Legal Blog of Thaddeus M. Bond & Associates

At least twice in the past decade, winners of statewide primary elections in Illinois have been forced by party leaders to withdraw from the general election. While I do not intend to defend the conduct or character of Jack Ryan or Scott Lee Cohen, their treatment by the aristocracy that run Illinois political parties is deplorable. If it was up to the Republican and Democratic party leaders, we would just dispense with primaries altogether and let them anoint their preferred candidates. That way us members of the bourgeois would be left with only two choices each election cycle and the power of the two dominant parties would be preserved. It's time to eliminate political parties altogether. Anyone who wants to run in a general election should run. The person with the most votes gets the job. No interference from Mike Madigan, Andy McKenna and the other snobs who dominate the political parties and could care less about the electorate. The centralization of political power in only a few hands has made the State of Illinois an embarrassment. Time for radical change and for the voting public to once again be relevant.