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Wednesday, Jan 26, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller

My ol’ buddy Charlie Johnston has one of the best analysis pieces I’ve ever seen at the Leader. I don’t agree with everything, of course, but it’s darned good.

A little taste:

Why, then, havenâ€™t more county chairmen made common cause with dissenting conservative organizations? Bluntly, the caustic rhetoric and corrosive tactics of some movement conservatives have left county chairmen leery.

They suspect many movement conservatives would be more at home on a demolition crew than on a construction crew. Whatever their problems with the institutional party, they want to fix it; not destroy it.

This opens a great opportunity, both for movement conservatives and for the establishment, over the next year. If movement conservatives can tone down their rhetoric and demonstrate a credible approach to building a majority party they will find a lot of unexpected allies in the ranks of the county chairmen.

Similarly, if the top establishment can re-connect with county chairmen, entering into genuinely collegial dialogue and showing as much concern for what the chairmen need from the party as for what the party demands from them, it can re-cement the chairmen to the traditional party process. Neither side seems particularly poised to pull off such a diplomatic coup.

Call me crazy, but I don’t think the “movement” types will ever tone down their acts. Still, Charlie’s piece is a good roadmap for McKenna.

By the way, I don’t know the woman next to Charlie, but I’m sure the CrossBlogger hounds are now on the case. It says on this website that she’s a “press secretary/webmaster.” In other words, Dring and Rhodes could both be replaced in one fell swoop. On second thought, maybe they won’t do any further research.

16 Comments

- Anonymous - Wednesday, Jan 26, 05 @ 4:49 pm:
In Elgin Twp. elected (conservative)county board members are shunned by the Republican leadership. That would be a good place to start.

- Pat Collins - Wednesday, Jan 26, 05 @ 5:11 pm:
Wonder how this fits in with the “LaHood for gov” campaign? If nothing else, a lot of serious people think Blago is beatable, and the JBT won’t/can’t win the nomination.

- Anonymous - Wednesday, Jan 26, 05 @ 5:29 pm:
Who is the hot chick he is with?

- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jan 26, 05 @ 5:31 pm:
I’m not familiar with the phrase “hot chick” but you should just click on that link and see for yourself.

- Lance Stevens - Wednesday, Jan 26, 05 @ 5:33 pm:
Rich… Not familiar with the term “hot chick”? come on… I can’t let you get away with that…

- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jan 26, 05 @ 5:39 pm:
OK, busted

- Anonymous - Wednesday, Jan 26, 05 @ 6:33 pm:
Hey Rich, the woman is Krystle Russin, she sometimes writes for the Illinois Leader. More photos of her with other pols are at http://knronline.tripod.com/photogallery.html
and yes, she is Hot !!!

- Anonymous - Thursday, Jan 27, 05 @ 9:58 am:
Dring & Rhodes — both fine fellows — could be replaced by an empty Jewel bag. Krystle, who was the ILLeader’s high school correspondent/innocent newcomer to the big bad world of politics, could stand in for the whole GOP gang including the tinfoil helmet crew.

- Rich Miller - Thursday, Jan 27, 05 @ 10:04 am:
Now, now. Be nice. They’re fine fellows and highly competent. Truly.

I’m leaving your post up because I found the comparison to an “empty Jewel bag” to be priceless. I’ll use that next time I see them.

- BuckTurgidson - Thursday, Jan 27, 05 @ 10:44 am:
Yeah, let’s all remember the two important words about the young lady: High School.

High School Republicans. Stop the fun before someone gets hurt.

- Anonymous - Thursday, Jan 27, 05 @ 3:31 pm:
She’s in high school???!! Now that I know that, I feel so…wrong. Rich, why’d ya publish that pic anyway? There’s a word for that - “entrapment.” Political nerds are highly susceptible to such things, you know.

- flowersj - Thursday, Jan 27, 05 @ 8:37 pm:
I love the caption…”A little taste” (indeed).

- Rich Miller - Thursday, Jan 27, 05 @ 9:18 pm:
OK, we gotta quit this. I didn’t realize how young she was. Let’s just all walk away quietly and forget this ever happened.

- Charlie Johnston - Friday, Jan 28, 05 @ 10:11 pm:
That picture was taken when I was speaking at the ILTARS Convention last spring. Krystle is a delightful and talented young woman who will be leaving for college in Texas in a few months. But a girl I actually do SEE from time to time was curious as to why one of our pictures was not up instead of this one. Thanks for the compliments, Rich, but now I’ve got an irritated woman on my hands.

- Rich Miller - Saturday, Jan 29, 05 @ 4:33 pm:
Oops. Sorry, Charlie.

Email me a pic of the two of you and I’ll post it.

- Anonymous - Saturday, Jan 29, 05 @ 5:37 pm:
Wow, thanks for the compliments! Charlie and the rest of you, you were almost right. I’m 17 but just graduated from John Wood Community College and am transferring as a junior to the University of Texas to study journalism. Anyway, Charlie is just a nice gentleman I was photographed with. (I have more on my website, KrystleRussin.com) Sorry, Charlie’s girlfriend!

For those of you interested, I now have a new Illinois news site: The Reagan Review! The url is: http://www.reaganreview.com

Krystle Russin

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