By Dan Proft -
Shared values or cult of personality? Around which should the Illinois Republican Party rally?
Last night before the the Rock Island County GOP, as I have before many GOP and conservative grassroots groups throughout Illinois, I made the case for shared values. Personalities come and go but shared values endure.
An effective rebranding and representation of the Illinois Republican Party requires its standard bearers offer specific deliverables consistent with the party's conservative values in order that metrics are set forth by which Illinoisans can evaluate us. If we demonstrate self-accountability we establish credibility that we too will be accountable to Illinois families.
We must convince the Illinois electorate that we do not believe avoidance of blame is synonymous with acceptance of responsibility.
We must commit to the Illinois electorate that, regardless of the persons responsible for the state's moral and fiscal condition, we desire the opportunity to tackle the full range of existential challenges with our full complement of specific, thoughtful policy solutions that directly address their quality of life concerns and passionately convey our understanding of the human costs bad public policies impose.
It is time we stopped living down to the caricatures painted of us by Chicago Democrat bosses. To do so necessitates that we define ourselves with moral clarity, that we establish the constituencies we aim to serve, and that we explain with some precision how conservative Republican representation would enhance their lives.
I put forward a few specifics for consideration before the Rock Island County GOP on Tuesday night in the hopes of spurring contributions from others.
