Illinois Governor's Race, short pants and zingers...

I attended the Homer/Lockport/Joliet Tea Party Gubernatorial debate this evening and I have some thoughts to share. I know you've all been waiting breathlessly for my opinion on the candidates. Now that I've heard them, I can give it to you.

Five candidates showed up for this event. Bill Brady, Adam Andrzejewski, Dan Proft, Kirk Dillard, and Bob Schillerstrom.

Let's begin with who I hated. That would be Schillerstrom. I'm not really sure why he showed up. He claimed to know what the tea parties are about and who we are but then proceeded to tell us he's pro-choice and anti-conceal/carry. He almost got booed off the stage. Let me get this straight Bob; you favor the extermination of innocent human babies by their mothers but are against the extermination of criminals by armed citizens? Sounds like a crisis of conscience to me. Proving he is also not smarter than your average fourth-grader when asked from where our rights originate, he answered, "The People." This, of course, would be a surprise to Thomas Jefferson who wrote that we are "endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights..."
But I'll concede this to Schillerstrom; he had the integrity to give unpopular answers honestly. The other candidates all said what we wanted to hear and there's no guarantee they actually believe it. He still lost my vote.

Moving on to Dillard. I wouldn't say I hated his performance, but I hate guys like him. Career politicians. Been in the IL Senate for half my lifetime and with that much time, he hasn't created any significant change in IL politics or in the advancement of the conservative party or ideas. So why should I believe he's going to be a great conservative governor? Then it came up that he was in an Obama commercial endorsing the big zero! No thanks. His excuse didn't hold up. I don't care if Obama signed onto some ethics legislation you liked...the guy refused to vote to save infants from being left in a broom closet to DIE at IL hospitals. If that's not an ethics problem, I don't know what ethics means. Furthermore, for someone as pro-life as Dillard says he is, how could he endorse a person with so little respect for life that he would vote against a law to save a gasping, dying child? How do you shake hands with a monster like that let alone endorse him in a televised ad? Sorry Dillard. You also lose my vote.

The last three are a toss up for me. Brady is one of those career politicians that I don't like, but at the same time, he was more conservative than Dillard or Schillerstrom. But there's something very waxy about Brady. He's very polished and very smooth. He looks shiny. He does all the right things and says all the right things. He has very white teeth. Watching him speak is like watching every other candidate you've ever seen. Knows how to deliver a line, has a million memorized responses to every question under the sun. You're never going to catch this guy unprepared. But he's like a machine. There's something robotic about him. Something not so genuine. I didn't dislike him, I just kept thinking Stepford Wives and had a strange urge to check his back for the metal wind up key.

As unflattering as that description might sound, I could vote for Bill Brady. He might not be my first choice but he seems like a good man, a conservative man, and if he's the nominee then I will vote for him. But Bill, it wouldn't hurt you to tell a joke or say "um" once in a while.

Moving onto Adam A. Here's a tip. When your last name is Andrudiaewierueirfkjski, you might want to consider changing it for a public office run. How about Adam Andrews? But his name is not his biggest problem. Looking at Adam I got a protective feeling toward him. I was watching him fidget before the event and noticed him pulling at his socks...which were exposed nearly to the middle of his legs because his pants were too short. Adam has the exact opposite problem that Bill Brady has. He's clearly a regular guy. So regular you want to play Pictionary with him. I get a little brother vibe off Adam. I want to tousle his hair and punch him in the shoulder and take him shopping for longer pants and a better haircut. He's darling. I just wanted to give him a nooggie.

The IL Democrats will eat him alive, spit out his bones and do the Pasodoble on them. He had some great answers. He's a passionate guy. I loved him. But can he win? Not a chance. There was a moment when he and Proft got into a spat and let's just say that it didn't go well for Adam. And if you can't hold your own in a primary debate with friends, there is NO WAY you will stand up to what the enemy is going to throw at you. So Adam, I'm truly sorry to say I think you should drop out of the race and consider running against Mark Kirk instead for the Senate seat. That's a great place for you to start and get some experience in this game. And Kirk is a hideous RINO beast that must be defeated. I would 100% support you in that race. But call me first to help you pick out a new suit.

That brings me to Dan Proft. Proft definitely won the crowd. He was funny, quick on his feet, genuine, unrehearsed (or so good at it, it seemed unrehearsed) and brought me to my feet several times. I especially liked his comparison between IL politicians and the school bully demanding your lunch money at every turn. Exactly. If I could choose a candidate to run against Quinn, it would be Proft, but again...can he win? He's a little sarcastic. How will that play in the media? He'll make great soundbites. But they'll try to tear him apart. However, he's so quick with a comeback, they may not be able to and I like that. He's tough enough. That's what you have to be to make it in this town. I also thought he was believable. He echoed a lot of my own thoughts...Illinois isn't broken...it's FIXED! It's a racket! Then I went to his website and there's a section on there called "If the wig fits, wear it." LMAO...they're putting Blago's hair on people. Go look...it's hilarious. The best thing he said all night though was that we should pay state legislators in state bonds. Yes!

So congratulations Dan Proft. You not only won the debate but you may have won my vote. I say may because we have the others to consider. Jim Ryan is running, as is Andy McKenna. Neither showed up and so neither will be getting my vote, HOWEVER, if we don't narrow down this field we're going to end up with a Schillerstrom or a Ryan getting the nom because our votes are split between too many candidates. We have got to get together on this one and decide who we're going to support as a united group. If we allow our votes to go to all of them willy-nilly, it will just open the door for a "moderate" and we'll be in the same old situation.

So if any of you have any thoughts on this, I would love to hear them in the comments section below. To view the debate in its entirety click HERE