Getting a Leg Up

Do Republicans in Democrat dominant Lake County need a new strategy, in addition to running able candidates against lesser Democrat opponents? R's not only have to compete against the opponent, thay also have the overlay of the "cultural Democrat" mindset. A public who would rather vote for a D who they know is the less qualified candidate because "we don't vote R." I recently spoke with an R who is switching to D. He has been told by a large number of people in the community who he knows that they would've voted for him and supported him if he were a D, but couldn't when he was an R. Same guy with the same views and goals, by the way - no real change in his philosophy. And some local Democrats worked on him with "you'll win with us." McDermott Jr. chose to be D unlike his R father. Help me and correct me if I'm wrong, weren't the Guernsey's of Merrillville R before the influx of Garyite hard D's in the early 1990's challenged GOP strength in that town, and switched to stay in office? Hobart had Malizzo and Lewis go R to D, and current mayor Snedecor used to be R until he became Buzinec's police chief, then mayoral candidate.

The Saturday after the 2007 mayoral election, I went to Shoreline Brewery for a little bit of goodness to wash the bad taste of the unexpected rout from my mouth. Guthrie came within 400 votes of beating two term incumbent Buzinec in 2003, and lost 2-1 to Snedecor, who I thought was much less of a challenge, and the experience rang my bell. I sat next to a chatty Patty who, it turned out, was also from Hobart. I asked her who she voted for, and she said Snedecor of course. I asked what made him better then Guthrie, who had a laid-out plan and was arguably better suited for the office. She said that Snedecor went to the same church she did, and was a rock solid social conservative like her. I told her she had the same in Guthrie, with a clearer vision and stronger resume. She said she couldn't vote for an R, but Snedecor was conservative enough, so she could vote for that D.

NWI is not Berekley CA, or Portland OR, or Greenwich Village NYC, where D's monopolize because the population is left wing. The Region has liberal economic views from its poor and working class roots, but socially you'll find a lot of the people to some extent or another to the right of center, so by being automatic D they vote against ideology, against their views. And they vote for D's who get indicted and convicted for fraud and corruption all the time, so they also vote against their local interests. Considering how financially conservative D's got since Clinton, and how the GOP was like a frat boy in a liquor store with his first credit card in the 2000's, you can argue that the GOP became the financially more liberal party.

It's like the Lake GOP is the Cubs, trying to recruit a Chicago born and raised Cubs fan to pitch for them. He'd fit in perfectly, and might be their next Big Thing and the toast of the town, but the Yankees also are interested, and though he'd not fit in as well and may just warm their bench if he ever makes it out of AAA, he might have a better chance of a ring with them.

Hank Adams should steamroll Carol Ann Seaton in an all things equal otherwise race. But all things are anything but equal. It will be crucial to figure out how to break through in the hard D populace. Logic and reason may fail, but what emotion to tap? You're a smart and experienced readership (I've only been in this game for three years as a fly on the wall): what will give Adams (and Bursac and the other county candidates) a leg up? Anyone see an area go from one party (either one) to at least competitive for both? I just hate seeing people doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.