Jim Oberweis’ three statewide campaigns
have provided ample evidence of his propensity for making
outrageous claims designed to focus media attention on himself.
The first time he ran statewide, Oberweis
compared anti-abortion activists to the Taliban, provoking howls of
protest. The second time, he vastly overstated the
illegal-immigration problem, to still more criticism.
Last week, on a day meant to highlight the
Republican Party at the Illinois State Fair, the gubernatorial
candidate decided to use his moment at the microphone to highlight
himself and slam his state party’s national committeeman, Bob
Kjellander. As you’ve probably heard by now, Oberweis
demanded that Kjellander resign as Kjellander sat a few feet behind
him on the podium.
In that brief moment, the state GOP’s
efforts to portray a modicum of unity and focus their ire and the
public’s attention on the failings of Democratic Gov. Rod
Blagojevich were completely undermined. Oberweis and Kjellander
became the story, along with Republican disunity and alleged
Republican corruption.
Oberweis and other Republicans — and,
lately, some Democrats — have said they believe that
Kjellander is too heavily steeped in the “old way” of
doing business. The longtime lobbyist and insider has reaped
millions from advising major corporations on the ways and means of
state government, including a recent $4 million fee for putting a
company together with the Teachers’ Retirement System’s
pension fund.
Oberweis and those of his ilk believe that the
Republican Party must be purged of the old at almost any cost. They believe that as long
as Kjellander and those like him are around, Blagojevich will be able
to proclaim next year that the GOP has refused to learn any lessons
from the George Ryan debacle.
It’s a good point and most likely
prescient. Now that some Republicans have made Kjellander an issue,
Blagojevich will undoubtedly try to use him against the GOP —
even though Kjellander has made a big pile of money during the
Blagojevich administration, which tends to disprove the notion that
the governor has eradicated the old way, despite all of his public
posturing.
On the other hand, Kjellander hasn’t
been accused of doing anything except persuading businesses to give
him lots of money. If he did something illegal, then he should
twist in the wind. But Republicans always say they want government
to run like a business, and, obviously, many businesses feel that
large finders’ fees are appropriate.
Oberweis, however, is not the most credible
critic on the planet. He is now just as pro-life as the so-called
Talibani he slammed three years ago. He has backed away from the
immigration ads he ran just last year. With this record, we might
half-expect him to ask Kjellander to chair his next statewide
crusade. He hasn’t shown that he is sincere about anything.
Not to mention that there are those who
believe that a particular branch of the party’s right wing is
attempting to depose Kjellander so that they can install one of
their own in his place.
One of Kjellander’s oldest enemies is
Jack Roeser, an ultraconservative millionaire who has backed dozens
of candidates for public office. Roeser supported state Sen. Steve
Rauschenberger’s U.S. Senate bid last year, and
Rauschenberger led the charge against Kjellander. This year,
it’s Oberweis trying to lead the charge and, lo and behold,
Roeser is supporting the milk magnate.
Kjellander was recently elected treasurer of
the Republican National Committee. He is close to President George
W. Bush and Karl Rove, Bush’s top political adviser. As long
as those two guys stick with him, it will be impossible to blast
Kjellander out of office, no matter what the merits may be. And
there’s no way that Kjellander wants to allow Oberweis and
Roeser to push him out.
This Republican family feud is a complete
standoff, and it has “disaster” written all over it.
This article appears in Aug 25-31, 2005.
