As State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka approaches her so-called “drop dead” day of decision on whether or not to seek the Republican nomination for governor, two significant leaks tell us her frame of mind. Lynn Sweet, the Washington editor of the Sun-Times, tells us that Judy is displeased that the Republican National Committee will evidently not plunk big bucks into her campaign. She met earlier with Karl Rove who promised it but nothing happened and Rove is now otherwise occupied. Rich Miller, who publishes a newsletter and blog (to which I subscribe and which I like, honest, Rich!) , gives us a review of the state of the political world with which he is most comfortable: a world where conservatives are the bad guys, stupid, unfeeling, uncaring and the exalted ones are liberal Democrats and at the very least, liberal Republicans ala Judy. Now the doomsday scenario: Judy could win the primary but running against a host of bad guy conservatives she would be so battered she could not win over Blagojevich with his tons of money.
Here for free is a countervailing scenario: Judy is damaged goods. Damaged because Blago can use her attempt to lower the bar for GOP moneybags Bill Cellini to escape paying in full to the state for his big Renaissance Hotel investment. She’s being examined by the U.S. Attorney, the rumor goes and we don’t know what will come of that. She is unable to excite the conservative base. Her slightly topping Blago these days in the polls stems from her longtime service as a state constitutional officer.
Rather than Judy, if the GOP were to nominate one who is a sunny Reaganesque candidate who can unite the base and downstate, steer clear of the shoals of division, the party would be infinitely wiser. Don’t let Bush’s low numbers confuse; those numbers come when he is at his lowest point. Take a look at page 22A of the Washington Post and 103B of The New York Times and you will find—voila!—that the people of Iraq including a good number of Summis are embracing democracy. The battle is being won and the so-called “mainstream” press will not recognize it. By the time the folks will be ready to vote, Bush will have topped Reagan as an innovative, gutsy great president.
If JBT is serious about becoming governor, her best bet is to switch parties and run against Blago.
ReplyDeleteSocially, both are equally liberal. Fiscally, you would replace one "pay to play" advocate with another, and the liberal base is so dientchanted with Blago that they would love to find an alternative.
Judy would pass HB755 in a heartbeat, so the left has that going for them.
Come on, Judy - JUMP!
Judy is not electable and too much past
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