Better than Gregory with Gillespie & Scarborough: Berkowitz w/Joe Morris on litmus tests for reformers, too few Republican primaries;Cable & Streaming
Joe Morris: No, no. Jeff. The mistake that is being made here is the assumption that this has to be dictated. The Chairman of the [Illinois] Republican Party has said publicly, that’s Andy McKenna, has said that he hopes that there isn’t a primary fight among Republicans for Governor: “This would be a waste of resources.” I think he is exactly wrong. I think that the problem with the Republican Party is that there have not been enough internal fights. That we have not had open enough primaries. That we have not had robust enough primaries airing issues, [Watch Joe Morris here].
Jeff Berkowitz: Is McKenna part of the problem, too, as a non-reformer?
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This week’s Chicago metro suburban edition of Public Affairs features conservative Republican activist Joe Morris [See below for the Chicago metro suburban, City of Chicago, Aurora and Rockford airing schedules for the show with Joe Morris]. Watch Morris debate and discuss whether SB600 is an important litmus test, whether the State GOP needs more contested primaries, whether Leader Cross and Chairman McKenna are on the wrong side of the Reform/Counter-Reform divide and many other public policy issues with show host and executive legal recruiter Jeff Berkowitz.[A more detailed description of the show's topics is included, below]
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The "Public Affairs," show with Joe Morris can be watched on your computer.
******************************************
Jeff Berkowitz, show host and producer, and executive legal recruiter, debates and discusses with Joe Morris, the Godfather for Conservative Republican thought in the midwest. Topics discussed include the Illinois Democratic/Republican Combine, aka as the Daley Ryan Combine; the schism in the Illinois Republican Party between reformers and non-reformers, support of SB600 (direct election of Republican Party state central committee members, as opposed to election of same by the ward and township committeemen) as a litmus test for who is a reformer.
Morris names names of some of those who are blocking reform in IL and preventing the Republican Party from moving forward; Morris contends the State GOP should be led by "idea," people; Morris names idea people but argues the important point is to get the "process," right; Morris agrees with Cong. Kirk 80% of the time, so in the words of President Reagan, Kirk is his friend.
Morris also assesses Cong. Roskam, Republican House leader Tom Cross and Paul Vallas as candidates and/or reformers. Morris identifies the issues Republicans should run on; discusses the state deficit for this year and next; he also discusses areas to cut spending and how to deal with underfunded state pensions;
Can the national Republican Party argue that Obama's spending is out of hand, in light of the Bush binge of federal spending;Can the Republicans argue there is too much spending by Obama and too much control of the economy by the Feds; who is the leader of the national Republican Party; Palin? Sanford? Pawlenty? Paul Ryan? Romney? Should School-Vouchers, School Choice be the Republican Party's rallying cry? and much, much more.
Joe Morris was an Assistant Attorney General under President Reagan, Chief of Staff and General Counsel to the U. S. Information Agency. He has been Chairman of the United Republican Fund of Illinois and currently is President of the Lincoln Legal Foundation. Morris has an undergraduate degree and law degree from the University of Chicago, and he is a partner in the law firm of Morris and De La Rosa, with offices in Chicago and London.
Morris lives in Chicago with his wife, Kathleen Morris.
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--Senate Bill 600 as a litmus test
Jeff Berkowitz: That sounds so small. People watching this- and they’ve seen us devote maybe five minutes to this issue and to you that represents what the problem is in the Illinois Republican Party. If only Senate Bill 600 passes with stronger support, then all will be okay?
Joe Morris: …I said it is the closest thing we have to a litmus
Jeff Berkowitz: Okay
Joe Morris: Of …how to tell reformers from non-reformers. There are a host of issues. You want to talk about other issues?
Jeff Berkowitz: Yes, we will go on to other issues. But, just before we do, Leader Cross, in your mind, the Minority Leader in the State House—
--Tom Cross: on the wrong side of the divide?
Joe Morris: Jeff, you have pressed me on this show to identify—I don’t know why—but you pressed me on this show to identify Republicans who I thought are on the wrong side of a divide that I’ve said is not a …left-right divide; it is a reform/ counter-reform divide. Yes, I think [Republican State House] Leader Cross is on the wrong side of that divide.
Jeff Berkowitz: And what do you do about it? Do you need to dump him and get somebody in there who is a supporter of reform?
Joe Morris: Sure. Absolutely.
--Can the Illinois Republican Party move forward?
Jeff Berkowitz: And who do you have in mind? This is my point to you as somebody outside. I'm not taking a position either way. If I look at this objectively, it seems like the Republican Party needs to find out who are the right people, get them elected, make them the leaders, and then move forward. Instead, they're just going back and forth for years on Senate Bill 600, one way or the other, and there's no damn change. There's no damn change. Excuse my language. I'm saying, if Cross is the wrong guy, tell me who the right guy is, tell me what you and others are doing to get the right guy [made] leader of the House. Is Radogno the right person? Because she supported, I think SB600. Is she the right person? I'm just seeing what the Republicans are doing to actually move forward.
Joe Morris: Jeff, you are making a profound mistake here because you are buying into the royalism that I have said attends on the Republican Party, that it is a question of who. It is a question of who’s the name, who’s the charismatic leader, who’s the white knight. It is not a question of a single white knight that is going to ride out of the forest and resolve the—
Jeff Berkowitz: Or a group of white knights.
--Does the Illinois Republican Party need more primary fights?
Joe Morris: No, no. It is a question of process. It is a question of opening up the process.. You’re asking me to say if I were czar, would I decree that somebody is leader. Would I decree that somebody is Republican Leader in the House or that somebody is the Republican Leader in the Senate, or that somebody is the candidate for Governor.
Jeff Berkowitz: Well, do you see someone emerging?
Joe Morris: No, no. Jeff. The mistake that is being made here is the assumption that this has to be dictated. The Chairman of the [Illinois] Republican Party has said publicly, that’s Andy McKenna, has said that he hopes that there isn’t a primary fight among Republicans for Governor: “This would be a waste of resources.” I think he is exactly wrong. I think that the problem with the Republican Party is that there have not been enough internal fights. That we have not had open enough primaries. That we have not had robust enough primaries airing issues,
--Andy McKenna, on the wrong side of the divide?
Jeff Berkowitz: Is McKenna part of the problem, too, as a non-reformer.
Joe Morris: Unfortunately, I think he is. Andy McKenna personally is a wonderful fellow. He has been a superb…
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Joe Morris: But, I think he has been an unfortunate State [GOP] Chairman… And, I think he has not used his offices to do two crucial things that a State Chairman should be doing in the current environment…
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The "Public Affairs," show with conservative Republican activist Joe Morris was taped on April 19, 2009.
************************************
Public Affairs Chicago Metro suburban airing schedule:
The show featuring Joe Morris, conservative Republican activist and President of the Lincoln Legal Foundation, is airing this coming week in the North and Northwest Chicago Metro suburbs in its regular slot:
Tuesday night (tonight) at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, parts of Inverness, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Northfield, Palatine, Rolling Meadows and Wilmette
and Tuesday night(tonight) at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 35 in Arlington Heights, Bartlett, Glenview, Golf, Des Plaines, Hanover Park, Mt. Prospect, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Prospect Heights, Schaumburg, Skokie, Streamwood and Wheeling.
and on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Bannockburn, Deerfield, Ft. Sheridan, Glencoe, Highland Park, Highwood, Kenilworth, Lincolnshire, Riverwoods and Winnetka.
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Chicago and Aurora:
The "Public Affairs," show featuring Joe Morris, conservative Republican activist and President of the Lincoln Legal Foundation, will also air throughout the City of Chicago this coming Monday night i.e., May 11 at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21(CANTV, aka Chicago Access Network TV) and that same night on cable in Aurora and surrounding areas at 7:30 pm on ACTV-10. The Aurora station, ACTV-10, aka Aurora Community Television, Comcast Cable Ch. 10, reaches all of Aurora, Bristol, Big Rock and parts of Oswego, Sandwich, Sugar Grove and Montgomery.
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Rockford:
The "Public Affairs," show featuring Joe Morris, conservative Republican activist and President of the Lincoln Legal Foundation, , will also air throughout the City of Rockford (and in surrounding areas) a week from this coming Thursday night, May 14 at 8:00 pm on Cable Ch. 17. The surrounding areas reached by Ch. 17 include Byron, Cedarville, Cherry Valley, Loves Park, Machesney Park, Mount Morris, New Milford, Portions of Ogle County, Oregon, Polo, Stillman Valley, Winnebago, Portions of Boone County and Poplar Grove.
*******************************************
Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. *************************************************************
"Public Affairs," is a weekly political interview show airing in Chicago on CANTV, in the Chicago metro area, Aurora and Rockford on Comcast and also often on the Illinois Channel. You can watch the shows, including archived shows going back to 2005, here.
*****************************************
Recently posted shows on the Public Affairs YouTube page include the fastest five minutes on the web- a New York Times video about Obama-Berkowitz, a show with Senator Steans about budget deficits and education reform, a show with conservative activist Joe Morris about SB600 as a litmus test for reformers, a show with Senator Rickey Hendon (D-Chicago) about hot state legislative issues and politics, a show with Bill Brady, State Senator and 2010 Republican Primary candidate for Governor, a show with State Senator and likely 2010 10th CD candidate Susan Garrett(D-Lake Forest), the second fastest five minutes on the web- a segment of Bill O'Reilly with Berkowitz discussing a clip of Obama from 2002 on Blagojevich and many more shows.
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Jeff Berkowitz: Is McKenna part of the problem, too, as a non-reformer?
***************************************
This week’s Chicago metro suburban edition of Public Affairs features conservative Republican activist Joe Morris [See below for the Chicago metro suburban, City of Chicago, Aurora and Rockford airing schedules for the show with Joe Morris]. Watch Morris debate and discuss whether SB600 is an important litmus test, whether the State GOP needs more contested primaries, whether Leader Cross and Chairman McKenna are on the wrong side of the Reform/Counter-Reform divide and many other public policy issues with show host and executive legal recruiter Jeff Berkowitz.[A more detailed description of the show's topics is included, below]
**********************************************
The "Public Affairs," show with Joe Morris can be watched on your computer.
******************************************
Jeff Berkowitz, show host and producer, and executive legal recruiter, debates and discusses with Joe Morris, the Godfather for Conservative Republican thought in the midwest. Topics discussed include the Illinois Democratic/Republican Combine, aka as the Daley Ryan Combine; the schism in the Illinois Republican Party between reformers and non-reformers, support of SB600 (direct election of Republican Party state central committee members, as opposed to election of same by the ward and township committeemen) as a litmus test for who is a reformer.
Morris names names of some of those who are blocking reform in IL and preventing the Republican Party from moving forward; Morris contends the State GOP should be led by "idea," people; Morris names idea people but argues the important point is to get the "process," right; Morris agrees with Cong. Kirk 80% of the time, so in the words of President Reagan, Kirk is his friend.
Morris also assesses Cong. Roskam, Republican House leader Tom Cross and Paul Vallas as candidates and/or reformers. Morris identifies the issues Republicans should run on; discusses the state deficit for this year and next; he also discusses areas to cut spending and how to deal with underfunded state pensions;
Can the national Republican Party argue that Obama's spending is out of hand, in light of the Bush binge of federal spending;Can the Republicans argue there is too much spending by Obama and too much control of the economy by the Feds; who is the leader of the national Republican Party; Palin? Sanford? Pawlenty? Paul Ryan? Romney? Should School-Vouchers, School Choice be the Republican Party's rallying cry? and much, much more.
Joe Morris was an Assistant Attorney General under President Reagan, Chief of Staff and General Counsel to the U. S. Information Agency. He has been Chairman of the United Republican Fund of Illinois and currently is President of the Lincoln Legal Foundation. Morris has an undergraduate degree and law degree from the University of Chicago, and he is a partner in the law firm of Morris and De La Rosa, with offices in Chicago and London.
Morris lives in Chicago with his wife, Kathleen Morris.
*******************************
--Senate Bill 600 as a litmus test
Jeff Berkowitz: That sounds so small. People watching this- and they’ve seen us devote maybe five minutes to this issue and to you that represents what the problem is in the Illinois Republican Party. If only Senate Bill 600 passes with stronger support, then all will be okay?
Joe Morris: …I said it is the closest thing we have to a litmus
Jeff Berkowitz: Okay
Joe Morris: Of …how to tell reformers from non-reformers. There are a host of issues. You want to talk about other issues?
Jeff Berkowitz: Yes, we will go on to other issues. But, just before we do, Leader Cross, in your mind, the Minority Leader in the State House—
--Tom Cross: on the wrong side of the divide?
Joe Morris: Jeff, you have pressed me on this show to identify—I don’t know why—but you pressed me on this show to identify Republicans who I thought are on the wrong side of a divide that I’ve said is not a …left-right divide; it is a reform/ counter-reform divide. Yes, I think [Republican State House] Leader Cross is on the wrong side of that divide.
Jeff Berkowitz: And what do you do about it? Do you need to dump him and get somebody in there who is a supporter of reform?
Joe Morris: Sure. Absolutely.
--Can the Illinois Republican Party move forward?
Jeff Berkowitz: And who do you have in mind? This is my point to you as somebody outside. I'm not taking a position either way. If I look at this objectively, it seems like the Republican Party needs to find out who are the right people, get them elected, make them the leaders, and then move forward. Instead, they're just going back and forth for years on Senate Bill 600, one way or the other, and there's no damn change. There's no damn change. Excuse my language. I'm saying, if Cross is the wrong guy, tell me who the right guy is, tell me what you and others are doing to get the right guy [made] leader of the House. Is Radogno the right person? Because she supported, I think SB600. Is she the right person? I'm just seeing what the Republicans are doing to actually move forward.
Joe Morris: Jeff, you are making a profound mistake here because you are buying into the royalism that I have said attends on the Republican Party, that it is a question of who. It is a question of who’s the name, who’s the charismatic leader, who’s the white knight. It is not a question of a single white knight that is going to ride out of the forest and resolve the—
Jeff Berkowitz: Or a group of white knights.
--Does the Illinois Republican Party need more primary fights?
Joe Morris: No, no. It is a question of process. It is a question of opening up the process.. You’re asking me to say if I were czar, would I decree that somebody is leader. Would I decree that somebody is Republican Leader in the House or that somebody is the Republican Leader in the Senate, or that somebody is the candidate for Governor.
Jeff Berkowitz: Well, do you see someone emerging?
Joe Morris: No, no. Jeff. The mistake that is being made here is the assumption that this has to be dictated. The Chairman of the [Illinois] Republican Party has said publicly, that’s Andy McKenna, has said that he hopes that there isn’t a primary fight among Republicans for Governor: “This would be a waste of resources.” I think he is exactly wrong. I think that the problem with the Republican Party is that there have not been enough internal fights. That we have not had open enough primaries. That we have not had robust enough primaries airing issues,
--Andy McKenna, on the wrong side of the divide?
Jeff Berkowitz: Is McKenna part of the problem, too, as a non-reformer.
Joe Morris: Unfortunately, I think he is. Andy McKenna personally is a wonderful fellow. He has been a superb…
***************************
Joe Morris: But, I think he has been an unfortunate State [GOP] Chairman… And, I think he has not used his offices to do two crucial things that a State Chairman should be doing in the current environment…
**********************************
The "Public Affairs," show with conservative Republican activist Joe Morris was taped on April 19, 2009.
************************************
Public Affairs Chicago Metro suburban airing schedule:
The show featuring Joe Morris, conservative Republican activist and President of the Lincoln Legal Foundation, is airing this coming week in the North and Northwest Chicago Metro suburbs in its regular slot:
Tuesday night (tonight) at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, parts of Inverness, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Northfield, Palatine, Rolling Meadows and Wilmette
and Tuesday night(tonight) at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 35 in Arlington Heights, Bartlett, Glenview, Golf, Des Plaines, Hanover Park, Mt. Prospect, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Prospect Heights, Schaumburg, Skokie, Streamwood and Wheeling.
and on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Bannockburn, Deerfield, Ft. Sheridan, Glencoe, Highland Park, Highwood, Kenilworth, Lincolnshire, Riverwoods and Winnetka.
*************************************************************
Chicago and Aurora:
The "Public Affairs," show featuring Joe Morris, conservative Republican activist and President of the Lincoln Legal Foundation, will also air throughout the City of Chicago this coming Monday night i.e., May 11 at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21(CANTV, aka Chicago Access Network TV) and that same night on cable in Aurora and surrounding areas at 7:30 pm on ACTV-10. The Aurora station, ACTV-10, aka Aurora Community Television, Comcast Cable Ch. 10, reaches all of Aurora, Bristol, Big Rock and parts of Oswego, Sandwich, Sugar Grove and Montgomery.
*************************************************
Rockford:
The "Public Affairs," show featuring Joe Morris, conservative Republican activist and President of the Lincoln Legal Foundation, , will also air throughout the City of Rockford (and in surrounding areas) a week from this coming Thursday night, May 14 at 8:00 pm on Cable Ch. 17. The surrounding areas reached by Ch. 17 include Byron, Cedarville, Cherry Valley, Loves Park, Machesney Park, Mount Morris, New Milford, Portions of Ogle County, Oregon, Polo, Stillman Valley, Winnebago, Portions of Boone County and Poplar Grove.
*******************************************
Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. *************************************************************
"Public Affairs," is a weekly political interview show airing in Chicago on CANTV, in the Chicago metro area, Aurora and Rockford on Comcast and also often on the Illinois Channel. You can watch the shows, including archived shows going back to 2005, here.
*****************************************
Recently posted shows on the Public Affairs YouTube page include the fastest five minutes on the web- a New York Times video about Obama-Berkowitz, a show with Senator Steans about budget deficits and education reform, a show with conservative activist Joe Morris about SB600 as a litmus test for reformers, a show with Senator Rickey Hendon (D-Chicago) about hot state legislative issues and politics, a show with Bill Brady, State Senator and 2010 Republican Primary candidate for Governor, a show with State Senator and likely 2010 10th CD candidate Susan Garrett(D-Lake Forest), the second fastest five minutes on the web- a segment of Bill O'Reilly with Berkowitz discussing a clip of Obama from 2002 on Blagojevich and many more shows.
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