Pat Brady out as IL GOP chairman? And my message ideas for the new party

While being chairman of the Illinois Republican Party may be a thankless task, the incumbent, Pat Brady, has made it more so. For the last few weeks of 2008--when the Blagojevich scandal broke--the Land of Lincoln GOP seemed to finally find its footing and a message. For six years the Democrats were largely silent when Blago destroyed this state--and the Republicans presented themselves as the alternative. Unfortunately, after Blago was removed from office, the Illinois GOP's slogan seemed to be, "We're not Democrats."

Yawn.

Illinois Review is reporting that party vice chair, Carol Donovan, may replace Brady.

In 2010, the GOP netted four congressional seats and President Obama's former Senate seat. But that was in spite of the party. Yes, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady (no relation) ran a crappy campaign, but a more effective Illinois GOP would have pushed him over the top against the hapless Pat Quinn. And in 2012, the Republicans lost three US House seats and both chambers of the General Assembly now have veto-proof Democratic majorities.

It's time Pat Brady to go. The mainstream media will jump on Brady's support of gay marriage as the catalyst if he's ousted. But simply put, Brady hasn't gotten the job done.

The state GOP has almost no social media presence, it conducts no blogger outreach. It has no message.

Here's a starter kit for a platform for Donovan, assuming she replaces Brady.

• Support a constitutional amendment banning gerrymandering and having a non-partisan commission conduct the decennial remaps. The people should pick their representatives--it should not be the other way around.
• Repeal the 2011 income tax hike.
• A no-nepotism pledge for GOP legislators and statewide office holders.
• A promise to call a vote to remove any state legislator charged with a crime. Yes, that includes drunk driving. Public service is a privilege, not a right.
• Propose tougher sentencing laws for public corruption.
• Promote school choice.
• Back meaningful pension reform and promise that state pension commitments are fully-funded.
• Support right-to-work legislation. Even Michigan has dropped forced-unionization.

It's a lot better than "We're not Democrats."

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