By THE WATCHDOG • June 14, 2010
The latest example of the liberal mainstream media’s failure to ask the obvious follow up question comes courtesy of Illinois Radio Network’s News Director Jim Anderson.
From Anderson’s interview last week with State GOP Chair Pat Brady about the Blagojevich trial:
Brady acknowledges that at the ex-governor’s trial, dirty laundry will be aired that’s harmful to Democrats and Republicans, such as the convicted Stuart Levine and the suspected Robert Kjellander, but he says those represent the previous generation of Republicans.
If Anderson had done his homework on Pat Brady, an obvious follow up question would have been: “How can you say Kjellander represents the previous generation of Republicans when Kjellander wanted you to be his successor?”
In 2008, Kjellander decided not to seek another term as Republican National Committeeman. Pat Brady was chosen as his replacement in June of that year at the State GOP Convention in Decatur. Brady was the choice of a nominating committee stacked with ringers by Kjellander and his pals.
A simple Google search would have revealed several news stories about the role Kjellander played in Pat Brady’s rise to power in the State GOP.
Here’s just one example from political pundit Jeff Berkowitz in June 2008 referencing the Pat Brady/Bob Kjellander connection:
In a display of what their critics viewed as the exercise of raw political power (Chicago style), Illinois’ current RNC guy, Bob Kjellander, and State GOP Chairman Andy McKenna reasserted their control and stranglehold over the Illinois Republican Party yesterday. Together and with “a little help from their friends,” it appears Team Kjellander-McKenna installed Pat Brady as the new Republican National Committeeman from Illinois (to take effect after the Republican National Convention in September).
And then of course there was the infamous congratulatory hug (witnessed by several at the Decatur convention) which Kjellander gave Brady immediately after getting the National Committeeman nomination.
And where was Pat Brady when other Republicans were calling nonstop for Kjellander’s ouster from 2003 through 2008? And why does Brady keep an absurd State GOP rule (see here) originally put in place to protect ethically challenged officials like Kjellander?
But perhaps the best question that was never asked – how can Brady say it’s a “new generation” when he opposes a return to direct elections (SB600) just like Kjellander did, and for patronage-preserving reasons just like Kjellander did?
All good questions that could - and should have - been asked.
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