Time For A Change

This November I will for the second time in my life vote for a Republican. I can only hope this vote will be better then the first one I cast. I am a staunch and proud Democrat. I am not a blind loyalist, but I usually vote along the party lines. If you look at most issues I am usually looked upon as being a Liberal. I am pro-choice, I am in favor of gay marriage and I think it is always a good idea to help people and provide affordable health care to everyone.

In 1998 I voted for my first Republican. It was George Ryan in a vote that I am still very ashamed about. He was running for Governor against a downstate Democrat named Glen Poshard. My vote for Ryan was really a vote against Poshard. He was the weakest candidate I had ever seen and how he was a Democrat I will never know. On every issue he was to the right of center so, I figured well if I am going to vote for a Republican anyway I might as well vote for one that admits to it.

As anyone who follows Illinois politics already knows, the George Ryan administration would be a complete embarrassment. Ryan was convicted of eighteen counts of public corruption in April. The Republican Party in Illinois which was weak to begin with has become a laughing stock in the state. Ryan would be a complete and utter disgrace sending the state into a monumental financial hole that we are still in today. The tip of the iceberg was when they brought in a carpet bagger named Alan Keyes to run for Senator. It was a complete joke and Keyes wound up getting like 20% of the vote.

All that aside, here we are eight years later and I am voting Republican for the second time. This time it is for Cook County Board President. The President of the Cook County has been a Democrat forever. Good old George Dunne held the post for twenty two years. He was as corrupt as they come. I have read a number of books about Chicago politics and in each they all mention how this guy was for sale.

After he retired, Dick Phelan served a four year term. Phelan was a complete boob. At least with Dunne the county was never in debt. Well in four years Phelan ran the county right into the ground. He was a complete joke. He was voted out after only one four year term and replaced by another Democrat John Stroger.

Stroger has held the post since 1994. In that time he has been, mediocre. With the county again in debt and Stroger at 77 years old it was time for a change. So when he ran for re-election I was all set to vote against him in the primary. A week before that election he suffered a stroke. His campaign assured everyone that it was mild and he would be back on his job in a matter of weeks. They kept him on the ballot and he won a tight victory in the primary.

Of course as anyone with a brain knew, it was much more then a mild stroke. It was announced a couple of months later that he would not be able to continue as board President and that he was going to be replaced on the ballot with a candidate the members of the Cook County Democratic board nominated.

All of this sounded and smelled like bullshit. When they nominated Stroger’s son Todd that was it for me. This is not a kingdom where the father bestows his throne onto the son. We have elections in this country for a reason. The Chicago Democrats knew Stroger wasn’t going to be able to run in November. They also knew that a primary win was basically a ticket to election because no Republican is going to win in Cook County.

So, they lied through their teeth and got their pawn to become the Manchurian candidate. So, because of the shenanigans that have gone on I have decided to cast another no vote. I am voting more against Stroger then I am for his opponent. His opponent is Tony Perica. I don’t align myself with any of his political views. He has promised if elected, even though he is pro-life he will not place any limits on abortion in the county hospitals. I believe him, I have to.

If he lies well then in four years we will just have to vote him out. I know a lot of tried and true Democrats that are voting for Perica. I hope he wins because that will send a clear message. If Stroger wins then we are as stupid as these politicians think we are. How anyone could vote for this ass clown is beyond me. We need to stand up for what is right and against the continuing patronage that has gone on in Cook County politics for far too long. I am sick of being the butt of political jokes. I hope that we are smarter then this and people can look past their party affiliations and switch sides. If a true blue, radical, ultra flag burning, liberal like me can do it, then anyone can.