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As expected, state GOP leaders urged Republican National Committeeman Bob Kjellander to resign at their Saturday meeting, and, as expected, Kj refused to step down.
Republican National Committeeman Bob Kjellander was asked to resign Saturday by his party’s 19-member state central committee - a request the Springfield lobbyist immediately refused.
The state GOP leaders approved the non-binding resolution during an executive session in their latest regular meeting, held in suburban Bolingbrook. Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna declined to release the vote tally or other details but said the signal that leadership has “lost confidence” in Kjellander follows concerns raised by a group of county GOP chairmen.
“We don’t have the ability to move beyond that,” he said of the measure.
Kjellander said the move was more about the GOP wipeout than anything else.
Kjellander said disgruntled members of the Republican Party were in search of someone to blame after the GOP’s poor performance last fall–though he declined to view himself as a scapegoat.
“They’re entitled to their opinion. I have mine,” Kjellander said, noting that the state central committee had no authority to remove him from his post. “Certainly when a party gets wiped out at every level like we did after the last election, people are going to look for scapegoats.”
But it’s not all about that. And it’s not all about corruption. The right wing has been trying to take over the state GOP for years, and Kjellander is just the latest target. As with the fight over who would replace Lee Daniels, the strategy is to oust Kj and install one of their own. Notice that the self-proclaimed reformers have never gotten behind a squeaky clean compromise candidate that disagreed with them on hot button social issues.
*** UPDATE *** Charlie makes some excellent points at Illinoize, concluding with:
The fact is if you want to get a demolition crew all you have to do is hang around any street corner and you’ll find plenty of qualified people in short order. If you want to find architects and a construction crew you’ll have to spend a little more time and be a lot more picky. We already have more than enough people on Republican demolition crews. The State Party did well in establishing that what we want is a committed construction crew
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jan 16, 07 @ 9:18 am
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After Keys and Topinka, maybe seeking a new commander at the helm is more than justified.
Comment by Jechislo Tuesday, Jan 16, 07 @ 9:47 am
Picking at Bob Kjellander is a distraction that provides no benefit to the GOP. The leadership of the state party and legislature should get cracking on fundraising and candidate recruitment, and forget this petty trap. There is no legal basis to remove a national committeeman, so just move on. I encourage the advocates of this effort to redirect their work to the tough, unglamorous task of rebuilding — there has been enough tearing down of the “old order” to satisfy you.
Comment by Chad Tuesday, Jan 16, 07 @ 9:48 am
Chad is right. And KJ does have a point about his failure to step down being in effect a red herring. KJ clearly wants to stay at the trough as long as possible. And while the Republican piggies have been pushed aside at the Illinois trough, the national Republican trough is still wide open for greedy Repubs and will be for another year or more. KJ doesn’t want to lose a drop.
Meanwhile, why would anybody, and I mean anybody, corrupt or ehtical give any money to Republicans. They are not even making an effort.
Comment by Anon Tuesday, Jan 16, 07 @ 10:50 am
Chad, you are missing the point.
There will NEVER be enough tearing down, until the people doing the tearing down are in power. While it is cloaked in ideological terms of “principle,” “family values,” and “Anti-Combine”, personal ambitions of power are really the driving force. In the opinion of myself and others, there are some closet megalomaniacs at work, under the sheep’s clothing of “reform.”
Note that since the State Central Committee has asked Kjellander to step down, that issue is now not available to whip up fear and loathing. So they just move on and demand that McKenna and the entire State Central Committee step down. (Also notice that, despite their months of loudmouth blubbering, once push came to shove the Goon Squad had no explanation whatsoever of how the State Central Committee can legally force Kjellander out.)
See the pattern? When you practice the politics of hate and fear, you always need a Boogie Man to blame, and if one goes away then you just nominate a new one.
Such half-baked demagoguery will never bring the Republican Party back in Illinois.
Comment by Bubs Tuesday, Jan 16, 07 @ 11:21 am
KJ stepping down is a sign to the rank and file and the public that the party is a least trying to reform. The state committee even asking him to step a side is a sign of reform. The step of having the committee resign is possible if they want to but it’s really up to an election, I am not sure they should all resign. The idea that we have to find something illegal to ask our leadership to resign is just silly we are not the democrats.
Comment by Jim McGuire Tuesday, Jan 16, 07 @ 12:04 pm
The KJ problem is one of perception. The problem is that every news article that is published on Blago corruption and U.S. Atty. investigations carries the obligatory KJ reference. We can’t take the high road because our state committeeman is in the gutter with Rezco, Kelly, Levine et. al.
The legality of taking millions of dollars from investment firms is only a concern to KJ and his highly paid legal team. The reality is that every Illinois Republican believes that it was wrong and is tired of having crooks in state party leadership. He is all the Democrats need whenever the ethics question is raised in a partisan manner. As long as he stays, his smell reflects on everyone.
Comment by bushman Tuesday, Jan 16, 07 @ 12:54 pm
Where is Jim Edgar? Last year you couldn’t keep him out of the news and who he thinks should be the candidate or run the IL GOP. KJ is his guy. There is no way to “rebuild” as long as the same old people want to stay in charge.
Bubs
Let me ask you, Why should McKenna and the rest of the leadership stay? They picked total destruction instead of working with their base! They think they can ignore their base and they will just go away? What organization would allow people with this track record to lead them? NONE. The main problem is that the people who claimed to be leaders turned out to be shells with no character or this conversation would never have been necessary.
Comment by RAI Tuesday, Jan 16, 07 @ 1:06 pm
KJ DOES NEED TO QUIT. So does Andy McKenna. In fact the country clubber left wing of the GOP needs to go. Conservative candidates need to be pushed and pushed hard. I’m tired of these so-called lefties and pretender Republicans being put in positions of power where they can deny all day long that conservatism and Reagan-traditions are a winning issue. The GOP will KEEP LOSING ELECTIONS if they keep the same unelectable bunch running the party because they’ve alienated a very large chunk of their base.
Comment by Crimefighter Tuesday, Jan 16, 07 @ 1:28 pm
Wait, so Tom Cross and the Chicago Tribune are part of the “right wing?” That’s news to me. Both have called for Kjellander to go.
And I love the shocker about how others want to get someone else in. Yeah…I guess that’s kinda obvious. I thought that was what politics is about, i.e., trying to get people you like into positions of power.
Also, Rich, a little clarification re Lee Daniels. Daniels wasn’t ousted by the “right wing” as Party Chair. He was ousted by people who hated Lee, including a former staffer or two. The reported investigation was just used as the cover. Recall that weeks went by before a sacrificial lamb was found to step in to the post with the 2002 election just a few months away.
Gary MacDougal was finally duly elected by the Central Committee with the blessing of GOP nominee Jim Ryan.
Then when the election was over, Kjellander pushed MacDougal out with no concern over his having been “duly elected” by the Central Committee.
The bottom line on this whole thing is, if Kjellander’s allowed to stay around, the GOP will only attract more Bob Kjellanders. That’s not acceptable.
Kjellander won’t survive much longer. He’s toast, even though McKenna still has not joined the call for his resignation. It will happen without him.
Comment by whatever Tuesday, Jan 16, 07 @ 2:02 pm
Take it from one who has been around a long time and knows. Bob Kjellander will stay for his enitre term, there is nothing anyone can legally do about it, and involved Party activists wanting to move the party forward are wasting their time with this distraction. As for you angry folks, your focus on this issue is what keeps it in the press. Again, focus on candidate recruitment and fund raising. Those who think otherwise are not in this process to move forward a policy agenda.
Comment by Chad Tuesday, Jan 16, 07 @ 2:50 pm
It’s not about the radical right trying to take over the party, the State Central Committee voted that he resign. The radical right didn’t vote for his resignation (even though they would), the moderates didn’t vote for his resignation, the State Central Committee did and that’s what matters at least in the decision making in our party.
Comment by Jeff Tuesday, Jan 16, 07 @ 3:18 pm
By the way, 70% of the SCC voted for $$hlander’s resignation.
Comment by Jeff Tuesday, Jan 16, 07 @ 3:19 pm
Is there any chance that Fitz will indict KJ before his GOP term is up? It looks like KJ is implicated in this whole Blago thing but I’m not sure how far down the ladder he is.
Comment by Little Egypt Tuesday, Jan 16, 07 @ 3:34 pm
This whole thing is crazy. How can you call what you have Democracy when the State doesn’t even allow private organizations to govern their own affairs?
Comment by Squideshi Tuesday, Jan 16, 07 @ 4:47 pm
RAI - if you think the repeated failure of conservative candidates in Illinois (even in GOP primaries) is somehow the fault of the State Central Committee, then you are just in denial.
As a general topic, everyone is getting sick of hearing the broken record about Gary MacDougal and Jack Ryan. Gary MacDougal is a very honorable man who very well may have been screwed, while Jack Ryan was an honarble man who created his own downfall and did not get screwed (. . . boy, I could really do a lot with the end of this sentence, but will resist.)
But it is in the past, folks. Give it a rest.
Comment by Bubs Tuesday, Jan 16, 07 @ 5:17 pm
Chad, you may be correct, but stop hding behind the “Oh poor me their just looking for someone to blame,” defense. He is to partly to blame. I will also say that if KJ stays the rep. party will not get their “grass root” participation and money until KJ and other a like are gone. I think what occurred in the last election should have republicans every where setting up and taking notice. The loyal voters are telling you something, the party voters are speaking and the party leaders are not listening, for what reason? I dunno, I can only speculate. My opinion is the party leaders are in for themselves, and thats reason why they cannot see past the end of their noses. When you have the ability to throw around alot of money, you have the ability to capture other peoples attention, and when you can use your political position to gain advantage, and money, why would you leave. Even when your name has been brought in indictments and shady deals.
If these people were in it for the party, they would have already resigned, way before their name surfaced in these shady deals and indictments. But when you are in it for yourself, you will ride it out as long as you can, no matter who or what it hurts. It’s time for new honest republican leaders, new honest politicans, as well as sweeping campaign reform to eliminate the sale of politicans and party leaders.
Comment by dumb ol' country boy Tuesday, Jan 16, 07 @ 5:23 pm
Let’s see… conservative candidates can’t win in Illinois and it’s not the fault of the SCC. Who’s fault is it that moderate republican candidates can’t win in Illinois either? Need proof, look to this past election where a good number of candidates were fielded in the primary last minute by the ILGOP (Umholtz, Radogno, and Pankau were the 3 I believe).
Comment by Frank Tuesday, Jan 16, 07 @ 6:23 pm
Crimefighter -
The majority of Illinois voters are not conservative. Please name the last conservative elected Governor of Illinois.
Comment by Smitty Irving Tuesday, Jan 16, 07 @ 7:10 pm
Kjellander WILL go. Republicans just have to keep the issue alive in the press, and dry up the State Party’s fundraising. Who is going to donate to help pay for shuttling Bob’s butt around and his steak dinners? Not me.
I also love how the same people who never said a peep in defense of all the decent people Kjellander’s worked against, now crawl out for his defense.
Where do these pollyannas come from?
Comment by whatever Tuesday, Jan 16, 07 @ 7:23 pm
Whatever - name one.
Comment by Norseman Tuesday, Jan 16, 07 @ 7:37 pm
name one what?
Comment by whatever Tuesday, Jan 16, 07 @ 8:15 pm
One decent person.
Comment by Norseman Tuesday, Jan 16, 07 @ 8:55 pm
Blaming a “conservative cabal” for the anti-KJ campaign is way off base now. Neither the 30 county chairman nor the 70% weighted vote on the Central Committee can be fairly characterized as a “conservative conspiracy”. Sure, many were conservative, but others were not.
Bubs, Chad and others who minimize the perception problem (KJ as “Individual K” in the ongoing federal investigations), can’t deny or escape the fact that KJ will be used as a political lightning rod by the Democrats at their pleasure. This drives even the “establishment”, “moderate”, and “liberal” Republicans crazy, too.
Also, the posters here who simply shrug their shoulders because KJ has ignored the call to resign seem to be the same folks who jumped all over an Oberweis, or a Cox, or whatever conservative once they lost a primary or a party vote, demanding that they “disappear” because the party has spoken. Again, apparently what’s good for the goose, does not seem to be good for the gander.
The funny thing about all this is that the “Illinois Republican National Committeeman” has no real power in controlling or directing the party. The fact is that even if Kjellander did resign (which he won’t, since he wants to get elected as Treasurer of the 2008 Republican National Convention), he would still be a superior force in the management of the state party. He’s a life-long Springfielder, a millionaire, and more connected than any other Illinois Republican. Anyone who thinks that his position as Committeeman confers upon him his power is kidding himself. The only way he is out of the picture is if he retires from politics altogether, which won’t happen soon either.
Comment by Conservative Republican Tuesday, Jan 16, 07 @ 9:22 pm
I’m a mainstream Republican. Conservative but never been a goon.
Kjellander keeps saying he did nothing wrong. What has ever done right???? The IL GOP has been on a non-stop downward spiral the entire time he has been national committeeman. He obviously has no shame.
While there is no legal means to arbitrarily remove him, enough pressure will be brought to bear to get him to step down.
The SCC action was merely setting the stage. Watch, wait and learn. It won’t be long before the resignation that right now Kjellander himself cannot imagine.
Comment by Sage Wednesday, Jan 17, 07 @ 3:52 am
The big question in this is whether there is any relevancy to the Republican Party in Illinois at this point.
We found out in the last election that if we nominate candidates that are just as liberal, taxpayer unfriendly, and tolerant of corruption as Dems, the Dems will win because they’re much better at it than the GOP.
The only value to changing the top of the ILGOP is to attract contributions and effort from what should be the Republican base; pro-life,anti-corruption, efficient government, anti-patronage, pro-school choice types who will stand up for their core values.
Will this group be a majority in Illinois?
Probably not.
Sadly, there are so many people in Illinois feeding at the “combine” government trough that corruption and patronage are their ways of life, and they will contribute and fight hard to keep the gravy train rolling.
The GOP can’t change that.
What the GOP can do is become the “squeaky clean” party with higher ethical standards than the Dems.
They can give the Pro-life, efficient government, anti-patronage waste voters somewhere to go, and develop and earn their loyalty.
As long as the Kjellanders are alienating that base through unaccountable patronage and conflict of interest, the base group, the “moderate” split ticket voters, and the put upon taxpayers who are abused at every turn have no reason to support them over the Dems.
In construction, as in politics, you first build the foundation, then the structure, then the working systems and veneers. The GOP currently has rotten “piles” in its foundation, so you can’t build on it.
Until that foundation is righted (no pun intended) the GOP will remain an enbarassment and a national disgrace and lose by increasing margins.
Comment by PalosParkBob Wednesday, Jan 17, 07 @ 9:37 am