Big Fish.
Republican National Committeeman Bob Kjellander, also secretary of the Republican National Committee, has not only refused to accept the State Central Committee’s vote asking him to resign…but has landed a big fish, as Illinois chairman of the presidential campaign of a leading candidate for the 2008 presidential nomination, Mitt Romney.
Always enterprising, Kjellander has been shopping for a presidential candidate. He was all set to go with John McCain until somebody with Illinois expertise warned McCain off. The Romney people haven’t been at this presidential stuff for very long—but they think that having a powerful fund-raiser and national treasurer of the GOP is a prime asset. Fund-raising is the name of the game, right now. And Kjellander is good at it. With all the hubbub, being associated with him didn’t hurt George W. Bush or Karl Rove any. In Kjellander’s mind, criticism of him comes unfairly--because the `06 race went badly and he’s been forthright in saying he’s been made the Baar-Topinka goat by a group of far-right zealots who want to take over the party.
We’ll see how well Romney does as he structures his Illinois committee around the national committeeman and national GOP treasurer.
I am unsure about Mitt Romney to start with due to his changing of positions from early in his Governorship to suddenly appear more conservative in positioning himself to take a run at the nomination.
ReplyDeleteThe inexperience of his campaign and their inability (or unwillingness) to look into Kjellander's checkered recent history in Illinois and run from him like the plague is disturbing to say the least. The 2008 race is not shaping up well for Illinois Republicans and this makes me questions Romney's credentials even further.
We will have to watch this one very closely and in the end may be forced to accept the dubious and distasteful choice of John McCain as our nominee.
When will we have a chance to stop holding our nose when we vote?
..but there sure makes Giuliani look awfully good.
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