Picture an Illinois Congressional district, its borders snaking from gang-dominated ’hoods through guns’n religion-dominated suburbs, suddenly represented in Washington by a committed Christian conservative who has lived the harsh realities and knows the territory. Dreams really can come true – even in Illinois.
Paul McKinley is a Republican candidate seeking to swap the tainted Jesse Jackson Jr. legacy in the redistricted 2nd Congressional District for an agenda that his constituents will understand. It would represent a kind of rebirth in the 2nd District, using his conservative ideas to replace two consecutive congressmen (Mel Reynolds and Jackson) who used their political power for personal enrichment – in the context of a state with two governors in prison for political corruption.
What is Paul McKinley’s agenda? Begin with this: stop the violence, repair the foundations, show the 43 percent unemployed (mostly young people) that education combined with cohesive family and religious ethics can unleash the American dream, even in the midst of rampant corruption. Paul McKinley sometimes calls himself “a flawed candidate.” He fought the Chicago Machine system when he was a teenager, broke a lot of rules, and went to prison for 14 years. His silver lining was the world of books he discovered and the Biblical groundwork his mentors in the prison system provided. The frosting on that cake is that Paul McKinley also discovered a voice for his natural political instincts in prison; there is no audience that does not rise to its feet in applause for the McKinley agenda, a breath of good hope in a world of sorrow. It’s the one, and only one, battle cry that the Chicago Machine cannot counter with its cronyism or threats.
Paul McKinley has an opponent in the February 26 Republican primary, Eric Wallace – an opponent who is very good in very many ways, beginning with the endorsement of most of the establishment Republicans. This might be the moment to suggest that Eric Wallace consider running as the polished, conservative candidate he is for Congress in the beleaguered and harshly redistricted 9th, now represented by Jan Schakowsky. He has no place, though, in the hoods or the south suburbs where his laid-back, moderate campaign style cries nothing but more and more Mitt Romney. It would be a disservice to the citizens of the 2nd District to field a GOP candidate who is the wrong person in the wrong place.
The 2nd Congressional District is a war zone, and it requires a war time candidate dedicated to fighting the bad guys using their vocabulary and wielding tactics they understand. What Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz bring nationally to the Hispanic world’s unique values and history, Paul McKinley can be to the Illinois 2nd District, especially after winning the primary and running against a hand-picked Machine Democrat. If you know any Republican leaders in Illinois, let them know that McKinley for Congress is the future; that change can happen, even in Illinois. And join ConservativeBrand in supporting this important cause.
» And then there were 2 (well, 15) running in Dem primary for #IL02 - Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion
Feb 17, 2013 @ 20:35:37
Monee Voter
Feb 17, 2013 @ 23:09:02
McKinley is entertaining to listen to and hits the Dems in the jugular but comes across as less than credible with his “too cool” persona. I doubt that he has the attention span necessary to provide much insight on the legislation he would be responsible for and would end up being someone’s pawn. God help us if he is the best the Republicans can come up with.
…oh but wait, your commentary on Eric Wallace is biased and ignores the fact that he is in touch with the whole district (which includes more than the crime-prone hoods of Chicago). Eric has proven himself a very competent candidate garnering respect (in this district) from voters and officials over the years of his political involvement. When he saw the mesmerizing effect of the Dems on black voters, he did something more than hurl insults at the impervious machine, he created a publication to reconnect them to their conservative inclinations.
Mover631
Feb 20, 2013 @ 01:21:49
Monee voter Bobby Rush is the Long serving congressman the next district over and he has been in congress for over 20 years he isn’t having problems grasping the legislation. For gods sake Joe Biden has been in the Senate 40 years and he is a moron. I think you put to much emphasis on that part of the job. Paul is there to represent the people who are living in the district and allot of them are chronically unemployed. The young black males in the district have an unemployment rate of 98% (study from NE IL university 2012 teen job depression) and a drop out rate above 60 %. The black community needs the parties to compete for their votes not just assume they will vote Democrat. Paul walks the walk and talks the talk he is the last guy the Democrats want to run in that district. Paul could be the crack in the dyke the GOP has been looking for
Kristi
Feb 18, 2013 @ 05:55:53
Re: comment above …. And thus, the Republicans yet again go down in flames despite being presented with a chance to win. Even better, McKinley represents what the future the Republican Party could embrace–where they are not irrelevant in the urban centers or poorer areas. These Republicans are judging the slate based on what they want in their own backyards; what a disservice to cast aside the candidate that represents the issues of the 2nd. Wallace is nice. McKinley has the fire.
esorock
Feb 18, 2013 @ 16:13:35
Hard to have hope in Illinois, right?
Chicago Daily Observer » Blog Archive » Raging Against the Machine: In the 2nd Dicstrict Paul McKinley Battles the Status Quo
Feb 18, 2013 @ 14:50:24
esorock
Feb 18, 2013 @ 15:07:07
Thanks for spreading this good word on real hope for a suffering community.
Roger
Feb 27, 2013 @ 03:36:45
Is this title meant to be ironic? Replace an alleged criminal with a convicted criminal? Uh, yeah that makes sense. Business as usual.
“Paul McKinley, who says he’s a Chicago construction consultant, is running as the outsider, protesting the “corrupt Chicago machine.” McKinley, 54, was arrested 11 times from 2003 to 2007, mostly for protesting, with almost all of the charges dropped.
In the 1970s and ’80s, McKinley was convicted of six felony counts, serving nearly 20 years in prison for burglaries, armed robberies and aggravated battery. McKinley declined to discuss the circumstances of those crimes, but has dubbed himself the “ex-offender preventing the next offender” in his campaign.”
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-02-19/news/ct-met-2nd-district-republicans-20130219_1_candidate-forum-2nd-congressional-district-radio-show
We need to stop worrying so much about parties and worry more specifically about people.
There are 2 sides to the 2nd District primary coin – take a minute to get to know the conservative candidate. | conservativeBrand
Feb 27, 2013 @ 05:39:12