"When everything feels like the movies, yeah, you bleed just to know you're alive."
The TV networks' projected feelings of Newt Gingrich at 8:00 pm (EST) on Primary election day in Florida (with apologies to the Goo Goo dolls[watch here]), on what it feels like to take a pummeling from the Republican Party Establishment in the Florida Primary, including being outspent $17.8 million to $5.5 million (after adding super PAC expenditures to candidate expenditures). Of course, that monetary gap omits the enormous value of the hundreds of Republican Party Establishment surrogate suck-ups, who fanned out across Florida during the last week on behalf of their new fair-haired boy, Mitt Romney, who earned his stripes by waiting his turn to make a serious run for President in 2012, unlike Newt, who never wanted to placate the Republican Party country club types.
A word to the wise: before someone takes on the Republican Party Establishment, national or state, he might want to prick himself a few times, so that he will realize what he will have to do on election day, "Just to know he's alive."
Gingrich v. Romney, proxies for the Tea Party v. the Republican Party Establishment
The Gingrich v. Romney Presidential primary contest is very much a Tea Party duel. Tea parties across the country stand for limiting government to its constitutionally limited responsibilities. That is, these folks are strict contructionists or followers of the Robert Bork "original intent," view when it comes to construing the U. S. constitution. Applying that approach to current fiscal issues means that elected officials should reign in governmental spending and taxes, at the Federal, State, County and local levels, as opposed to concocting new rationales and ways to waste the taxpayers' money.
Further, the Tea Party members are generally federalists, i.e., if the government is going to spend money or exercise power, it is best if it is done at the Village level. If you can't do that, then do it at the City or County level. If you can't do it there, then do it at the State level. The Feds, the level of government farthest from the control of the people, are the power or governmental level of last resort. Of course, if all possible, let private individuals, as opposed to government, make individual decisions to spend their money or exercise their power. That government which governs least governs best.
The general Tea Party view is that citizen politicians, as opposed to career pols, can be relied on to follow and legislate these preferences of the citizens. Career pols are viewed as under the thumb- under the control- of the establishment, those folks in government who make their living by running government to benefit themselves and their cronies in the private sector-- thus the name crony capitalism. [In Illinois, Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass came up with the phrase, "Daley Ryan Combine" to describe this unholy alliance of Democrats, Republicans, big business and big Labor who work together to benefit themselves; The Combine rolls on even though Governor George Ryan is now in prison and Mayor Daley is now a rainmaker at the Chicago based national law firm of Kattin Muchin Rosenmann and an adjunct Professor at the University of Chicago [also the 2013 resting place for David Axelrod, the man who made Daley and Obama what they were and who they are] ; Did the Combine make Carol Moseley-Braun the Black mayoral candidate in 2011 to insure the Rahm Emanuel victory without a run-off? See here.
Newt Gingrich, a career pol Tea Party favorite
However, sometimes, you will get a career pol, like former House Speaker Gingrich, who is viewed as less establishment by the Tea Parties than Mitt Romney, who has spent the majority, but not all, of his career in the private sector. After all, the Republican establishment, in the form of Republican minority leader Bob Michel, was doing nothing in the 80s and early 90s to shake up the U. S. House and elect a Republican majority. It was left to Newt to invent the Contract with America and extend the Reagan Revolution to the U. S. House in the 90s, giving the majority to the Republicans for the first time in a half century, starting in 1995 and continuing until George W. Bush managed to crash the Republican Party in November, 2006.
Bob Michel, Bob Dole and Mitt Romney, the revenge of the Establishment against Tea Party Newt
Many in the Tea Party think that is why the Republican Party establishment types, like former, big-time loser, Republican Presidential candidate Bob Dole ("96), are still upset with Gingrich. It was Gingrich who implicitly exposed and upset the cozy relationship of Dole and other establishment Republicans with the Democrats in the 90s. Bob Dole, as a Senate Leader, was known for having no philosophy, other than to cut deals with the Democrats. So, it is no surprise that Romney handlers should resurrect Dole from the "almost dead" to attack Newt in the last week. Indeed, many Tea Party types would put Romney in the same category as Dole, a "no philosophy" kind of guy who lived only to make deals. When Romney was running for Governor in the moderate state of Massachusetts, he was a moderate. When he is running for President in the Republican Primary in 2008 or 2012, he becomes a conservative. His critics say Romney has no philosophy-- other than to do or say whatever is necessary to win.
Illinois' 33rd Senate District Republican Primary, a Tea Party parable in the Land beyond O'Hare
Scroll forward to the Republican Primary in the 33rd IL Senate District, an open seat created by the Democratic controlled re-districting in 2011. The Dems had to give a few bones or seats to the Republicans; the 33rd is one of those bones, or as former Republican Primary Gov candidate Dan Proft [watch Dan label Barack Obama as "The Manchurian candidate for the radical left."] would call it, table scraps.
Whoever wins the Republican primary in the 33rd Senate District race wins the general election. The 33rd is the land beyond O’Hare Airport, beyond Palatine and Schaumburg, on your way to Rockford. It includes portions of East Dundee, West Dundee, South Elgin, St. Charles, Gilberts, Algonquin, Carpentersville, Hampshire, Humphries, Geneva and Batavia. It is about half rural and half exurban.
Karen McConnaughay, an Establishment soulmate of Milton Friedman and Ronald Reagan?
Republican Karen McConnaughay, who has been on the Kane County Board for two decades, and who has been Kane County Board Chairman for the last eight years, is stepping down to run for the 33rd District Senate Seat. Interesting in that most would view Karen’s current job as more powerful, with more perks and a higher income (101K) than the State Senate seat (about 70K) she seeks. Why does Karen want a job demotion? Karen might say that she can do more to affect change, for the good, from Springfield than from Kane County government. If so, pretty selfless on her part. Her critics contend Karen would have trouble winning re-election, making the senate seat a convenient exit from her current position.
Tax cuts and big ticket reforms
Karen, along with most other Republicans in the State legislature, says she wants to repeal the recently increased state income tax for individuals and corporations, taking it back to its former lever, 3% for individuals, and 4.8% for corporations. Karen says she wants to make the State Senate more pro-growth and pro-jobs. She also is for state government employee pension reform. Karen also says she is pro-Life [favors legalizing abortions only if the mom's life is at issue].
As you can see from watching Chairman Karen McConnaughay here, Karen sounds pretty conservative and perhaps even is a soul mate of Milton Friedman [Watch Friedman on greed with Phil Donohue] , the late, great free market Nobel Laureate economist, who spent most of his academic days at the University of Chicago. Indeed, Karen says she is a social and economic conservative, and she may even be a soul mate of Ronald Reagan.
Karen's 1.5 million dollars in campaign contributions
Not only has Karen been a successful pol for the last two decades, she has also raised almost 1.5 million dollars during the last two decades. Why do construction firms, unions, engineering firms and many other entities and individuals involved in the construction sector of the Kane County ecconomy want to give a Kane County Board member (and now Chairman) that kind of money?
Enter Tea Party proxy Cliff Surges, stage right [of Karen McConnaugjay]?
Before we answer that question, we might ask: who should be willing to take on the likes of Karen McConnaughay and enter the 33rd Senate District Republican Primary, stage right? Well, none other than Cliff Surges [Watch here], a small businessman with little or no political experience, who wants to reduce the role of government, cut spending and cut taxes. Cliff touts the fact that he is a citizen politician, with strong, extended family roots and private sector career roots through-out the 33rd Senate District. Businessman Surges views his lack of experience in politics as a plus, not a minus. Cliff says Karen can’t be trusted to cut spending or taxes. He says she is too establishment-- and opposing spending and taxes would require Karen taking on the very people she has been cozy with for the last two decades.
Who is the faux conservative in the Presidential Primary? in the 33rd Senate District race?
The conventional wisdom is that Cliff will have tea party support over Karen. Various pundits suggest this race is analogous to Newt v. Mitt, a real conservative and a faux conservative. But, which is which? Clearly, Karen is the candidate who has spent most of her career in politics. Indeed, Karen touts that political experience as her plus, the factor that differentiates her, in her view, from the novice candidate Cliff.
In the Presidential primary, Mitt Romney touts the fact that he has both political and private sector experience. He says he is a turn-around specialist in both the private and government sectors, and he says he can use that experience to turn around Washington, DC. Newt says the people can't trust Mitt to turn things in the direction of conservatism. Newt argues that Mitt would turn DC back to liberalism. Newt says Mitt would "Manage the decay," while Newt would introduce reform and positive, conservative rooted, change. Will Cliff follow Newt and argue Karen will help "manage the Springfield decay," afraid to take on the Republican Establishment?
Who will best represent the people of the 33rd Senate District? Surges or McCoonaughay?
Cliff, in sharp contrast to Karen McConnaughay, touts as his comparative advantage-- his lack of political experience and lack of political contacts/cronies, but abundance of business experience and grass roots involvement. Cliff Surges says he derives his energy, his independence and his inspiration from the people, and therefore he can better represent the will of the people. As a guy who has to work hard to pay taxes, he says he better understands the value of a tax dollar. Cliff would probably say he is the Newt Gingrich of the 33rd Senate District race, the real revolutionary, the real Reagan conservative in the race.
Karen McConnaughay says she is the Milton Friedman-Ronald Reagan soulmate (Indeed, Karen is someone who has read Capitalism and Freedom, one of the most influential conservative books of the 20th Century). Karen says she is the person with the leadership experience, with the big ticket ideas on big ticket reform. She has run a major county with a population more than twice the size of the District she seeks to represent. She argues she has had to deal with a county board made up of sixteen Republicans and eleven Democrats. So, she emphasizes, she knows how to work across the aisle to get things done.
What do we say? We say we question the candidates. We probe and challenge. Is there a faux conservative in the Presidential primary? in the 33rd Senate District Republican Primary? Who can you trust? Mitt or Newt? Karen or Cliff? We discuss. You decide. But, remember what Reagan said: "Trust, but verify. " Words to live by.
Watch Cliff Surges tonight on Public Affairs at 8:30 pm on Chicago Cable Ch. 21 (CANTV), airing throughout the City of Chicago. Kane County Chairman Karen McConnaughay is our guest next Monday night, same time, same place. You can also watch businessman Cliff Surges here and watch Chairman Karen McConnaughay here. You can also watch Mitt Romney here and watch Newt Gingrich here.
