Rauschy Out?
Raushenberger to drop out of Governor's Race, run for Lt. Governor?
Talk about an 11th hour decision.
First Birkett, now Rauschy. It's good that the GOP field is clearing up so we can get behind ONE conservative to stop Topinka once and for all. I don't know why Steve is jumping into the Lt. Governor race, it's already crowded enough with four existing candidates. He should have switched to comptroller or treasurer.
I encourage all the Raunchenberger supporters to get behind Senator Bill Brady, who I think is the strongest person we can offer to beat the Topinkavich machine in 2006. Oberweis had his shot in 2002 and 2004, GOP voters rejected him both times. That, combined with his 180o degree turns on abortion, immigration, and Kjellander make him damaged goods. Oberweis is much better on the stump now than he was in 2002, but I wish we had gotten him as party chairman last year to avoid the crowded primary this time around. Brady is also dead even with one-term Blago in the polls -- quite amazing when you consider most Illinoisans don't even know who Brady is.
Assuming Sandy Wegman is the GOP nominee for Lt. Governor, Brady is also the best candidate to balence to the ticket. With Rauschenberger/Wegman, we would have two GOP nominees from Elgin, with Oberweis/Wegman, it's two GOP nominees from Kane County. A Brady/Wegman ticket not only makes better campaign signs, but it gives us a diverse ticket with one candidate from the Bloomington-Normal area and another in the Chicagoland area wedged between Cook and Kane counties.
As Brady notes on his website, the biggest reasons he is our best bet include:
--Mainstream, PROVEN conservative record
--Fresh face & new beginning for Republican party in Illinois
--With Rauschy out, best polling to defeat Blago in general election
-- Downstate vote will turn against Blago in droves, will help the rest of the ticket
-- No previous losses on record, best candidate to take out Topinka in primary
-- Only primary candidate left with solid conservative values, business experience AND elected experience.
-- Will draw from every traditional GOP voter segment in the primary and have “crossover appeal”
-- Articulate, trustworthy and engaging personality. Much more telegetic than Oberweis or Gidwitz
I would hope other ICRC members would join me in getting behind THE candidate who can beat Topinka one-on-one. It is time for Jim Oberweis to put aside his ego and support the strongest conservative in the race so we do not split the conservative vote in March. We win in a three way race between Topinka vs. Brady vs. Gidwitz.
Posted by WML
Talk about an 11th hour decision.
First Birkett, now Rauschy. It's good that the GOP field is clearing up so we can get behind ONE conservative to stop Topinka once and for all. I don't know why Steve is jumping into the Lt. Governor race, it's already crowded enough with four existing candidates. He should have switched to comptroller or treasurer.
I encourage all the Raunchenberger supporters to get behind Senator Bill Brady, who I think is the strongest person we can offer to beat the Topinkavich machine in 2006. Oberweis had his shot in 2002 and 2004, GOP voters rejected him both times. That, combined with his 180o degree turns on abortion, immigration, and Kjellander make him damaged goods. Oberweis is much better on the stump now than he was in 2002, but I wish we had gotten him as party chairman last year to avoid the crowded primary this time around. Brady is also dead even with one-term Blago in the polls -- quite amazing when you consider most Illinoisans don't even know who Brady is.
Assuming Sandy Wegman is the GOP nominee for Lt. Governor, Brady is also the best candidate to balence to the ticket. With Rauschenberger/Wegman, we would have two GOP nominees from Elgin, with Oberweis/Wegman, it's two GOP nominees from Kane County. A Brady/Wegman ticket not only makes better campaign signs, but it gives us a diverse ticket with one candidate from the Bloomington-Normal area and another in the Chicagoland area wedged between Cook and Kane counties.
As Brady notes on his website, the biggest reasons he is our best bet include:
--Mainstream, PROVEN conservative record
--Fresh face & new beginning for Republican party in Illinois
--With Rauschy out, best polling to defeat Blago in general election
-- Downstate vote will turn against Blago in droves, will help the rest of the ticket
-- No previous losses on record, best candidate to take out Topinka in primary
-- Only primary candidate left with solid conservative values, business experience AND elected experience.
-- Will draw from every traditional GOP voter segment in the primary and have “crossover appeal”
-- Articulate, trustworthy and engaging personality. Much more telegetic than Oberweis or Gidwitz
I would hope other ICRC members would join me in getting behind THE candidate who can beat Topinka one-on-one. It is time for Jim Oberweis to put aside his ego and support the strongest conservative in the race so we do not split the conservative vote in March. We win in a three way race between Topinka vs. Brady vs. Gidwitz.
Posted by WML
posted by Jon Zahm at 1:54 AM
1 Comments:
Nobody has posted a reply to this thread yet, but several of you who are supporting Oberweis have viewed it. One such individual is Cathy Santos, who has accused me of "hiding" Brady's views on immigration and gambling.
In fairness to Cathy, I am posted her arguement in favor of Oberweis here, along with my reply:
Bill -
I saw your posting on the ICRC blog and wonder why you would ask Republican voters to get behind Bill Brady over Jim Oberweis. If it's a choice between Oberweis and Brady, it is clear that Oberweis' positions align closer with ICRC's mission than Brady's.
Also, I am very disappointed that in your reasons why people should back Brady, you fail to tell people that:
Brady voted FOR in-state tuition for illegal immigrants.
Brady is AGAINST school vouchers (actually says they're unconstitutional).
Brady is PRO-gaming.
Brady is a huge defender and ally of Bob Kjellander. (In fact, most people think that the only reason why Brady is staying in the Governor's race is because Kjellander has asked him to as a spoiler for Oberweis so that Topinka has a better shot at the nomination.)
Don't you think ICRC members have a right to know all of the facts?
I have been to many ICRC meetings in the past and am confident that if your members are given all the facts, Brady would NOT be their choice for Governor.
Cathy Santos
p. 312/648-0061
=================================
Reply:
Hi Cathy,
I appeciate your longtime leadership in the conservative movement. With two conservatives remaining in the governor's race (Brady is polling far stronger than Oberweis is hypothetical matchups against Blago, BTW) we will have to agree to disagree. You are welcome to make the case for Oberweis and post all available information to ICRC members, and of course, we welcome your input at our meetings.
Your three points about Brady's record vs. Oberweis' platform has been addressed by me on the FreeRepublic Illinois page.
1) On the issues –
Oberweis has NO voting record to verify his conservative platform, just his past statements. In 2002, Oberweis said he feared pro-lifer could be become like the Taliban if abortion were outlawed and that he would NOT vote for a constitutional amendment to ban Roe v. Wade. In 2004, Oberweis said he is 100% pro-life and believes in outlawing abortion in ALL circumstances. Those are two OPPOSITE positions he's SAID are his beliefs on abortion. Which Jim Oberweis should I believe? Brady has been bad on an issue or two, but at least we KNOW where he stands.
We KNOW Brady stood against sleeze like Lyin George Ryan on Illinois FIRST, probably moreso than Steve Raunchenberger did. Yes, Brady has been on the wrong side on a few issues, notably immigration, but it’s no different than President Bush. Bush promised NOT to sign McCain-Feingold, which a clear violation of freedom of speech. Then he signed it into law. On immigration, Bush betrayed the base and continues to do so through his support for amnesty for illegal aliens. Does this mean you will no longer support Bush? I think not. Bush still does the RIGHT thing on the other 90% of the issues. Brady votes the RIGHT way on the other 90% of the issues.
Now, if Jim Oberweis is supposedly such a “leader” on immigration, please think back to four years ago and note that OBERWEIS NEVER MENTIONED IMMIGRATION A SINGLE TIME IN HIS 2002 CAMPAIGN . We're talking a few monthes after 9/11 and Mr. "Immigration is the biggest issue" didn't think it was worthwhile to discuss border security in the 2002 campaign. WHY we he AWOL on immigration during the ENTIRE 2002 campaign? George Ryan SAID in his 1998 campaign would "enforce the death penalty against henious crimes" and that it was a "major issue" in his platform. He went 180 degrees in the other direction and in 2002 said capital punishment must NEVER be allowed, even for terrorists. Oberweis made the exact same kind of flip-flop on abortion. Oberweis has never been elected and thus has NO record. Who knows WHAT he really believes? No candidate is perfect, you not agree with ALL of Brady’s record, but at we least we know he’s voted the right way 90% of the time, and has been consitant on the issues since his very first campaign over a decade ago.
2) On corruption and government reform–
Just as Oberweis empathsis on abortion and immigration is nothing like where he stood in the 2002 campaign, so is the “reform candidate who hates Kjellander” platform he’s using in the 2006 campaign. Rauschenberger was denouncing Kjellander left and right in the 2004 campaign and Oberweis said NOTHING. I'm guessing it’s the same reason why Oberweis said nothing about Kjellander's "corruption" in 2004 but in the 2006 campaign he's denouncing the guy when KJ himself is on stage. Oberweis' pollster tells him that's the hot thing to do to get GOP voters at this point in time. Oberweis has been consistant on guns and taxes, the rest the issues he empathizes are different in 2002, 2004, and 2006. People can SAY alot of things.
I do trust Oberweis that he's a lifelong Republican who got his start working for Goldwater. I think he's sincere on guns (his personal experience) and taxes (his buisness background). I doubt he has a "settled" position on anything else. Some GOP bigwigs came to this guy in 2002 and told him he'd make a great candidate against Durbin because he could self-fund. Hastert figured he could control Oberweis and use him as the sensible alternative to "unelectable" John Cox. But Oberweis got campaign fever and keeps coming back again and again, coming up with a new issue each election hoping THIS time he can get enough new voters (added to old personality cult of supporters who seem to worship him no matter what he says) to make it past the primary.
Prove to me Oberweis was "passionate" about immigration and the pro-life cause in 2002, and I'll be happy to vote for him Until you can demostrate this, there is nothing to prove his statements are more than rhetoric designed to get him elected. Do we want a candidate who follows the conservative agenda when it's the right thing to do or one who follows the conservative agenda when it polls well?
3) On Electablity --
Brady's numbers put him in a statical dead heat with Blago. Oberweis has very high negatives and the Blago camp is hoping they can run again him since he would be the easiest Republican to beat Oberweis needs to put aside his ego and realize he's just not polling well enough against Blago to merit being nominated. Oberweis had his shot and Republican voters rejected him twice. He should try being elected to something smaller in Illinois before getting the highest slot in the land. It's time to let someone new have a shot at this.
Brady has a background in running his own successful buisness just like Oberweis. His bio states: "A lifelong resident of Bloomington, Senator Brady and his brothers have owned and operated real estate development, property management, mortgage, insurance, home construction and broadcasting businesses in Central Illinois for more than 25 years. His experience as a small business leader have taught Senator Brady about the fundamentals of job creation, the responsibilities of meeting a payroll and the negative effects that over-taxation and undue regulation can have in discouraging entrepreneurship and diminishing business growth." Brady is not some pampered politician's kid who's been on the public payroll his whole life. The difference is Brady got elected the past decade after holding a job in the real world, Oberweis has tried twice and failed. You could say third time's the charm but I'd rather we try a fresh face than a guy Blago can easily vilify. Yes, Brady's record in the legislature has shown him butting heads with Madigan, Blago and Lyin' Ryan.
If you guys want to simply trust Oberweis on these issues and ignore his past "record", that is your choice. Would Oberweis be tough on illegals if it wasn't a way to get him votes? Would he feel that way about KJ if hadn't surfaced as a way to rally the conservative base? Oberweis SAYS a lot of things and Brady DOES a lot more.
All the candidates have their flaws. All (minus Topinka) are better than Blago. Only ONE has ELECTED experience, BUISNESS experience, and PROVEN conservative record. Only ONE is polling highest against Topinkajevich. That man is Bill Brady. Vote your coincinence, but those are the facts. Do with them what you will.
4) Overall leadership –
Finally, while you blast away at Brady because you don’t like his positions on immigration and gambling, you ignore that is OVERALL record has proven to be the best on our issues. Topinka, Gidwitz, and Oberweis do not have ANY proven record like this:
· On the votes that the Illinois Federation for Right to Life considered to be the most important in 1997-2000, State Senator Bill Brady voted their preferred position 100% of the time.
· On the votes that the Illinois Planned Parenthood Council considered to be the most important in 1997-1998, State Senator Bill Brady voted their preferred position 0% of the time.
· On the votes that the Illinois Gun Owners of America considered to be the most important in 2002-2004, State Senator Bill Brady voted their preferred position 100% of the time.
· Based on lifetime voting records on gun issues and the results of a questionnaire sent to all state legislative candidates in 2004, the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund assigned State Senator Bill Brady a grade of “A”
· Based on voting records and a questionnaire sent out to all state legislative candidates by Illinois Citizens for Handgun Control, State Senator Bill Brady was assigned a grade of “F” (with grades ranging from a high of A+ to a low of F).
· On the votes that the Illinois Chamber of Commerce considered to be most important in 2000-2004, State Senator Bill Brady voted their preferred position 100% of the time.
· On the votes that the Illinois National Federation of Independent Business considered to be the most important in 1999-2000, State Senator Bill Brady voted their preferred position 100% of the time.
· On the votes that the Illinois Family Institute considered to be most important in 1998-2002, State Senator Bill Brady voted their preferred position 100% of the time.
Just last week, we were saying the best "overall" candidates were Rauschy and Brady on the grading scale. Now Rauschy drops out, leaving ONLY Brady, and what are you guy saying? We should re-evaluate Oberweis or Gitwitz.
Well, they've BEEN evaluated. They are not good candidates. Brady is our best bet to beat the Topinkajevich machine.
--Bill M. Leubscher
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