Every
two years, the Illinois Republican Party tears itself apart over a piece of
legislation that supposedly would allow rank and file party members to have
more say in party affairs This year may be worse than usual, however.
Senate
Bill 600, sponsored by Sen. Chris Lauzen (R-Aurora), would stop the practice of
allowing Republican township, ward and precinct committeemen to elect state
central committeepersons. The bill would instead force the GOP to adopt the
same rules as the Democrats and allow primary voters to elect the state central
committee.
Most
people don't care about this, and I can understand if you're with them. But
since this tiny little change has been one of the most divisive issues in the
Illinois GOP's recent history, it's worth a closer look.
The
concept has always been vigorously opposed by the Republican establishment,
partly because of who is pushing it. Sen. Lauzen is among a large handful of
"insurgent conservatives," whose most prominent member is ultraconservative
activist Jack Roeser. The insurgents have sharply criticized the state party
for its allegedly top-down insider ways and its refusal to allow them a seat at
the table.
The
"powers that be" have complete disdain for the Roeser/Lauzen types.
The insiders view the insurgents as troublemakers who can't win elections and
instead blame party leaders for their own failures. They worry that the bill
would spark endless intraparty battles and divert precious financial resources
away from their attempts to fight the Democrats. Plus, they simply don't want
to give up any power to "those people."
The
ultraconservative activists say they want elections because the insiders have
locked them out of the system. They were enraged last year at the state GOP convention
in Decatur when delegates voted to pass a resolution in favor of retaining the
status quo. The insurgents claim the vote was rigged.
Republican
state legislators are put smack dab in the middle of this fight every time the
bill is introduced. Two years ago,
the bill was unanimously passed by the Senate, but House GOP leadership
strong-armed the House Republican sponsor into giving up the bill, then sat on
it until the session clock ran out. That, of course, infuriated the insurgents.
The
state Senate's new GOP Leader has been put into an awkward position by the
legislation. Christine Radogno is a moderate Republican who was allied with the
"insider" faction and was vigorously opposed by the insurgents. She
hasn't yet fully consolidated control over her caucus, and this legislation is
not making her task any easier. Complicating matters further, Radogno has taken
a strong stand in favor of calling a special election to fill Barack Obama's
former US Senate seat, so opposing a bill to open up the party process to
voters would appear hypocritical.
Leader
Radogno signed on as a co-sponsor of Lauzen's bill, which surprised the heck
out of party leaders. The bill was set for a committee vote last week, and
legislators' phones were ringing all day from very upset people on both sides
of the issue.
Things
got even weirder when Republican Sens. Bill Brady and Matt Murphy removed
themselves as co-sponsors of the legislation. Brady is running for governor and
Murphy is seriously considering a bid for Cook County Board President. Sen.
Murphy was backed by Roeser the first time he ran, and both men are very
conservative. But they apparently believed that winning support from party
leaders was more important at this stage of the game.
The
Democrats, of course, love this bill. With their own party facing one nightmare
after another, anything they can do to weaken, divide and distract the GOP
further is viewed as a good thing.
Republican
Party insiders completely freaked when they learned that Rep. Paul Froehlich, a
former conservative Republican who switched to the Democratic Party, had filed
to sponsor the bill when it gets to the House. With a Democrat controlling the
bill, the Republicans couldn't slow-walk the legislation into oblivion again,
so they figured that House Speaker Michael Madigan was behind the maneuver. The
Republicans worry that Speaker Madigan could use the bill to essentially
blackmail GOP leaders to get in line when it comes time to vote on tax hikes,
or anything else he chooses.
Last
week's vote was eventually delayed. But this fight is far from over. And if you
still wonder why the Republicans would bother to wage a civil war over this
issue, you're not alone.
Rich
Miller also publishes Capitol Fax, a daily political newsletter, and
thecapitolfaxblog.com.