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Today’s quotable

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Illinois

* Some background is here if you need it. WBEZ…

The [Republican] party has been in the superminority in Springfield for years and hasn’t held a statewide office since Bruce Rauner was governor.

Steve Balich, an elected [RNC] delegate from Will County, blames “establishment” Republicans, whom he accused of leaning further left and compromising too much to try winning elections. Balich said GOP members who consider themselves part of the “grassroots” are tired of it.

“We feel like we’ve been pushed to the edge of a cliff,” the Homer Township supervisor said. “There’s nothing to compromise anymore for us. So any kind of compromise for us becomes … well, we might as well just jump off the cliff.” […]

Balich is a die-hard Trump supporter. After a New York jury convicted Trump of falsifying business records, he raised an upside down American flag in front of the Homer Township administration headquarters last month. The flag was returned to right-side up when people got angry.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Jul 11, 24 @ 12:25 pm

Comments

Did he really say the IL MAGA Republicans have compromised!

Comment by Proud Thursday, Jul 11, 24 @ 12:29 pm
Nothing says “we’re not a cult” like talking about jumping off a cliff together as a group.

Comment by NIU Grad Thursday, Jul 11, 24 @ 12:34 pm
Yeah man, the problem is trying to win elections. It’s way better to lose in a blaze of glory like Darren Bailey did the last election. You sure showed JB who is boss.

Comment by ChrisB Thursday, Jul 11, 24 @ 12:41 pm
If republicans are leaning too far left to try and win elections, yet they continue to lose, wouldn’t failing to try and win elections further ensure defeat? No compromise, worsen your chance to win… so turn to insurrection? That’s the next grassroots movement? Good luck with that.

Comment by Lincoln Lad Thursday, Jul 11, 24 @ 12:44 pm
The “establishment Republicans”, who understood the art of compromise, actually got elected and got things done in Illinois. The “grassroots” GOP he represents vehemently rejects that approach.

There is a reason they feel like their at the edge of a cliff. They walked there themselves.

Comment by Dance Band on the Titanic Thursday, Jul 11, 24 @ 12:44 pm
Yeah blame me I have been an establishment republican since I started voting in 1968 haven’t missed an election. I still vote but not for these people. Enjoy your minority you will live with it for a long darn time.

Comment by DuPage Saint Thursday, Jul 11, 24 @ 12:47 pm
bro, look around. you and all the other Trump worshipers are the GOP “establishment” now

Comment by no use for a (nick)name Thursday, Jul 11, 24 @ 12:47 pm
Mr Balich, we have Mr Tracy on line 1 to talk to you

Comment by Lurker Thursday, Jul 11, 24 @ 12:55 pm
Paranoia strikes deep

Comment by Bigtwich Thursday, Jul 11, 24 @ 12:58 pm
–No compromise, worsen your chance to win… so turn to insurrection? That’s the next grassroots movement?–

The 2025 Plan is the next “grass roots movement” for the freedom loving constitutionalists. Replace our Constitution with Christian Nationalist laws that the true believers make up as they govern. The legal system will be repurposed and repopulated to avenge the prosecution of Trump and his followers’ crimes. It’s a 900 page horror show. Read it and weep. As the head of the Heritage Foundation says, “we are in the middle of a second revolution that will be bloodless as long as the left allows it.

Comment by froganon Thursday, Jul 11, 24 @ 1:12 pm
When the GOP was getting wins by backing mainstream, the radical right said it would be better if the party moved further to the right. Now, the successor far right party is losing bigly and they want to move further right. Seems that logic may be failing them.

Comment by Norseman Thursday, Jul 11, 24 @ 1:14 pm
The politics of endless griping only has one fate and the IL GOP is living it.

Comment by It's Just a Pill Thursday, Jul 11, 24 @ 1:28 pm
Similar to Dupage Saint, when I started voting, I voted republican. Now, I am an independent because of Trump and the MAGA movement. The current slate of Illinois republican politicians are too extreme for me.

Comment by Steve Polite Thursday, Jul 11, 24 @ 1:34 pm
Two words I would like the thinkers like Balich to define-

Grassroots and patriot.

Both have been tossed around so much the last couple decades, they have lost all meaning.

Comment by Flyin'Elvis'-Utah Chapter Thursday, Jul 11, 24 @ 1:34 pm
Steve Balich looks in mirror. Steve Balich does not like what he sees. Steve Balich sues mirror.

Comment by Stix Hix Thursday, Jul 11, 24 @ 1:48 pm
The GOP will never return to any semblance of relevance in Illinois until they learn three things:

- No one is going to give you a seat at the table, no matter how much they drone on and on about their love for democracy. If you’re tired of backroom deals and massive constitutionally dubious laws passed at 4 a.m. on the final day of session, you need to win seats in the General Assembly and force the Democrats to deal

- Encouraging people to leave Illinois will only hurt you. Remind them of what is worth fighting for here, and maybe your voters won’t all move to Nashville or Naples

- Learn to count heads. Educate your downstate voters about the need to win suburban votes. Then, politick accordingly

Comment by JB13 Thursday, Jul 11, 24 @ 1:52 pm
==Balich…blames “establishment” Republicans, whom he accused of leaning further left and compromising too much to try winning elections.==

Every day is opposite day in GOP Land.

Comment by Politix Thursday, Jul 11, 24 @ 1:56 pm
Extra effort jumping off the cliff. Just walk

Comment by Rabid Thursday, Jul 11, 24 @ 2:57 pm
The Republicans’ challenge in Illinois is that, by a big margin, most voters pick Democrats over Republicans. Mr. Balich seems to think that voters are picking Democrats because Republicans aren’t sufficiently strident in their rightward trajectory. I doubt he’s correct.

Comment by Duck Duck Goose Thursday, Jul 11, 24 @ 3:00 pm
I’m sure an overwhelming number of people are voting democrat because those darn republicans just aren’t conservative/MAGA enough.

Comment by So_Ill Thursday, Jul 11, 24 @ 3:21 pm
This is where I would insert the meme of Principal Skinner musing: “ Am I out of touch? No, it’s the children that must be wrong.”

Contemporary republicans are so far up their own redacted, they can’t even comprehend that there is another way of living, thinking, governing. They want to “correct” a world they don’t understand or care to live in. You know… the real one.

Comment by Give Us Barabbas Thursday, Jul 11, 24 @ 3:46 pm
If republicans actually came up with policies and programs that their electorate could support instead of being fringey rights-reducing election-denying whackadoodles maybe they’d actually win elections. Until then, enjoy your time in the wilderness. No one to blame but yourselves.

Comment by workingfromhome Thursday, Jul 11, 24 @ 4:18 pm