Posted: April 20, 2009
By Doug Ibendahl
State GOP Chairman Andy McKenna was at it again last week. He continued to push the ridiculous lie that Senate Bill 600 is somehow about the Democrats trying to punish Republicans.
Of course McKenna never even attempts to explain how it's "punishment" for Republicans voters to have a right restored - one they had for over 70 years, and one the Democrats have always enjoyed.
McKenna's faction can't even come up with decent lies anymore. They're finished.
In the same article linked above, McKenna was also complaining again about primaries, and worries they are "not constructive."
That's all very interesting of course coming from a guy who no one had ever heard of in GOP politics until the likes of Dennis Hastert and Ray LaHood recruited McKenna as their puppet to take on Peter Fitzgerald in the 2004 primary - in case Peter decided to seek reelection for U.S. Senate. See here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Peter was going to be punished for shaking-up Illinois' corrupt status-quo and McKenna was just the stooge to help. Barack Obama's smooth road to the White House started right there - and McKenna was part of the paving team from the very beginning.
It wouldn't be surprising if McKenna and his pals used Bill Cellini-brand asphalt.
McKenna is State Party Chairman today largely because he proved willing to take orders from the worst of the worst. McKenna may be a stooge - but all that mattered for the Hastert/LaHood crowd was that he was a reliable stooge.
Only in Illinois could a guy who helped undermine Peter Fitzgerald - one of the few real reformers we've had - shortly find himself promoted to the top of our State Party. It's all the more astonishing when you consider that only 14.7 percent of Republican voters chose McKenna in that 2004 primary for U.S. Senate (a very distant fourth place finish). And that was with the popular Fitzgerald off the field.
So McKenna's not fared so well when the elections were free and open, and where Republicans had a real say. It's only thanks to our State GOP's easily rigged system for choosing the State Central Committee that McKenna is Party Chairman. The same little outfit can easily control the whole thing, including who gets chosen as Chairman.
That's why McKenna and his handlers declared war on Republicans over Senate Bill 600. They know Republicans will choose better people - as soon as they have the opportunity.
McKenna has become a vicious opponent of real democracy in his own organization - but still has the nerve to insult Senate Bill 600 supporters by calling them "insurgents." Never mind that everywhere else in the world - at all times throughout history - it's only those on the anti-democracy side who are assigned that term.
It's all absurd of course, but then again it seems McKenna finds it difficult to speak truthfully about anything.
If you support Senate Bill 600, McKenna says you are an "insurgent." That's fine, let him embarrass himself. Andy has already established himself as the worst State Chairman in Illinois GOP history - yes, even worse than Judy Baar Topinka (Andy's already hung around twice as long in the post for one thing).
So forget what Andy McKenna says. Serious people know that supporters of Senate Bill 600 are the real leaders. Plus, you're on the right side of history.
It's finally time to get it done. The General Assembly goes back into session in Springfield on Tuesday, after a two week break.
Now is the time to contact the State Representatives to urge them to SUPPORT Senate Bill 600. Start with your own Representative, and move on from there.
We need to contact both Republicans and Democrats. In the case of the Republicans, we should also urge them to sign-on as Co-Sponsors of the bill.
An Action Alert with all the phone numbers can be found here. You'll also find a complete e-mail list in case you prefer that method.
Doug Ibendahl is a Chicago Attorney and a former General Counsel of the Illinois Republican Party. He is Co-Founder of Republican Young Professionals (RYP).
