Personal Aside: Carole Pankau and the Establishment Tribune”…Liberal Democrats Hoping for a Miracle to Save Topinka—but Not in the Cards…The Summing Up.

Pankau.

Republican state comptroller candidate Carole Pankau was waiting for the editorial board interview with the “Tribune” when she heard that her opponent, Comptroller Dan Hynes, had already been there, done that. She

called the “Tribune” to see if they were interested in meeting with her. They said oops, they made a mistake and had forgotten to call in her for the joint interview. A mistake, huh? They set an interview for Pankau and when she walked in there was one lonely reporter there. Probably the one who edited the paper’s cookbook. What does that tell you? That the fix is in for yet another establishmentarian liberal figure to get an endorsement, Dan Hynes. The “Tribune” is so bigoted against social conservatives that it really couldn’t care less. Basking in the warm approbation of the liberals is what made the “Tribune” great in the first place—and what will keep it off the auction block now, right?

Save Topinka.

Democratic liberals who hope to use Judy Baar Topinka as a four-year bridge to raise taxes so a trouble-free governorship will be paved for Lisa Madigan are thrilled to their little soft bones with the news that the Copley News Service poll shows the gubernatorial race at 44 for Blagojevich and 40 for Topinka with Green candidate Rich Whitney getting 7. Dear God, they say, is it possible? Is there hope? Hope that despite her winging it with non-substance and her low-rent characteristics…with all the grace of a housewife shouting derisively to a neighbor from one open window to another…Topinka can save the liberal dynasty, knocking out Blagojegich and obviate the chance Pat Quinn will become governor next year. For if Pat Quinn does, that could well be the end of Fair Lisa’s hopes for governor in the indefinite future, make no mistake. But the more realistic of the liberals see very little hope for Topinka to win, notwithstanding their earnest hope she do so.

Already the reasons liberals give for Topinka’s likely fall have nothing to do with the fact that she has alienated the social conservative base. Assuredly, one cannot get elected just with the base and nothing else…but as Topinka is proving, one cannot get elected after having given the finger to the base for many years. Liberal pundits are in denial that the alienated base means nothing and so expect that they will concentrate on the huge amount of money Blagojevich spent on slamming Topinka. That was one major factor, of course, but social liberals will recognize no other reason for her demise because they themselves are unsympathetic.

The Summing Up.

If as is expected, Topinka goes down it will not bring conservatives any benefit if they don’t remember the reason why she was nominated.

Two things to remember: first, the same liberal media, including the “Tribune” and most of its adherents who are now pulling for Topinka in this lost cause, earlier decided Jim Oberweis shouldn’t win the nomination because he was too conservative and principally…in the “Trib’s” case…he was pro-life which sticks like a bone in the bigoted anti-life “Trib’s” throat. Yet it is a virtual sure-thing that armed as he was with funds and a supportive base, Oberweis would be much farther ahead and more likely to upset Blagojevich than is Topinka. As a matter of fact, any other candidate but Topinka…meaning Gidwitz and Brady…would be in a better position and with a stronger base support than Topinka has.

Second, the deciding factor in Topinka’s razor-thin nomination was State Senator Bill Brady of Bloomington who (a) by refusing to run for any other office despite his tender age (44) became the spoiler and (b) acted the complete spoiler, targeting Oberweis rather than Topinka in the campaign though it would have made more sense to go after Topinka. In more than fifty years in politics, I have seen spoilers but never one acting so blatantly as the decoy Brady who was in secret touch with Topinka and was rewarded on the day after her nomination with her Judas kiss of thanks.

Conservatives should remember that in the primary, Gidwitz did the prudent thing: zeroing in on Topinka with TV commercials that very nearly ended her career. Gidwitz while no social conservative has libertarian instincts that are not inimical in most cases to conservative principles (he would have vetoed as governor the gay-rights bill because he feels there are sufficient anti-discrimination protections that obviate the need for new ones). Also witness his strong backing of Henry Hyde during the full extent of his career. As an Oberweis partisan, I say Gidwitz should have been recognized by conservatives for having the foresight to try to take down Topinka which, if only Brady had done the same, would have achieved a good result. The fact that Brady was a secret ally of Topinka was due to several factors: he fancied himself the supposed legatee of Jim Edgar albeit with a pro-life caste and he listened to advice from a consultant who had an earlier connection with Edgar.

Brady should not be permitted to see his career escalate after the election in view of this unforgettable decoy-participation. Period—end of argument.