Focus on St. Charles Republicans

Last week it was the New York Times that ran an article about Super Tuesday which included the views of St. Charles County residents and this week we have the Los Angeles Times running a more extensive piece on St. Charles County and, in particular, the Republican primary. The article states:

• St. Charles County, extending west from the St. Louis suburbs toward this state's rural interior, offers a microcosm of Midwestern conservatism with plenty of evangelicals, more than its share of veterans (who worked in defense industries or in a base not far away in southern Illinois), and business owners who have turned the floodplains into a sprawling river of shops and subdivisions. Despite some recent Democratic gains, the county remains a crucial Republican proving ground in a state where polls show a close three-way race among McCain, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. The winner in today's Missouri primary will take home all of the state's 58 GOP delegates.

Apparently the east coasters and left coasters don't want to know whether it will play in Peoria anymore but instead, at least in regard to Republican politics, they want to know what we say in St. Charles County. I am not sure if the GOP in St. Charles County is a fair representation of Midwest Republican views, therefore, as a public service to the national media I am offering this breakdown of the Republican party in St. Charles County;

1. Show me the money Republicans: This is the dominant faction of the party consisting of the big money campaign contributors, the politicians who take in the money and the wanna be power brokers. The group contains a large portion of the corrupt politicians and business leaders in the county who are focused on their own self interests rather than the Republican values they use to get elected.
   
2. Grass Roots Republicans: This group consists of individuals who are fighting to take back control of the party from Group 1 in an attempt to bring the focus back on traditional conservative issues. While they cannot compete monetarily with the big money Republicans, they have had some success getting people elected.
   
3. Republican in Name Only (RINO's): Since St. Charles is a Republican stronghold we have our share of Rinos. These Democrats choose to run as Republicans because, in many cases, it is their only chance of winning. However, the Democrats are making progress and some Rinos have gone back to running as Republicans. Some Rinos can be found in Group 1 and some support Group 2 in their fight against the corrupt practices of Group 1 members.


4. Fence straddling Republicans: There are many Republicans in the county who agree in principle with Group 2 but want the support and money from Group 1. Therefore, they are not active participants in the corrupt practices of Group 1 but they are willing to turn a blind eye.
   
5. Fox News Republicans: I use this name to describe the majority of the Republicans in the county. Their knowledge of politics is mostly on a national level and their beliefs are consistent with Group 2. Group 1 money is spent convincing this group that Group 1 candidates best represent Republican values. Group 2's successes have come when they have been able to focus attention on local issues and on the record of Group 1 office holders.

The Democrats can be divided in much the same way, however, there is an alliance between Group 1 Republicans and Group 1 Democrats which is stronger than any allegiance to a particular party. Group 1 members get their money from the same place and would prefer a Group 1 member of the other party be elected over a Group 2 member of the same party.

Welcome to Main Street America.