Wednesday, July 29, 2009

That New Ride at the County Fair is Called
Thrown Under the Bus

The following is from Paul Mitchell's website. Mitchell intends to challenge State Rep Sandy Cole in the 2010 Republican Primary. As reported here yesterday, Republican candidate Mitchell, without cause or warning, was uninvited from the Republican Booth at the Lake County Fair.

Mitchell today relays a conversation that took place this morning with Lake County Republican Chair, Dan Venturi:
Update on the County Fair Booth

My friends,

I know that there are other issues than mine demanding your attention, but I thought you would want to hear the latest development.

Just after 7:00 this morning, I received a call from Lake County GOP Chairman Dan Venturi. It was his desire to make clear to me his position, which is that while my efforts as a volunteer working the booth are welcome, my campaign materials are unwelcome. He was very clear in his statement that the party will not be neutral in my effort to mount a primary challenge to Mrs. Cole. Chairman Venturi asserted that incumbents are always afforded this sort of protection. I pointed out to him that four years ago, when Sue Simpson challenged the late Sen. Adeline Geo-Karis, her campaign materials were in the booth; his reply was that he wasn’t chairman then.

To my mind, this is an unacceptable position for the party to take. But I recognize the authority of the County Chairman to take this position.

Still, I regret his decision immensely. By placing the party in the position of standing beside, and even shielding, Rep. Cole, he necessarily places me in the position of being at odds with my own party. I am a lifelong Republican, and I am running as a Republican because I firmly believe that the Republican Party is the best hope for good government in Illinois.

But Sandy Cole does not deserve the protection of the party establishment. She voted with Gov. Rod Blagojevich to spend $15,000,000 of state taxpayer money on unethical, obsolete, embryo-destructive research. In the recent session, she voted with the Democrats to increase state funding of abortions, to repeal all restrictions on abortion including parental notification, and to protect abortionists from malpractice suits when they harm women. Also, given that Sandy Cole’s primary funding sources include the pro-abortion groups Personal PAC, Emily’s List, and Planned Parenthood, I have no doubt that she will vote according to their desires and support state recognition of same-sex relationships as being equal to traditional marriage, whenever that measure makes it to the house floor. Sandy Cole is not, as she is often described, a “social moderate,” she is an extremist on the pro-abortion side. She exhibits contempt for the party platform and for conservatives in general.

Clearly, this is not a fight I can wage alone. I’m going to need help to get the word out, and even in this internet age, that still means money. Sandy Cole has the financial backing of well-funded liberal groups that are extremely hostile to Republican principles. I have none. Except you. Please send a contribution of $25, $50 or $100 to me at: Committee to Elect Paul Mitchell, P.O. Box 153, Grayslake, IL 60073, or contribute on-line at http://www.paulfor62.com. Too, I need volunteers; please sign up to help me pass petitions to get on the ballot. Sandy Cole is not a person who reflects credit on the Republican Party. She must be defeated.

Finally, please help me pass the word about this fight. In Lake County, there is a lone conservative trying unseat a liberal Republican.

Thanks again for your continued support!
Your LakeCountyEye notes that yesterday Mitchell was told that elected officials only -- and not candidates -- were welcome to present their campaign material at the Republican booth. But today Mitchell is told flat-out that his particular campaign literature is not welcome. Why the change? A sharp-eyed LakeCountyEye operative yesterday observed Republican candidate Suzi Schmidt's campaign lit at the booth.

Your LakeCountyEye surmises that after powwowing all day yesterday, Republican honchos found themselves in a nasty pickle. Either ...
(A) Permit all candidate material (including Paul Mitchell's) at the Republican booth.
... or ...
(B) Prohibit any candidate material (including Suzi Schmidt's) at the Republican booth.
Since neither (A) or (B) appears palatable, your LakeCountyEye concludes the honchos settled on a compromise plan ...
(C) Throw Mitchell under the bus.
A win-win for everyone -- well, as long as you're not named Paul Mitchell.

6 comments:

redtail said...

Another example of Republican machine politics. "We don't want nobody nobody sent."

Anonymous said...

They prefer the alleged moderate over a clear right-winger in Mitchell?
WOW!

No big GOP tents at the fair, I guess.

Anonymous said...

Is there really a GOP in Lake County? So many elected Republicans actually cling to and act upon Democratic values. So much so, the term RINO (Republican In Name Only) is a kitchen table acronym in many Lake County Households.
However with the Mitchell situation, the Republicans are exerting there core virtue of being the party of "NO". No Mitchell you can not put your lit in our booth.

Anonymous said...

More like no Mitchell you can't stand in the GOP booth and attack the current crew of Republican office holders as RINOS and as not being "true" Republicans.

If he were a Democratic candidate behaving the same way in the Democrat booth, he would have been tossed . . . much faster!

Anonymous said...

Paul Mitchell has an open invitation to display his lit at the Democratic booth.

Anonymous said...

Ultimately, the ever-feckless Dan Venturi had to back off from his opposition to Paul Mitchell's literature and physical presence in the LC fair GOP booth after widespread criticism from fellow Republicans.