Desperate for a comeback, leaders of the Illinois GOP warned months ago that rank-and-file members need to settle on a strategy for rebuilding the state party.
But how to defend tax cuts for the wealthy, anti-immigrant polices, and votes against workplace and health care reforms? Rather than refashion their unpopular platform, the AP reports they’ve come up with a different game plan: attack disgraced Gov. Rod Blagojevich at every possible chance and hope something sticks.
Meanwhile, two of the state party’s most prominent officials -- Reps. Mark Kirk and Peter Roskam -- have both set their sights set on Barack Obama’s former Senate seat. Talking to The Hill on Monday about his interest in the 2010 race, Roskam unveiled an odd metaphor, saying that Sen. Roland Burris represents “political sorbet” because of his ties to the embattled governor.
Who knows what kind of race Burris will ultimately run next year or if he’ll even be the Democratic candidate. But remember this whenever you hear Roskam make a political prediction: this is a man who last September called John McCain’s pick of Sarah Palin “brilliant.”
On WIND’s Big John and Cisco earlier this month, Kirk tooted his own horn a bit when he agreed with the theory that Democrats dropped their support for a special election to replace Obama when they realized Kirk would be unbeatable. From the interview:
BIG JOHN: I think the Democrats took a look at your popularity and decided that’s not the way they want to go this time around.
KIRK: That might have been part of why we had this complete farce of a process here and then the about-face that they did yesterday. So now, the one thing I don’t think they can change is there will be a general election to pick our senator in 2010. I’m taking a long look at it. We’ll look at all the options there, I’ll make a decision soon and then we’ll go at it [...]
I’m going to do this in the Navy way, which is: if you go for it, it’s full speed ahead, guns blazing, go for it.
Let’s hope that, if Kirk does ultimately run for statewide office next year, the Chicago media will take off the kid gloves. (Here’s our recap of Kirk’s lowlights from the past year.)
Comments
Ellen Beth (not verified) on Wed, 01/21/2009 - 12:36
Mark Kirk hates Illinois. He called our state "corrupt and dirty", not just Blagojevich, but all of us. Why in blazes would we want someone who hates us to be our senator?
Phil Collins (not verified) on Wed, 01/21/2009 - 15:52
I live in Rep. Kirk's district, and I hope that, if he doesn't run for re-election, his replacement, in the U.S. House, will be St. Rep. Elizabeth Coulson, a Republican who represents the 17th District, which includes Glenview and parts of Northbrook, Wilmette, and Winnetka. She and Kirk agree about many issues, and she's been a legislator since 1999.
reformer (not verified) on Fri, 01/23/2009 - 13:56
If Kirk runs for the US Senate, another possibility in the 10th CD is State Rep Sid Mathias. If either Mathias or Coulson were to run for Congress, their state rep seats would be easy pickings for the Democrats -- especially Coulson's.
Kevin Killion (not verified) on Fri, 04/17/2009 - 12:13
Criticism is just fine, but let's do a quick reality check:
* "Mark Kirk hates Illinois. He called our state 'corrupt and dirty'"
Eh, does anyone doubt that our state IS corrupt and dirty? From selling a senate seat to selling drivers licenses to shoeboxes of money to rampant corruption in Chicago, this state is mired in mud. I don't see how there is anything to be gained by attacking someone who points that out.
* "Roskam ... last September called John McCain’s pick of Sarah Palin 'brilliant.'"
Sorry, but the pick itself WAS brilliant. McCain's campaign was a complete disaster up to that point. It featured a boring, bored, tired candidate with a message that appealed to no one, lack of much of any grassroots interest or actvism, and things were only getting worse. Out of the blue comes Sarah Palin, electrifying the GOP convention and giving a horrible campaign some new life. The biggest downside at the moment she was picked is that it neutralized the biggest argument McCain had that Obama had little in the way of real accomplishments and no executive experience. Now what happened AFTER the pick was a disaster: Palin was roundly criticized by people who didn't share her views, but McCain basically left her out in the sun to be nibbled by crows. McCain clearly preferred to take a nap on his bus to defending himself and his running mate. But the pick of Palin stands as one of the few positive highlights of the whole disastrous campaign.
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