Some questions for Whitley's exploratory committee

So, Illinois Chamber's president wants to be Governor of Illinois? 

Batavian resident Doug Whitley told the SJR this week he is launching a 2010 gubernatorial exploratory committee and that he became a Republican in 2000 when the Democrats  began touting class warfare. Then in the spirit of party reform, we must speculate, Whitley felt compelled to blast current IL GOP leadership.

Since Whitley's just exploring this bid, let's help out the committee.  We're sure Republicans will be asking these questions in what appears to be another disturbing four-or-five-way, waste-of-money GOP blood letting in the making. 

• Since your political conversion in 2000, why have you personally donated to Democrats Melissa Bean, Jerry Costello and Dick Durbin's federal campaigns? 
• As head of the Transportation for Illinois Coalition, why would your group oppose a Republican-led effort to provide federal gas tax relief this past summer?
• Also as head of TFIC, why would you promote Chicago Mayor Daley's plan to re-route a considerable amount of rail traffic out into the western suburbs via the controversial EJ & E?

Perhaps IR readers have more questions they can help Whitley's exploratory committee answer. 

(Whitley is pictured left of Dick Durbin above.  The photo is from a collection on TFIC's website HERE, taken four months ago in DC.)

Comments

[Mark Rhoads]

I have already said I would like to see Congressman Peter Roskam (R-DuPage) run for governor due to his conservatism, age and state legislative expertise in leadership positions. But IR readers should not get the idea that Doug Whitley is a wild-eyed liberal. He is not.

When I first knew Doug thirty years ago he was the young president of the Taxpayers Federation of Illinois, a position he held for 14 years. In my view from the standpoint of looking out for the taxpayer, Doug was a solid conservative even if he was nominally a Democrat. His present position as president of the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce requires him to get along as best he can with both parties. As a candidate for the GOP nomination for governor, he would have to be more distinctly partisan of course. Doug Whitley is a very smart, able, and knowledgeable individual who should not be dismissed out of hand because he only became a Republican in 2000.

[Fran]

Mark,
No one is saying he's a wild-eyed liberal. We're simply asking questions that need to be answered. He's the one who's let us know he's interested in the spot, thus the SJR story.
Asking these questions isn't accusatory, it's fair.

[TaxMeMore]

Didn't the Taxpayers Federation of Illinois support an income tax increase for many of the years Whitley ran it? I believe so.

I'd ask him if he will be spending more taxpayer money at the end of his term or at the start of it.

I'd ask him what his specific plans are to root out corruption and patronage and waste. Will he promise to veto every piece of pork and name names on who asked for it, like John McCain?

I'd ask him which is more important, giving corporations subsidies and grants, or taxing poor people and what he will do to change that.

Doug Whitley is a great guy. I don't see him as much of a reformer though. He could change that image perhaps, but it will take strong words, strong plans, and strong actions from him.

[Matt Gauntt]

In general, I agree with Marc above.

I've met Doug on several occassions. I have found him to be a bright guy, that has a pretty good pulse on why the economy in the State of Illinois sucks so bad. A large reason why there has been so many calls in the last couple years for the taxes to be raised in this state is because the State's economy is lagging behind the other states. Suffice it to say, men like Blagojevich and any of the others that are mentioned for the Dem's candidate for Guv have never had anything to do with running a business. Having someone in the Guv's mansion that actually understands business formation and retention would be a breath of fresh air.

I have some questions about Doug's positions as well, and Fran is right for asking the questions, but he would certainly have an open ear with me.

[Jon Zahm]

I have had some limited contact with Doug through his position as a Batavia Twp. Precinct Committeeman. We have always been polite and cordial. He has allied himself with the RINOs in Batavia- Mitchell, Nottke, and T. Ramsay. He was always tight with Topinka as well.
I think we may be looking at a pro choice, pro gun control candidate, but let's hear it from him before we say for sure. He backed Oberweis over Lauzen, I believe, which would be a slap in the face of one of the Illinois Chamber's greatest allies over the last 16 years.

Within the past year, I've heard Whitley advocate a hike in the state income tax. That alone would be fatal in a GOP primary.

[Torchwood]

There is Jon Zahm doing again what he does best, posting nonsense about good mainstream Republicans like Doug Whitley, along with Mitchell and Nottke, labeling the latter 2 as "RINO". Like it or not, Mitchell and Nottke are 2 of the brightest spots Kane County Republicans have going for them. And leave Topinka ties out of it, as Topinka is in the past already.

Zahm has not buried the hatchet on the Oberweis/Lauzen race, going back to Whitley's support of Oberweis, the winner of the primary over that washed-up Chris Lauzen. Give it a rest, Zahm, and bury the past in the past. The 2010 elections will be the time where right-wing conservatives will learn their place in the Republican Party. Continuing to live in the past and using terms like "RINO" will leave you at the bottom.

Remember what happened in Decatur?

Captain Jack Harkness

[who cares]

Who cares what Jon Zahm thinks of anyone? Who is he?

I've met Doug Whitley and he is truly a breath of fresh air in Illinois Politics, which is something we could all use right about now.

[HR Buckley]

I have heard comments over the past few days that Doug Whitley does not have enough experience, especially holding political office. My argument to that is look at Rod Blagojevich, a career politician who did a great job throwing our state into the gutter.

Doug Whitley will be one of the best contenders for the job. His experience from a business point of view will do wonders for the states economy and citizens. Having someone that understands the importance of putting Illinois back on the map as a center of business, a place one can grow their business and add jobs is of significant importance at this time. Jack Lavin, the Director DCEO has done absolutely nothing for this state our neighbors (Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Wis) are capitalizing on our greatest weakness: attracting and retaining business.

I think Doug, who I have met on a number of occasions will save our state from absolute ruin. I am ready to put all of this "party" non-sense and corruption behind us and get this state back on its feet.

[Jon Zahm]

The anonymous Captain Hack is back. Whitley was voting in Dem primaries in the recent past and has no conservative cred so he is a non-starter unless the Topinka/Edgar wing of the party wants to try to slip him through a primary with several conservatives splitting the vote. I'm hoping Justice Thomas runs for Governor. There is a person who can save the Republican Party. Conservative. Reformer. Integrity. Football star power. I enjoyed working for him in 2000 when we won Kane County. Mitchell and Nottke won the Batavia committeemen vote in the room for Hastert's old college roommate Rathje 32-3-1. But we delivered the victory at the grassroots for Thomas over Rathje and Wheaton.

Will the GOP accept a party switcher?

[unspin]

If the GOP is so quick to reject a Froehlich who switches one way, why not accept one who switches the other way?

We should welcome all who come our way. (the same is true of Constitution Party and Libertarian Party members of the past.)

But they should be held to the same standards as those who have always been Republicans.

Regardless of their past label, where do they stand on corruption, taxes, spending, waste of taxpayer money ... and, of course, the social issues.

Jon, you really need to move on, by the way I hear they are on to you and your back room deals in Henry County. Where next Jon, where next?

BTW - weren't you once a Democrat as well? Back in the PA days maybe?

[Jon Zahm]

All's well in the west end of the 14th CD, anonymous one. Yes, my Democrat activity ended in 1991 before I reached my 23rd birthday. And I was a conservative Democrat BTW.
I helped Conservative Dem, the late George Sangmeister, win election to Congress in 1988 and 1990.

[Fran]

This posting got off track real quick.
This kind of playground taunting is below you guys.
Of course we encourage Democrats to become Republicans. When the leftist radicals in the party pull it further and further into the Socialist Workers Party, there's going to be more and more who abandon their radical-ness.

This post was about Whitley's views and holding his feet to the fire if he wants to be the GOP nominee in 2010.

Let's stay focused.

[Jon Zahm]

Here is Tom Roeser's excellent analysis from his blog, on this subject:

Whitley Nada.

The president of the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce is promoting the candidacy of Doug Whitley for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. Significant endorsement but then again the president of the Illinois State Chamber IS Doug Whitley. He has a great distinction: the only one to tie a record previously held solo on my radio show by Melissa Bean: refusing on air to comment on issues. Whitley declined and went "no comment" on air without previously indicating to me that he would do so-- an indecorously insulting thing to do to a radio host and his audience. It showed he doesn't have either the skill or will to parse. It was clear he did so because he was on-air as the president of the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce and didn't want to bruise particular liberal feelings. But then Whitley never pretended he was anything but an ex-liberal Democrat –a new vogue Republican distinctly ill-at-ease with social conservatives.

His opposite number, Greg Baise, president of the Illinois Manufacturers... no great conservative... has gone on a good many times and has never declared "no comment" on a live show, parses intelligently and has he never signaled to me that no topic was off-limits for him. Of the two, Baise is by far the more astute analyst of Illinois although I don't agree with him 100% either-but feel he is refreshingly candid in private and public discourse. The all-time champ in the official, live-radio "no comment" department is still Rep. Bean however: Whitley is an amateur in topic-declining next to her.

I have four other reservations about Whitley. First, his conflict of interest of candidate and business lobbyist, a manager of an institution which to serve business ends must deal with Democrats as well as Republicans baffles me. He is a president of a business trade association which technically, in some aspects at least, is 501© (3). If he is running while drawing pay as a trade association prexy he should make a decision soon one way or the other. Second, Whitley as a working stiff would be dependent as a candidate on contributions purportedly from business interests he is supposed to be representing anyhow. How does that work? As a former longtime lobbyist myself (a vice president of Quaker Oats), suppose I had set up an exploratory committee for my hoped for future candidacy while working as a lobbyist. Very strange contortion.

Three, he is unremittingly hostile to social conservatism in any form-pro-choice, pro special rights for gays, disaffection for the 2nd amendment and laugh-down-his-nose coldness ala Topinka with utter lack of sympathy for social concerns that make the GOP grassroots strong. This puts him on a par with the Lion of Anti-Conservatism Hostility, Big Jim Thompson in whose pocket Whitley assuredly would be a token. Fourth, he is an outsider to the Republican party by choice as well as solid Democratic heritage, having not crossed over either intellectually or emotionally from his past Democratic roots no matter his having served in a high appointive post by Jim Edgar.

It is my surmise that Whitley runs as the heir apparent to Jim Thompson. Of the four aforementioned objections I would cite number two as the most significant. His conflict of interest is irresoluble.

baa baa black sheep

[Doug Whitley]

In response: I have had my picture taken with George W. Bush, John McCain, Dennis Hastert, Newt Gingrich and many others. I've contributed to Peter Roskum, Chris Lauzen, Jim Oberweis and others.

In my capacity as Co-Chairman of the Transportation for Illinois Coalition and as President of the Illinois Chamber it should not be surprising that I would spend time with or contribute to the campaigns of members of the Illinois congressional delegation who have proven helpful and responsive to Illinois' critical needs for federal assistance for transportation funding, even if they are democrats.

Transportation is one of the cornerstones of our state's economy. It is important that we reinvest in our transportation networks be they rail, waterways, airports or roads if we are to maintain jobs and promote investment in Illinois. I do not see the point of making infrastructure improvements, job creation and economic development partisan since these matters are critical to turning our state around.

Which leads me to your question about the CN purchase of the EJ&E. I support it because it is but one of many actions that should be undertaken to improve freight rail and transportation efficiencies in congested Chicagoland. Saddly, much of the complaint about the acquistion has been sorely misdirected for the villain, if you have to have one, is the Blagojevich administration for failing to step in. IDOT could do much to relieve legitimate concerns and anxiety if the agency had shown leadership in acknowledging mitigation issues and assumed responsibility for providing resolution. But, then what should we expect from an administration that has stolen $3 billion dollars from the Road Fund and thinks nothing of sweeping funds from the railroad grade crossing fund to spend for purposes other than grade crossing safety. The administrations failure to be responsive to this episode further illustrates why the state needs an engaged leader who actually cares about resolving problems.

As for the gas tax holiday, it is a shortsighted gimmick when the federal highway trust fund was already facing a shortfall. The gas tax is a user fee that pays for highway construction. With less consumption and increased MPG the highway fund was already insufficiently financed so a gas tax holiday would have only exacerbated the problem.

Finally, I suggest that the Republican party needs to find a way to successfully reach the 54% of the registered voters who chose NOT to vote in the last election and the 12% who chose to vote for the Green Party. The disillusion, independent, and rational democrats are critical voters if the GOP is to overcome minority status and win statewide races.

Our party needs converts, like me, who can see through the folly of the Illinois democrat failures, appeal to reason and set our state back on to a course of job growth, prosperity and opportunity. Doug

Well said Doug. If only other dialogue on this blog were as insightful and without name calling. those that want to discredit you based on who you've had your picture taken with are shallow at best and don't look at the entire picture. In the position you hold, you have to be able to "play well" with both sides. I for one, would rather have a Republican Governor that happens to get along with Dems than a Gov. that doesn't get along with ANYONE. Best of luck to you. I believe that you are a breath of fresh air.

[Fran]

We have emailed the address the poster "Doug Whitley" left on his comment to verify whether the comment was actually posted by Mr. Whitley. We have not received a reply thus far. If so, we are willing to publish as a stand alone post on IR.
Thanks,

[Supporter of Doug]

http://doug4gov.com/

[Jon]

It does look as if Doug in not your run of the mill politician, perhaps it is even a stretch to call him a politician? Maybe the last thing Illinois needs is "another politician" I look forward to learning more about Mr. Whitley and others as we approach election day 2010.