Reason for hope?

Elections are like Rorschach tests, everyone tends to see into them what they want. I could lament the problems of trying to raise money from individuals while the incumbent goes to their ATM machines, also known as PACs. I could lament that my opponent outspent me by at least 5 to 1. I could whine about village mayors, worried about angering a state senator, who supported that state senator despite disagreeing with her on the issues.

I choose, however, to stay positive. Thomas Edison was once asked how he could continue to work on inventing the light bulb after failing more than a hundred times. His answer was - "I never failed. Each time an experiment did not work, I succeeded in proving that a light bulb could not be made in that fashion." Likewise, I succeeded in learning that an election could not be won the way I ran it.

In analyzing my own election results, I found several truths. Among them:

Township organizations will never be agents of change. I am not so naïve or arrogant as to believe that my GOP township organization was going to flock to me and my candidacy. However, I was surprised at how disinterested they were. I would have respected them much more if they simply said they disagreed with my positions and were working for my opponent. I had thought, erroneously, that committeepersons were knowledgeable and interested in issues. Out of 80 committeepersons in my township organization, no more than 5 ever spoke to me about my running, despite my being at every monthly meeting. Most of them listed Radogno on their committeeperson letters. It became clear that in my organization, and I suspect in many organizations, the committeepersons view themselves as an "incumbent protection society." Challengers are, by definition, troublemakers.

Knocking on doors gets votes. A state senate district contains over 200,000 people. Obviously one cannot knock on every door. However, I found that where I and friends knocked on doors and spoke with voters, I received noticeably higher vote totals.  In fact in many of those precincts where I was able to concentrate on the ground, I garnered as many votes as Radogno. For someone with no name recognition, little money and no public support, it is telling that I could draw even with her where I could devote shoe leather.

Many committeemen do not knock on doors. The bad news for those seeking change is that committee organizations are incumbent protection societies. They will almost always support the incumbents. They see it as their duty, like worker bees defending the queen bee in the hive. The good news is that most committeepersons are ineffective. In my own township organization, very few are really committed to ringing door bells, establishing relationships, etc. Some do nothing. The vast majority don't go beyond writing a letter with endorsements, and then sticking it in a bag to hang on mailboxes. But if you're going to have people on the other team, at least let them be unenergetic.

There are people yearning for real Republicans to step up. The most encouraging thing for me and for those who believe in conservative ideals is that there are people out there who are looking for true Republicans to get involved. Lots of our fellow Republicans are tired of just holding their noses in the voting booth every time Election Day rolls around.

I spoke to the Lyons Township Republican Organization during an endorsement session. I had 3 minutes to speak. I told them the Republican Party needs to first find its soul, and then give voice to that soul. Who are we? What do we stand for? Do our elected officials really believe in our message and fight for it? I spoke of lower taxes and less government spending.

The speech was well received. Many in the crowd of 30 gave me knowing head nods, and one man even came up and shook my hand before I could sit down. After the speeches, 2 others came up and said they were glad to finally hear "a Republican talk like a Republican".

After a mailing which listed my positions on the issues, numerous people e-mailed me or called me to express their support. These Republicans expressed a common theme - they were tired of a party that refuses to give voice to Republican beliefs and ideals. Perhaps the saddest e-mail I received was from a committeeman in New Lenox. He asked for yard signs and flyers and said he would do whatever he could for the campaign up to the election. He pointed out that he was not running again for committeeman because he was so disenchanted by the party. How sad!

The Illinois Republican Party can be rebuilt

My message is one of hope and optimism. We can restore our Republican Party and we can stand for something again. We need to do the following: 

1. Find and encourage good people to run for low level offices such as school boards and fire protection districts. These campaigns are not expensive and they help build crucial name recognition.
2. Assemble local teams of 2, 3, or even 10 people who share Republican beliefs, are willing to post yard signs, and who will knock on doors for similar minded candidates. If one can get 10 people knocking on doors for 2 days for a village trustee spot, or a fire district position, that is huge and it offers a great chance for victory. Any candidate who is serious about running should be able to assemble such a team from family, friends and co-workers.
3. These local teams need to network with other such groups so they can increase their influence. If you can have 10 or so such committed people knocking on doors for 1-2 days in a campaign, you will likely have a greater presence and greater impact than an entire township organization of 100 people.
4. In choosing whom to support at any level, these groups must make it clear to the candidates that if they help someone get elected, the candidate is expected to use his/her newfound influence to help others in future elections. Those who seek volunteer help must be willing to volunteer themselves on behalf of other good Republicans.

Clearly, the Illinois Republican Party is in shambles.  But we can fix it by dedicating ourselves to the cause.  We can't give up.

There are far too many Republicans who speak passionately about electing better people, but who do not give a dollar of their money or a day of their time towards fixing the problem.  If you have not volunteered to work on a campaign in the last 2 years, why not? How will problems get fixed if true believers won't get off the couch? 

If you are having a hard time finding out about candidates, there are committed leaders such as Jack Roeser and his organization in Carpentersville that can get you in touch with good Republican campaigns that would love to have your help.

We can re-build the Illinois Republican Party.  Let's just get it done!

Read Part 1

Greg Abbott is a 45-yr old lawyer in private practice who previously served five years as an Illinois Assistant Attorney General. He can be reached at g.abbott@sbcglobal.net.