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You can’t win if you don’t contribute

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Illinois

* Moderate Republicans whine about conservatives who refuse to support the ticket, conservatives whine about “RINOs” controlling the show. The nasty back and forth between the two sides attracts all the attention. But here is a big problem with the Republicans in this state that nobody ever seems to talk about..

According to Federal Election Commission stats released March 3… Illinois ranked third in the nation in contributions to Democrats and 44th in contributions to Republicans.

Instead of complaining, maybe they should be contributing.

Discuss.

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Apr 4, 08 @ 5:28 am

Comments

First off, the Illinois Times piece is not exactly the most unbiased piece that has ever been written, so I wouldn’t take it as an intellectual tome on how to fix the Republican Party.

I think there is a kernal of truth in the overall article, and that is Republicans have a tendancy to eat their own. When a party is down, that tends to happen. It happened nationally to the Dems in the early 2000’s

I think a bigger reason for the giving on Dems vs. Rep. are two fold 1) The Blagojevich fundraising juggernaught, and 2) (more importantly), the tendancy for there to be a lot of “self-funders” on the Rep. side. I personally gave a decent amount this year to local Repubs, but not Oberweis (at least yet), because I felt there were others that needed my campaign cash more. I’m guessing others feel the same.

Comment by Trafficmatt Friday, Apr 4, 08 @ 6:25 am
maybe just maybe, the party would be better off if Oberweis and Ozinga put all that money into the party. The party has been lazy about fundraising looking for all the self funders instead of building a network of people.

D

Comment by Dozer Friday, Apr 4, 08 @ 8:06 am
As I’ve always said, it’s downright criminal that our elections always boil down to one thing: money. The problem is, contribute, and the candidate “owes” you. You gain influence. Your concerns and well-being take precedence over those of the constituency as a whole. The cycle continues, unbroken.

And, truth be told, it is probably the far righties (those whom you say call the majority of Republicans “RINO’s”) who are doing 75% of the contributing in this state. The “RINO’s” don’t put too much of their money on the line because they know that the “real Republicans,” as they like to think of themselves, will not only not support the ticket, but in all likelihood will do everything they can to sabotage it. There’s no compromise in the far right. It’s their way or the highway. They’d rather work clandestinely to elect a far lefty against the moderate Republican, just to show up the “RINO’s” and be able to say, “I told you so.”

Democrats, fear not the Illinois elephant. The donkey needn’t kick the elephant’s groin, since the alpha male elephant has already doubled-over every other bull in the herd. Enjoy your feast. (Oh wait, Elvis, Emil and King Richard already are …)

Comment by Snidely Whiplash Friday, Apr 4, 08 @ 8:20 am
The payoff for donating to Republicans in this state is a lot less than if you donate to the Democrats.

Where do you *think* the money is going to flow?

Comment by Leroy Friday, Apr 4, 08 @ 8:36 am
It’s probably because so many Republicans in Illinois have donated to either Ron Paul or Barack Obama that they don’t have any money left to contribute to their own party

Comment by HoBoSkillet Friday, Apr 4, 08 @ 8:46 am
The long term problem for the GOP in Illinois is the loss of their traditions sources of financing, mainly the business community.

It started with the Chicago business community’s financial support of Mayor Daley, then spread to Blagojevich and others - which creates an unusual windfall for the Democrats from business and labor.

As the business climate in this state becomes more and more hostile, the business community should re-think its support of a party that increasingly puts it in the cross hairs.

Comment by Alan McNish Friday, Apr 4, 08 @ 8:55 am
Here of late, giving to the IL GOP party has been like supporting the Three Stooges. They provide lots of comedy, but little else.

Comment by JL309 Friday, Apr 4, 08 @ 8:56 am
Donate to who? Nobody likes to pony up for lousy candidates. The dems are giving in record numbers because of candidates like Obama. Nobody likes to give to losers.

Comment by Been There Friday, Apr 4, 08 @ 9:06 am
Wow! Intraparty bickering is why Republicans doesn’t donate to their own party. Well that makes sense to me, but it just effectively ended this idea of political competition. I’m with someone else in this thread that it’s too bad politics rely heavily on money these days.

Comment by Levois Friday, Apr 4, 08 @ 9:26 am
Considering the old crowd that’s been running the Illinois GOP and the mostly horrible candidates they’ve put forth, giving to them would be like donating to your local Clown College.

Comment by GOP'er Friday, Apr 4, 08 @ 9:28 am
I’m conservative, and, within the past three years, I gave donations to a U.S. Senate candidate, a congressional candidate, and a state senate candidate. I haven’t given money to the IL GOP because they might give it to moderates.

Comment by PhilCollins Friday, Apr 4, 08 @ 9:32 am
Without control of any constitutional office, the House or Senate, traditional carrot-and-stick incentives for fat-cat business, lawyers, docs, banks, insurance, etc. to contribute are eliminated.

They should borrow a page from the presidential campaigns and think small. Put together email solicitation programs that hit an issue a week or every two weeks. Howard Dean started it, Obama has shown how big it can be. In March, he raised $40 million with an average contribution of $96.

Comment by wordslinger Friday, Apr 4, 08 @ 9:38 am
I’m a conservative, but the STate party is a joke. Why throw money at their horrible candidates? I’d get more for my money if I just burned it.

Comment by ChampaignDweller Friday, Apr 4, 08 @ 10:07 am
Champaign,

The party gets horrible candidates because they have to rely on self-funders such as Oberweis. Generally, with the D’s, you get machine candidates who don’t have to self-fund, but owe everything to the machine (Elvis took their help & then spit in their faces, but hardly for selfless reasons).

Judy Topinka should have beaten Elvis in the last go-round, but as I’ve said, the righties either stayed home or secretly supported Elvis. I don’t think you can call Judy a “horrible” candidate. Of course, she also didn’t get the necessary Democratic cross-over votes thanks to the electorate mindlessly falling for Elvis’ year-long stream of “What is She Thinking?” TV ads purchased with funds raised by our friends Rezko and Kelly.

So, there’s you formula: a moderate GOP candidate with at least the grudging support of “conservatives” and a significan Dem cross-over vote. How do you get the cross-over vote when the “conservatives” (I consider myself one, but I guess the “real” Republicans would disagree) do nothing but sling mud against the strongest GOP candidate pre-primary, primary, and often even during the general election cycle?

These people have to wake up and realize that they do not live in Wyoming. Illinois is a moderate state overall, and either a moderate R or D can win. In the event there isn’t a moderate R in the race, or if that moderate R has been torn to pieces by “fellow” R’s, then even a liberal D still wins. Doing it right was how Thompson, Edgar and Ryan became governors running against LIBERAL Democrats. So, you have to come to grips with the fact that you live in a moderate state, and accept the fact that a moderate R is better for you than a liberal D. That, or pack your bags and move to Wyoming. I’m sure they’d love to have ya!

Comment by Snidely Whiplash Friday, Apr 4, 08 @ 10:37 am
P.S. That last paragraph was directed to those calling moderates “RINO’s,” not at you, personally Champaign. Just reread and saw where it could be read that way.

Comment by Snidely Whiplash Friday, Apr 4, 08 @ 10:40 am
You’re right Rich, but the wing nuts are far too concerned with Guns, Gays, and God to worry about winning elections.

Comment by heet101 Friday, Apr 4, 08 @ 11:20 am
I think it’s obvious that sensible Republicans have fled high-tax, over regulated, dysfunctional Illinois like rats from a sinking ship.

Soon, only the very rich and very poor will call Illinois home.

Comment by QC Examiner Friday, Apr 4, 08 @ 5:33 pm
I will always give my campaign contributions “directly” to a GOP candidate of my choice. I do not want the Illinois GOP leadership taking my money and giving it to their own.

Also, although I am a conservative Republican, I sometimes contribute to a Democrat candidate that I see can “think for himself” rather than follow Democrat Party dictates. I also refuse to make political donations to candidates that in turn make contributions from their campaign funds to their own selected candidates.That tells me that they already have too much money in their campaign coffers.

Comment by Aaron Slick Saturday, Apr 5, 08 @ 8:04 am