An open letter to Tom Roeser regarding “Individual K”

By Doug Ibendahl

Reprinted from the Family Taxpayers Network

[Tom Roeser, no relation to FTN’s own Jack Roeser, has a piece on his new blog defending his friend Bob Kjellander and mocking reform-minded Republicans. In this open letter, Doug Ibendahl sets the record straight on several key facts.]

Tom,

By my count you got about one thing right in your latest diatribe in defense of your friend Individual K. It’s the last line, “There: how’s that for alienating everybody and pleasing none?”

Well, actually, that’s not right either. Obviously your friend, Big Bob, will appreciate the way you destroy your credibility in order to salvage his.

If you want to brag about your long history as a conservative leader in a state where the conservative “movement” is now so weak it can’t even stop a Democrat (Topinka) from getting the Republican nomination for the state’s top job—have at it. If you want to sup on a “conservative” boat cruise with a guy who has called good conservatives many names including “kooks” and “incestuous”—and then come back and shill for that attacker of conservatives—again, that’s your choice.

But you have many lines in your piece that just defy logic. Here are just a few.

First, I found your belittling comments about Jack Roeser totally offensive. When you say things like “But this will enable Jack and others to possibly turn all their energies to building up the Illinois GOP…” Tom I wish you would spent just 1% of the time that you spend defending Individual K to do some of the really positive work Jack does. Jack has easily been one of the single biggest financial supporters of good GOP candidates in this state—and he does it with no expectation of getting anything in return other than good government.

Jack was the biggest single contributor (by far) to Oberweis just last year, the one candidate who could have stopped Kjellander’s candidate, Topinka. Jack also single-handedly nearly saved the Protect Marriage referendum last year. FTN’s Republican Renaissance Project is the most serious effort in years (maybe ever), dedicated to recruiting new candidates for public and party office. And all the thankless work Jack and his team do in providing transparency on the education spending front is truly miraculous.

Those are just a few of the true building efforts Jack Roeser is involved with—while you obsess over how to keep propping up Individual K. Tom, none of us spend 1% of the time trying to save him~ If it weren’t so true—it might be funny.

But I have several more beefs with you.

You say regarding Kjellander, “…for his work as a lobbyist which they maintain is a conflict of interest.” So, Tom, do you have doubts that there is a conflict of interest when a senior Republican party official makes millions with a Democrat administration? To most it seems like a textbook example of a conflict of interest. I would like to hear you explain how there couldn’t be a conflict.

“…has been blamed by some conservatives…” This is not a conservative vs. liberal thing. Tom, what about your other pal, Tom Cross? Have you forgotten that he even tried to adopt legislation several months ago to get rid of Kjellander? But I guess he is not the “Captain Ahab” to which you refer.

“Details were sealed but there is a rumor that Kjellander is considered to be Official K in Patrick Fitzgerald’s list. Is he? Who knows?” Are you serious? Numerous major papers including the “Chicago Tribune” and “Sun-Times” have reported this as fact. Anyone can read the description regarding Individual K in court documents and figure it out. It’s not true to say that all the details are sealed.

And then, of course, you rehash many of your same old disrespectful comments, mocking Kjellander’s critics.

“But Bob Kjellander has been the bete noir for some Republican conservatives who pin on him everything that has gone wrong in the GOP and beyond…possibly including the West Nile Virus.” And “but at the same time to dramatize him as the cause of all evil is…” and “the idea that the Republican party will never be the same unless Kjellander leaves is ridiculous” and last but not least you hurl the “Captain Ahab” thing for about the third time in12 months.

Tom, I’ve asked you this before—who has ever said that Kjellander is the source of all evil or the only problem? Defending the indefensible is bad enough but I think it’s sad that you can’t argue in an honest, mature fashion.

And here you show your ignorance about the party’s operation. “For one thing, Kjellander was elected to his job by the State Central committee and when Steve Rauschenberger ran against him, Kjellander won hands down.”

Wrong. Kjellander was first nominated by a committee whose members were chosen by the State Central. The actual “election” was then done by the delegates at the state convention in 2004—but of course that was all controlled by the convention chair Topinka. But yes, it is true that trhe State Central was responsible for picking a group for the nominating committee who were all pro-Kjellander except for one individual. Members were selected on that basis—so gee, what a shock that members picked for being pro-Kjellander would vote to nominate Kjellander. Returning to direct elections for the SCC would give an independent challenger a chance for senior offices like National Committeeman but of course you mock that too.

Next the biggest hoot of all was how you point fingers at Rove for working against Peter Fitzgerald—but the real culprit, your pal Kjellander off the hook. Good grief, Tom, Rove worked on Fitzgerald’s campaign for U.S. Senate. He did much of the mail, for cryin’ out loud. Kjellander worked against Peter from day 1 including his backing of Loleta Didrickson in the 1998i primary while Rove was backing Peter.

You say you don’t care how your diatribe will be taken—that’s good. Because count me in as another who won’t be caring i.e. I won[t be caring how you new internet paper fares.

You say you want more “balance” compared to the mainstream papers. But I guess I’m not seeing it. If I want to see good conservatives being mocked, rehashed insults, rehashed “facts” and silly analysis I think I’ll just stick to the papers already out there.

Tom, I’ve tried to be nice and professional in previous correspondence—to no avail. You seem only to listen to failed players of the past—that is, if you listen at all. I think we’re done here. There are plenty of Young Turks inthis state (and I’ll proudly include 84-year-old Jack “Captain Ahab” Roeser as one of those Young Turks who get it. There are plenty of Republicans in this state who aren’t satisfied repeating the same mistakes and propping-up the same old failed, self-dealing players. We’re advancing the ball on many fronts than you obviously realize.

Best wishes.

Doug Ibendahl

dibendahl@ilrp.org

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Editor’s Note: Doug Ibendahl is a lawyer employed by the Family Taxpayers Network and allied organizations founded by Jack Roeser.

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