groups that rushed and poured into Massachusetts to do the same here in Illinois. The Primary is Feb 2nd and the nation has no clue that we are fighting for our political lives here.

    • http://www.theminorityreportblog.com/blog/loren_heal Socrates

      I wrote a post on this over at The Minority Report, covering much the same ground as anacreon’s, before I saw his. I can not believe the depths to which our state party has sunk.

      • wolfster38

        Fringe?
        Mark Kirk is a very left Republican.
        Illinois is trying to be the next California with all the tax and spending. The last (what is it) 12 governors have ended in prison. And one one the way. I think Bloggo will sing. and sing, and sing. These people have dumped on him and payback is coming. It could be fun. Unless they “white water” his butt.

        • Brian Hibbert

          I went to a “Conservative Candidate’s Forum” last year that which had a theme of “Anybody but Kirk”. That forum was sponsored by the McClain county (Bloomington/Normal) GOP. My county (Tazewell) is also firmly anti-Kirk and I believe Peoria county is as well. I have family in Adams county (Quincy area) that also report the same.

          I have YET to talk to anyone who actually follows politics closely that is supporting Kirk. I see NO Kirk yard signs (but there is a larger sign on a public corner that was probably placed by the Kirk campaign).

          Now that is a downstate bias and things may be different in the Chicago area, but around here Kirk is not popular.

          P.S. I’m supporting Judge Don Lowery. I’d be happy with Pat Hughes as a candidate, but I honestly think the Judge would make a better Junior Senator from Illinois.

          • http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens

            If you really want a conservative to win, you ought to rally around one guy.

            The left wing of the party isn’t going to fragment. They’re all going to back the well known squish.

            If conservatives all split up and back guys who are slightly better on one thing or another, then Kirk doesn’t need yard signs.

          • eburke

            a whole bunch of folks that run in the primary against 1 lib/mod squish, end up splitting the conservative vote, and we get stuck with a squish.

            Would be nice if they would park their egos at the door, see the big picture, recognize who’s getting traction and who’s not, and then coalesce around that candidate.

            But, then again, if pigs could fly…..

          • http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens

            The squishes are probably going to split between Fiorina* and Campbell, while DeVore will get united conservative support.

            * Fiorina claims she’s a pro-life conservative, but her support base keeps insisting she’s an “electable” moderate.

          • Brian Hibbert

            It’s been tough to choose among several good candidates.

            Once I finally made up my mind, I told the Judge I would support him. I’m not going to go back on my word so I can’t switch to Hughes.

            After the primary, I will back whoever wins. I hope it’s either Judge Lowery or Hughes, but after Feb 2 I’ll work even to get Kirk elected.

          • eburke

            you can just kinda morph into whatever suits you at the moment. Pro-life one day…electable ‘moderate’ the next. It’s all just so…so… well, reasonable.

            And it’s not like they have to worry about being called out by the local media arm of the DNC.

          • flipngo4

            But the fact of the matter is that we must allow the democratic process to work. If we begin to only pay attention to candidates with bigger checkbooks, then the slippery slope begins. A candidate like Hughes, for all his shortcomings and lack of a voting record, will be able to strong-arm other, more conservative candidates because “it furthers the movement”.

            Judge Lowery and John Arrington both seem like strong candidates with records that shine compared to Hughes. Come on, a guy with no voting record since 2004 who “imports” himself from the real estate business, just like how Republicans imported Alan Keyes? Please. Let the people vote for who they want. It may be tough medicine to swallow for now, but it saves the process.

            For example, why did the IL Right to Life only endorse Hughes, when Lowery, Arrington, and Thomas all have equally conservative views? It’s because Illinois pro-life groups have become pay-to-pay schemes that back a single candidate based on campaign funding. I’d rather have Mark Kirk ruin his career as a one-term Senator than live in a state where only rich attorneys like Hughes can run because they pay their own way.

    • chbroussard

      I’ve got my checkbook ready.

  • http://www.theprecinctproject.wordpress.com ColdWarrior

    Thank you.
    ColdWarrior
    No More Scozzafavas! And Mark Kirks
    Become a Republican Party precinct committeeman. Now!

  • http://www.downstateiladvocate.com anacreon

    Fresh off the presses (ok…email):

    Patrick Hughes has won the mock election held after the Riverbend9-12/Alton Tea Party’s meet/greet/debate in Grafton, IL last Saturday.

    Welcome to the “fringe” party – don’t expect Chairman Brady to bring any snacks or drinks to the party though.

  • Lloyd Davis

    Too many moderates (liberals) who love to reach for common ground with
    the Democrats have found their way into the party leadership at all levels. They then push for the election of any candidate who leans toward the
    left’s way of thinking while trying to freeze out conservatives. They tell us
    that conservatives have no chance and we must change to be more like
    the other side if we want to have any chance to win. Well, tell that to the voters in Virginia, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. This is proof that we need to have a strong conservative in every race and never give up any fight.

    We need to be involved in every level and do our best to get these moderates out of the postions of control where they are trying to get the Republican party to become a mirror image of the Democrat party.

    One left- leaning socialistic party is too many.

    We can’t effectively fight the socialist drive of the left while the leadership of the right is trying to push left-leaning candidates as the alternative.

    That choice gives us know choice.

    • http://impudent.blognation.us/blog kyle8

      it is just that if you do not ACTIVLY oppose the left then they win, every time. They win because government has a tendency to grow all on it’s own.

      That is why the wishy washy Republicans are such a problem, it is not that the things they believe are so far removed from conservatism, it is that they don’t get the fact that you HAVE to fight the left all the time. It is not a part time job.

      • Lloyd Davis

        We have to fight the left all the time and never stop. Too many in
        leadership are worried about being hated and want the press to love
        them. Its time to realize that this will never happen. While they try to woo
        the press our country is being destroyed.
        We need to focus on every race no matter how small or unlikely. Every
        issue that can be used to advance their agenda needs to be opposed.
        This is a battle for the very soul of our country. This is a fight we can and must win. We can’t do that with a limited war… it must be total war.
        Do it right or get out of the way for someone who will.

  • http://www.theminorityreportblog.com/blog/loren_heal Socrates

    Yes, that Phyllis Schlafly, she of Eagle Publishing, which owns Redstate.

    See also The Minority Report.

  • http://www.downstateiladvocate.com anacreon

    if that makes her a member of the “fringe element” as well.

  • http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens

    I mean technically Erick is a paid employee of EP, but he’s a loose cannon. He makes everyone wince now and then. He’s an equal opportunity wince maker.

  • http://www.theminorityreportblog.com/blog/loren_heal Socrates

    Though broadly I doubt Redstate would have attracted Eagle’s attention without a compatible editorial bias, I don’t mean to suggest any control.

    Erick did endorse Patrick Hughes, but it was clearly after researching the candidates on his own (and from his feverish devotion to my twitter stream).

  • http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens

    So I was just checking :-)