-By Doug Ibendhal
The Illinois Republican Party officially imploded yesterday. The Chicago Sun-Times calls it a “bloodbath.” That’s putting it mildly.
From the U.S. Congressional races lost across the state to the veto-proof majorities the Democrats gained in both the Illinois House and Illinois Senate, it may be the single worst failure for the Illinois Republican Party in the history of the GOP.
But no one should be surprised. State GOP Chair Pat Brady and his crew have spent most of their time trying to prevent voters from voting. Brady & Co. have done nothing but work to shrink our party instead of working to build an organization that can compete and win.
Back in June at the Illinois Republican State Convention, the Illinois GOP had one last chance to turn things around going into this election. I and others championed a reform that would have opened-up the Illinois Republican Party and made it more inclusive and participatory. We worked to give every Republican back a voice in their Party. We tried to give every Republican back their vote for their top State Party officials.
It could have been accomplished in June. Our Party could have been energized by giving the Illinois GOP back to Republican voters. Nothing would have fired-up volunteer energy going into election season like the Illinois GOP declaring that it was going to end the closed culture of the past. We would not only be a more open Party today, we would also be a more diverse Party.
But that didn’t happen. So hostile were Brady and his handlers to the idea of Republicans voting – they wouldn’t even allow the delegates to vote on whether Republicans should have a vote….
Read the rest at RepublicanNewsWatch.com.
