By DOUG IBENDAHL • May 12, 2011
“The decay of the Soviet experiment should come as no surprise to us. Wherever the comparisons have been made between free and closed societies — West Germany and East Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia, Malaysia and Vietnam — it is the democratic countries that are prosperous and responsive to the needs of their people.” – Ronald Reagan
A lot of Republicans are outraged that 11 Republican State Senators helped the Democrats pass the Illinois DREAM Act last week (the bill is now in the House).
The outrage is certainly justified. But it wasn’t just the DREAM Act. The GOP Platform took a beating on several fronts last week.
Concealed carry legislation was shot down – and three House Republicans helped. And legislation intended to legalize “medical” marijuana failed – but not for lack of trying by House Minority Leader Tom Cross and several members of his Republican caucus.
An excellent school choice bill failed to advance yet again last week – and once again there were Republicans standing on the side of the Democrats and the teacher’s unions.
And you don’t have to go back very many months to find Republicans like Tom Cross and others leading the charge on gambling expansion and other key elements of the Left’s agenda.
But all the hand wringing is a waste of time. No one should be surprised that the GOP in Illinois doesn’t look very Republican.
A new Gallop poll released this week found that 52% of Republicans nationwide favor the creation of a third political party.
This is what happens when the Republican brand is diluted and voters see little difference between Republicans and Democrats. Nowhere is this more evident than in Illinois.
All of this was foreseeable when the Illinois Republican Party was taken away from Republicans just over two decades ago.
The State GOP is a valuable franchise – or at least it could be if utilized properly. In every state where the flag is being advanced on pro-GOP Platform issues, the State GOP is a leader.
That’s not happening in Illinois. You won’t see our State GOP seriously standing up on any Platform issue. That’s because our current system of party governance has put Mark Kirk and his people in complete control of the GOP franchise. And news flash: Mark Kirk’s interested in Mark Kirk, not Republican values.
There’s a past due, crucial reform on the table – Senate Bill 35 – that would completely change the dynamic and restore the kind of environment conducive for building a true GOP in Illinois. All Republicans would have a vote and our leaders would finally have an incentive to stand-up and do something to defend the GOP brand. With real elections comes the prospect of getting some real leaders for a change. We also get accountability.
We could have a State Party doing something more than pushing a new online petition every other day regarding some trivial drama.
SB35 opponents are of course perfectly okay with the failed status-quo where the GOP Platform isn’t advanced in a serious way. Most were never true Republicans anyway. And then there are a few others who – well let’s just call them what they are: useful idiots.
So to those already supporting SB35, serious Republicans say thank you (sign-on as an SB35 supporter HERE if you haven’t yet). Kudos to you. You get it.
And to that small handful of misguided souls who are whining about passage of the DREAM Act – and are opposing SB35, I say stop complaining. You’re as much to blame as anyone for the DREAM Act and other bad bills passing, and for good bills failing. (As you sow so shall you reap.)
Finally, I started this piece with a quote from Ronald Reagan, and I’ll end with one: “To sit back hoping that someday, someway, someone will make things right is to go on feeding the crocodile, hoping he will eat you last - but eat you he will.”
Doug Ibendahl is a Chicago Attorney and a former General Counsel of the Illinois Republican Party.
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