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* Bernie writes about how the Illinois Policy Institute’s radio network has picked up Dan Proft’s radio show…
In a show days after the March 15 primary, Proft’s guest was PAT HUGHES, co-founder of the Opportunity Project, and both agreed that trying to defeat McCann was worthwhile in the long run.
On that show, Proft called McCann “a wholly owned subsidiary” of “public sector union bosses. …”
“If you’re going to have Republicans that serve as enemies inside your perimeter voting with Chicago Democrats … voting against Governor (BRUCE) RAUNER’s turnaround agenda, then what’s the point?” Proft asked. “You destroy the party from within and you make the Republican Party what it’s been for so long … sort of indistinguishable from the Democrats.”
Rauner backed Benton, and Proft said on the show he didn’t think the governor regretted that stand.
“For others who are contemplating becoming a quisling like McCann, just know that you’ll have millions of dollars put against you if good other Republican conservative candidates can be found,” Proft said. “I bet we’ll turn people out more often than we won’t.”
The big question some Republican legislators had during and immediately after the primary was what happens if they vote for a tax hike as part of a grand bargain and Proft decides that he’s against it. While Proft gets a lot of money from Rauner, he also has other supporters who could break from the governor.
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, May 2, 16 @ 12:09 pm
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“You destroy the party from within”
Look in the mirror when you say that, Mr. Proft.
Comment by DuPage Monday, May 2, 16 @ 12:14 pm
Proft doesn’t have “followers” per se. If he loses his funding from Rauner and the oligarch’s, Proft has no money to waste and thus he returns to being a teaparty windbag with a show that no one listens to.
Comment by TominChicago Monday, May 2, 16 @ 12:15 pm
Democracy at it’s finest hour…
Comment by Mouthy Monday, May 2, 16 @ 12:17 pm
===
“For others who are contemplating becoming a quisling like McCann, just know that you’ll have millions of dollars put against you if good other Republican conservative candidates can be found,” Proft said. “I bet we’ll turn people out more often than we won’t.”===
It’s the long game of destroying the ILGOP.
I root for the GOP GA, not the Raunerite musts.
We let a stranger in our house and Proft and Rauner will force votes to help Raunerites win, while Proft and “conservative Slytherins” will take a pound of flesh for being… Raunerites.
If there is any doubt the Illinois Republican Party has imploded upon itself when it let Rauner in our house, understand, the $20 million is there to own switches, while Proft picks who can survive?
It’s heartbraking. It’s over for Illinois Republicans.
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, May 2, 16 @ 12:18 pm
This has to be a wake up call to fight back against those with extraordinary means who flood the political process with money from a few super-rich.
This also makes me change again and support Lang’s fair tax proposal. We have to raise taxes on the so-called 1%. Some of them are flooding the political process with money that by far surpasses the amounts that much larger groups of people can spend.
Republicans with many public union members in their districts need to know that they will be supported if they vote for their constituents. People can beat money.
Comment by Grandson of Man Monday, May 2, 16 @ 12:27 pm
Primary’s over. Any potential Republican “compromisers” are already on the ballot this cycle.
Is he talking about 2 years from now?
Proft’s not into funding semi-pro-Turnaround Dems is he?
Comment by walker Monday, May 2, 16 @ 12:27 pm
Free advice for Mr. Proft: Don’t use a ten-dollar word when an approachable and commonly understood substitute can covey what you mean just as effectively.
The word traitor is a much stronger and better synonym for your highfalutin word choice so how about you use that one instead…you darned quisling.
Comment by 35/Shields Monday, May 2, 16 @ 12:31 pm
Bespeaks lots of distrust in the GOP.
Comment by Liberty Monday, May 2, 16 @ 12:31 pm
All hail Dan Proft, grand poobah of the GOP. The great determiner of GOP orthodoxy, chooser of adherents and prosecutor of transgressors.
Comment by Norseman Monday, May 2, 16 @ 12:46 pm
Highly inappropriate.
Vidkun Quisling was a Nazi collaborator who participated in the murders of his own people, including but not limited to the sending of Norwegian Jews to the gas chambers. For those crimes and many others, he was executed.
You’d think a smart guy like Proft would know better than to use such a disgusting and inflammatory word over minor and reasonable political differences.
Comment by wordslinger Monday, May 2, 16 @ 12:49 pm
There are no politicians on either side, including Dunkin, that deserve the name “Quisling”. We may differ in the details of our American dreams, but we share more than we differ.
Comment by Last Bull Moose Monday, May 2, 16 @ 12:53 pm
Speakin’ of wastin’ the 1%ers’ cash
Gonzo reported payin’ himself $22K in his last report
Comment by Annonin' Monday, May 2, 16 @ 12:54 pm
wordslinger - I think you give Proft too much credit when you call him a smart guy. And as for his hyperbolic bloviating, if Proft stopped overstating and overreacting to the significance of minor and reasonable political differences, he’d have nothing to say.
Comment by TominChicago Monday, May 2, 16 @ 1:08 pm
For rauner and proft, gop legislators are cans of corn, to be lined up on the shelf, used, then discarded. Not even brand name, but bland generics. No independence. No putting the district first. So yeah, vote for a tax increase, and you may still be attacked for it if you commit some discretion down the line.
Comment by Langhorne Monday, May 2, 16 @ 1:21 pm
Every appearance. Every second Proft spends on air, should be reported as a contribution to his PAC and the Ikkinois Policy Institute.
For IPI, a non-profit, politically motivated think tank, to buy the Illinois News Network, there was a motivation to advance issues.
When they hire politically motivated people to espouse their principles on a politically motivated radio station, there is a political motivation.
They ought to be reporting to the State Bd of Elections.
Comment by Austin Blvd Monday, May 2, 16 @ 1:22 pm
I just love it when Cicero’s prettiest tart preaches morality to everyone else.
“Quisling”, indeed.
Comment by Indochine Monday, May 2, 16 @ 1:23 pm
Discard the Dogma. Let’s solve problems. Proft and IPI do not know how to Govern and are not interested in governing. The damage caused by the instability they are creating is a feature, not a bug.
Comment by Saluki Monday, May 2, 16 @ 2:46 pm
It should be noted, despite all of Proft’s bloviating about GOP purity, when GOP voters were given the opportunity to voice their opinion on Dan Proft in the 2010 GOP gubernatorial primary:
Proft received 59,335 of 767,485 GOP primary votes cast, 7.73%, good for sixth place.
Put it another way: he got about half of what Adam Ant received.
GOP voters certainly don’t like him, but he sure can sweet-talk the rich dudes out of their money, can’t he?
Comment by wordslinger Monday, May 2, 16 @ 2:55 pm
=Cicero’s prettiest tart=
Restaurant Quality. Does it get any better than that?
Comment by Qui Tam Monday, May 2, 16 @ 3:17 pm
Proft lost his reputation in the recent primary. He embarrassed Rauner. Why should we care?
Comment by Big Willie Monday, May 2, 16 @ 3:42 pm
Isn’t the real question is can someone explain what he has on Uline that allows all that money to pour into Proft’s pockets
Comment by Annonin' Monday, May 2, 16 @ 4:11 pm
Here is the big problem for Illinois Republicans and especially IL House and Senate Republicans–where are they going to get any money at all once Rauner is gone?
Rauner could be gone in two and a half years but he will be gone for sure in six and a half years.
Dick Uhlein, bless his heart, will not live forever. Rauner and Griffin are unlikely to be ponying up many millions for legislative campaigns after Rauner is out of office.
What Rauner and Griffin have done by each giving $10 million after Rauner’s election is to turbocharge Madigan’s fundraising. Once Rauner is gone, do you think Madigan will accept a penny less from any contributor than he is getting this year? The campaign money disparity between the parties after Rauner is out of office will be way worse for Republicans than it was in the decade before 2014.
Two and half years or six and half years go by fast. What happens then? The Illinois Republican Party made a giant mistake when it let itself become nothing more than a personal extension of Jim Thompson, Jim Edgar and then George Ryan. It needs a long-term institutional approach regardless of who is Governor. But current state chairman Schneider said Rauner “is the Republican Party.” All eggs in one basket. No long-term planning or building. No foundation being built. Myopic and defeatist. The Rauner-Griffin-Uhlein money is heroin for the state GOP. The forced detox sooner or later is going to be mighty painful. Proft is boasting about a threat with an expiration date on it.
Comment by Sentinel Monday, May 2, 16 @ 4:15 pm
Dan Proft is Illinois’ Grima Wormtongue. I feel sorry for Dick Uline.
Comment by Big Willie Monday, May 2, 16 @ 4:39 pm
===where are they going to get any money at all once Rauner is gone?===
This is an ongoing enterprise.
Rauner owns the ILGOP. You don’t spend $20+ million of your own dough to “drive a car” for 4 years. Even Proft made it quite clear, this is a long term ownership.
===Rauner and Griffin are unlikely to be ponying up many millions for legislative campaigns after Rauner is out of office.===
Nope. The millions spent are a down payment on tomorrow, and Proft and Sandack being “buds” reinforces that every day.
===The Illinois Republican Party made a giant mistake when it let itself become nothing more than a personal extension of Jim Thompson, Jim Edgar and then George Ryan. It needs a long-term institutional approach regardless of who is Governor. ===
Interesting.
How do you explain 1994 and all the Crews? Jim Ryan, Judy Baar Topinka, Lolita Didrickson, Lee Daniels, Pate Phillip, and all those Crews growing?
You put a think on that, get back to us.
Rauner has stifled growth of Crews. If you can’t see how Rauner’s consolidation wouldn’t allow a 1994 windfall of talent and leaders… Yikes.
You are completely ignoring that this is a beginning, not the beginning of the end.
You need to catch up…
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, May 2, 16 @ 4:46 pm
@oswegowilly Yes Rauner & Co has $$$ to burn. The point is Rauner’s surrogates certainly don’t know how to win elections no matter how much $$$$ you give them. The elections are proof of that.
Comment by Big Willie Monday, May 2, 16 @ 5:03 pm
===The point is Rauner’s surrogates certainly don’t know how to win elections no matter how much $$$$ you give them. The elections are proof of that.===
One Primary Election, broken down to about a dozen races, races that Proft carried more Raunerites over nobodies, bringing Rauner more GA locked in votes in the Raunerite Caucuses…
Small sample size. Benton and Dunkin, 2 races do not make an ongoing trend.
Sorry.
Let’s see what November brings, let’s see Tier 1 statehouse races, let’s see how college towns go.
Plus, Proft already said, it isn’t about winning all the time, but dictating what it means to be a Raunerite from now on to get a faux Conservative GOP nod. It will never be about the wins, just the dictating of the policy of the winners of the “Party”.
With respect.
Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, May 2, 16 @ 5:12 pm
Sentinel, I’ve read your post four times, and gave it a think each time.
I have no idea where you’re coming from, where you’re going or what you’re trying to say on even just a sound-out-the-words level.
But I’ll have what you’re having, in smaller doses.
Comment by wordslinger Monday, May 2, 16 @ 7:14 pm
Proft and Paraika together ruined what ever normalcy the Chicago GOP might have had. He is not a builder but a destroyer of anybody who refuses his shake downs. He (Proft) is a frustrated wannabe.
Comment by the red baron Monday, May 2, 16 @ 8:40 pm
I agree with Wordslinger. Proft’s use of the term “quisling” is highly inappropriate. It’s massively annoying too because he will totally get away with it.
Comment by Anonymous Monday, May 2, 16 @ 11:02 pm