I, Russ Harrison, am a Political Idiot and Here's Why:

I, Russ Harrison, am a Political Idiot and Here's Why:

Posted by russ harrison, June 22, 2013 at 07:45 pmComment  RecommendI wasn't always this stupid about politics. In fact, I probably have more experience and education about Illinois politics than most of the general public. I worked campaigns for local offices  for family members as a kid. I put door knockers out, chopped onions for the free hot dogs we gave out at my Grandpa and Uncles's political rallies, and even interned in Springfield my last year in High School. I am a lifelong member of the Republican Party and have worked on 4 GOP Candidate's Gubernatorial campaigns, as well as a few state reps and mayors . But...I have now realized I am an idiot.
I am NOT an idiot because I am a Republican. I believe in the common ideals of our party that state we need less government,  less taxation, and more personal freedoms for all. These ideals have held true for our party since the days of Post WWII. But still, I have been informed I am a political idiot...
I describe myself as a "moderate, progressive" Republican. I used to think of myself as a conservative, but many members of my party that adhere to that description do not agree. They have informed me that I am"liberal" a "RINO" (Republican in Name Only ) and even a "ReDBoot" (Republican with Democrat's Beliefs). Some ultra conservative Republicans (I  prefer to call them zealots) have even gone so far as to call me not just an idiot, but a traitor to my party...simply because I do not always agree with the choice of candidates nor will I defend some of the truly lunatic proposals coming from some of our party members and candidates.
Yet, I still get asked to work campaigns for Republican candidates. If I am an idiot, I must be a useful idiot.  However, I have refused offers from certain candidates because I either didn't believe they were the best candidate, or they were incompetent, corrupt, or both. I do not work a campaign simply because my party selected the candidate. I work for those I believe are the best candidate for the position. It just so happens that I usually favor a GOP candidate. I'd like to think that makes me a true Republican, adhering to our party' s commitment to sound government and leadership while availing myself of my freedom to choose...but I would be wrong.Refusal to blindly support a GOP candidate even when you believe that person is wrong for the party, state, or even country apparently makes you an idiot, not a true Republican according to some.  
Last Governor's race I campaigned for Andy McKenna and Matt Murphy in the primary. While they took my area of operation, Kendall County, by a huge margin, they lost  the big enchillada. I was informed I was an idiot for not supporting that nice young man that looked like the kid that mowed my lawn. (He failed miserably overall) My candidate, Andy McKenna was not a politician, he was a businessman with sound ideas on how to fix the mess the state was in. Apparently, only an idiot would believe that a highly successful businessman would know more about finances and management than a career politician. Well, here it is... 4 years later and we are in a worse financial  position than ever. Yet I get called idiot...  
I've been asked to support yet another career politician that wants me to believe he has the solution to a problem that he helped create in the first place. And...like the political idiot that I am, I have graciously refused an offer to campaign for him, or any other perennial candidate on the grounds that I may not actually be an idiot, I may just be suffering from a lack of viable and trustworthy candidates.
I think this Governor's race will come down to 6 major players at the primary election...but then again, I may be wrong. I am a political idiot after all. I see the Democrats having a 3 way fight between Lisa Madigan (Princess of the Madigan-istan ) Bill Daley (yep...that Daley family) and Governor Quinn, the guy that just axed about every Veteran's task force and commission in the state, to include the Veterans Employment Commission and Veterans Court. He did it while soliciting the VFW and American Legion for support and claiming his highest priority was taking care of those that served us. But at least he did keep the Lincoln Bi-Centennial Celebration committee alive. We veteran's do enjoy a nice celebration, even if it comes at our loss of benefits and legal assistance. Quinn's got a tough road ahead.
On the GOP side I see the same names going at it with a new addition, Dan Rutherford, the current State of Illinois Treasurer. Now call me an idiot, but why exactly would I support a guy that is in charge of the state's finances when the state's finances are a shambles? You would think he might have done something or said something BEFORE we became the state with the worst credit rating in the nation, wouldn't you? Maybe that's why folks are calling me an idiot, I can't seem to get behind anyone that was in charge of anything to do with the destruction that was inflicted on our state.
I am also having a hard time figuring out Brady and Dillard. Brady has leveraged himself so much on his previous unsuccessful bid for Governor that I swear I saw him collecting aluminum cans after his last speech. 5 loans from out of state banks last time didn't get him elected, and the opposition was a computer illiterate crook with a Dippity-Doo hair style! But...I am a political idiot and some folks will swear he's going to be able to muster the finances to be an effective candidate...if he isn't busy in court fighting off even more lawsuits. Plus Brady refused to vote to legalize medical marijuana even for COMPASSIONATE use...and hemp for industrial use as a textile and bio-fuel. Maybe I am an idiot, but if a guy won't make an allowance for someone that is dying, then what sort of approach will he have for the healthy? Tell them to suck it up, buy more gas and don't ask the state for any assistance?
Then comes Dillard...who is still insisting he beat Brady except for a technicality...Brady got more votes. If not for that minor detail, Dillard assures us he was victorious (yet I'm the one being called an idiot?) and that all the financial problems in Illinois would have been solved under his reign..errr...tenure. Again, I may be an idiot, but I always thought that even in a close race, the guy with the most votes won. Don't get me wrong, Kirk is a nice enough fellow, but I just can't stop picturing W.C Fields every time Dillard takes the stage. And both Brady and Dillard have been in Springfield long enough to share the  blame for this mess we're in. 
I just look at the facts and say that if they've had enough time screwing up things in Springfield as it is, then we certainly don't need either of them as Governor.Then again, I am a political idiot. Maybe I just can't understand the logic of  electing the same knuckleheads over and over again while the same problems get worse at an exponential rate.
I did say there were going to be 6 MAJOR players, but as an idiot I do not count so well. There is a fellow that is also running as a GOP candidate for Governor. His name is Bruce Rauner. He's made a fortune by merging weak companies together and turning them into strong Illinois companies. No by sticking investors with debt, not by moving companies overseas, not by massive loss of jobs to the local communities. Just solid leadership and high morality. His wife and him have donated generously to schools throughout the state and are staunch advocates for education and employment. This really is a nice family that would represent our citizens well.
I have been an advocate for Rauner's views for years, they are actually quite sensible and realistic. He describes himself as a "moderate to conservative" Republican, but some members of the GOP would not agree.Perhaps he is more for progress ans solutions, but I haven't foun an official political description from either party that applies to him.
"Rowdy" Rauner is not a politician. He associates with some politicians, has advised elected officials from BOTH parties, and has supported candidates from both parties (his wife is a Democrat but I am reasonably sure he has her vote!) that he believed would do the best jobs., but he is NOT a politician. He is pretty much a financial whizz with outstanding leadership ability that would never consider making elected office a life long career. He certainly does't need the job so he's immune to intimidation.
Try to threaten him with lack of financial support for his campaign and he'd probably laugh, he's got his own finances...he's a gazillion-aire. Try to bribe him and he'll probably beat the crap out of you on your way to the jail. Caterpillar Industry CEO Doug Oberhelman has personally endorsed Bruce Rauner for Governor and called him "absolutely incorruptible". Now I may be an idiot, but I don't think the CEO of CAT is, so if he says Rauner is the best man for the job, I'm inclined to agree with him.
Call me an idiot, but I still believe in the Republican party. Some folks call me an idiot for being GOP, citing that the GOP is a party of stupid bullies that only care about the rich. I must be an idiot because I do not agree with that. I will definitely state that the GOP Party does seem to have more than it's fair share of people that make stupid statements, and a few rich white people that believe they can bully their candidates into submission (and are too often successful at it!) and some portions of the party that are simply too extreme to even be considered conservative. But it's changing.
Not all Republicans wear teabags as earrings, or want to eliminate crucial social programs. We don't all call collections of benefits "entitlements" as though it were a bad thing. We don't all support a "war on women" and embrace blind obedience to some perceived moral righteousness. In fact, most GOP members I know share the same dilemma. How can we reduce government control while preserving the social  support aspects of the nation? Most GOP members I know do not advocate cutting meals for the poor, eliminating social security for the elderly, or believe remotely that the current tax system is fair to the middle class. And while most of us believe we need to eliminate or reduce handouts, we also want the days of corporate welfare and tax loopholes to end.
But that won't happen until we do our part here in Illinois. WE need to truly shake up Springfield and Bring Illinois Back! And with it, we bring back jobs. But...we are not going to do it with the same old people in office. We are not going to do it by strictly adhering to a Party policy established at a National level,( heck, this is Illinois, we got problems here to solve first!) We are not going change anything until WE, the voters and taxpayers, change. 
My support goes to Bruce Rauner. He seems to be the only guy out there with the stones to stand up and defy special interest groups, bullies like Rove and Norquist, Madigan and Cullerton, and pretty much tell the state employee unions to "keep your campaign check...it comes with too many strings and you're screwing your members anyway..." He has allies from both the parties and has dirt on both party's members. ..and will tell them "NO! Come back when you have a real proposal...".
I might be a political idiot, but  this is precisely the type of candidate I have heard people from BOTH parties saying we need. So why would I vote for anyone other than Rauner? Oh yeah, because I am an idiot and I am expected to just vote as I'm told, not how I believe. Hey, that sounds a bit too familiar, doesn't it? 
You know what? Maybe I am not such an idiot after all...I can choose who to vote for. I'd vote fro Rauner no matter which party he was a member of. I'd vote for a guy like him if he ran as an independent. I am not an idiot, nor am I a sheep blindly following the leader. Can you say the same thing about yourself? Together we all can make the needed changes. Let's  Shake up Springfield and Bring Illinois Back...VOTE!