From today's review of this weekend's ICRF convention below:
You've just got to love those hearty Illinois College Republicans who came to Chicago this weekend. They are true believers in Republican values, or they would have stayed in their dorms from Springfield to DeKalb to Chicago, waiting for the next heart-pumping "Obama-rama" rally to hit their campus. Instead they braved the cold and sacrificed precious funds to find out how bad things are for Republicans.
One thing about it. If, by some miracle, they endure this year and aren't turned off to politics altogether -- much less Republican politics -- they will someday look back and see how bad things can get. And maybe if this year's bad experience makes a permanent and deep enough mark in their impressionable political psyches, they'll remember this and won't ever let it happen again.
That, and that alone, my friend, gives me hope for the future of the Republican Party.
The Hope of the Party's Future
by Fran Eaton, Illinois Review.com editor
At the time when Illinois campuses are alive with angry anti-war, Bush-hating student protestors on one hand and "Yes We Can!" Obama t-shirts and rallies on the other, a determined group of young Republican college students huddled together at the Chicago Hilton over the weekend, hoping to hear their leaders give them reason to step out and promote Republican candidates and values.
I'm not sure they got what they came for.
Despite the admirable efforts of ICRF President Patrick Binning, Ex Director Jeremy Rose and their ICRF executive team to get the future of the party charged up and ready to get in the fight, the news from GOP leaders was sobering and disheartening.
IL GOP chairman Andy McKenna told the group meeting at downtown Chicago's Hilton that the state party would be focused on congressional races, protecting three GOP open seats in Hastert, Weller and LaHood's districts and two the Democrats have targeted for pickup -- Roskam's 6 and Kirk's 10. No attempt at challenging Chicago area congressional strongholds was mentioned.
State Senator Chris Radogno (R-LaGrange) told the students there was no hope of regaining the Republican majority in the Senate this year and they would be working to protect two incumbents, but had hope for two challenges to Democrat seats -- one in the far western suburbs and the other in far southern Illinois. Radogno encouraged the CRs to support her presidential primary pick NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Four political observers' lively panel discussion of the "Future of the Republican Party," concluded that GOP state lawmakers had seriously damaged the Republican brand and lost its message in the process. Panel members included CL-TV's newsman Carlos Hernandez-Gomez, Chicago Tribune Freedom Museum's Shawn Healy, WLS commentator Dan Proft and me.
Proft, who has worked on several GOP campaigns, pointed to the destruction Republicans voting for the RTA sales tax increase had brought to the party's overall "lower taxes, less government" brand.
As a political reporter, Gomez attributed the party's ineffectiveness and lack of energy partially to its ongoing recovery from George Ryan fallout and the state's changing demographics, but agreed with Proft's assessment.
Shawn Healy voiced strong disappointment with few Republicans on the ballot in Chicago and no organized opposition to the city's Democratic regime.
And I suggested with the unpopularity of Governor Blagojevich that this year's state campaign climate was similar to the national environment in 1994, when Newt Gingrich led a successful congressional revolution under the Contract for America banner.
We all agreed things could be turned around, but it would take confrontation, persistance and patience. (Hopefully, Political Affair's reporter Jeff Berkowitz will make his video recording of the discussion available on his website.)
But overall, most conference speakers focused on national-level races. As state chairman for the McCain campaign, State Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Hinsdale) encouraged support for his presidential pick, and lauded pickup support from the Thompson camp.
Durkin read from the Tribune's endorsement and emphasized that Florida's U.S. Senator Mel Martinez had endorsed McCain. Later on Saturday, Florida's governor also announced McCain was his pick in his state's primary coming up Tuesday.
Huckabee, Romney and Paul also sent representatives.
And although both 14th CD candidates Jim Oberweis and Chris Lauzen pushed the ICRF officers for prime speaking slots, neither showed up. Oberweis pulled out on Friday, citing an TV ad taping. Then after an anonymous call late Friday afternoon asking whether Oberweis would be attending the convention, Lauzen didn't show either, and his area rep Michael Foote spoke on Lauzen's behalf.
Other candidates included U.S. Senate candidates Steve Sauerberg and Mike Psak, as well as 10th CD candidate Steve Greenberg and Cook County State's Attorney Tony Peraica.
You've just got to love those hearty Illinois College Republicans who came to Chicago this weekend. They are true believers in Republican values, or they would have stayed in their dorms from Springfield to DeKalb to Chicago, waiting for the next heart-pumping "Obama-rama" rally to hit their campus. Instead they braved the cold and sacrificed precious funds to find out how bad things are for Republicans.
One thing about it. If, by some miracle, they endure this year and aren't turned off to politics altogether -- much less Republican politics -- they will someday look back and see how bad things can get. And maybe if this year's bad election experience makes a permanent and deep enough mark in their impressionable political psyches, they'll remember this and won't ever let it happen again.
That, and that alone, my friend, gives me hope for the future of the Republican Party.
