Illinois Republicans must be scraping the bottom of the barrel. They want to enlist me in their crusade against what they see as the growing red tide in America.
Or at least President Donald Trump does.
That was the gist of the letter I received around Independence Day from the president, who outlined the stakes, “in this last, great election battle of my political career.” Guess he’s conceded his hopes for a third term.
Trump and the Republicans are scared of the upcoming mid-term congressional elections, which is why they want my vote and a campaign contribution ($35 to $500, preferably with a credit card). “This fall’s elections are a make-or-break battle for the future of our nation that we cannot afford to lose,” the president told me.
There aren’t enough fingers and toes to count the times both political parties have warned of dire consequences as election time nears. That fearmongering is supposed to get loyal party members out working the precincts, getting the vote out.
GOPsters want to stop those Democrat socialists who seem to be winning primary races; Dems want to reverse the effects of Trumpism. “My name might not be on the ballot this November, but my legacy is,” the president explained.
Voting on Nov. 3 will determine control of Congress and state legislatures, elect dozens of governors, and elect other state and local officials. I’m sure I’ll be getting a letter from a high-ranking Democrat warning of evil Republican ill will.
Which is why Trump wants the Republican-controlled Congress to adopt his signature voter ID legislation, the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act. The controversial bill would require proof of citizenship to register to vote, photo ID at the polls and restrictions on mail voting, among other measures. It harkens back to the 2020 election, which Trump and his supporters still contend was stolen by millions of undocumented people voting for Joe Biden.
The SAVE Act is also part of the GOP’s scheme to manipulate election machinery to remain in power. Already, they’ve padded the number of Republican-leaning congressional districts through questionable gerrymandered maps in a few red states, like Texas. History has proven the failure of similar attempts.
Like the election of 1892, which Republicans tried to control by admitting six western states to the union and purging voter rolls. Party stalwarts thought voters in the new states would be open to voting for GOP candidates.
They ignored the results of a faltering economy, a high unemployment rate, strict tariffs on imported goods, a growing gap between rich and poor, and the low populations of the new states. Does any of this sound familiar?
Incumbent Republican Benjamin Harrison lost the ’92 election to Democrat Grover Cleveland. Still, similar machinations continue to be played out by both parties.
It is questionable, though, why Republicans would waste printing and postage, paid for by the Republican National Committee, to garner votes in deep-blue Illinois. The years of Trump, dating from 2016, have not been kind to the stagnating state party.
Republicans have lost substantial ground in the Land of Lincoln to the point that they are an afterthought among voters. In Lake County, Democrats control all countywide offices and the County Board.
Statewide, Democrats hold supermajorities in both legislative houses and occupy every statewide office. That includes Gov. JB Pritzker, who is seeking a third four-year term in November.
Suburbanites and independents have abandoned the GOP and are becoming turned off by the latest canard emanating from the White House: Seeking to revive the “Red Scare” of the 1950s and link the fear of “communism” to Democrats.
The party of the left “put their partisan political goals before the best interests of the nation,” the president told me. “They don’t care that their policies, divisive rhetoric, and reckless spending bring about sky-high inflation, increase violent crime, drive up the cost of living, allow millions of illegal immigrants to flood our nation, trample on our values and rights, and unleash widespread unrest and division in our nation.”
One could attach some of the above paragraph to Republicans, depending on whether one’s politics drift that way. “The Democrats believe that they can win control of one or both Chambers of Congress with outrageous, vicious attacks on my Administration and me, ugly name-calling, and non-stop shrill protests — a pathetic temper tantrum by poor losers who will do or say anything to get back in power,” the president wrote.
Hmm. Name-calling, temper tantrums.
Sounds slightly familiar. Like what has come from the current White House occupant often enough.
Charles Selle is a former News-Sun reporter, political editor and editor. sellenews@gmail.com. X @sellenews
