SB600: A Conservative’s Dilemma
by Sam Pierce
Illinois conservative voices seem to be clamoring for the passage of SB600 to fix the way the ILGOP state central committee members are elected. A part of the goal is to perhaps remove the power from the hands of the entrenched elitist jerks who currently pull the Illinois Republican Party strings. The goals may be noble and who can argue against knocking the bums in charge of the excuse for a state Republican Party that is the ILGOP off their perches?
Why then should SB600 pose a dilemma for an Illinois conservative? Shouldn't we adopt an "ends justify the means" mindset and get this important task accomplished? Surely there can be no principled argument that could outweigh the righteous substance of this bill. Adam Andrzejewski, Cedra Crenshaw, and other Illinois conservative stars support the bill, so why not fall in line?
A friend, fellow TEA Party organizer, and tireless activist recently asked, in response to my opposition to SB600, if I didn't think the conservatives in Illinois could take control of the party if the bill were enacted... as well as what I would do. I had to think about the second question, but immediately responded "no" to the first.
There is no way that I believe changing the way state central committeemen are elected will empower conservatives in this state. The forces and money are the forces and money, no matter how the deck chairs are arranged. I also don't think the social engineering proposed in the version of the bill at the ILGA web site is the way to go for any conservative... unless he or she believes in gender quotas:
| 16 | Alternative A. In each congressional district at the | |
| 17 | general primary election held in 2010 and every 4 years | |
| 18 | thereafter, the male candidate receiving the highest number of | |
| 19 | votes of the party's male candidates for State central | |
| 20 | committeeman, and the female candidate receiving the highest | |
| 21 | number of votes of the party's female candidates for State | |
| 22 | central committeewoman, shall be declared elected State | |
| 23 | central committeeman and State central committeewoman from the |
| |||||||
| 1 | district. At the general primary election held in 2010 and | ||||||
| 2 | every 4 years thereafter, if all a party's candidates for State | ||||||
| 3 | central committeemen or State central committeewomen from a | ||||||
| 4 | congressional district are of the same sex, the candidate | ||||||
| 5 | receiving the highest number of votes shall be declared elected | ||||||
| 6 | a State central committeeman or State central committeewoman | ||||||
| 7 | from the district, and, because of a failure to elect one male | ||||||
| 8 | and one female to the committee, a vacancy shall be declared to | ||||||
| 9 | exist in the office of the second member of the State central | ||||||
| 10 | committee from the district. This vacancy shall be filled by | ||||||
| 11 | appointment by the congressional committee of the political | ||||||
| 12 | party, and the person appointed to fill the vacancy shall be a | ||||||
| 13 | resident of the congressional district and of the sex opposite | ||||||
| 14 | that of the committeeman or committeewoman elected at the | ||||||
| 15 | general primary election. Each congressional committee shall | ||||||
| 16 | make this appointment by voting on the basis set forth in | ||||||
| 17 | paragraph (e) of this Section. | ||||||
I wasn't aware of the committeeman and committeewoman portion of the bill until I began reading today, so it in no way inspired my original opposition. Please spare me the sexist accusations.
The heart of my opposition can be found in my opinion of the state legislature's legitimate purposes. I don't read Article III of the Illinois Constitution and come away with a sense that dictating the procedures and composition of political party leadership is within the authority of the legislature. That is of course unless the liberal glasses are put on before reading the following.
SECTION 4. ELECTION LAWS
The General Assembly by law shall define permanent
residence for voting purposes, insure secrecy of voting and
the integrity of the election process, and facilitate
registration and voting by all qualified persons. Laws
governing voter registration and conduct of elections shall
be general and uniform.
(Source: Illinois Constitution.)
It doesn't quite have the zest of the all-encompassing commerce clause in the U.S. Constitution but it might be enough for someone who sees a path to political power. Does the General Assembly have the constitutional authority to do what SB600 intends? If your answer is "yes," is that simply because it is what you want? Is that the Illinois conservative's view regarding the constitutionality of bills?
I also can't fathom why these conservative leaders place their faith in the Democrats in the ILGA. What business is it of Mike Madigan, how the ILGOP fills its feckless positions? I don't believe the General Assembly or the Democrats who control it should dictate the procedures followed by the Republican Party. Then again I, apparently unlike the conservative leaders in Illinois, do not look to His Highness, Mr. Madigan and the legislative body he controls for government imposed "fixes" to party problems.
The question regarding what I would do has what seems a relatively obvious answer. Don't fund the ILGOP or support it in any way unless they change from within. Then again, it must not be obvious since SB600 is so popular. Oh well, what else can Mike Madigan fix for Illinois Republicans?
For those of you who question why I should even consider Illinois Republican Party business given my disdain for the pitiful party to which I belong, I say you might have a point. Even if my conscience prevails and I ultimately leave the Republican Party, I only offer opinion. It is not like I am trying to use the force of Mike Madigan's gavel to control the party.
Cross-posted from "The Immoderate Blog"
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