-By Warner Todd Huston
I know, I know… it’s getting sickening to see the Illinois GOP flopping around like a dying mackerel, but if we don’t air this garbage it’ll never come out in the wash. These examples of the fecklessness of the Illinois GOP is the reason the party cannot capitalize on the most corrupt opponents in the Union; Illinois Democrats.
Anyway, this time we have the sort of double dealing and flip flopping that simply makes a candidate look foolish. You all have seen my discussions of SB600, the bill that will resurrect the policy of elections for party leadership positions of the state GOP central committee. You also may remember that the power players currently controlling the party want to prevent the rank and file from having the opportunity to vote them into or out of power.
Well, here is the next part of this twisted and disheartening saga. We have a State Senator, Bill Brady (R, 44th Dist), that has already run for governor without success. He was bested the last time by long-time party operative Judy Baar Topinka (last state treasurer) who got the party nod through the primary — and from the party leadership before hand — to face the criminal Rod Blagojevich in the race for governor. Since he lost to Topinka, Brady will be running for governor again for the 2010 elections.
Now, flash back to SB600. Brady had signed on as a co-sponsor for SB600 and seemed to be in agreement for the last four years that the rank and file should be allowed to vote for party leadership. Again, as I already mentioned, that same party leadership has pulled out all the stops to quash SB600 and apparently they’ve gotten to Brady because Senator Brady suddenly and without explanation pulled his support of SB600 even though he stood side-by-side at the press conference when main sponsor Senator Chris Lauzen introduced the bill in 2005. Not only has he now pulled his support but he’s also now begun to work to defeat the measure. Now THAT is a head spinning flip flop. From hearty supportor to frenzied detractor all in a week’s time.
Now, I have less problem with a man that has been a stalwart against SB600 and been consistent on the matter. Ill. GOP chairman Andy McKenna has been against it since day one, for instance. I think he’s wrong and only cynically trying to save his chairmanship by disallowing the people to vote on his efforts, but at least he’s been consistently against the idea from the start.
On the other had, what we have with Senator Brady, the erstwhile next GOP candidate for governor, is a giant flip flop that can ONLY be interpreted as one made to ingratiate himself to powerful politicos. How else can we judge why Brady supported SB600 for so long then all of a sudden pulls his support AND is now working to defeat the measure?
Where are Brady’s principles? What are Brady’s principles? Why did he support the measure before but so suddenly withdraw when party leaders rang him up and gave him new marching orders? What does this say about his believability factor? Do we believe his stance FOR the bill before party leaders told him in no uncertain terms that he’d better cave, or do we believe his new position that he stands against the bill and wants to work to defeat it?
Even worse, do we believe that Bill Brady is a strong enough leader to stand on his principles or should we rather imagine that just any pressure on him will make him cave in? And, if the later, what does that say about his strength as a possible governor? Will he cave in every time the going gets tough as he sits in Springfield, or can we expect him to stand by his decisions?
And if we cannot expect Bill Brady to side with the voter… well, what can one say about that? Will he always take a stand for powermongers in the party even if that stance puts him at odds with the voters? Can we expect a governor Brady that will pay no heed to voters only to continue good old boy, power politics and angle to conduct business as usual in a state where such conventions have made it the laughing stock of the nation?
Like I said, if Brady was against SB600 from the start and had never signed on as a co sponsor before, at least we could write that off to a considered opinion. But this sudden flip flop to play power politics makes him look weak, cynical and unconcerned with the rank and file. I think we’ve had enough Illinois politicians that act like that, don’t you? On top of all of that, Brady voted yes in 2005 the last time SB600 came up for a vote!
The sad thing is that up until this very action I was not necessarily against Bill Brady’s candidacy. Unfortunately, now all I can see is a fool instead of a good candidate.
As The Joker in the first Batman movie, Jack Nicholson quipped “this town needs an enema.” That was a funny line back then. There is a lot in the Illinois GOP that needs a good flush but unfortunately an enema is far too tame a prescription to clean out the problem. I mean, doesn’t it say something when Illinois Republicans can’t even beat known criminals in elections?
If you are interested, here is a video of bill sponsor Senator Chris Lauzen talking about this effort.
Anyway, I write these stories not because I enjoy the conflict. In fact, it makes me sad and frustrated. It really is just pitiful. However, it is instructive and might help explain to the rest of the nation why the Illinois GOP just can’t beat the many criminals in the Illinois Democrat Party. Let this be an object lesson for all of us.
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Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer, has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and is featured on many websites such as newsbusters.org, Human Events Magazine, townhall.com, New Media Journal, Men’s News Daily and the New Media Alliance among many, many others. Additionally, he has been a frequent guest on talk-radio programs to discuss his opinion editorials and current events. He has also written for several history magazines and appears in the new book “Americans on Politics, Policy and Pop Culture” which can be purchased on amazon.com. He is also the owner and operator of publiusforum.com. Feel free to contact him with any comments or questions : EMAIL Warner Todd Huston
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