ILLINOIS FORUM
After more than two decades of controlling state government, Illinois Republicans have been booted out of power by the voters, in November losing the governorship for the first time in decades. "The Republican Party has been in power for 26 years," said Bob Redfern, chairman of Illinois Forum (IF). "I don’t think [the voters] were really voting the Democratic majorities into power. I think they were voting the Republicans out."
In the past four years, said Redfern, "the Republicans lost control of the house, the senate, and the governorship."
The biggest problem with the state party, he said, is its lack of conservatism. "We’re the 7th highest-taxed state in the country," he said. "If the Republican Party in Illinois really wanted the right to carry, or pro-life, they would have done it years ago."
The outgoing Republican governor greatly angered Redfern during the election campaign last year. "Shortly after Jim Ryan’s victory in the [GOP gubernatorial] primary over challengers Corinne Wood and Patrick O’Malley, Gov. George Ryan said social conservatives should get out of the Illinois Republican Party," wrote Redfern in a missive posted on IF’s website. "Now this would sound like a self-destructive plan to most political observers, since Patrick O’Malley, the true choice of conservatives, drew nearly one-third of the Republican vote. . . . I’ve got news for you, Mr. Governor. Conservatives, who, by the way, were directly responsible for your election in 1998, are just as loyal to the party as you are. In fact, the conservative agenda more closely emulates the GOP’s state and national platforms than your philosophy of big spending, big government and political elitism."
Redfern said that Illinois conservatives have yet to learn the art of coalition politics. "There’s a lot of conservative activists out there, but they all act like they’re the leader," he said. "The pro-life people just work on the pro-life issue and don’t work on any other issue. The 2nd Amendment people just work on the 2nd Amendment issue. . . ."
"The Illinois Forum was established in 1989 as a statewide grassroots coalition of nonpartisan political activists," the group’s literature says. "Since that time, it has become one of the largest citizen groups in the state."
"We put the Forum together for term limits," said Redfern. "We were one of the first outside of the state of California to do it." The group’s effort failed. Illinois’ constitution allows for referenda on only "structural and procedural change," said Redfern, "and they decided term limits were not that."
In addition to term limits, IF’s agenda calls for "firearm laws which will allow qualified persons to obtain concealed handgun permits," "a tax amendment requiring a ‘super majority’ (60%) of the general assembly for all tax increases and/or the imposition of user fees," and "family values and various means to promote the family body."
"This coming year, we’re going to fight the state income taxes they’ve proposed to raise and fight the sales tax they’ve proposed to raise," said Redfern. "They claim they’ve cut the budget, but the budget was $52 billion last year and is $54 billion this year."
"We also advocate the Redfern Amendment, which would make the legislature meet every two years," said IF Board Chairman Dan Crane, the brother of Rep. Phil Crane (R.-Ill.) and a former (1978-’84) congressman himself. Crane, who grew up on the southside of Chicago, noted that, politically, the state splits between overwhelmingly Democratic Chicago and downstate. Chicago Democrats are personified by former Mayor Richard J. Daley and his son, current Mayor Richard M. Daley. "Basically, the old man was a conservative Democrat," said Crane. "The young man has done his homework. I’d classify him as trying to get tax dollars for the city and control of the state legislature."
"No chance," said Redfern when asked about the GOP’s chances in Chicago. "A lot of those people came out of ethnic groups and they are very poor people. They were raised with that mentality."
"[IF] is also actively engaged in recruiting talented individuals to run for all Illinois constitutional offices," says the group. "But these won’t be just any individuals! They must understand the issues, respect the constitution, and pledge themselves towards better government." IF’s last annual fund-raising luncheon attracted Republican and Libertarian candidates.
The new Democratic governor, Rod Blagojevich, may pursue some interesting policies. "He says he’s going to veto any tax increase and cut the size of government," said Redfern. "He could be more conservative than the Republican governors."
IF may be reached in care of Robert S. Redfern, RR 5, Fairfield, Ill. 62837 (website: www.ilforum.org).
