Madigan bows out! So What?

July 9, 2009

"With Lisa Madigan out of the race, it clearly makes this at least an even, if not a Republican-tilting field. Personally, I'm glad she's not going to be my opponent in the general election. I believe my chances are better with Pat Quinn or someone else than Lisa Madigan.”
- State Sen. Kirk Dillard, Chicago Tribune, 7.8.09

There has been some rejoicing in GOP circles to the news that Lisa Madigan will not run for Governor. This celebration is misplaced. The Madigan family name symbolizes the sclerotic, corrupt patronage politics that eats away at our prosperity—and has for three decades. We should relish the opportunity to confront it directly.

For the Illinois GOP to be successful and for our standard bearers to win elections, we need to be less concerned with whatever window-dressing the Chicago 9 will use to disguise the fixed government systems that finance dependency at the expense of the productive.

To the extent that we focus our attention on whom the Chicago 9 slate for which office is to the extent we are failing in our core mission to re-establish the dynamism and viability of the Republican Party in Illinois by presenting a contrast vision for where Illinois can go, what Illinois could be under Republican leadership.

We certainly need to hold the Chicago 9 accountable for the economic devastation their policies have inflicted upon Illinois.

But our gubernatorial nominee must also be able and willing to clearly articulate what we are for and who we are for.

If we don’t identify a constituency and clearly describe the problem and the opportunity, we will lose to whomever the Chicago 9 dust off and clean up for this election—as has happened to us in each of the last two gubernatorial elections.

This cozy, “we’re all friends here” relationship between Democrats and Republicans in Springfield has brought our state to the brink of bankruptcy and left our party wandering in the wilderness.

Government is serious business to the Chicago 9 because it is how they make their money. It is the source of their power. They will not relinquish it without incident.

If we put forward a gubernatorial nominee content to settle for table scraps from the Chicago 9’s long-running, taxpayer-funded feast…

If we put forward a gubernatorial nominee resigned to tinkering on the margins of systems that are fixed to protect the established political order at the expense of people who play by the rules in Illinois…

Then, we will get hammered by the Chicago 9 once again.

This election is not about politicians’ biographies or aspirations. Lisa Madigan’s career trajectory could not be any less interesting to me.

Right now, today, we should be focused on not just stopping Governor Quinn’s tax increase but proposing tax cuts to get Illinois growing again.

Right now, today, we should be focused on the need for statutory spending caps in state government to get Illinois taxpayers off of our annual budgetary merry-go-round.

Right now, today, we should be focused on ending the discrimination of Illinois families based on income and geography and instead empowering those families with quality choices for the education of their children.

This is how we un-fix Illinois. This is how we take the fight to the Chicago 9 and win in 2010.