* From Dave Dahl’s interview with Sen. Darren Bailey…
Dave Dahl: A second straight gubernatorial election with all Democrats on the whole statewide ticket. I mean, not even Dan Brady could make a dent. Does that mean we’re maybe a bluer state than you and folks who are with you can handle?
Darren Bailey: I don’t think so. I think that people, we saw that across the nation. You know, this is the same thing that we saw all over the nation. So I don’t think that we’re alone here in Illinois, although we do have our … trials and our pitfalls here. But, no, I certainly have hope that in the days ahead I think the Republican Party has got to regroup. A lot of people are saying rebrand, no, I’m not saying that at all. I’m saying let’s stick to our platform. We have the message of what we need, is men and women who with working moral compasses, as the Illinois Family Institute said, and spines of steel to stand up against this nonsense and quit wavering with some of the stuff that’s destroying our state.
* Republican DuPage County Board Chair Dan Cronin held on four years ago during a big Democratic wave and then decided not to run again this year. Here’s his analysis during a Politico interview…
“There were good people on the ballot that didn’t even get a look from a lot of voters because our nominee for governor had an offensive brand,” said Cronin. It was the same around the country, adds Cronin. “Candidates around the country lost because they looked like our candidate. We have to get away from that.”
- Bruce( no not him) - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 9:45 am:
…because they looked like our candidate.
Yep, it’s the haircut. /S
- Rabid - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 9:51 am:
A working moral compasse will point to your steel spine
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 9:51 am:
=== “There were good people on the ballot that didn’t even get a look from a lot of voters because our nominee for governor had an offensive brand,” said Cronin. It was the same around the country, adds Cronin. “Candidates around the country lost because they looked like our candidate. We have to get away from that.”===
Dan Cronin is 64.7% correct.
Dan Cronin fails miserably at even remotely understanding or acknowledging that 56+% of Illinois voting Republicans “favor” a Darren Bailey…
… it’s not like the GOP got saddled with a candidate “out of touch” with GOP voters… it’s that the GOP as a whole is a minority fringe party to the policy and politics of Illinois and in many ways the country.
“Purge” the racist thinkers, the insurrection apologists, the conspiracy theorists, give them NO shelter, give them NO home, and realize that the Reagan Rule means that pro-choice, pro-union, pro-education, pro-science Republicans aren’t the problem.
Even in that lil blurb, Cronin fails miserably at recognizing this reality
- Demoralized - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 9:51 am:
==I’m saying let’s stick to our platform==
Because it’s worked out so far. Apparently he wants to continue to lose rather than take a look at things that maybe they can change to make themselves more electable. I cannot believe that he and some other Republicans are so dense that they have not been able to learn any lesson from this (and even prior) elections. The Illinois electorate isn’t buying what you are selling. You better figure out a new direction or you aren’t going to win any elections. You can’t effect policy changes if you aren’t in control. So, if you’re happy losing elections then by all means keep doing what you’re doing. If you’re smart you take a long hard look at some of the things you stand for and look to tweak your viewpoint on those things.
- 47th Ward - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 9:53 am:
===I’m saying let’s stick to our platform.===
Yes, please do that.
- Michelle Flaherty - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 9:53 am:
Dan Cronin is a savvy politician.
He’s watched DuPage change and he evolved enough to stay in office.
The word “evolved” is intentional to this discussion.
- Sir Reel - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 9:54 am:
To Bailey’s response, huh? He talks a lot but makes little sense.
Clearly not self aware or analytic about his loss.
- Cool Papa Bell - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 10:01 am:
=We have the message of what we need, is men and women who with working moral compasses,=
Keep telling me and those like me I don’t have a moral compass and keep expecting to lose for a generation.
I was at a large gathering of likely Republican voters this weekend and let me tell you from a boots on the ground take most of them still don’t get it. They are as lost in the woods as Bailey is, the base of the party is wandering around the basement arguing how to even find the first floor.
I don’t want them to figure it out - but its’ kinda sad to see it so clearly in person.
- a drop in - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 10:02 am:
Definition of insanity = Bailey’s response.
- TheInvisibleMan - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 10:05 am:
Bailey is simply following through with how he came to the race in the first place.
God told him to run.
To him, the problem isn’t what he’s doing or saying and it by definition never can be. He has gods directive who in his view is infallible. In his mind, the problem is everyone else who in his mind is below god. He isn’t going to listen to anyone else, or change his ways.
Unless god tells him to.
The more he loses, the more he sees himself as a martyr doing gods work. It’s all part of the ‘righteous battle’ his beliefs demand.
- Jibba - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 10:05 am:
===A lot of people are saying rebrand, no===
I have to say that I agree here. Putting lipstick on a pig doesn’t help if the underlying policies don’t change, and I certainly don’t trust them even if they claim to change.
Or, alternatively: “I have learned nothing ” - Bailey, maybe.
- Give Us Barabbas - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 10:07 am:
People like Bailey and his supporters are what casinos crave as customers.
The GOP applied the Reagan rule downwards, pandering to the worst most fringe people. And got spanked. And will again.
- cover - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 10:11 am:
= this is the same thing that we saw all over the nation =
GOP underperformance across the nation, except in Florida?
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 10:16 am:
=== except in Florida?===
The cult think is strong down there.., Griffin, Rauner, even Proft understand that.
There’s a reason “Florida Man” is a meme, lol
- Norseman - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 10:20 am:
=== … had an offensive brand ===
“had offensive extremist views”
There I fixed it for you.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 10:24 am:
Also, the “the offensive brand” is a cult, that refuses as a WHOLE to remove itself from its L. Ron Hubbard, no matter what is said.
I find it quite easily not to identify with such a cult, as trying to stay with this GOP means indoctrination into this religious sing-song of pretending the worst elements aren’t trying to tear down democracy as they are leading the party.
- Morty - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 10:27 am:
“Illinois Family Institute”
Echoing a hate group isn’t the pancea Bailey thinks it is…
- Suburban Mom - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 10:31 am:
Bailey’s not a politician, though — he’s an ideologue. He can’t change.
The IL GOP’s mistake is running ideologues as candidates, rather than politicians. But as long as that’s what the moneymen want, that’s what they’ll keep doing.
- Flying Elvis'-Utah Chapter - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 10:36 am:
Bailey for ILGOP chair.
- Ron Burgundy - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 10:37 am:
-We have the message of what we need-
It’s those darn immoral voters that are the problem. /s
- levivotedforjudy - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 10:43 am:
Here is some advice for the IL-GOP. Study the Judy Baar Topinka play book. It usually worked (and when it didn’t, it was because the voters made a really, really big mistake).
- Baloneymous - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 10:44 am:
Please keep sticking to your platform Sen. Bailey then I don’t have to worry about future elections at all.
- Skeptic - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 10:45 am:
==I’m saying let’s stick to our platform==
Didn’t Bailey run on pretty much the same platform that Jeanne Ives did? You know the one that was too extreme even for Republicans?
- watchful eye - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 10:54 am:
Cronin, the guy who fully bought off on Irvin and in his term oversaw the demise of the DuPage GOP. Good luck raising money with that resume
- Chicagonk - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 11:04 am:
Why are they asking Darren Bailey if the party should change? He’s a true believer and so are the voters who voted for him in the primary. It’s not like the Republicans in Illinois are closer to the center than the Republicans in Indiana or any other red state. There are just less of them.
- OneMan - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 11:24 am:
A political party that has a standard that results in losing elections all the time isn’t a political party, it’s a club. If that is what you want, a club that thinks as you do, then good for you, but it’s a club.
The goal is to win elections. Hey, we can’t win but we stick to our guns, that’s a club.
- JS Mill - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 11:59 am:
=Keep telling me and those like me I don’t have a moral compass and keep expecting to lose for a generation.=
Yep.
Consider this ILGOP, with this current election they will have zero statewide electeds in 8 years and only 2 in the last 12. You would think that would get their attentions, but they don’t seem to care.And their current standard bearer thinks the voters are the ones that are wrong and will eventually come back to them? Ooofff.
They have jumped the shark and moved into cult land. Definitely not a political party anymore.
If you go to an ILGOP meeting I would suggest staying away from the kool aid.
- Rudy’s teeth - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 12:15 pm:
One of many issues for Darren Bailey is that he listens to the voices in his head. It is not 1950 anymore. Tunnel vision along with a failure to understand that Illinois is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural state hampers his ability to collaborate and to work toward consensus.
Bailey’s rigid thinking along with bombastic remarks about the city of Chicago proves that he lacks leadership skills for an executive office. Blathering is Bailey’s platform yet there is no substance to his words.
- Langhorne - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 12:19 pm:
=== this is the same thing that we saw all over the nation.===
DB: yep, That was a losing message all across the country.
I thought farmers had to learn from their mistakes, or else fail./S
- MoralMinority - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 12:36 pm:
Despite the election being over and suffering a very definitive thumbs down from the electorate, I see that Darren is still serving up free Mountain Dep. I would like to think it was a refreshing drink, but it isn’t very refreshing when Darren serves it.
- MisterJayEm - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 1:08 pm:
“Candidates around the country lost because [GOP primary voters nominated candidates who] looked like our candidate. We have to get away from that.”
As the legendary political philosopher Pogo might have said, “We have identified the problem and it is us.”
Dan Cronin does not acknowledge this unpleasant fact because he has absolutely no way to address it.
– MrJM
- Pot calling kettle - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 1:25 pm:
==We have the message of what we need, is men and women who with working moral compasses, as the Illinois Family Institute said, and spines of steel to stand up against this nonsense and quit wavering with some of the stuff that’s destroying our state.==
Excellent standards: Who has a “working moral compass” and a “spine of steel”? JB, Susanna, Kwame, Duckworth, MKO, etc. all fit that bill. The examples are numerous, these folks have been in office working to ensure the homeless are sheltered, the hungry are fed, the sick are taken care of, and the children are educated. And, when the opposition wanted to cut funding to those vital services, they stood up for the people. It’s a high standard; it’s been met. The majority of voters know.
- Narc - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 1:35 pm:
“There were good people on the ballot that didn’t even get a look from a lot of voters because our nominee for governor had an offensive brand.”
Yes. You will be judged by the company you keep. Get used to it.
- Dotnonymous - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 2:06 pm:
Illinois is over Darren Bailey…officially.
Time for Bailey to take a hike.
- vern - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 2:16 pm:
Cronin is certainly closer to correct than Bailey, but he still misses the mark. In a blue state, the only way to get competitive is by campaigning to Democratic voters. Independents help. Low-propensity base voters help. But to get competitive and stay competitive, they need to create new ticket splitters all over the state. That will never, ever happen unless they approach those voters with respect and offer them a moderate platform.
The blueprint is clear all over the country. Charlie Baker, Larry Hogan, Chris Sununu, and Phil Scott have figured it out. Democrats have success in red states when they do the same. Andy Beshear, Jon Bel Edwards, Laura Kelly, and of course Joe Manchin. If Joe Manchin refused to campaign to Republican voters, he’d get 35% or less. If you want to win a majority, you gotta campaign to the majority. Here, that’s Democrats.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 2:33 pm:
=== In a blue state===
Again, Illinois is NOT a blue state.
What the Illinois GOP has done is make the voters look at the candidate recruitment as unacceptable and defaulting to at least reasonable and acceptable Dem candidates.
Example?
Name the 2018 GOP statewide slate, in its entirety, and then name the 2022 GOP statewide GOP slate in its entirety.
The “Chicago GOP”… they endorse Democrats.
The Cook County GOP… they decided perennial candidates Tony Peraica … and Bob Fioretti… as leading their slate.
The GOP isn’t even trying.
Not long ago… Statewides, no super minority…
To bring it to the post?
That’s easy… candidate recruitment and acceptance to win.
- Dotnonymous - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 2:36 pm:
Maybe Bailey, DeVore and Sully Sullivan…could hike together along the Sangamon River…knee deep in the Muddy Sangamon and Bailey twangs, “Poosh on”.
- Lincoln Lad - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 3:39 pm:
Aren’t bad candidates a result of bad choices made by primary voters? What’s Dan Cronin doing to change that? I live in DuPage, and I didn’t see him condemning the variety of foolishness the party has stayed silent on the last few years.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 3:45 pm:
=== What’s Dan Cronin doing to change that?===
He got behind several moderate candidates over the years. There’s a reason why JB Pritzker won DuPage by 15 points and Cronin’s would-be GOP successor lost the race by 2, for example. If Rep. Mazzochi had followed Cronin’s path, she might’ve won.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 3:46 pm:
…Also, four years ago Pritzker and Cronin both won DuPage by 2 points.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 3:46 pm:
…In other words, he walks the walk.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 3:56 pm:
It’s not even close, Cronin - Mazzochi
The question that should be asked is if the GOP has this figured out in the suburbs why can’t a Cronin or a Mazzochi win? Why is the party now so dysfunctional it can’t decide if it wants to win primaries or win seats.
- PublicServant - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 3:57 pm:
=== The IL GOP’s mistake is running ideologues as candidates, rather than politicians. ===
I’d go further and say that they need not politicians, but statesman, who believe in the constitution, and democracy.
- vern - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 4:15 pm:
===Cronin’s would-be GOP successor lost the race by 2===
Hart was also one of the only Republican candidates in the state who specifically said “I’m pro-choice” in paid communications. That certainly worked much better than the party line, which as far as I could tell was “we’re not going to change abortion laws, even though we want to, except parental notification and late term abortions.”
- Protocol Droid - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 4:18 pm:
The Democratic women Dan Cronin has spent the last four years belittling on the County Board floor all won convincingly. His handpicked successor lost despite outspending his opponent by nearly a million dollars. Maybe Cronin’s not quite such a moderate political savant after all?
- Fivegreeneleaves - Monday, Dec 5, 22 @ 6:27 pm:
It’s ironic. The northeast corner, where the majority of Illinoisans live, is as blue as a Marine’s uniform, yet in southern Illinois, if you have the word “Democrat” next to your name, you could be as conservative as Darren Bailey, and you’d still lose.