Conservatives on the verge of controlling Illinois GOP

The Illinois Leader ^ | July 28, 2002 | BillyBoy

[BillyBoy]

NEW PARTY CHAIRMAN BIOGRAPHY

Gary MacDougal is a wealthy businessman with an impressive resume. MacDougal has been a partner at the international consulting firm McKinsey and Company and was former chief executive officer of Mark Controls Corporation. He is on the board of directors of United Parcel Service.

MacDougal served on non-profit groups such as Russell Sage Foundation, and now with Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Bulgarian American Enterprise Fund.

After receiving his bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1958, MacDougal spent three years as a U.S. Navy officer. He then received a MBA degree at Harvard Business School.

MacDougal has been married to Charlene Gehm for ten years. Gehm is a former leading ballerina who danced for 13 years with the Joffrey Ballet.

After selling his business in 1988, MacDougal worked on George Bush, Sr.’s Presidential bid. MacDougal wanted President Bush to appoint him Secretary of Health and Human Services, but was told by campaign aide George W. Bush that MacDougal had a “pigmentation problem” – meaning they needed a more diverse cabinet. Then McDougal bowed out when Lynn Martin decided she would challenge Carol Moseley-Braun in 1992. Moseley Braun became U.S. Senator that year.

When Jim Edgar became Governor, MacDougal challenged the Governor to revamp the human services infrastructure in his state. In 1993, MacDougal was appointed chairman of the Governor’s Task Force on Human Services Reform. He held that position for four years.

After his experience, MacDougal authored the book, Make a Difference: How One Man Helped Solve America’s Poverty Problem.

MacDougal was instrumental in the reconstruction of the welfare system in Illinois. He pushed Illinois politicians to adopt a “one-stop shopping” consolidation of state human-services programs, so that clients would have easier access to the various government services available.

The February 2, 2001 Capital Research.org publication stated, “This approach [of one-stop shopping] has been credited with helping Illinois reduce welfare rolls by nearly 60 percent in the past four years, exceeding federal requirements under the new welfare-to-work policy.”

MacDougal addressed conservatives last year at the 2001 Conservative Conference. While addressing the conference attendees, MacDougal proposed a contract similar to the Gingrich “Contract with America,” voiced his support of George W. Bush’s “faith-based initiatives” and spoke against extending special rights to special groups.

The MacDougal name is receiving positive response from conservatives. Jack Roeser and Joe Wiegand wrote in the Family Taxpayer Network’s March 2001 newsletter, The Champion, these words of acclamation, “Without his knowledge or involvement, we picked Gary MacDougal as an example of the kind of leader we think we need [in Illinois].”

Joe Wiegand told the Illinois Leader, "We believe that Gary McDougal would be a tremendous choice for the Illinois Republican State Committee Chair."

[BillyBoy]

BUMP. Looks like we won here! We only have a skeleton majority here, but if we can retain these guys after November, it's ours

[dts32041]

Where is the barf alert.

Fitzgerald is a Rino in the mould of the NE pubies.

The current crop of pubbies in Illinois remind me of the Whigs in the 1850's.

With the BJ set to womp ryans butt, citizens of illinois better hunker down get ready to shell out 500 for and foid and have their tax rate go up to what maine's is, without the benifit of Maine's winters and summers.

[Hibernius Druid]

Once again Jack Roeser is the Kiss of Death for the Republican Party of Illinois, no?

[Dan from Michigan]

Good luck. It's going to be an interesting year here. 2/3 of the legislature is going down to term limits, and the primary is coming up in about a week.

[narses]

Will term limits help or hinder conservatives?

[Dan from Michigan]

At first it helped, now it will hurt THIS time.

[Own Drummer]

In 17 days' time, I leave Illinois for Texas, and not a moment too soon. A pox on all the libs and RINOs who have turned what should be a solid, conservative Midwest state into a Daley-dominated cesspit.

[narses]

What will it do in the long run, in your opinion?

[supercat]

I wish someone would publicly out the liberal Democrat King George. I know some here were surprised at how much of a left-winger he has been as Governor, but I'm not sure why--he campaigned well to the left of his Democratic opponent in 1998, and he has simply stayed true to how he ran.

[Dan from Michigan]

Mixed results. Tough for conservatives if rich liberals run(name recognition) although that can help conservatives if they have money as well.

If Farm groups, Business, gun groups and Right to Life all unite, it's usually a win. Name recognition is the problem though.

[BillyBoy]

>> Where is the barf alert. Fitzgerald is a Rino in the mould of the NE pubies. <<

Oh, silly me. Yeah, just look at how simular their voting records are:

Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Lifetime Conservative rating 51%
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), Lifetime Conservative rating 56%
Sen. Jim Jeffords (I-VT), Lifetime Conservative rating 27%
Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-CT) Lifetime Conservative rating 44%
Rep. Christopher Shays (R-CT) Lifetime Conservative rating 44%
Rep. Robert Simmons (R-CT) Lifetime Conservative rating, 44%
Sen. Lincoln Chaffee (R-RI) Lifetime Conservative rating, 28%
Sen. Peter Fitzgerald (R-IL) Lifetime Conservative rating 88%

Enjoying your silly fantasy? Maybe you could explain to me why all the pro-abortion, tax-loving, gay-marriage adovocating Republicans were ranting and raving when Fitzgerald beat their annointed one in the primary. Hmmm.

[RedWing9]

Bill,

Thanks for the great post! I wouldn't have expected anything less.

Heads up Chicagoland!

[spintreebob]

Fitzgerald is a Rino

Fitz supported the Bush position on CFR, Farm Bill, etc. Fitz has worked against many government handouts that Trent Lott pushed thru and Bush signed. Fitz is tight with money. He is pro-life.

In Illinois the issue is corruption in both parties. In both Springfield and Washington Fitz fights the pork that finances corruption. He leads the fight against a shady deal between the crooked Democrat mayor and the crooked ex-Republican governor. (I refuse to recognize him as even a RINO.)

Despite being hated by the establishment who benefit from corruption and pork, Fitz has leverage because in their private polling he is the most popular Republican in Illinois. Second most popular is Judy Barr-Topinka, State Treasurer. The only thing they have in common is honesty and fighting corruption in the party (eg Bill Cellini).

The Republican candidate for governor trails badly. He is not a bad man...just "shy". If the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare for battle?

[spintreebob]

Once again Jack Roeser is the Kiss of Death

Beating Al Salvi was the only time Jack Roeser was the kiss of death to a Republican in November. And many pro-life and 2d amendment groups and individuals will claim that it was them and not Jack who beat Salvi. In my opinion Salvi beat himself.

[dts32041]

You mean he help pass the CFR and the FArm Bill.

That is enough for me, I mean anybody that helped get those two pieces of important legislation, thru, can't be able bad. //sarcasm off.

[spintreebob]

Fitz does not think by himself. It is rumored he thinks with his wife Nina. They met when she worked for a Conservative think tank and he was staff to Congressman Phil Crane.

[spintreebob]

A couple minor clarifications for history, if I may.

That the establishment backed incumbent Ford in '76 is no big deal. Thompson was running to recover the governorship that Ogilvie lost by giving us the income tax and needed "unity". 1980 is a better case. All Party officials supported Conally because Conally spent millions hiring their whiz kids as campaign staff. Except John Anderson supported himself. And Schaumburg Township Committeeman Don Totten ran Reagan's campaign on volunteers and no money which again proves money does not buy elections. Even though Totten was the closest Illinois man to Reagan in the 80's, Totten was never accepted by the establishment. They wanted his ability to organize volunteers, but not his advice to cut patronage, spending and taxes.

In '92 Bob Michel, Peoria's Republican House minority leader (who told Newt pubs couldn't win the House) was close friend of Democrat Senator Al the Pal Dixon. They cooperated on pork and corruption for each other. Bob Michel convinced the Republican establishment that they should purposely take a dive for US Senate and let Al the Pal win. For that reason, the establishment scared off both honest RINO Lynn Martin and Conservative McDougal and ran Larry Williamson, who didn't have a clue what to do in politics and proved it by getting the consolation prize of State Chairman which he totally botched. Of course the March 92 primary occurred at the point when Ross Perot and term limits were at their peak. Talk radio and the term limits people were outraged that the Republicans would take a dive for Al the Pal. Republicans and Independents voted en masse in the Democrat primary to term limit Al the Pal. The left clueless Williamson facing Braun in November. (Hey Dan, Illinois has its own term limits, sometimes.)

Crook county Township committeemen are not appointed , but elected (in the primary by anyone who claims to be Republican). Reappointment is the wrong implication. In 4 adjacent townships it was throw the corrupt party officials out. The split was not so much a 3 way ideological split as a split over corruption. RINO Corrine Wood felt the rich country club set were superior and more ethical than us mere mortals. Conservative Pat O'Malley thought reform lay with the ideological base who were not in the party for the money. By default, Jim Ryan won with a coalition of the establishment who wanted to protect their pork, and cautious conservatives who were told to not change horses in this time of crisis for the party.

A good example of this is Gary Skoien, a moderate who ran and won for Palatine Committeeman with the support of the Pat O'Malley conservatives because he opposed corruption.

The County and State Chairs are not appointed. They are elected by party officials elected by the people, similar to the electoral college system. For Crook County Chair, there were 4 candidates: the George Ryan corrupt one; the country club set is superior one; Pro-life, low-tax Conservative Maureen Murphy and Paul Froehlich on her right. (It was the Froehlich influence that caused the turnover of 4 townships adjacent to his Schaumburg township.)

State Chair was similar. Trial balloons were sent up. Conservatives on the State Central Committee, especially experienced Steve McGlynn and new ones like Marilyn Froehlich, shot down a lot of trial balloons. Candidates gave excuses for not taking the job when the truth was, they didn't have the votes. (Edgar was the exception. Everyone agreed he was the best for November. But he was not the best to build the party for the future.)

When Larry Williamson resigned his consolation prize as State Chair last year, McDougal was suggested as a person who could pull the party factions together and knew how to build the party. He was strongly opposed by the crooks and cronies who put in Lee Daniels. The same incumbent State Central Committeemen who went for Daniels last year admitted that the McDougal people were right about Daniels. His corruption is not some new revelation. It has been known among Republicans for years. And for years they have been saying "Someday it's going to catch up with him."

BTW Conservative McDougal is a good friend of Jim Ryan, Jack Roeser and Jim Edgar and many from all ideological factions, but not a friend of the pork and corruption wing. The Republicans in it for the money want Departments like Public Aid to be the source of money for consultant contracts that are a form of welfare themselves. McDougal took Welfare to Work seriously and really believed that work is better for a persons dignity than welfare. That was an insult to the Republican consultants who wanted their own form of welfare.

ps Pork comes from the HOG.

[Norwell]

You forgot to include when Mark Kirk joined the military: receiving a direct appointment into the naval reserve with no real training prior to appointment. He joined well after most men his age and only when it appeared military service could be useful as a potential candidate. Mark was and is a Grade A Pansy.