* Sen. Kirk Dillard is making a big rehabilitation effort at the Republican convention…
Bad ad: State Sen. Kirk Dillard, a major supporter of John McCain but a close friend of Barack Obama, tells Sneed he inadvertently wound up in that Obama campaign ad that ran in Iowa. “It was only 10 seconds, but I asked (top Obama strategist) David Axelrod to pull it,” said Dillard.
• • The upshot: Axelrod did.
“Inadvertently”? Did he not see the cameras, lights and makeup people?
* The Tribune has more…
Q: Could you still play some kind of surrogate role for McCain?
A: I would submit because I said 10 seconds of nice things about Sen. Obama, I’m probably a better surrogate than many people. I know Sen. Obama. I respect him. But I’m overwhelmingly for John McCain for president and I think that says a lot, as opposed to just the total partisan line.
Q: Will 2010, when all statewide offices are up for election, be a good rebuilding year for the Illinois GOP?
A: In 2010, it will be a decent year for Illinois Republicans. First, the Illinois Republicans are better for our economy than the Democrats. And I think Illinoisans have overwhelmingly seen how bad the total Chicago machine Democratic control of state government is for our job climate and the state of Illinois as a whole.
Q: Do you plan to run for statewide office in 2010?
A: I don’t have any concrete plans for 2010 other than to see who emerges and how things shake out. Most importantly, my children are a little older, and for the first time in recent times, I’m able from a family situation to travel around the state of Illinois, which I’ve not been able to do. But I’m not like some other folks who are around here today with active, behind-the-scenes plans to run statewide.
That last question is what this rehab effort is really all about.
* Check this out…
In a recent Daily Herald survey, suburban Republican delegates to the convention offered a scattershot of names when asked who they wanted to be the GOP nominee for governor in 2010.
Some of the delegates offered as many as three answers. Those most often mentioned included state Sen. Kirk Dillard, House Republican leader Cross, state Sen. Bill Brady, DuPage County Chairman Bob Schillerstrom, DuPage County State’s Attorney Joe Birkett and state Rep. Jim Durkin.
* Dillard was also quoted in the Daily Herald…
“Barack does have some downsides and I think those will be brought to light as we push forward,” [Dillard] said.
* Meanwhile, Congressman Peter Roskam looks to the future…
Q: How can the Republican party in Illinois overcome its internal divide between social conservatives and social moderates?
A: While the Republicans have had bumps in the road, the Democrats are downright fratricidal. It is very dark in those relationships. We are poised to make good progress.
* As does Congresscritter Mark Kirk…
Who do you see leading the Republican party of Illinois over the next few years?
It will not be difficult to put forward a candidate. We are in the middle of a Shakespearean meltdown of the Democratic party. I think voters are ready for anybody but the people who participated in the meltdown. I don’t want to name any names. But there are some people out there who have built up a good reputation.
Are you interested at all in running for a statewide office in Illinois?
(He laughs hard.) I’m totally and completely focused on the 10th Congressional District.
Will it be hard for Republicans to regain a foothold in Illinois?
It may be affected in the future by who is in the White House. If you have a Republican president in the White House, it will be tough times ahead because that president will have to make tough choices and you will have people disagreeing with that.
* Jim Edgar also looks ahead at 2010…
I’m not a pessimist like some people are and I think many in the media like to talk about the death of the Republican party. We had a tough go. I never thought Rod Blagojevich would get away with it twice … it’s now our turn. I can assure you whether he’s on the ballot or not in 2010 we’ll run against him.
* And makes a point that is rarely discussed…
I don’t know that the Republican Party is any worse off as a party. It’s just that we don’t have that anchor that we had for so many years–the governor’s office.
* And I honestly didn’t even know who this guy was until today’s Sneed column…
Word is U.S. Housing Secretary Steve Preston, who hails from Hinsdale, is being urged to consider a run to unseat Gov. Blagojevich. It was the whisper amongst top GOP Illinois delegates at the Republican National Convention here.
You gotta wonder who is is urging him. Any thoughts?
* Related…
* Illinois convention delegates offer diversity of political experience
* Congressman Kirk Gets Dropped From RNC Schedule
* TOPINKA: Spent 42 bucks, got three great suits. Fifty percent off on everything. A Ralph Lauren suit for like seven and a half bucks. That’s incredible, you know and it’s brand new, it still has the tags on it.
* Five questions for Rep. Mark Kirk
* Surprises for Ill. delegates at RNC
* State GOP acknowledges Obama factor but sees upside in governor’s downside
* Illinois GOP hope Democratic dysfunction brings party together
* State GOP needs to fix itself by 2010
LIVE session coverage...
- Bruno Behrend - Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 9:50 am:
Boy, that Edgar is Brilliant!!!
Why, he says the Republicans will run against Blago no matter WHO is on the ticket.
it’s now our turn. I can assure you whether he’s on the ballot or not in 2010 we’ll run against him.
If you want to know what ails the Rep. Party in IL, one need look no further than the fact that the party apparatus and press corps still look to Edgar for “leadership.”
As things stand at this moment, there is nobody in the Republican line up that can beat a Bill Daley, Alexi Giannoulias (sp), or Lisa Madigan.
It isn’t that the state of Illinois WANTS a feudal system of Dem Family politics, it is just that the Repubs offer NOTHING to distinguish themselves.
- GOP'er - Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 9:54 am:
Dillard tries to say he “he inadvertently wound up” in an Obama t.v. ad?!?
Give us a break!!
Does this guy ever stop to realize what a weasel everyone thinks he is?
Go back and look at the press reports when that ad first premiered in Iowa during the caucuses. Dillard was one of the participants who made himself available to the media in a phone conference to help introduce the ad!
That ad was a very slick, very top-notch studio production. Dillard clearly spent a lot of time with the producers getting his part “right.”
The word in Republican circles is that Dillard was asked by Frank Watson and others to help fill a slot on the McCain delegate slate. Remember, at the time, “everyone” thought Rudy Giuliani was a shoe-in.
At the time, Dillard surely thought his tie to the now Republican nominee would be gone by February. He would be free to plug his pal Obama.
But then McCain pulls it out and wins. Dillard’s weasel gene then kicks in and instead of doing the right thing and dropping off the McCain slate, to cure the conflict of interest - once again Dillard has to play both sides.
Only in Illinois would a guy who cut an Obama ad actually be sitting in the delegation at the national convention. It’s good the IL group is way in the very back. It’s embarrassing. Dillard’s chair should be right next to Bob Kjellander’s.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 9:55 am:
I must have missed the Dem meltdown. There’s fighting certainly. But at the end of the day, as Edgar says, the GOP has no place to hang their hat in Illinois.
Dillard’s ten seconds probably wrecked any chance he would ever have of winning a statewide primary. Inexplicable, still. It’s one thing to be talk nicely in the newspaper, but in an ad?
- Ghost - Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 10:19 am:
The Repubs appear to be engaging in a bit of wishful thinking if they perceive a Dem meltdown in IL. If anything the Gov’s pol numbers of 12% show the majority of people are pretty firmly against him. Oddly it is the republicans who are rebuilding themselves by climbing into bed with the most unpopular Gov of IL.
I would say the rift between conservative republicans who refuse to support mod republicans is an actual meltdown which has kept the GOP from reconstituting in IL. Laying the current GOP at the lack of having a Gov spot is putting the cart before the horse. They were unable to do well because of the infighting which is causing them to lose offices and influence State wide.
- VanillaMan - Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 11:01 am:
The Illinois GOP made a deal with the devil from 1974 to 2002 to stay in the governor’s office. Thompson, Edgar and Ryan refused to lead Illinois into becoming a solid business address even as the national GOP showed the way with Reagan, Bush and Gingrich. Illinois’ GOP governors were limp debutantes who refused to revolutionize our state. When the parade ended in 2002, these guys did nothing but buy Illinois time. We were not fiscally sound or ready for the 21st Century’s global market.
They had their chance and they blew it. Blagojevich has been the punishment metered out by fate because the GOP sat on their hands for 30 years. Now we are even worse off than before.
Which one of the names mentioned have spoken publically of how far the GOP have let us down? Which one of these guys have the guts to be the maverick we need in Illinois? Which one of the names mentioned will put the Thompson/Edgar/Ryan years in perspective and bury them?
The GOP got lucky for 30 years. What they need today is a real leader who will do a Palin, or a McCain and demonstrate a public disrespect for a disrespected political party. Then rebuild it by reforming the GOP, standing for change, and showing us how to get there.
The last three GOP governors are the last people to ask about the future. The current GOP state leaders are not the ones to ask either.
That is why even with Blagojevich, Jones, civil wars, broken economy, government meltdown, and a destroyed fiscal budget, the Democrats are still in power. You can’t fight a fire without fighters.
- Wumpus - Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 11:05 am:
So Kirk Blowhard expects me and the other people of IL that he did not notice a TV camera? yeah, right!
- trafficmatt - Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 11:18 am:
Dillard “Inadvertently” didn’t use his brain.
He didn’t think anyone would care in a State where the lines between the D’s & the R’s is pretty blurred.
Some of us DID and still do care.
- scoot - Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 11:42 am:
Maybe Steve Preston will be able to finance his own campaign? …other then that why would anyone ask him to run?
- been there - Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 11:45 am:
“Word is U.S. Housing Secretary Steve Preston, who hails from Hinsdale, is being urged to consider a run to unseat Gov. Blagojevich.
You gotta wonder who is is urging him. Any thoughts?”
Probably Patti Blagojevich.
- Agent 99 - Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 1:04 pm:
Dillard is a solid guy. At least you can trust what he says, everything is not just blue or red.
And he’s a decent golfer!
- Team Sleep - Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 1:16 pm:
Preston had better clean up the mess at HUD if he wants to even have any credentials to run for governor.
- Arthur Andersen - Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 1:37 pm:
AA thinks Dillard peaked in high school, er, make that on Edgar’s staff.
- paddyrollingstone - Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 1:51 pm:
I love Mark Kirk’s quote: “in general its true in politics in India and the United Kingdom that the more conservative party is the one that breaks through key barriers.” How about the US? Let’s see: Catholics - the Democrats have nominated 7, including 3 for pres: Smith, Kennedy & Kerry. The GOP has nominated 1 (Bill Miller - VP - 1964); Blacks - Dems - Obama, GOP - none; Jews - Dems - Lieberman, GOP - none; women: Dems - Ferraro & GOP - Pallin.
- DuPage Dave - Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 5:16 pm:
I’m guessing that the source of Sneed’s item on U.S. Housing Secretary Steve Preston was U.S. Housing Secretary Steve Preston. Perhaps he’s being “urged” to run for governor by his wife. Or mom. Or maybe he realizes that he won’t be the U.S. Housing Secretary after January 20.
- Burt Odelson - Tuesday, Sep 2, 08 @ 9:27 pm:
Nobody likes Dillard anymore. I saw at the ILGOP convention, the delegates ripped up his signs. Repub leadership is weak, but the Repubs are hungry for a fighter.
- NaperRep - Wednesday, Sep 3, 08 @ 9:50 am:
“Nobody likes Dillard anymore”??? I saw 850 people attend his reception at Gov. Oglesby Mansion - seems a few liked him there. Signs ripped up - come on that was one sign ripped and I believe that was only for a nice photo op for a particular photographer who wanted to make up some “big” story out of the convention. Boy that was real mature to rip up a sign - what message did that send - it certainly doesn’t say people don’t like Dillard - to me it says how immature some people are in our party!
- McCain Fan - Thursday, Sep 4, 08 @ 8:13 am:
FYI, Dillard got more votes as a McCain delegate statewide than anybody but Congressman LaHood, who got to run in his own Congressional district.
- Young Republican - Thursday, Sep 4, 08 @ 8:15 am:
West Suburban Living magazine’s readers just named Dillard the most influential area resident. He’s pretty popular among younger people.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Sep 4, 08 @ 8:22 am:
West Suburban Living magazine? Is that a joke?
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Sep 4, 08 @ 8:27 am:
FYI, wordslinger, both McCain Fan and Young Republican have the same IP address. Surprised? Me neither.
Pingback WurfWhile - Illinois State Senator Kirk Dillard Plays The Hand He’s Dealt - Thursday, Sep 11, 08 @ 8:28 pm:
[…] There’s been recent discussion of whether Republican Illinois State Senator Kirk Dillard blew it when Dillard appeared in an ad for Barack Obama in the Democratic Presidential Primaries. At the time I thought it was a smart move on his part - possibly with an eye to a post in an Obama Administration. I still think it was smart, if difficult. […]