A GOP sweep
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October 11, 2008

Members of Lake County's legislative delegation are a friendly bunch of folks. Overall, they're a fairly personable group.

But there's a difference between engaging in fellowship and looking out for the interests of Lake County in the Legislature. For our Democratic legislators, they have become part of the dysfunction in Springfield today whether they would admit to it or not.

Democrats currently hold 67 seats in the House. If they pick up four more, they would have a supermajority able to adopt legislation virtually at will. The Senate's 37 Democrats already have such power. Supermajorities can garner the three-fifths or veto-proof votes needed to override gubernatorial action without help from the opposition.

Democratic infighting between the troika of Gov. Rod Blagojevich, House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President Emil Jones -- all Chicagoans -- has led to inaction on a capital construction plan, expanded health care and budgetary agreements that would cut into debts and overdue bills that are piling up. No wonder voters are clamoring for a constitutional convention.

The state has a mountain of unpaid bills and record payment delays. If the national economy is any indication, there's more bad news on the way. For too long in this state, we've been treating the symptoms, not the disease. Sending more Democrats to Springfield, we believe, isn't the answer.

Even U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin has called the gridlock among his fellow Democrats in Springfield embarrassing and fears it could lead to the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds. That's good enough for us to embrace Republicans running in House and Senate districts on Nov. 4 as a way to straighten this mess out. And, there's some fine new-blood GOP candidates eager to serve in Springfield.

That being said, we endorse the following Republicans:

•Dan Duffy of Lake Barrington in the 26th Senate District to replace retiring Sen. William Peterson, R-Long Grove.
•Keith Gray of Mettawa, a businessman who has a grasp of the issues, in the 30th Senate District.
•Ed Sullivan Jr. of Mundelein in the 51st House District.
•Incumbent Mark Beaubien Jr. of Barrington Hills in the 52nd House District.
•Incumbent Sidney Mathias of Buffalo Grove in the 53rd House District.
•Timothy Stratton of Glencoe in the 58th House District.
•Dan Sugrue of Green Oaks in the 59th House District.
•Bill Anderson of Waukegan in the 60th House District.
•Incumbent JoAnn Osmond of Antioch in the 61st House District
•Incumbent Sandy Cole of Grayslake in the 62nd House District.

Voters should send a message if they want to head in a new direction. Sending a team of qualified Republicans to the Legislature might be the first step in sweeping the political cobwebs out of Springfield.