What's going on with the state Republicans?

From IL GOP FB page

It was on Thursday night that I wrote about the dissension in the Illinois GOP. Discontent was brewing for a while over the state Chairman Pat Brady's public comments in support of gay marriage in Illinois. That brought out the social conservatives of the party who have made some noise about having Brady removed as chairman.

On Friday, according to the CapFax we see that effort appears to flounder a bit. Although Brady seems to have fired a broadside at one of his potential allies. Although in an update that ally has elected to abstain from such a vote. At that the meeting to decide if Brady will remain chairman could be postponed. This meeting was to take place on Saturday.

Also in other state GOP news, Peter Bella writes about how the IL GOP doesn't even have the 2nd Congressional District special election on the radar. It's something to be expected especially in a district that's solidly Democrat. That may also mean whatever negative attention the Republican nominee may have gotten in his run - he is an ex-con - he's not likely to get much help combating the negative media on that.

Also Greg Hinz at Crain's also takes aim at the attempt to remove Chairman Brady. I always somewhat viewed the State GOP as moderate. It probably has to be now given the fact that Illinois is now a solidly Democratic state and more open to gay marriage than ever before. There's nothing wrong with social conservatism, but apparently depending upon the messenger it seems to be a scary ideology although it depends on who's doing the listening.

Anyway Hinz breaks it down this way:

Mr. Brady's critics say he's done a poor job of managing the party, which got absolutely shellacked here in the November elections and faces severe financial problems. He's also unlucky enough to be the party boss at a time when infighting between the GOP's long-dominant big-business wing and its feistier social conservatives is getting intense.

OK, so in a depressed economy we need people who are about business out there more than ever.

As for doing a poor job of managing the state party well it seems since George Ryan left the governorship in 2003 the state party hasn't done very well. It continues to founder at least from its more dominant days when it held the governorship for approximately 25 years and had control of at least one house of the state General Assembly. It should've been the death blow when they had to replace the Senate nominee in 2004 when there was great interest in his divorce and the state party selected the volative Alan Keyes to run against one Barack Obama!

The point to be made here is that the state party has had their issues for years and no matter who has been chair the party seems unable to really make the necessary changes. What Brady is known for is attacking the powerful speaker of the lower house of the General Assembly Michael Madigan sadly that hasn't gotten to the party anywhere. The next question must be where's the direction.

Whether Brady is able to stay or is removed isn't that the question Republicans must ask now?