Reclaim Conservatism

I know that Illinois is a Liberal state and will mainly be run by Democrats and Liberal Republicans.   But when you are the GOP and kick out a Conservative candidate because a established Republican is scared of his presence, then you have got troubles and will not learn anything that is going on in the grass roots of the Conservative Movement and will loose many of those that are natural GOP voters.   I know many Conservatives that are very upset with the GOP in Illinois, and around the whole country in general.   The elite that runs most of the Republican Party are loosing many Conservatives, and the last 2 elections should have been a warning.   But I am afraid that the GOP will go business as usual and will not hear the Conservatives in the Party and will keep on forcing Liberal and Moderate candidates on us, and will loose more support from the Conservative Wing of the Party.  Look at Ron Paul and his following, even though I do not like him, you have to respect his following and the enthusiasm that his supporters give to him.   I do not see that in most of the GOP.   We have had many lackluster candidates lately and the results in  the past few elections have shown this.   The GOP needs to start listening more to the Grass Root Conservatives, or they will be on the loosing side more often.

Take this as an example of where the GOP Leadership has lost its way, and is not the Big Tent Party, especially in Illinois.  I got this from a friend in Chicago.

Republican candidate banned from Lake County Fair

(What follows is the text of an email I shared with my supporters today.)

My dear friends,

I’m sorry to be cluttering your inboxes again so soon, but I wanted you hear what happened today in my campaign to unseat the RINO Sandy Cole. Following up yesterday’s message (quoted below) in which I told you that I planned to be at the Lake County Fair, I wanted to tell you about the funny thing that happened to me at the fair:

I was kicked out of the Republican booth.

Traditionally, the Republican booth at the Lake County Fair has been a place where all Republican candidates have been welcome to present their information and make contact with the voters. Even primary challengers to Republican incumbents have historically been welcomed there.

No more.

Two hours after I arrived at the booth this morning, with no warning, after no incident, I was informed by Avon Township Chairman Bob Powers that “[Lake County GOP Chairman] Dan [Venturi] says no candidates, elected officials only.” He handed me my small stack of handbills, the only materials I had placed on the table. I pointed out to him that only 8 days earlier, at last Monday’s meeting of the Lake County GOP central committee, he had himself announced that candidates would be welcome. Mr. Powers told me that he had quit any organizational authority for the booth last Friday, and that it was Mr. Venturi’s project now. I left quietly without making a scene. I attempted to call Chairman Venturi, but was told he was unavailable, and would return my call later. Hours later, he has not called.

What happened in that two hours? Certainly nothing negative I did. Some of that time I spent in the booth, greeting and chatting with the few passers-by that stopped, and some of it I spent wandering the hall, visiting other booths to talk to interested people. I had nothing but cordial conversations with anyone. But during that time, someone called Sandy Cole, and she came personally to bring more campaign materials and displays, and then she called Dan Venturi, to demand that he kick me out of the booth. As I left, I noticed that the “Mark Kirk for U.S. Senate” signs remained prominently displayed.

I had already learned two things about fear in this race: 1.) Sandy Cole is afraid of me. Desperately so. The premise of my campaign is that an underfunded conservative can beat an incumbent liberal in a Republican primary. I believe I can. I think it’s evident that Sandy Cole thinks I can, too. 2.) The Republican establishment in Lake County is afraid of Sandy Cole. The things I have been told by people in the party who want privately to support me but who fear publicly to do so had led me to believe this, but this incident confirms it in my mind.

This is an important incident, and it will lead to important consequences for Sandy Cole and the Lake County GOP.

In the meantime, take note: there is no “big tent” GOP in Lake County. Standing up for conservative Republican principles against entrenched interests will not be tolerated by the party’s current elected leaders. But there is nothing protecting the party’s elected leaders from an influx of conservatives running for precinct committeemen, and then voting them out of office. If you’re reading these words, and live in Illinois, it’s time and past time for conservatives to take back the GOP.

And to the other reform-minded candidates, local or statewide, who might have planned to campaign here, be warned.