Democrats Wed Mar 03 2010

The Problem with Democratic Lt. Governor Applicants

In case you haven't noticed yet, you can now submit your resume to be considered by the Illinois State Democratic Central Committee to be slated and become the nominee for Lt. Governor. You can find detailed instructions at http://www.ildems.com/ltgovnominees.htm

Perhaps more entertaining than applying yourself, is sorting through the resumes and applications of those who think that they can achieve what Scott Lee Cohen could not. Over 40 applications have been submitted so far and are posted on the Illinois state Democrats website. What seems to jump out to me is that many of these candidates, with little experience with elected office, seem to think they can play in the big leagues without going to training camp.

While more experienced pols like Arthur Turner, who came in 2nd place in February's election, and State Representative Mike Boland have yet to submit their applications, many of the posted applications point to candidates who have not been tested in the flames of a campaign.

While the decision that the State Central Committee of the Illinois Democrats makes will be watched closely, it won't give citizens the chance to see how the candidates deal with the pressures of a campaign.

Instead of seeking thousands of votes, the candidate will only need 38.

Granted, this is a seat with little actual power. However it is a seat that has launched political careers for people like Paul Simon and Pat Quinn.

What's interesting is that many of those submitting their applications don't realize who the hiring committee is. Some of the most powerful politicians in Illinois will be deciding on who the nominee is, so why do many of the applications seem like these are candidates who are trying to get this job the easy way? It would seem that they think that working over a crowd of 38 is easier than collecting signatures in the cold, fund raising, cold calling voters at dinner time, and getting blisters from knocking on doors.

However this is a crowd of 38 that are going to be looking for someone who can bring them some benefits. I expect some serious political deals to be made in order to determine the new nominee. If you are not willing to campaign for office, are you willing to bargain for office?

— Matt Muchowski