- Strange bedfellows.
In case you haven’t noticed, there are still six Republican candidates vying for governor of our fine State. Rather than endorse one candidate, I would rather- in this particular contest- give you food for thought in voting against one. That lucky guy is Kirk Dillard. What beef could I have with one of the most endorsed Big-R candidates running this election cycle? There are a ton of reasons but none greater than the fact that he is part of the Illinois State party establishment.
This guy has been an Illinois State Senator for the 24th District (see Chicago… suburbia-style) since 1994. He was the Dupage County Republican Party chairman from 2004-2007. Prior to that, he was chairman of the Downers Grove Township Republican Organization. He also briefly served on the Illinois Republican State Central Committee for the 13th Congressional District. While being politically active might normally be a positive, it is a bright red flag in Illinois. This man is political, and this man is connected, plain and simple.
The powers that be want you to decide between McKenna and Dillard- possibly Ryan. They really don’t want you to consider anyone else. Dillard is being touted as THE conservative in the race and as the uniter we apparently dream of… without knowing it. Such the uniter and bipartisan is he that he actually appeared in a 2008 television ad for President Barry H. Obama, glowingly overstating Obama’s accomplishments in Springfield. (He did this while being a delegate for McCain.) Can anyone smell the Chicago-brand politics in this move? Are we to believe that Dillard is just so principled that he spoke from his heart about Obama, or should we recognize the political payoff in Chicago for what he did? It was a calculated move. Whether or not it was a good one is for you to decide. Many Illinois players have decided already.
Kirk Dillard has been endorsed by the Chicago Sun-Times, Crane’s Chicago Business, Peoria Journal Star, Elgin Courier, Kankakee City News, Naperville Sun, Joliet News-Herald, Southtown Star, Southwest News-Herald, Springfield State Journal-Register, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Aurora Beacon News, Illinois State Rifle Association, National Rifle Association, Illinois Education Association, and the Family-PAC. My goodness, he’s a slam-dunk! Former Governor Jim Edgar even endorses him, which is simply incredible considering Dillard was Edgar’s chief-of-staff. It’s shocking that Crane’s Chicago Business would endorse him considering Dillard is a partner at Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell LLP, one of Chicago’s oldest and largest law firms. He has the endorsement of the IEA because he’s promising to put more money (or at least maintain current levels) into education even as Illinois continues to get crushed under the weight of budget deficits and loans that currently cannot be repaid. I cannot connect those dots…
The man has done little with his time in office. He’s done little more than play his part in the Illinois political edition of “Survivor.” In the last nine years, he has done little or nothing to impart fiscal responsibility and logic into Illinois’ budgetary situation. In stereotypical fashion, he offers almost-cliché catch phrases as novel ideas that will take Illinois into a brighter tomorrow. We will become the “destination economy” with “green jobs” as he and his appointed commission figure out how Illinois businesses simultaneously stay in Illinois while continuing to actually stay open for business.
Tomorrow, remember that he endorsed Obama, and realize who he represents. Chances are, he does not represent you.
Happy voting!
