Monday, December 28, 2009

EXTRA: This is “reasonable” opposition?

Every time you hear the name “Blagojevich” screamed during the coming month, it will be by a Republican candidate who is trying to create the impression that the GOP represents some saner version of electoral politics.

Yet anyone who knows anything about government knows that the goofballs are to be found in all political parties. On Monday, we got a glimpse of some of the “Party of Lincoln’s” people who cause Honest Abe to roll over in his grave more than Illinois’ former governor ever could.

ANTHONY MARTIN TRIGONA, who these days prefers the name Andy Martin and likes to identify himself as a GOP candidate for U.S. Senate, is the beneficiary of a new radio spot – one that implies that the alleged frontrunner in the Republican primary – Rep. Mark Kirk of the North Shore suburbs – is not a heterosexual.

It is true that Kirk is divorced, but no one has ever come up with real evidence about Kirk’s sexuality (EVERY politician is some sort of freak – if you listen to the rumor mill). Kirk himself is making it clear that he considers the radio spot slanderous.

What caught my attention about this stupid exchange is that the Illinois Republican Party felt the need to intervene. State party Chairman Pat Brady issued a statement Monday saying that the Illinois GOP “disavows” the statements, adding, “Mr. Martin will no longer be recognized as a legitimate Republican candidate by the Illinois Republican Party.”

Not that it means Martin’s name will be removed from the ballot or that he’s no longer in the campaign. He’ll still be there in the Republican ballot when one shows up at a polling place, or casts that absentee ballot.

BUT IT DID strike me as unusual that the party would feel the need to get involved at all, which is something they ought to get a bit of praise for.

In most cases, we would have had party officials trying to pretend the incident didn’t happen, or that it doesn’t really matter much and shouldn’t be given any attention to. Instead, we got party officials going for the knockdown. Not that it hurts them much.

Chances are good that Martin (who has barely shown up in polls) has so few supporters that the number of people who will be offended at GOP head Brady for taking this step totals in the hundreds (out of 12.9 million living in Illinois).

It also means neither political party has a monopoly on nitwits within its ranks.

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EDITOR’S NOTES: The Illinois Republican Party felt compelled to “take down” one of their own (http://www.weareillinois.org/connect/newsDetail.aspx?newsID=8235) for crossing the “line” in campaign rhetoric.

WBBM-AM reminds us they were obligated to air such a spot, while also letting us know in this report they’re (http://www.wbbm780.com/Political-Ad-Questions-Republican-s-Sexual-Orienta/5952370) not enthused about its existence.

Those of us who have been around for awhile remember Andy Martin (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/5/15/21251/3538) under his former identity.

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