We won in Massachussets with a canidate running against Obamacare, against Cap and Trade, against gay marriage, and supported restrictions on abortion. Illinois is middle America and the Democrats have been self flagellating themselves with corruption and dirty politics and we couldn’t even get one outsider conservative across the finish line in the Senate or Governor’s race? That is a problem. If we are going to see real change we are going to need better coordination. Maybe Illinois is just nuts. I still remember how Steve Saurberg was treated when he was running against Durbin and he was no liberal. I swear I’m beginning to think conservatives in Illinois are nuts because the Rasmussen poll showed a big chunk going for Kirk and it looks like that is exactly what happenned tonight. Hardly a vote for change or liberty.
I’m not sure how many conservatives actually exist in that state but this was not a fight conservatives took too. Look at the reception Rubio is drawing. Look even At Rand Paul. Look at Scott Brown or even J.D.’s latest entrance. this race never draw much notice here on an activist site. Which means there was no massive organization to present an alternative choice. Lacking unity and lacking committment by the movement the choice was defined with money and name recognition. Kirk had this.
I wish he hadn’t won but I said a few days ago to expect this because conservatives NEVER rallied here. Okay a few did but they fought an uphill battle. Hell, Erick at redstate only spoke last WEEK about maybe rallying conservatives to make it a race. What does that say?
Conservatives can’t just decide a week before to maybe pay attention to the race and expect polls to miraculously flip. The NY-23 race at least had a month to rally supporters and just barely lost.
Aslo becuase I think alot of Conservatives were convinced Hughes could win in November, so they went with the guy they thought could win.
Regardless, I still think Conservatives are going to have a very good 2010.
The real Conservatives are leaving Illinois. As I sit now, 1 mile east of the border, having moved in with my In-Laws, I look back into Illinois and see the water circling the bowl, slowly making its way down the white porcelain tunnel. Real Conservatives know when the handle has been pushed. Last one out before its all flushed please close the lid.
Because in Mass, the establishment didn’t even bother to try running a candidate, so it left the field open. I’m sure they are kicking themselves now for not finding a Mark Kirk-like candidate for Brown’s seat.
And I agree with you. We don’t need this seat, and we don’t need a liberal republican going “bipartisan” on us for the next 6 years.
Even if he was the 51st republican, frankly I’d rather sell out to Leiberman and give him a committee chair in exchange for his vote on leadership, than have to give valuable committee seats to Mark Kirk.
We nearly got stuck with Obamacare in order to purge the senate of the worst of the liberal republicans. Now is not the time to start putting them back in.