Last Call

Last week I mentioned that Illinois lawmakers were going to take up authorizing same-sex marriage, and that the plan had the blessing of state GOP chair Pat Brady, who said that the "true conservative position" is in favor of same-sex marriage.  Unfortunately, the vote never materialized as Republicans went bonkers and were able to scuttle the plan.

That of course, was last week.  This week, Illinois Republicans want Pat Brady destroyed and thrown out of the party leadership as Brady has a full-fledged revolt on his hands.

State GOP Chairman Pat Brady faces growing calls for his resignation, at a time when some Illinois Republicans are rethinking the party’s image and stance on social issues, following a dismal showing in November’s elections.

Conservative groups and activists pounced on Brady shortly after he released a statement last week offering his “full support” of a bill before the General Assembly that would legalize same-sex marriage.

But now the public demands for his ouster are coming from party leaders themselves.

“Pat Brady is a total disgrace,” said Bobbie Peterson, a Republican state central committeewoman from Beecher, Ill.

“He’s a pretty face for TV. He can speak well. Period,” Peterson said. “But what’s coming out of his mouth is not what the Illinois Republican party is about.”

It’s unclear whether the party bosses opposing Brady have enough votes to oust him. But even those who stop short of asking for his resignation plan to take him to the woodshed for neglecting to notify party bosses before he publicly contradicted the party’s platform plank on gay marriage.

“I was shocked,” said State Sen. Jim Oberweis, a committeeman from west suburban Sugar Grove who has asked Brady to resign.“Very surprised. Did not expect that and didn’t know why he would have done that.”

Now don't get me wrong, Pat Brady is still a Republican.  But he's the first to figure out that maybe, just maybe, the institutionalized bigotry and intolerance of the GOP platform may be a huge reason as to why the state is completely dominated by Democrats.  And if you're wondering "Gosh, why aren't more Republicans taking a stand against this kind of hatred" look no further than the Illinois GOP doing everything they can to rid themselves of somebody who thinks that in America equality should be the law of the land.

But equality is "not what the Illinois Republican party is about."  Might want to keep that in mind.