Woodward out, Odom in, McSweeney hit
Monday, Apr 22, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Over the weekend…
* I told subscribers about the rest of this last week…
After losing six House seats in the 2018 general election, the House Republican Organization is reorganizing its leadership team and ramping up fundraising. […]
[Political Director Joe Woodward] is moving to the private sector, and HRO has hired Jayme Odom with the new title: executive director.
“We’re bringing in additional fundraisers and plan to be more aggressive with members on their own fundraising with the organization,” Durkin told POLITICO. The changes come after re-evaluating the 2018 losses. “When you have a multi-billionaire writing checks, it’s difficult,” Durkin said, referring, of course, to Gov. J.B. Pritzker‘s backing of so many Dem candidates. “We have to be more self-sufficient.” […]
Last week, the House GOP leader pulled [Rep. Dave McSweeney’s] communications aide after McSweeney spoke out against Rep. Steve Reick for a racially tinged comment about a bill requiring company boards to diversify. Reick later apologized. McSweeney paid to promote a tweet condemning Reick’s comment. In a statement to POLITICO, Durkin said: “This is an internal caucus matter. I will continue working to move the Republican Party and House Republican caucus forward in Illinois but will not tolerate public attacks on fellow members.”
Subscribers know more, including McSweeney’s response, which was quite something. Also, they didn’t remove his comms staffer for just the one instance.
- TheInvisibleMan - Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 9:35 am:
=== “When you have a multi-billionaire writing checks, it’s difficult,”===
He said, without even a hint of introspection.
- NIU Grad - Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 9:43 am:
I wonder if the assigned Comms staffer even requested to be pulled…who would want to be attached to someone constantly railing against the organization you work for…
- wordslinger - Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 9:48 am:
Here’s an interesting picture in the link below from a Daily Herald dog-and-pony show on the graduated income tax a couple of days ago.
McSweeney in the middle, leading an anti-tax “consortium” including Tillman’s IPI, Baise’s group, and Americans for Prosperity (I don’t know who their Illinois bankroll is).
This took place after McSweeney said all those nice things about the House GOP leader.
Are those groups all good with that?
https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20190420/consortium-organizes-to-battle-pritzkers-graduated-income-tax-plan
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 9:57 am:
===House GOP leader pulled [Rep. Dave McSweeney’s] communications aide after McSweeney spoke out against Rep. Steve Reick for a racially tinged comment about a bill requiring company boards to diversify. Reick later apologized.===
Reick apologized, but calling out racially tinged comments is more troublesome to Leader Durkin than thecremarks themselves?
In actuality, this was Durkin looking for a reason to go after McSweeney, which is fine, but it *sounds* like…
===“This is an internal caucus matter. I will continue working to move the Republican Party and House Republican caucus forward in Illinois but will not tolerate public attacks on fellow members.”===
… Durkin is saying it’s not ok to speak out publicly against remarks made that are racially charged?
Hmm.
Not great, Leader Durkin.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 9:59 am:
“If you are going to publicly say something about a fellow caucus member who says racially things, then I’ll go after you for going after that member, irregardless of the remarks”
- Leader Durkin, maybe?
Kinda reads that way.
- Norseman - Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 10:00 am:
After 4 years of Rauner ruin, 4 years of state GOP toadyism, 2 years of Trumpism, all the HRO needed to win was a better campaign crew?
LOL
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 10:04 am:
Before Rauner?
Dems at 71 with Franks, Drury, and Dunkin.
After Rauner?
Dems at 74, no Franks, Drury, and Dunkin, and an Eastern Bloc wanting to cede from “She-Caw-Go” and no real diversity or reaching out beyond angry, old, white, rural demographics…
Maybe this change is long overdue?
“Exactly right”
- Phenomynous - Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 10:13 am:
There is a difference between publicly calling a colleague out and paying to promote a tweet critical of another member for self promotion. It becomes really egregious if the paid tweet came after the apology.
McSweeney only cares about McSweeney. If you don’t realize that by now then you haven’t been paying attention. Heck, the guy is so selfish that I would believe that his staunch opposition to the graduated income tax is rooted solely in the fact that he personally doesn’t want to pay more in taxes.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 10:18 am:
I have no problem with what Durkin did. Discipline in a caucus is part of the gig.
The public rationale to it gives the appearance that speaking out against racially charged language said by a colleague (Reick’s apology is the stuff others need to learn from going forward) is not acceptable.
===“This is an internal caucus matter. I will continue working to move the Republican Party and House Republican caucus forward in Illinois but will not tolerate public attacks on fellow members.”===
Reick said it, apologized for it, in a way that was arguably the best seen in a long time, but… Durkin is upset and punishing for speaking *out* against racially charged language? Hmm.
- Anonin - Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 10:54 am:
“paying to promote a tweet”
tHE COST? LESS THAN A round at the Hut
BTW will Capt Fax reveal which offer Woodward took?
- Demoralized - Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 11:20 am:
Rep. McSweeney is going to find himself banned from everything. Staff. Committee assignments. He’ll be relegated to nothing more than a guy who gets paid to rant on Twitter.
- DuPage Bard - Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 11:52 am:
How long before Durkin packs it in? Can’t imagine he signed up for all this?
Seems like he’s trying to be a reasonable enough guy but this is starting to spin out of control.
- Peoples Republic of Oak Park - Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 12:05 pm:
The GOP needs to undestand that in states like Illinois they are done. Full stop, D. O. N. E. Trump and his rhetoric have made the Durkin wing of the party irrelevant. Intra-party fights in primaries will be the way power is accumulated in the house.
- PublicServant - Monday, Apr 22, 19 @ 3:08 pm:
===McSweeney only cares about McSweeney.===
Truer words never spoken.