No Dems rally at state fair – Is that really much of a surprise these days?

A lot of people are going to try to make an issue out of the fact that this year’s Illinois State Fair will not include a political rally by the Democrats to try to tout their candidates seeking nomination in the primary elections to be held come March.

They'll claim it is evidence that the Democratic Party in this state is chaotic and unorganized. They can't get their act together to hold a simple rally.

I doubt anybody'd cry about no politicos

 

HOW CAN THEY possibly be trusted to govern the state of Illinois any longer? So vote Republican!

They’ll probably cite the Republican Day rally scheduled for Thursday and all the excitement that will be on display and try to claim that it is evidence that The People!!!! are ready for a change.

Excuse me for being skeptical. But I don’t buy it. I don’t think it is any big surprise that Democrats aren’t going to do much with their traditional rally on the fairgrounds. I’m actually surprised they didn’t do this years ago.

Now for those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, the tradition for the state fair (held at the State Fairgrounds on the far northeast corner of Springfield) is that one day is designated as “Governor’s Day.”

IT IS A day meant for the governor himself to show up on the fairgrounds, take part in many events and appear as though he’s one of the people. By tradition, the governor’s political party uses the fairgrounds to hold a rally to let us all know how wonderful they are.

Then, in a sense of fairness and equality, the opposition party gets its own “day” at the fairgrounds, in which their officials try to make it seem as though they’re more in tune with the public.

It’s all a lot of trivial nonsense. Although in a year before the elections, it can be an unofficial start to campaign activity for the prospective campaigns.

This year, Governor’s Day is Wednesday, and Pat Quinn will show up and do his thing (although he’s already spent a lot of time at the fairgrounds since the event began Friday). Republican Day is Thursday.

I doubt many would come even if there was a Wed. rally

BUT QUINN SAID last week that the Democrats who in theory are his allies won’t be doing anything at the fair on Wednesday. They will have a breakfast meeting in Springfield, but that’s it.

Some people are pointing out the fact that at last year’s Democratic Party rally at the state fair, organized labor officials showed up and heckled the governor. Perhaps the reason for no partisan rally is that Quinn is some sort of coward who can’t take a little bit of criticism.

Actually, I think it is just a realization that the state fair has become a less-important political event for the Democratic Party that represents the interests of the urban portion of Illinois.

There are Democrats in the rest of Illinois, but their numbers are dwarfed in most cases by the Republican Party organizations. Which is evidence of just how much the Chicago area can dwarf the rest of the state that it has become the dominant political party in Illinois as a whole.

MY POINT BEING that the Illinois State Fair largely draws its crowds from people who live in Sangamon County and the rural counties that are directly adjacent to it.

Much of Southern Illinois takes the DuQuoin State Fair (this year, it’s Aug. 23-Sept. 2) more seriously. While in the Chicago area, even the scaled-back Taste of Chicago and all the summer festivals are more significant than what happens at the state fair.

With the Chicago dominance of the Democratic Party, I wouldn’t be shocked to learn that most of the power-brokers are pleased they don’t have to make the four-hour drive to Springfield to pretend they care about what is happening at the fairgrounds.

QUINN: Gets the fair all to himself

In fact, what I recall of the state fair during the seven years (1993-99) I was a Statehouse reporter was that the political rallies were held in a portion of the fairgrounds that was isolated from the rest of the event.

MOST PEOPLE ATTENDING the state fair weren’t even aware of the blather being spewed by political people of all partisanships. I really doubt anybody at the fairgrounds on Wednesday will miss the presence of politicians in the least.

Perhaps people at the fair on Thursday will wish that Republicans would follow the same lead and spare us their blather. You really want to get the people who attend the Illinois State Fair all angry? Take away the Husband Calling Contest.

Somehow, I suspect the loss of the sight of middle-aged women trying to come up with loud, obnoxious screeches meant to attract their husbands’ attention (which took place Sunday) would upset fairgoers more than the loss of politicians.

  -30-