By John F Di Leo -
It is said that "there is a Seinfeld for everything."
Who would’ve expected an Illinois primary election to give support to that, of all theories? But, so it has.
First, the fundamentals: Despite Illinois having been a reliable swing state for generations, due to the powerful Chicago Democrat machine countered by the reliably conservative Republican suburbs and rural downstate, a change began in the 1980s, when a new state constitution tipped the balance of power to the Democrats.
As Chicago and Illinois' other large cities grew more dangerous and more corrupt, the lifelong Democrat voters of the cities moved into the suburbs (without changing their voting patterns), overturning that old balance, and making it easier and easier for Democrats to win the state.
No longer called a swing state, Mike Madigan’s record-setting two-generation hold on the Speaker’s chair, combined with incredibly bad luck (and unforced errors) in numerous US Senate races, have resulted in an almost unshakably defeatist attitude in the minds of Republican activists, party officials, media, and worst of all, donors.
Continue reading "Di Leo: Like a Seinfeld episode, Illinois Republicans do the Opposite" »