McKenna Misses the Point ... Again

by Tyler Jones

Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna has this Voice of the People in today's Chicago Tribune pushing, once again, for the recall amendment.

McKenna writes:

As the Antoin "Tony" Rezko trial revealed more allegations of deep corruption in Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration, we heard voters demanding the ability to recall public officials who violate the public trust ...

... This is the attitude voters seek to change in Springfield-an attitude of arrogance and entitlement, an attitude that ignores the wishes of the people, that protects a culture of corruption. Six years ago, Illinois voters threw Republicans out of office in response to their failed leadership, arrogance and inability to listen to the wishes of the people. We were rightfully held accountable. We listened.

Really, Andy?  The Illinois GOP listened?  We think not.  McKenna (and the Illinois GOP) once again misses the point.  Here some additional bullet points for Andy and the Illinois GOP to consider:

• It's not all about Blagojevich.  Blago won re-election against a feckless GOP opponent - while he possesed an abysmal approval rating in the 30s.  Everybody already dislikes Blago.  The GOP's challenge (which it has so far failed to do) is to put up a statewide candidate with a positive, clear agenda for moving the state forward.  Topinka ran a solely anti-Blago campaign in which she refused to rule out tax increases and and avoided putting forth any type of agenda for Illinois' future.
• Get your caucuses in line.  The Illinois GOP can send out all the press releases it wants about lower taxes and limited, honest, open government.  But it doesn't amount to a hill of beans if its elected officials do the complete opposite.  For example, when members of "Republican leadership" (ie, the current and immediate past chairman of the DuPage GOP) vote for a half-billion dollar tax increase, it kinda hurts the GOP's credibility, dontchathink? 
• Clean house.  The Illinois GOP has absolutely no credibility when criticizing the Illinois Democratic Party on corruption.  The GOP's last elected governor is behind bars, the number two House member at the Illinois House Republican Organization contributes tens of thousands to Democrats, and the Rezko trial has exposed a parade of long-time corrupt GOP power brokers.  Andy - the Illinois GOP currently resides in one, big glass house.  Try cleaning it before you throw stones at the Democrats.
• Welcome an open discussion within the Party.  Under McKenna, the Illinois GOP has hung out a big sign for all to see:  CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM NOT WELCOME.  Aside from issuing criticisms against this blog, the party also spends time in an active campaign to quelch county parties from welcoming "dissident voices" as speakers for their events.  With all the work the party has in front of it - where does the party find the time to fight its own Republican members?   
• Where's the agenda?  As we've already said, the party needs to be more than simply anti-Blago to win.  The party needs to put forth an agenda - and adhere to it.  It seems the only agenda our Republicans in Springfield seem to care about is more casinos and more "capital spending" (i.e., pork.)  That type of "agenda" doesn't inspire voters of either party, doesn't differentiate the party from the Dems, and certainly - if enacted - won't move the state of Illinois forward.

So, Andy, while your sentiments are understood, the party you chair has a long way to go before it can stake any type of claim on virtue.

While some in the party would like to paint the party's troubles as a "conservative-liberal" fight, it's much more simple than that.  It's a case of the party members (conservative and moderate alike) becoming sick and tired of its party being led by the incompetent and inept.

Letters like the one published by Andy today further irritates party members by showing that party leadership continues to have a tin ear to the realities that face our state. 

Comments

[TheReallyRightGuy]

The performance of the IL. GOP has been pathetic since 1984, when we lost Percy's Senate seat in a year that Regen swept the state. Thompson ignored the corruption that was building up around G. Ryan. Edgar was more concerned with furthering the horse racing industry than in helping his Lt. Gov. take away a Senate seat from the Dems. Even with time off for good behavior, G. Ryan will set a new record for prison time by a Illinois Governor. Inn 2002 we ran J. Ryan for Gov. despite his contamination from the case of Rolando Cruz. The selection of Keyes to run for the Senate in 2004 was an act of insanity which not just humiliated the party but made many of us ashamed to be associated with it. What can we say about Topinka in 2006 -- Hapless? Pathetic? Out of her league? This year Kjalander is a continued embarrassment.
Yes, Andy has a lot of rebuilding to do. Recruiting good candidates is just the beginning.

[spintreebb]

TRRG, well said.

McKenna has a golden opportunity in Decatur in June to demonstrate "We listened". That will be the next big test.

would somebody please lay out for me what you want in the party, who is going to bring it success, and how...i am not sure there has ever been anyone on this board who actually ever liked anyone who won, raised money, or enjoyed success...thanks

[Tyler Jones]

Anon 1:48 pm...

Not sure what you mean...specifically about the people who have "enjoyed success."

Certainly you're not talking about Andy McKenna or the current party leadership.

In order for the party to turn things around, they need to do several things:

1) Have a changing of the guard on the central committee. Get new, hungry blood in that isn't connected to the old, failed guard of the party - and doesn't benefit financially from Democrat control. For example, Skip Saviano is on the Central Committee. He contributes tens of thousands to Democrats and has no interest in seeing a strong Republican Party.

2) Bring in a fresh slate of political talent on the consulting side. When a company goes bankrupt, it doesn't recycle the same, failed management team. Why doesn't the Republican Party do the same? Go out of state if you have to - but get some new, experienced talent.

3) Only after 1 and 2 occur (which may take 5, 10, 15 years) can you begin to talk about a fresh crop of candidates, a new chairman, etc. Because right now, the chairman (who hires the political talent) is controlled by the Central Committee, which currently is a tired group of political insiders who, in some cases, are allied with the tired, old political talent.

[Rosanna Pulido]

They could start by supporting Republican Candidates and not support Democratic candidates (Thank you Kirk Dillard)

http://www.ilga.gov/senate/Senator.asp?GA=95&MemberID=1212

They could start in Springfield by voting like conservative Republican Legislators (Thank you Michael Mc Auliffe)

http://www.ilga.gov/house/Rep.asp?GA=95&MemberID=1176

Don't have town hall meetings called WE ARE ILLINOIS and come and spew the same garbage you always spew and call that change!! LOL!!

[PhilCollins]

We need to get party leaders who support candidates who agree with the party platform. In the last U.S. Senate primary, one candidate was endorsed by the Illinois Federation for Right to Life, Illinois Citizens for Life, Minutemen Midwest, Chicago Minuteman Project, and National Taxpayers United of Illinois, but McKenna, the IL GOP State Central Committee, and Randy Pollard, the president of the county republican chairmen association, endorsed a different candidate.

[Pete Speer]

The leader of the state party has to be able to raise money in state. Andy "The Great Buddha" McKenna couldn't raise his hat. Not only that, he allowed the national people to come instate and vacuum up money for the Mational House and National Senate Campaign Committees and the prsidential Campaign Committee.

The leader of the State party has got to recruit and train competent and motivated people to manage affairs at the Stete Party level and to use his leverage to get competent people to lead the County parties and evaluate the effort of the County Chairmen to develop their township and precinct organizations. The Great Buddha could not organize a Chinese Fire Drill.

The State Chairman should maintain and increase the party'sesence in both houses of the General Assembly and recruit competitive candidate to run for state offices. Does anybody think he has been successful here?

He clearly is a legacy from his father's business acumen.

If you fail at financing, if you fail to develop organization, if he fails in politics, what in Hades is he still doing in place?

Answer. The Central Committee is filled with losers, happy with the status quo, happy to cooperate with the Democrat politicos, happy to earn lobbying fees and wualify after a time for pensions whetehr they are in the minority or the majority.

The Great Buddha makes no waves. He believes in the combine. His mantra is "self funding candidates".

Notice the issue that he latched onto -- and only after the fact, when it was impossible to make a difference --Recall.

Did anybody hear from the Great Buddha a bleat, a statement, even an "Ommmmmmmm" when it truly was an issue in play. Of course not. That is the opposite of political bravery.

[Some Thoughts]

As a suburban millenial from Illinois who went to good schools I fit the demographic that is now the base of Obama's campaign only I am a proud Republican despite the fact that my party is woefully short of leadership here and ideas nationally. So I have a few thoughts.

1. The party was successful in previous generations in winning elections and implementing and executing policy programs because leaders recognized the times and used our principles to propose ideas and legislation to meet them. My peers on the whole when you talk to them agree with the principles-personal responsibility, moral values, grow opportunity not government, but right now we lack the other facets of the equation-recognizing the times and using those principles to get good people, ideas, and legislation. We need to think not how to re-win 1980, but how to politically and otherwise dominate 2008, 2018 ect.

That's only going to come with a few things, most of all us stepping up.

1. Limiting special interest litmus tests and leaders that place personal interests above the party. It's hard to make a serious effort to do anything when someone that agrees with you more often than not cuts you at the knees because you don't go on board with them 99% of the time. It's also good to know the party will have your back, always.

2. No one cares about which county chairman did what when. You read through these blogs and it sounds like we are a dysfunctional mess more concerned with settling personal grudge matches than selling party solutions to public policy issues.

3. Work hard at recruiting. There are a lot of kids who went into public service because of 9-11 be it the War on Terror, da's offices or school teaching. Fresh faces, fresh ideas, fresh idealism, fresh policy. These people will need help though fundraising, developing campaigns ect...

[Torchwood]

The reason the Republican Party is failing not only in Illinois but across the country is due to the fact right-wing nut cases are still active in the Party. Look at what happened tonight in the state of Mississippi. The Democrats have won another special congressional election in a district that's been "safe" Republican since 1994.

Face it right-wingers. Your litmus tests for anti-choice, anti-sensible gun controls, reasonable investments in social infrastructure, overzealous hatred of immigrants and opposition to stem-cell research is killing the Republican Party.

Captain Jack Harkness

[Aaron Jacobs]

While I agree with Tyler Jones' list in "McKenna Misses the Point ... Again", I think there is more to add. While there is little doubt that Rod Blagojevich is shady, at best, many Illinois Republicans have little credibility on the issue of corruption simply because they are supporting a Federal Government that has many ethical problems of its own. How can people realistically hold their state government more accountable than they hold their federal government, simply because they are listed with a 'D' next to the state executive's name? The truth of the matter is that BOTH the Democrats and Republicans have been irresponsible and ought to be ashamed of themselves. Both have more than their fair share of problems. Taking someone to task, merely because the misdeeds are perpetrated by a Democrat is ridiculous if the same benchmark is not applied to the Republicans. I can't think of many people would appreciate Blago's alleged kickbacks to those who donate $25,000 or more to his campaign. I also can't think of too many people who appreciate somebody in the President's inner circle ratting out a covert CIA agent's identity. I think we can all agree, without excessive prodding, that Tony Rezko is a criminal. So is Scooter Libby. Chicago Democrats have raised your taxes. Congressional Republicans have tapped your phones. Emil Jones opposed a recall amendment and George W. Bush vetoed a waterboarding bill. Illinois Republicans aren't for handouts and are strictly opposed to government assistance, yet I haven't heard any outrage from them regarding the economic stimulus package some will be receiving - if not already - from George W. Bush. I have respect for Andy McKenna. He was cordial during the times I've spent with him. However his quest for a recall amendment seeking to keep government honest won't do a bit of difference if the Republicans (and Democrats) can't be honest with their hypocritical behavior. I don't subscribe to the philosophy that when one group does it, it's okay, but when the other does it, shame on them. McKenna believes it is time for tax and spend reform, but the Republican "don't tax and spend" philosophy has not assisted in reeling in the 9.2 trillion dollar national debt. If Republicans want ethics reform, as McKenna suggests, shouldn’t we also expect that from our national leaders who are aligned with McKenna ideologically? I believe so, as I'm sure most people do. The only way we are going to get clean government is by kicking out everyone who currently "serves". Until then, you'll get the government you deserve.

[Crimefighter]

Andy McKenna needs to RESIGN. He is a complete and utter failure.

[Crimefighter]

Torchwood...show me who these "right-wing nutcases" are in the state GOP. I sure am having trouble finding them.

[connie]

I saw Paul Vallas speak at the City Club....what an amazing non-elected public servant, with a record of leadership and accomplishment. He said he was thinking about entering the race for Governor, but not necessarily as a democrat. I believe that the Illinois Republican Party should woo Vallas to head the ticket in 2010, with like competent candidates for all statewide offices. If the democratic primary plays out to be the way it is looking, the AG, Treasurer, Comptroller, Lt. Governor offices will all be open. We need to "evolve" our party and our agenda to compete in what is perceived to be a blue state. A Republican-Vallas win would rock the political system throughout the state.

Sounds as if the state convention in Decatur could be a donnybrook.

[Jimmy]

Captain Jack........obviously you do not know the facts. Republicans are losing ground because they are acting like Democrats. It was conservative values that vaulted Reagan to the Presidency and the following decade took over Congress with Newt. Republicans need to get back to our core values......smaller government, lower taxes, individual responsibility, strong defense and the elimination of corruption.

Republicans, unlike Democrats, will not support candidates just based on their party label. Stupid democrats will support any idiot with a D next to their name. Example....Todd Stroger

[Staunch Independant]

Jimmy - Republicans have been supporting Bush through all his failures. For that reason alone they are rendered incapable and for that, they are now paying the price. I believe Jacobs was stating that if they are going to complain about the failings of the Democrats, they should do the same about the failings of the Republicans. There appears to be a double-standard, and he is right.