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Twelve days after he endorsed Jack Roeser’s idea that a Rod Blagojevich win would be just what the Illinois Republican Party needed, and nine days after he endorsed Jack Roeser’s conspiracy theory that Sen. Bill Brady was a Topinka plant in the spring gubernatorial primary, Tribune columnist John Kass endorses Sen. Chris Lauzen’s bill to allow Republican voters to choose their state central committee members.
Some Illinois Republican leaders tried to stave off a post-election revolt from grass-roots conservatives by offering up a Republican scalp on Thursday, in the hopes of maintaining control of the crippled and intellectually bankrupt state GOP.
It’s a fat scalp, and quite hefty, though it has a few strands of thin white hair. Still, I don’t think one scalp will stave off a revolt that has been building for years now.
Because establishment Republicans are holding up a bill pending in the legislature that would allow Republican voters to choose the direction of their own party. Senate Bill 600 was sponsored by state Sen. Christopher Lauzen (R-Aurora), and passed in the state Senate. But it is being held up by state Rep. Angelo “Skip” Saviano (R-Jimmy DeLeo), who dismisses the effort, calling it the “Chris Lauzen for Congress bill.”
Lauzen’s bill would let Republican voters choose their party leaders–the state central committeemen from each congressional district–just as Democratic voters are allowed to do every four years. But Saviano is leery of releasing the bill for a vote, because establishment Republicans are afraid of losing control of what little they’ve got left.
In case you missed it, House GOP Leader Tom Cross called yesterday for the ouster of Bob Kjellander as Illinois’ Republican National Committeeman. Cross knew the Kass column was coming, so he got in front of it.
The top Illinois House Republican Thursday laid out a legislative strategy to oust the state GOP’s national committeeman who has won big consulting fees under Gov. Blagojevich and been recently linked to an ongoing federal corruption probe.
“We’re dealing with a huge perception problem,” said state House Minority Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego). “He’s not good for the party, and he needs to go.”
Cross said last week’s elections demonstrated that Republicans — still reeling from former Gov. George Ryan’s corruption conviction — have lost the “high ground on ethics” and need to rebuild the party, starting with Kjellander’s removal.
“It’s the belief of myself and others that Bob Kjellander has become a controversial figure who’s found himself under an ethical cloud and has become a detriment to the Republican Party of Illinois,” Cross said.
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Nov 17, 06 @ 8:25 am
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Yes! Let’s get rid of the bodies at the top. 19 people control my/our party and we need to put it back in the hands of volunteers, hard-working chairmen and elected officials who know what they’re doing and want the best for their party - not what’s best for them.
KJ should have been out after Bush did poorly in his Bush-Cheney post during 2004. Keeping him on has only hurt us. Put someone in like Rauschenberger or Kirk or Edgar.
Comment by Team Sleep Friday, Nov 17, 06 @ 8:33 am
More than just Bob Kjellander need to go, Andy McKenna also needs to go.
Comment by Crimefighter Friday, Nov 17, 06 @ 9:01 am
Here’s the thing about us White Sox fans - some of us are normal, well-adjusted professionals, then again some of us are the stereotypical racist Midlothian trailer park dwellers. And some of us are the not very bright wannabe Royko who only write about ourselves under the guise of writing about some other topic.
At least we all don’t like Mariotti. We got that going for ourselves, which is nice.
Comment by Snark Friday, Nov 17, 06 @ 9:05 am
The State Central Committee was not much when it was elected by voters. Probably never will be.
Comment by Cal Skinner Friday, Nov 17, 06 @ 9:53 am
I agree with Saviano, imagine if the democrats can elect our own state central committeman,it would be total chaos.In Cook County where for many years, the democrats have planted there spys within the Reublican party,AKA the like of voted out Maureen Murphy,Jim Peralli from the 19th ward and prior to that from Proviso Township,voted out Tom Walsh,ex-state senator and good friends of Democrats,Proviso township Republican committeeman,etc., you get my drift. These inidivuduals are responsible for the total demise of the Republican party in Cook County and especially in the counties suburbs.
Saviano knows what and how the Democrats work and wants to build our party back up.
I say, make Saviano the leader of the state party or the head of the state central committee, that way we are assured victory in 08!
Comment by True Republican Friday, Nov 17, 06 @ 9:56 am
Bring back Keyes.
Comment by VanillaMan Friday, Nov 17, 06 @ 10:00 am
True GOP
I will leave it up to Jim Rowe if Skip should be the leader!!HA I didn’t know Harmon was a Republican, Oh he’s not? You mean Skip helped a Democrat and worked for him as well as showing up at a campaign event to sustitute for him? Those kinds of Republicans are already in charge
Comment by RAI Friday, Nov 17, 06 @ 10:07 am
Teamsleep…where are these hard working County Chairman? I’d like to meet them! The SCC isn’t the problem, the candidates the GOP runs in this state are.
Comment by Curt Friday, Nov 17, 06 @ 10:20 am
I started writing a comment, but it got long enough to justify a post at Illinoize: http://capitalfax.blogspot.com/2006/11/sb-600-senate-vs-house-gop.html#links
Suffice it to say, Kass is wrong in his understanding of what sort of power-struggle is going on withing the GOP. I light of the points I made in my post there, I’d probably have to second Cal’s comment.
Comment by grand old partisan Friday, Nov 17, 06 @ 11:01 am
If my memory is correct, state central committee members are elected by the voters who pull a Republican ballot in the primary. In those elections, precinct committeemen are elected by the voters, who then vote for the SCC member in thier congressional districts. Elect better committeemen and maybe you’ll get better SCC members.
If this isn’t the case in all districts, please let me know.
Comment by Cartman Friday, Nov 17, 06 @ 11:07 am
I don’t have an opinion one way or the other on this issue, but the motivations behind it are not as pure and noble as the chief proponents - nearly all Arch-Conservatives - would have it.
They want direct elections on the belief that it is the only conceivable way they can get the power in the Illinois GOP that they absolutely crave. They hope the voters will prove more gullible than the Committeemen have to date.
These Conservatives live on the fantasy that the “grassroots” and the “rank and file” are overwhelmingly behind them, and only a small cabal with Rasputin-like powers over the Committeemen blocks them from the power they rightfully deserve. It is a very convenient fantasy, as it keeps their mental boat afloat, but it just is not true. Nor is it true that Conservatives will win control of the Illinois GOP by “conquest”. They are going to have to face reality just as much as the moderates. In the end, it is a very destructive fantasy, since it prevents the integration that is essential to rebuilding the GOP in this state.
Be careful what you wish for! These same people may well be very disappointed by the results of direct elections. What will be their excuse then, if the fantasy crashes to earth on Primary Day?
Comment by Bubs Friday, Nov 17, 06 @ 11:49 am
If I have my choice about from whom to accept political advice, from what I’ve read lately I think I would put Kass just a step or two above the people such as Jack Roeser that he seems enamored with.
Comment by steve schnorf Friday, Nov 17, 06 @ 12:58 pm
Long overdue, but at the national level, the GOP has resurrected Trent Lott (after the Hurricane Katrina fiasco, you wanna drag in Trent Lott to a leadership post after his remarks related to Strom Thurmond??).
Signs of sense actually sinking in appear to be the attempt to oust Kjellander locally, to see moderates like Giuliani testing the waters for a run nationally, and this new talk of sensible Dems and moderate Repubs forming a coalition (yes!!!) to work together on some bipartisan issues. On the other hand, they drag out Trent Lott again.
I cannot figure out if the GOP at all levels, local and national, is suffering from bipolar disorder, alternating between making political sense and behaving in positively suicidal fashion, ot what.
Oust Kjellander here. Vote in Trent Lott over there. It is enough to make you want to bang your head into a wall already.
Kjellander ought to just step down already. His head is already a target. Just move out of the way and make it nice and easy, and then go tell Trent Lott to do the same, before he costs the GOP more losses in 2008. Not Lott. Not after Katrina!!
Comment by Angie Friday, Nov 17, 06 @ 1:02 pm
For those of you who don’t know me, I’m not a Republican. So it’s basically OK with me for the GOP to decide how to pick party leadership any way the party wants.
I would comparing the Dem Party before anyone makes a decision.
The State Central Committee for the Dems is not a bunch of Lefty activists as far as I can tell. It seems skewed toward people who hold government jobs controlled by the party.
I suspect that there is a natural pressure to do things this way. I suspect that after a few years most of the GOP State Central Committee posititions will be held by people who owe their paycheck to some GOP elected official or the party.
It may already be this way. So directly electing the State Central Committee may not change much.
Comment by Carl Nyberg Friday, Nov 17, 06 @ 1:11 pm
Carl is absolutely right. In my post at Illinoize, I’ve listed who Democratic voters have democratically selected as their Committeemen. It’s definately not Joe Blow party activist.
Comment by grand old partisan Friday, Nov 17, 06 @ 2:01 pm
The election of the Central committee is in reaction to what they did with the Keyes fiasco. For you guys who say “Only elected officials” it’s crap, at least elected officials are responsive to the voters. Have you ever tried to contact anyone on the SCC? It is next to impossible. As you can see, there is a pretty good turnover rate in GOP circles lately. Look Cross is one of the tools of the party, just because Jack Roeser likes something doesnt mean it’s a right-wing idea. The GOP is now rebuilding, not by accident the party was 10 years behind because the Governors mansion was in the hands of Thompson for so long, the party stayed in the Rockefeller mode when the rest of the country went with the Reagan revolution. The party was out of touch with the voters and corrupt. Democrats might not care about corruption but the base of the GOP does. (I was born and raised in Chicago and live in Cook, when you look up the word corruption the seal of the cook county Democratic party is pictured next to it)
80% of the people who voted in the last election said corruption was the top issue, that is not good for the future of the Democrats. The sooner the GOP starts rebuilding the better for them and the voters of Illinois.
Comment by RAI Friday, Nov 17, 06 @ 2:40 pm
With Kass now doing the bidding of Rauschenberger, Lauzen and Roeser…it’s time to declared Rich Miller as the only columnist worth reading in either of the Chicago newspapers.
Comment by Tony Friday, Nov 17, 06 @ 3:26 pm
Put someone in like Rauschenberger or Kirk or Edgar.
Edgar? Why not just cremate the party and put it in an urn?
Comment by T.J. Friday, Nov 17, 06 @ 3:46 pm
Kass is the only one who has been proven correct, the “Combine” is the perfect definition of what was happening. I will never forget the Grown column saying “I thought it was wierd that all their people worked for the city but I thought they figured out a way around it” There is the chicago media for you; sitting at Gene and Georgetties with the people they are supposed to be watching!!! That’s how one party runs the city for 80 years! The media is in their pocket, and to lazy to do any investigating!
Comment by RAI Friday, Nov 17, 06 @ 4:00 pm
I think that the state should just get out of the business of conducting primary elections for political parties. Political parties are private organizations. Let the parties choose whatever internal method they think best to select their own candidates, and let them foot the bill.
Anyone who doesn’t like how decisions are being made within a party is free to join another party or start their own party. The State is violating the constitutional right of freedom of association of political parties by forcing them to accept candidates of which they may not approve and allowing non-party members to participate in their primary election–an internal function!
Comment by Squideshi Friday, Nov 17, 06 @ 4:14 pm
Squid, parties are made up of individual citizens who vote. Please. Leave the primaries alone.
Comment by Angie Friday, Nov 17, 06 @ 5:41 pm
I don’t think it’s fair or accurate to put Rauschenberger and Lauzen in the same category with Jack Roeser. They are both very good lawmakers, even though I sometimes disagree with them.
Comment by steve schnorf Friday, Nov 17, 06 @ 6:38 pm
well put steve schnorf. like many fellow republicans, i question roeser’s loyalty to anything but himself and his ego. i also question his republican credentials and would like for him to identify the last 10 republicans for whom he voted. ok, how about the last five? and leave primaries alone. i don’t want democrats having a say in which republicans our party nominates.
Comment by colt 45 Friday, Nov 17, 06 @ 6:49 pm
Forgot the same old names - I’m telling you- the Republicans need new blood - we need to think beyond the same old folks. Lets get someone new, blow up this party and start over again with good quality candidates.
Comment by NEWGOP Friday, Nov 17, 06 @ 8:03 pm
I like Chris Lauzen and what he stands for. Thats a good bill he introduced and Saviano doesn’t know what he is saying - forget him. I don’t even think that hes that good of a representative.
Comment by NEWGOP Friday, Nov 17, 06 @ 8:06 pm
Kjellander and the people who have lead this party down the tubes should resign now. We shouldn’t have to wait to change the way we vote for our leaders. I beleive He and the people that have been more concerned about lining their pockets rather then leading the party and this state should be gone.
Comment by Jim McGuire Friday, Nov 17, 06 @ 10:16 pm
Kass may be listening to the wrong people, but that doesn’t mean his conclusion is any less valid. C’mon, guys-that column was darn funny, on point, and you know it. “R-Jimmy DeLeo”-is the most polite description of Skippy old AA has heard in a long time.
Comment by Arthur Andersen Friday, Nov 17, 06 @ 10:59 pm
Let people vote, specifically Republicans, it can’t hurt
Why is Senator James DeLeo holding it up?–isn’t he a Democrat? albeit a conservative one.
The Lauzen proposal is good.
Comment by Robert Goellner Friday, Nov 17, 06 @ 11:53 pm
Here’s the deal. Surely rank-and-file Republicans deserve at least as much respect as even the shareholders of Enron Corporation received, i.e., the right to directly elect their own senior governing board.
I really think anyone who says “no” on this point, really needs to just say they are whatever comes below a clueless political hack.
Governor Thompson made the Republican Party less democratic than the Democrat Party during his term because he wanted to consolidate GOP Party power with the Republican Governor, i.e., with himself. The change did that, but the new system destroyed accountability in the IL GOP.
This change back to direct elections is a slam dunk. It’s an obvious, needed reform. It’s not going to change the world, but it’s one reform - of many - that are desperately needed.
Hearing some of the old oxen whining about being gored is an excellent sign.
Comment by Real Clear Saturday, Nov 18, 06 @ 12:36 am
Angie, despite being administered by the state, a primary election is an INTERNAL function of a political party. This is how a PARTY selects which candidate it will present to the electorate at-large. You don’t just vote in a primary election, you vote in a particular PARTY’S primary election; and that’s why you must declare a party preference and select only one party’s primary ballot. A political party is a private organization, and the state has no right to force a political party to allow non-party members to participate in its internal decision making process. The constitutional right of freedom of association implies the right NOT to associate.
Comment by Squideshi Saturday, Nov 18, 06 @ 10:07 am
Lets not be blind to the fact that while Edgar was and remains terribly popular, there is a reason he is not running for other office. While I wont speculate on some of the deals that had been investigated (Rich can remind me of what that was) but he still was part of the old guard. Included in this is that his wife has been building a horse barn with Kjellander, which I believe was another Kass column from this last year. Its time for completely new blood. Kirk is one that could appeal to more than conservatives.
With respect to whether party leadership should be elected that doesnt really matter either. Then it becomes who has the most money as with any other race other than the more grass roots election by precinct committeeman. Whoever said in one of the previous posts that if you want change, elect new precinct committeeman was right on.
Comment by Lincoln Saturday, Nov 18, 06 @ 11:43 am
I am surprised at Cal Skinner’s cynicism. What good did the Illinois Republican State Central Committee ever do?
Well, it may be reaching well into the past, but I do recall one thing: in 1858, probably the second year of its existence, the Illinois Republican State Central Committee published a compendium of excerpts from that year’s Illinois Senatorial debates. The debates were the now famous ones between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. These publications helped give Lincoln a national reputation, and were an important prelude to Lincoln’s nomination as the first successful Republican candidate for President of the United States. Lincoln’s historic presidency, as everyone knows, established the Republican Party as the major party it has remained since 1860. The Illinois Republican State Central Committee can take some credit for that success. If only its successors today could live up to that legacy.
Comment by Conservative Republican Saturday, Nov 18, 06 @ 1:32 pm
There should be a runoff primary of the top 2 people so that we avoid a mess like what happened with Topinka. This way we would get a candidate to run who is favored by the majority of the party. Illinois political machines can manipulate the primary and siphon off some of the votes but it would be harder to do if there was a runoff election.
Comment by HGP Saturday, Nov 18, 06 @ 3:36 pm
HGP, primary elections can be consolidated into the regular election, using runoff elections, or, even better, by using instant runoff voting. This would save taxpayer money.
Comment by Squideshi Saturday, Nov 18, 06 @ 4:42 pm
My opinion of Tom Cross dropped several notches when he handed SB-600 which Chris Lauzen crafted over to Angelo “Skip” Saviano to “sit on” and let it die a natural death in some dark coat closet down in Springfield. Why wasn’t Tom Cross speaking out against Bob Kjellander several years ago like Kass, Lauzen, and Ruschenberger were? Tom Cross “lacked the courage” to speak the truth. He knew who “butters the bread” in the Illinois Republican Central Committee. Rauschenberger found that out when he asked the Illinois Republican Party and Andy McKenna for their support when he decided to run for Governor. Rauschenberger had made the mortal sin of being one of the first to criticize Kjellander for being “ethically challenged”. Tom Cross took note of that. Mr. Cross knew that it was politically smart to keep his mouth shut. Now that the tidal wave of indignation that the Illinois GOP voters expressed at the polls on November 7th has caught the attention of Tom Cross, he is squawking like a parrot!
How about an original thought on your part for a change, Tommy? Try real hard to be a free thinker and arrive at conclusions before the crowd does. Show some real courage for a change instead of reading the column by John Kass and then deciding, “Gee, I guess the GOP voters are really upset this time. I had better throw them a bone.”
The Illinois Republican Party is “on track” to becoming renamed after one of the nation’s oldest extinct political party’s, “The Do-Nothing-Party”. That name would be a far more appropriate name for the Illinois Republican Party based on what the Illinois GOP has let itself become.
Comment by Beowulf Sunday, Nov 19, 06 @ 10:49 am
Lincoln, you ignore some basic facts about the way the GOP’s Central Committee is chosen in Illinois.
First of all, by law in Cook County, there ARE NO precinct committeemen with voting rights for the Central Committee. In all of Cook, there are only 80 total Ward and Township Committeemen. Especially in Chicago with the Wards, it’s relatively easy for Dems to get these lower spots.
So in Cook - which has a big concentration of the Congressional Districts - Central Committeemen are getting elected with sometimes as few as 3 or 4 “votes,” and some of them are Dem votes. It’s pretty easy to rig these “elections” from such a small voter pool. There’s no accountability to Republicans. Surely everyone can see that by now in the problems the IL GOP has.
And in the downstate Congressional districts, it’s almost as bad. The GOP is in such bad shape, 50% and higher vacancy rates for precinct committeemen is not uncommon in many counties.
What’s happened is, the County Chairmen just vote these vacant precincts themselves. So just like in Cook, in several cases Central Committeemen are getting “elected” with just the votes of a handful of party bosses. And sometimes a powerful county chairman can just easily snatch a Central Committeeman spot himself or herself, without worrying about any challenger.
Democracy has never been perfect. But there’s no excuse for being against it. It’s the best thing humans have come up with yet for governing.
Comment by Real Clear Sunday, Nov 19, 06 @ 11:19 am
This bill is another desperate attenpt by Jack Roeser’s people to “win” one before Jack moves on.
It is now admitted that this bill would change nothing, so the excuse now is that if ‘democracy’ was good for Enron stockholders, it should be good enough for the IL GOP. It sure did Enron a lot of good, right?
Well, ‘democracy’ ain’t all it’s cracked up to be, whether on the West Bank, Iraq, or Cook County.
I think that’s where Roser wants the IL GOP–backrupt, and it’s leaders in jail.
This bill is a knee jerk reaction by people of questionable motive who recently tried to defeat GOP candidates.
Comment by Rick Sunday, Nov 19, 06 @ 3:12 pm
Acutally Beowulf, Cross called for $$hellanders resignation last summer. Lauzen needs to stop running against Cross for Congress and start focusing on Linda Chapa La Via. I know I’m not the only one who thinks Senate Bill 300 is publicity stunt designed to rally the right when Lauzen runs for Congress.
Comment by Outsider Sunday, Nov 19, 06 @ 3:38 pm
Rick, anyone who argues against a more democratic system the way you do is clearly insane. Your wild conspiracy theories are more evidence.
Get over your bitterness and stop making a fool of yourself.
Comment by Real Clear Sunday, Nov 19, 06 @ 3:40 pm
“Get over your bitterness”????
Anyone who adopts “wild conspriacy theories” is “clealy insane”????
The Roeser Gang is the bitterest bunch in Illinois politics, anywhere, any party. Wild conspiracy theories are their favorite pastime!
Real Clear is looking like an double-talking fanatic, as usual.
Comment by Huh? Sunday, Nov 19, 06 @ 4:43 pm
Real Clear is exactly correct about Cook and the state. I know, as a former precinct committeeman, that well over 30 % of the pc slots are vacant and the county chairman does vote the open slots. If you want to cast your vote, then jump in. Become a PC. If the slots go empty, then the rubber stamp rules. It is unfortunate, but the way it goes. I certainly would like to vote for state central committeemen rather than letting the rubber stamp have it.
Comment by Confused Republican Monday, Nov 20, 06 @ 4:07 pm