Radogno tries to hold on
Tuesday, Nov 13, 2012 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Subscribers know more about this development…
State Sen. Kyle McCarter (R-Lebanon) confirmed his interest in ousting Radogno from her leadership post after she failed to stave off a whopping five-seat loss for Republicans in the state Senate.
“If we were a competitive college sports team with a record like this, somebody would have been fired already,” McCarter told the Chicago Sun-Times.
McCarter’s criticism came the same day that a conservative political action committee, Family PAC, circulated a letter to each Republican state senator, urging Radogno’s ouster. […]
Radogno, whose caucus will drop in size from 24 to 19 members in January, defended her backing of all Republican Senate campaigns and dismissed Caprio as an “outlier” in a party that she said must be recalibrated after Tuesday’s outcome. She also took direct aim at McCarter.
“I’m not sure what we need now is an in-your-face, confrontational, white, downstate male. I love our downstate guys. I have a great relationship with them, and I’m not playing a gender card,” she told the Chicago Sun-Times.
“What I’m saying, as a practical matter, is that we need to change our image. Fairly or not, we’re perceived — and these aren’t my words, I’ve read it reported this way — as being the party of angry white men, and that’s not true by the way. The fact of the matter is perception is reality, and we need to deal with it,” she said. […]
[McCarter] also took issue with Radogno’s implication that the GOP would be best suited with a suburban woman, since Republicans across the board didn’t badly with women voters, particularly in the suburbs.
“If it’s all about doing better with women, having a woman in charge didn’t fix things Tuesday,” he said.
Ouch.
* Radogno’s team has attempted to put the losses into context by using data from past remap election results…
‘82 - Dem map — SGOP lost 3
‘92 - GOP map — SDems lost 4
‘02 - Dem map — SGOP lost 6
‘12 - Dem map - SGOP lost 5
That’s very true. Unfortunately for the Republicans, the last Democratic map was pretty darned good, so the SDems started this campaign cycle with 35 seats. They now have 40, which is unprecedented in modern times.
* Meanwhile, the SJ-R’s editorial board points out the obvious…
The financial titans of Chicago’s Loop; right-wing think tanks and advocacy groups; the state’s largest newspaper and Republicans, whose campaign message was “Fire (House Speaker Michael) Madigan,” took aim. They ripped the Democrats for passing an income tax increase in 2011 aimed at stabilizing the state’s finances and for failing to restructure the state’s pension systems to deal with $83 billion of debt.
The state’s voters brushed aside those arguments, giving Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, larger majorities than they already had.
Voters didn’t just snub the Republicans, they also turned their noses up at the Tribune. From a pal…
By my count, in the seven most competitive races for the Illinois Senate, only one Chicago Tribune-endorsed candidate won (Kotowski.) Most of these races occurred in areas where the Tribune used to be pretty influential.
Mother Trib did a little better in the Illinois House, but not much better. In what looks to me like the 17 most competitive races, Tribune-endorsed candidates won only six of the 17 contests. Also interesting that the day before the election they did special reminder endorsements of Tyson, Sweeney, Fee, Saviano, Sente, and Friedman — only Sente won.
I guess we shouldn’t pick on the Trib, newspaper endorsements have lost their influence everywhere. It’s just that the Trib editorial board always seems so sure of itself…never allowing for the possibility they might be a little bit wrong about something. That makes it kinda fun when they are wrong. I also felt like they lost a lot of credibility when they didn’t endorse Elaine Nekritz.
After what the Tribune did to Nekritz, I don’t know why anyone would ever again try to cultivate that editorial board. She was the lone Democratic vote against Madigan’s rules, is negotiating pension reforms and has always been independent-minded. She’s pretty much the poster child of the suburban Tribune Democrat, yet the Trib endorsed her Republican opponent.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 11:00 am:
Radogno ….WHO?
- Precinct Captain - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 11:05 am:
The SGOPers need a new leader, but McCarter is not that leader.
- shore - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 11:06 am:
They need a shakeup, cross and pat brady can go too. They’ve had great chances and gone backwards. Conservatives think they can do better give them their shot, watch them flop and then we’ll find a better “female suburban face”.
Nekritz earned every bit of her beating she took in the tribune and Karen May had she decided to go again would have rightfully gotten one too. Democrats can’t make the argument at the congressional level that dold=boehner or kirk=bush as they did for 12 years and then cry when they get hit for nekritz=madigan. Sorry.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 11:09 am:
===Conservatives think they can do better give them their shot, watch them flop and then we’ll find a better “female suburban face”. ===
They’ve had their shots, time and again, but they always come up with excuses for their failure. Do you think Frank Watson was a liberal?
===Democrats can’t make the argument at the congressional level that dold=boehner or kirk=bush as they did for 12 years and then cry when they get hit for nekritz=madigan. Sorry. ===
Editorial boards are supposed to be above that sort of thing, unless you’re admitting that the Tribune is little more than a hyperpartisan GOP mouthpiece.
- siriusly - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 11:18 am:
Shore, you’d have better luck on that argument with any other HDEM member. The Nekrtiz snub was total BS and I am certain that even some of the Tribbies know it.
They have no credibility left, and more appropriately to the conversation - the Tribune endorsements have basically no impact. They just don’t matter anymore.
- Dan Johnson - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 11:20 am:
You’re right about Nekritz. That was the worst non-endorsement of the cycle by the Trib.
I do appreciate the amount of time and resources they put into the endorsement process, though. It is helpful to have all those interviews on their website and their surveys are among the most accessible of any interest group. There really aren’t any other institutions that write a few interesting paragraphs about each legislative race and make an endorsement (even if they are sometimes so very off-base with who they listen to, at least they are covering state legislative races).
It’s too bad that all that admirable civic investment gets so wasted with the same strident anti-Madigan screeds with such a smug, self-assured tone.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 11:22 am:
===“I’m not sure what we need now is an in-your-face, confrontational, white, downstate male. I love our downstate guys. I have a great relationship with them, and I’m not playing a gender card,”===
I’m NOT … playing the …Gender Card, per se … but I am playing the Gender Card.
===“What I’m saying, as a practical matter, is that we need to change our image. Fairly or not, we’re perceived — and these aren’t my words, I’ve read it reported this way — as being the party of angry white men, and that’s not true by the way. The fact of the matter is perception is reality, and we need to deal with it,” ===
You are perceived as one of TWO Horrible Caucus Leaders, that had their biggest loses in Modern History … and STILL you think you should stay as the Leader in the Senate for the GOP…all the while NOT playing the Gender Card, but IS playing the Gender Card … but not really playing the Gender Card!
===“If it’s all about doing better with women, having a woman in charge didn’t fix things Tuesday,”===
If you are one of the 11 …(11 gets you a Leadership post, seriously? How is that NOT an indictment?) How can you be taken seriously and vote for…
Christine Radogno for Senate Irrelevent Leader?
What is Radogno going to do different, start each press conference and press release with …
“As a woman, which I am, a woman, not a male, but a female Republican …”
How can you go to organizations and individual donors and say, “Yeah, we have 19, but if we can just get to 22 or so with the Same Tired Leadership then we would be cooking and moving forward!”
If I can be convinced that Christine Radogno can take on John Cullerton governmentally and politically, I would change my tune, but “Christine Radogno” could be “Mike Jones” or “Suzie Snowflake” for as much as it matters in pure “this leader versus that leader” and Radogno as SGOP leader ain’t working.
No one is going to wear the jacket on these loses? The largest in Modern Illinois Politics and nothing changes? What kind of message does it tell, even the Moderate members of the GOP here in Illinois, after the SGOP gets Veto-Proofed, that no leadership changes are needed.
It says …Irrelevency fits Radogno like a glove.
I am embarrassed for the SGOP …IF … they keep the same leaders.
Get those groceries on that table, SGOP …If you are going to keep the same leaders, I can only expect the same playbook, because this fractured Caucus (which is what is going to happen with NO change) will be more in trouble tham if Radogno remains.
Of the 18 of you, Not one of you will ’step up’ and take this on and be the One Leader of ALL of the 18, and be part of the New Beginning that is needed by the entire ILGOP and warrented by the last results?
We will see how this goes.
One of you, and it doesn’t have to be McCarter, for too many reasons to go into, but someone … Don’t be a laughingstock … or more of a laughingstock than you can be. Change.
- Exhausted - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 11:24 am:
Cullerton could play a real power hand with the Senate GOP leadership. He could get his 30 votes for President of the Senate and still have 10 votes to throw at supporting a Republican, who would only need 5 additional votes for minority leader. That would stir some fire, but still be fun to watch!!
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 11:30 am:
===and still have 10 votes to throw at supporting a Republican, who would only need 5 additional votes for minority leader===
1) It only takes ten votes to elect a minority leader now.
2) I highly doubt the Senate Republicans would allow Democrats to switch parties to do this.
- Fire Anita Alvarez - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 11:35 am:
The Tribune endorsed Anita Alvarez also. Enough said.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 11:36 am:
–“I’m not sure what we need now is an in-your-face, confrontational, white, downstate male. I love our downstate guys. I have a great relationship with them, and I’m not playing a gender card,” she told the Chicago Sun-Times.–
Old Nixon trick.
“Some would say (negative, negative, negative). I would not say (negative, negative, negative).”
- walkinfool - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 11:39 am:
Nekritz has many of the strengths that the Trib rightly praised in Kotowski: independent thinking, reforming the budgeting process, setting a firm spending limit, tackling the pension issues without partisan rhetoric, and respect across the aisle. The Tribbies got caught up in their underwear bacause one was in the House, and the other in the Senate.
I had to check twice, when I heard they didn’t endorse Nekritz, because it seemed so ridiculous.
I’m a Radogno fan as a Senate leader, but as an election campaign leader, I might go with Murphy. Very conservative, but sounds moderate, and plays well across the suburbs.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 11:53 am:
As a “side bar”
Anyone actually HEARD from Tom Cross? Not his staff, not a press release, from Tom Cross?
At least Radogno spoke … At least she took some questions. I had not heard if Tom Cross, personally, had done the same … yet.
As Radogno is flailing, what about “Three-Putt”?
- OneMan - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 11:57 am:
I just hope someone plays the logical conclusion card….
As for who is the minority leader…
Do even 5% of the people in this state have a clue who they are (or any of the 4 tops besides Madigan are).
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 12:04 pm:
Found the Trib article with Tom Cross quotes on November 7.
Geez. I will leave it at that, this post is suppose to be about Radogno.
- Just Me - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 12:06 pm:
Yeah, the Senate Republicans lost because their candidates weren’t conservative enough. Yeah, that’s the ticket!
- just sayin' - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 12:19 pm:
McCarter is an arrogant hothead. Everyone who knows him knows it. Totally wrong choice.
- Dan Bureaucrat - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 12:21 pm:
Agreed. The Chicago Tribune is completely discredited for not endorsing Nekritz.
Her independence and willingness to take on the very problems the Tribune most cares about have earned her respect from everyone….except the Tribune?
Oh, wait a minute, they did express their respect for her, and acknowledged that she was respected on both side of the aisle. But endorsed her unknown opponent anyway.
They are an intellectually compromised institution. Or ethically compromised. Hard to say.
- Steve Bartin - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 12:24 pm:
Illinois voters have much different values than the Chicago Tribune editorial board. Slow economic growth, underfunded pensions, and a bad credit rating aren’t going to shake the status quo in Illinois politics. What will? Major cuts in federal spending that will make it more difficult to finance the status quo. Republicans can’t win in Chicago but… they can win with a much smaller Chicago.
- TJ - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 12:26 pm:
First of all….. their next leader certainly couldn’t do much worse than Radogno.
Second….. yeah, the only people that care about newspaper endorsements these days are the campaigns that get endorsed themselves. And it certainly doesn’t help that the Trib’s gone from a meh paper to a joke over the past several years.
- steve schnorf - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 12:35 pm:
Chris Radogno is a good person. As I Republican I say we would be far better off electing many more like her.
From a political strategy perspective, I have spent the last several days trying to think of a scenario where we do better nationwide with a more conservative candidate for President. I don’t come up with one.
You try. We pick up enough net votes to win (you insert here: PA, OH, WI, etc) by having a more conservative candidate. Doesn’t work for you either, huh?
On the state level, do we bring down the D margin among women with a more conservative candidate? Hard for me to see how. How about Latinos? Seems like the same answer to me. Do we get a lot more non-voting 40 and up white males to the polls with a more conservative candidate? Maybe, it would really need to be researched, but how many male, female moderates do we move over to the other side of the ballot?
Frank is conservative, but very principled, and not scary. That seems to me to be the ideal model for the GOP future. But when we allow homosexuality, contraception, right-to-work laws, abortion (rape, for God’s sake. Promise yourself right now: I will not go there), school vouchers, etc, rather than jobs, the economy, government being too big and intruding too much, and so forth, to be the things we talk about, (and frankly, obsess about), we lose because we seem scary to that great middle out there.
I’m a Republican. I vote for Republicans, unless they are just idiots, and even then I didn’t vote for Obama for US Senate. But please don’t force me to feel comfortable with misogynists, racists, homophobes, survivalists, etc in order to ally myself with fiscal conservatives.
- Madison - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 12:46 pm:
Just finding ANYBODY who wants to lead a charge that only Pickett would be able to appreciate astounds me. This is almost a job that anybody who really wants is not a legitimate candidate.
- Madison - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 12:49 pm:
It’s a shame he wasted all his powder on that house race because the only qualified person I can think of is Jason Plummer. Willy?
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 12:50 pm:
–This is almost a job that anybody who really wants is not a legitimate candidate.–
You’ll still collect a lot more checks than you would as a Mushroom.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 1:01 pm:
===You’ll still collect a lot more checks than you would as a Mushroom.===
That is the bottom line. “So how can I benefit being the Irrelevent Leader? How’s that? bigger check? Let me think …”
Plus, being Veto-Proofed, even in overtime, you are irrelevent …”So, even if we go over … I don’t have any more responsibilities … shounding even better!”
- Madison -,
I remember a conversation in a Caption Contest Jason had with Sen. Raoul …
(flashback …)
“Ok, one more time … you ARE a senator, but you don’t go to Washington DC … and you are a senator, but Illinois has a senate too … Gosh, that has to confuse you with all these “senates” out there …makes my head spin …”
That is how Jason may be… in this Senate fiasco.
- Eve - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 1:35 pm:
== 2) I highly doubt the Senate Republicans would allow Democrats to switch parties to do this. ==
Democrats have to switch parties to vote for a Republican for leaders? I recently looked up the transcripts from inaugurations past (when I saw that mail piece accusing Saviano of voting for Madigan for Speaker six times) and somehow didn’t remember that they elected Madigan by acclamation, with Madigan withholding his vote to vote for Daniels, then Cross. No one switched parties to do that.
I had been thinking the same thing as Exhausted - if Cullerton wants to secure a Radogno win, he could let some of his 40 vote commit to voting for her. If you say it can’t happen, I trust your instinct on this. But I wouldn’t rule it out as an entertaining possibility….
- reformer - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 1:43 pm:
A close second to the Nekritz nonendorsement was the Mathias nonendorsement. A thoughtful, moderate Republican who voted against concealed carry was disqualified because he got union money, although that didn’t cost Skip the Trib nod.
Radogno’s shrunken caucus will be more conservative and less representative of the state than ever. Not one of her current members voted for civil unions last year. McCarter is probably more representative of the 19.
- Team Sleep - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 2:05 pm:
I used to work for Christine. She is one of the sweetest, nicest people in politics I have ever met, and it was a pleasure working for her. However, she has proven herself inept at running a caucus and maintaining a campaign apparatus. She had a repeat of 2006, for God’s sake! Say what you will about people like McCarter, Brady and Dillard, but they have built up reputations as hard workers and, in the case of Brady & Dillard, maintained statewide networks. The Senate GOP needs a gutting at the leadership and staff levels. If I were a major SGOP donor (and a major HGOP donor, for that matter), I would withhold my, ahem, “services” unless the caucus selected someone different.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 2:10 pm:
===somehow didn’t remember that they elected Madigan by acclamation===
That’s an election for the presiding officer. The minority caucus elects its own leaders on its own. C’mon, get in the game.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 2:26 pm:
===However, she has proven herself inept at running a caucus and maintaining a campaign apparatus.===
- Team Sleep -,
Agree with your assertion of Ms. Radogno as a person. Never heard ill spoken of her as a person, so I am glad someone said something, because I am glad to agree …
However …
This ain’t beanbag, and this ain’t checkers.
Just because you are nice and a heckuva person, doesn’t mean you can run a caucus. That is the bottom line.
===If I were a major SGOP donor (and a major HGOP donor, for that matter), I would withhold my, ahem, “services” unless the caucus selected someone different.===
100% concur, now will the Money People and the Political People feel comfortable with no one wearing the collar, and no ramifications for being Veto-Proofed should bring?
Big “ask” … Big …”ask”
- jake - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 2:35 pm:
Rich,
Anecdotal but consistent with your assessment of the Trib editorial board–our Rep, Naomi Jakobsson, had always filled out the Trib questionnaire. But in 2008, they endorsed over her a totally unqualified undergraduate student (unqualified except peerhaps for his family’s connections to the Chicago business community) who didn’t even bother to fill out their questionnaire. She won by 72-28 percent, and ever since then the Trib questionnaire has gone into her circular file, never to be seen again.
- Loop Lady - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 2:54 pm:
Nekritz is one tough smart lady who had the guts to vote against Madigan, and that’s why the Trib hates her…I’d love to see her as Speaker someday…
- steve schnorf - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 3:01 pm:
Rich, have I been deleted?
- Ahoy! - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 3:03 pm:
==“If we were a competitive college sports team with a record like this, somebody would have been fired already,” McCarter told the Chicago Sun-Times.==
Very true, but you wouldn’t fire your coach just to bring in a worse coach unless your Mike Thomas. I don’t think the Senate Republicans want to be like Mike Thomas.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 3:07 pm:
schnorf, no. Your comment was held in moderation for some reason. I just released it. Thanks for pointing it out.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 3:24 pm:
–But please don’t force me to feel comfortable with misogynists, racists, homophobes, survivalists, etc in order to ally myself with fiscal conservatives.–
Count me in. And if you can find some of those GOP fiscal conservatives, willing to hold their noses along with reasonable Dems doing the same, hold hands and walk off the cliff, let’s chat them up.
- Thinker~Doer~Socializer~Feeler - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 3:25 pm:
Only Radogno gets tossed? Why not Cross too? Why not Pat Brady as well? If one has to go, the two definitely need to go! I don’t know who the answer is to Radogno, but it sure is not McCarty. If only Dillard would get the governor’s race out of his head. He would make a better minority leader than governor.
- Thinker~Doer~Socializer~Feeler - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 3:54 pm:
I meant McCarter.
- Jake From Elwood - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 4:33 pm:
Maybe I didn’t get enough sleep last night, but I have this unshakable mental image of Sen. Radogno riding a mechanical bull madly trying to hang on while McCarter and a couple of his downstater colleagues are vigorously rooting for her to fall. Yeah, I think I need more sleep tonight.
- Ruby - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 5:14 pm:
The last thing the “Old White Man’s Party” needs to do is remove Radogno from the Republican State Senate leadership role. She is one the best state senators the Republicans have. The die was cast when the redistricting lines were drawn in Illinois.
- Bill - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 5:20 pm:
Willie,
3-putt doesn’t have to do or say anything. He’s already got his votes. He’s in dude. Not that it really matters.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 5:23 pm:
===The die was cast when the redistricting lines were drawn in Illinois.===
So, everyone … QUIT!
===Willie, 3-putt doesn’t have to do or say anything. He’s already got his votes. He’s in dude. Not that it really matters.===
I guess both Chambers love to be Irrelevent, and Seem Irrelevent, and be Led … by the Irrelevent.
- Norseman - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 5:27 pm:
=== schnorf, no. Your comment was held in moderation for some reason.===
There are a lot of posters who need to be held in moderation, but Schnorf is not one of them.
- Norseman - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 5:30 pm:
“===and still have 10 votes to throw at supporting a Republican, who would only need 5 additional votes for minority leader===
…
2) I highly doubt the Senate Republicans would allow Democrats to switch parties to do this.”
Cullerton wouldn’t allow this. Disagree with his policies if you may, but I’ve always saw him as a Class Act.
- mongo - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 5:34 pm:
Shore, your comment is illogical and ignores the Representative’s voting record. Nekritz, if the issue warrants it, goes against D policy, against D interests (school and local gov’t employees), and more.
I cannot remember the last time I read the Tribune. As another commenter after your remark said, the editorial board is supposed to be above the party politics…except when it isn’t. Trash the Trib is!
By the way, would you please change your name? Shore should be a moniker that calls to mind the cutting edge, inclusive, wonderful, progressive, articulate, rational people in those communities. We have not, I think, ever met, but you don’t make me think those things when I read your remarks.
- Vandalia - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 5:45 pm:
McCarter got Jones out of the primary and now wants Radogno out too. Does this type of behavior play well with his colleagues? I would think it would make for some hard feelings.
- LilLebowskiUrbanAchiever - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 5:46 pm:
Bill Brady could this. I’m certain that McCarter can’t. Since his lose to Quinn the reason for the map it will be hard for him to run statewide.
- Norseman - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 5:52 pm:
=== It says …Irrelevency fits Radogno like a glove. ===
The Senate GOP leader will be irrelevent. This will not change with a new leader. Electing a new leader will not change it. It will only put a new name on those media stories about the Senate GOP getting smashed by the Democrats on every issue.
If I were Dillard, Murphy or Righter, I would not want to be “the” leader. It doesn’t help their careers. The second tier GOP senators wouldn’t benefit either. The biggest priority for the caucus should be to keep McCarter and Brady out of leadership. The second priority is for the true leaders in the caucus to develop a strategic plan to identify policies that will be more attractive to women and latinos, and recruit more moderate and creditable candidates.
I would suggest that Radogno throw away the Illinois Policy Institute’s phone number. This joke of a group is not the answer to their needs.
- Democrat Grrrl - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 6:25 pm:
I can only hope the Tribune continues on its path to Irrelevant- ville ( that’s on the other side of the planet from Madiganistan).
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 6:36 pm:
Given the events of last week, I would be surprised if the Illinois GOP would toss out a reasonable suburban woman legislative leader for a loudmouth Tea Partier from down south who called the coppers the first time a Jacobs boy said “boo.”
Who am I kidding? All it takes it the first ten seats at the big table at Denny’s (not Jacobs, the restaurant). The way the southern GOP chooses to roll, I wouldn’t be surprised at all.
Start pricing phone booths. Some of them are quite roomy.
- Team Sleep - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 6:52 pm:
Vandalia - it does not. However, Jones is gone. Pankau is gone. Bomke is gone. Those three would have certainly voted for Radogno and could have been part of her “whip” team. Senators like Bivins, Righter, McCann, Rezin and LaHood represent very conservative areas are very conservative themselves. Oberweis and Duffy are clearly very conservative and are very much aligned with McCarter ideologically. I could easily see all seven of those Senators going for McCarter. Yes, even Righter - because the wrong vote for Leader will bring a primary challenge.
- Arthur Andersen - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 7:43 pm:
Count me in too, word. At the rate it’s moving, our “old guys, fiscal conservatives, social whatever caucus” may outnumber the Senate GOP in no time at all.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 8:12 pm:
“I am sorry SGOP, we only reserve tables for 20 or more … not 19.
Signed,
Illinois Restaurants”
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 8:21 pm:
===Count me in too, word. At the rate it’s moving, our “old guys, fiscal conservatives, social whatever caucus” may outnumber the Senate GOP in no time at all===
Me too. I just feel that Radogno staying there in leadership is an indictment that mediocrity is accepted, and there are no ramifications for being so inept at your job for my party in that chamber, then why should anybody worry about trying?
Heck, I keep my job, and senior staff keep theirs, so who cares we got veto-proofed? Who can replace me?
Well Irrelevent Radogno, lead the rest of the SGOP further down the road. I do hear tables of 15 are easier to get at Steak and Shake …
- Spliff - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 8:24 pm:
In 2006 Watson lost 5 seats as well. So it shouldn’t be about Radogno. The senate GOP needs to rebuild their political operation. Until that happens they will be irrelevant.
- Canned Heat - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 9:46 pm:
Radogno is the “Irrelevant Leader” says the blog poster who has posted no less than 9 times on this thread alone today.
The negativity wears people out Willy. It’s easy to take pot shots from your laptop in your basement all day. Clearly, you are not busy in your own endeavors. Irrelevant is in the eye of the beholder.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Nov 13, 12 @ 10:17 pm:
===Radogno is the “Irrelevant Leader” says the blog poster who has posted no less than 9 times on this thread alone today.
The negativity wears people out Willy. It’s easy to take pot shots from your laptop in your basement all day. Clearly, you are not busy in your own endeavors. Irrelevant is in the eye of the beholder.===
Watching my party continue down the raod to Irrelevency wears on people too.
“Pot Shots” (pot shot) By analogy, insulting or hurtful words carelessly or randomly said.
Nope, Not radomly said nor carelessly. I know who they are for, (Christine Radogno), I know why I am saying them, and I take great care in expressing whay I am saying them to her.
If you saw my basement, you wouldn’t go down there!
With kindest personal regards, I remain.
Sincerely yours, (with Post #10)
Oswego Willy
- Canned Heat - Wednesday, Nov 14, 12 @ 7:36 am:
They are pot shots, Willy. Because you appear to enjoy the insult too much. Almost like it soothes your soul. This has gone on for way longer than just since the election.
Criticism has its place in a situation like this, clearly. But your continued ranting against Cross and Radogno seems almost personal. You are obsessed. Again, it seems you are not busy in your own efforts to improve the party, because you are on this blog all day, every day.
I enjoy Rich’s blog, but less of Oswego Willy’s venom would improve this site.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Nov 14, 12 @ 8:04 am:
===They are pot shots, Willy. Because you appear to enjoy the insult too much. Almost like it soothes your soul. This has gone on for way longer than just since the election.===
I only respond to what is posted. I don’t choose to post articles or stories about Cross or Radogno, or whoever. I control nothing of the content here. If its worthy of note and Rich chooses the content for others to comment, then commenters do. I can’t help Cross or Radogno get the press they do, or how they choose to repond. I am just responding to what the leaders say, and what they do.
My posts do the complete opposite of soothing the soul, it makes me sad that some alleged leaders think “all is well with keeping inept leadership”.
I guess if you say nothing, then everyone says, “Well, no one stood up and said anything”. If you say something, then you are accused of taking Pot Shots. Which do you want?
Are you also saying that Rich should shut down because the election is over? Politics and governing go on, well after the election. Elections have ramifications. Those ramifications last and are felt in Session, in legislation, and in Illinois long after. Cross and Radogno chose to be the Caucus Leaders. No one is forcing them. This post is about Radogno trying to hold on. I didn’t chose to put this up, but I have an opinion on it. If you feel so strongly about Cross and Radogno, defend them. Make an arguement for them. Maybe educating me on the merits might help.
===Criticism has its place in a situation like this, clearly. But your continued ranting against Cross and Radogno seems almost personal. You are obsessed. Again, it seems you are not busy in your own efforts to improve the party, because you are on this blog all day, every day.===
If Cross and Radogno can’t take the heat, then hand off the reins. If you CAN defend Cross and Radogno and their efforts, before and since the election, do so. A conversation on the merits would be nice.
You have no clue of my “situation”, nor of my efforts, nor about me, as I know nothing of you. I am posting on Radogno, not about me. You are posting about me, not about Radogno. If you think I have any influence on anything said, or the dialog in either Caucus, then you give me way too much credit, because, in reality, no one is listening to me, except you it appears.
The one thing about posts, you can read and comment, or just skip ‘em. No one is forcing you to read what I post.
I can defend, even the snark, on its merits. If you would like to have a dialog, fine.
How about this …
I think Radogno needs to step down because being Veto-Proofed out of the next two years should be unacceptable. I said that since State Fair. The demographics indicate it isn’t the map, but a disconnect between Caucus Leadership and the candidates they choose to run against Madigan and Cullerton. Both Caucuses need to reach out to Latinos, and women especially. There is a lack of GOTV,and finding of Repub votes. Those failures should lead to a change in lesdership because what will change with the same leaders at this point?
There, I laid out a case. If you can defend Cross and Radogno, post, and we can have a dailog.
- Cincinnatus - Wednesday, Nov 14, 12 @ 9:00 am:
Radogno will win by two votes.
- Team Sleep - Wednesday, Nov 14, 12 @ 9:22 am:
Canned - Willy is right. Leaders are there to do main jobs. First - shepherd their caucuses during spring and veto sessions. Second - try to pick up seats (or at least hold seats) during elections. Cross has done poorly in every election cycle save for 2010, when the national GOP wave essentially gave him 6 seats. If he were a better recruiter - and trust me, his 2012 recruits in key areas were blase at best - he might have come close to or actually tied MJM after the 2010 elections. Senator Radongo has done little to show me she can recruit decent candidates and then fund their campaigns. Mark Minor and I had a very candid conversation about this concern with three weeks to go. For a minister in deep southern Illinois, he came awfully close to cursing up a blue streak. What should that tell you? In an area that Romney won fairly easily, Mark Minor was slaughtered by nearly 20 points - and he actually worked hard and had a great volunteer base.
- Team Sleep - Wednesday, Nov 14, 12 @ 9:25 am:
Sorry - I meant to do two main jobs.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Nov 14, 12 @ 9:32 am:
- Team Sleep -,
Appreciate the backup. Thanks.