Dem county chairs jump into national GOP fray
Monday, May 10, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* IDCCA…
This week Republican members of Congress return to Washington DC to meet and potentially vote to remove Congresswoman Liz Cheney from her leadership position within their caucus. This vote will follow former President Donald Trump’s repeated false claim that the election was fraudulent and stolen, and Liz Cheney’s repudiation of the Big Lie. Today, Illinois Democratic County Chairs Association (IDCCA) President Kristina Zahorik issued the following statement:
“Which path will Rodney Davis, Mary Miller, Darrin LaHood, and Mike Bost take? The path of falsehoods and subversion, and vote to oust Liz Cheney from Republican leadership because she stands up to Trump and his big lie? Or the path of truth and Democracy, and defy their leaders who claim to have ‘lost confidence’ in conservative Liz Cheney.”
“Many of these Illinois Republicans have previously joined Donald Trump and conspiracists in casting doubt on our election, and as early as this Wednesday they will vote in secret to dump ultra-conservative Liz Cheney because she won’t parrot the lie that the election was stolen. If Davis, Miller, LaHood, and Bost truly believe in fair and transparent elections, they can do the bare minimum of telling the public how they intend to vote.”
In December 2020 Congressmen Darrin LaHood and Mike Bost joined 104 of their House Republicans in filing an amicus brief to overturn election results in four other states. In January 2021, Congress members Mary Miller and Mike Bost voted to object to counting Electoral College votes for the States of Arizona & Pennsylvania.
Lynn Sweet in the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Mary Miller has pledged to vote against Cheney. Kinzinger said he would retain. LaHood and Davis have avoided answering the question publicly.
Liz Cheney continues to refute Donald Trump’s claim that the election was stolen, and credits him with inciting the insurrection at the nation’s Capitol on January 6, 2021. Now, Washington Republicans are planning to remove her from her leadership post.
Does anyone else find it odd that the county chairs association is stepping up on an issue that would, in a normal state, be more of a state party function?
- Quibbler - Monday, May 10, 21 @ 10:50 am:
All politics has become nationalized.
- Just Me 2 - Monday, May 10, 21 @ 10:55 am:
If an issue can get traction a political group will grab it and run. How many members of the General Assembly campaign on social security or medicare issues?
- SpiDem - Monday, May 10, 21 @ 10:56 am:
Odd but completely predictable. The same people that took over DPI have been the power behind IDCCA since its inception.
Problem is that DPI has gone from being an adjunct on the Illinois House Democratic organization, to completely neutralized because the Durbin/Kelly forces refused to reckon with the obvious legal complications of having a federal officeholder in the role of DPI chair. With DPI paralyzed, they are trying to push messaging through the county chairs.
The dysfunction is just amazing.
- Candy Dogood - Monday, May 10, 21 @ 11:01 am:
===Does anyone else find it odd that the county chairs association is stepping up on an issue that would, in a normal state, be more of a state party function?===
The fact that the IDCCA exists as an independent organization from the state party is weird enough all by itself and is not a common practice in other states. The idea that a statewide organization that is representative of Democratic activists throughout the state would issue a press release isn’t weird at all.
The IDCCA shouldn’t have to exist. The DPI should be a one stop statewide organization for Democrats but it isn’t and I personally think it isn’t because of the history and reliance on patronage and the tolerance of allowing single person rule of a political party in Illinois for decades. The DPI likely needs to embark upon a serious reform that creates a process where the Democratic County Chairs feel sufficiently represented by their state party enough to not need to enact their own statewide organization and pay their own staff.
A key question we should be asking ourselves is what has the actual number of paid professional staff on the DPI been? Did they have a paid full time or part time media person? No? Just a volunteer, huh? Hmmm.
The important thing for Democrats in Illinois is that there is an organization that is doing this, especially as without an organization doing this it leaves a vacuum for messaging.
But can you imagine the staunch opposition that exists that would prevent the IDCCA and DPI from merging?
In a land where who you know has mattered more than what you know, it’s always better to have more people to know.
- Just sayin' - Monday, May 10, 21 @ 11:01 am:
Wonder if they’ll learn to spell LaHood’s first name right.
Also seems like he answered the question: https://www.wcbu.org/local-news/2021-05-07/lahood-touts-trade-agreements-opposes-gop-leadership-change
- Candy Dogood - Monday, May 10, 21 @ 11:02 am:
No number of Arena weekend seminars is going to prepare someone for this minefield.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, May 10, 21 @ 11:03 am:
=== Does anyone else find it odd that the county chairs association is stepping up on an issue that would, in a normal state, be more of a state party function?===
When your “chosen” state party chairman has to take the “Food and Beverage” chairmanship as not to break rules… in that prism… nah… this is on brand.
- Mama - Monday, May 10, 21 @ 11:03 am:
Rich, it would be odd in normal times, but we are no longer living in normal times.
- 47th Ward - Monday, May 10, 21 @ 11:07 am:
I get a lot of e-mails from them. I just assumed it was part of a fundraising strategy.
The right has long perfected the art of perpetual outrage as means to pry dollars from the gullible. Turnabout is fair play, no?
- Sweet N Sour - Monday, May 10, 21 @ 11:13 am:
Maybe they should learn how to spell Congressman LaHood’s first name correctly.
- Pot calling kettle - Monday, May 10, 21 @ 11:25 am:
The IDCCA gradually took on the role of the state party to fill a void. Maybe, someday, the two will merge and fill the role of a state party. But, I doubt that will happen any time soon.
As Will Rogers said:
“I’m not a member of any organized political party…I’m a Democrat.”
and
“Democrats never agree on anything, that’s why they’re Democrats. If they agreed with each other, they’d be Republicans.”
(The Illinois Repub’s shift to Raunerism and now Trumpism fits the characterization as well.)
- Former Downstater - Monday, May 10, 21 @ 11:37 am:
Just wait until the Pritzker camp restarts the Blue Wave organization so they don’t have to work with DPI or the IDCCA. You’ll have another organization with its own messaging.
- Homebody - Monday, May 10, 21 @ 11:42 am:
Isn’t this just a result of the confusion of having a sitting congressperson in charge of the state party? I thought I read (on Capitolfax no less) an explicit statement that the county parties would be stepping up during the time while the state party was getting its leadership/fundraising issues straightened out.
- Candy Dogood - Monday, May 10, 21 @ 11:44 am:
===“I’m not a member of any organized political party…I’m a Democrat.” ===
Let’s not make too many excuses. That joke’s not supposed to be a rule and though I haven’t searched through the other 49 state party’s websites, none of the states I am already acquainted with have a similar organizational rift and as long as Illinois does it represents the potential to cause redundant resources, issues with creating a true “coordinated” campaign, and sets the state for infighting to preserve fiefdoms built on real or imagined influence that shouldn’t even exist.
It’s something that needs to be fixed or otherwise addressed and we need to also acknowledge that our process for filling county chairs and state central committee seats isn’t ideal for creating a grassroots driven process, but I’m not sure that was ever the goal in Illinois.
- Soapbox Derby - Monday, May 10, 21 @ 11:48 am:
Dem County Chairs now support someone with a 90% pro-Trump voting record?
- Ducky LaMoore - Monday, May 10, 21 @ 3:18 pm:
“Dem County Chairs now support someone with a 90% pro-Trump voting record?”
In this instance, belief in democracy is more important than politics.
- walker - Monday, May 10, 21 @ 3:31 pm:
Party Party Party
All good.
(so far)
- Soapbox Derby - Monday, May 10, 21 @ 4:08 pm:
Ducky-
This is all about attacking Trump by any means possible. Cheney is just another instrument to do it with. Our Democracy isn’t threatened by who is, or isn’t, in the GOP House Leadership.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, May 10, 21 @ 4:11 pm:
=== Our Democracy isn’t threatened by who is, or isn’t, in the GOP House Leadership.===
Conspiracy theorists who continue to spread the Big Lie are a danger to American democracy.
Cheney is being ousted for telling the truth, so a conspiracy theorist can appease a cult leader.
In a third world country the United States, in before times, would’ve condoned such a move. But, the cult leader needs obedience
- Soapbox Derby - Monday, May 10, 21 @ 4:32 pm:
Oswego,
Cheney is being ousted for voting to impeach Trump on politically based charges brought after he had already left office.
- Soapbox Derby - Monday, May 10, 21 @ 4:33 pm:
Oswego,
Here you go: https://www.npr.org/2021/02/06/964933035/wyoming-gop-censures-liz-cheney-for-voting-to-impeach-trump
- Oswego Willy - Monday, May 10, 21 @ 4:36 pm:
=== Cheney is being ousted for voting to impeach Trump on politically based charges===
No.
It’s clear. The idea that the election was stolen and Cheney calling out the “Big Lie” has led to Trump looking to oust a truth teller.
The mere fact you think a president inviting an insurrection isn’t impeachable is cult-like thinking.
I’m sorry.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, May 10, 21 @ 4:36 pm:
=== Here you go===
That’s the Wyoming GOP.
Keep up, please.
- filmmaker prof - Monday, May 10, 21 @ 9:33 pm:
Can I just note OW’s “CasIno” reference? Well played.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, May 10, 21 @ 9:38 pm:
(Tips cap to - filmmaker prof -)