
Spotlight Politics: Illinois GOP Chair Aims to Get Rid of ‘Blue Funk’
Clip: 7/17/2024 | 5m 41sVideo has Closed Captions
The WTTW News Spotlight Politics team delivers the day's top stories live from the RNC in Milwaukee.
The Republican National Convention is a time for Illinois Republicans to meet, reset and look ahead.
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Spotlight Politics: Illinois GOP Chair Aims to Get Rid of ‘Blue Funk’
Clip: 7/17/2024 | 5m 41sVideo has Closed Captions
The Republican National Convention is a time for Illinois Republicans to meet, reset and look ahead.
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipIS THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION, IT IS ALSO A TIME AS WE'VE DISCUSSED FOR ILLINOIS REPUBLICANS TO MEET RESET AND LOOK AHEAD HERE TO TALK ABOUT THAT MUCH MORE AREAS.
OF COURSE, OUR SPOTLIGHT POLITICS TEAM.
WELCOME ONCE AGAIN FROM AND HAVE A SHARON LUMBER.
WE'VE GOT THE WHOLE GANG AGAIN.
I'M HEATHER STARTING WITH YOU.
SO THE ILLINOIS GOP THIS MORNING SPOKE ABOUT ITS AMBITIONS AS IT WORKS TO INCREASE ITS POWER IN THE STATE.
WHAT'S THE PLAN?
WELL, THIS WAS NEWLY ELECTED CHAIR CATHY SALVY IS FIRST CHANCE TO SPEAK TO THE DELEGATION TO SPEAK TO PARTY LEADERS AND TO SET A NEW COURSE FOR THE PARTY.
AND SHE ACKNOWLEDGED IT HAD BEEN 10 YEARS SINCE THE REPUBLICANS IN ILLINOIS HAVE WON A STATEWIDE OFFICE.
LET'S LISTEN TO WHAT SHE SAID.
I WOULD LIKE ANYBODY.
WE NEED IS OVER.
WE'RE GOING DO IT.
WELL.
SHE WAS A LITTLE BIT LIGHT ON SPECIFICS ABOUT WHAT EXACTLY WOULD CHANGE.
BUT SHE PLEDGED TO HIT THE GROUND RUNNING CAMPAIGNING IF NECESSARY DOOR-TO-DOOR TO MAKE THE CASE THAT REPUBLICANS WOULD USHER IN A NEW WAVE OF PROSPERITY.
BUT SHE KNOWS THAT IS A BIG HILL TO CLIMB FACING FUNDRAISING PROBLEMS AND A BADLY FRACTURED PARTY.
AS WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT A WEEK.
NICK, WE EXPECT TO SEE A LOT OF THE SPEECHES TONIGHT TO FOCUS ON FOREIGN POLICY.
OF COURSE, YOU SPOKE WITH AN ORGANIZATION THAT WILL BE LISTENING TO THOSE SPEECHES TELLS ABOUT THAT.
THAT'S RIGHT.
I SPOKE EARLIER TODAY WITH MATT BROOKS.
HE'S THE HEAD OF THE REPUBLICAN JEWISH COALITION.
CERTAINLY BROOKS AND MANY OTHERS ARE GOING TO BE LISTENING FOR REFERENCES TO POLICY TOWARD ISRAEL AND HAMAS THAT ONGOING CONFLICT THERE, BROOKE, SAID WHEN HE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK AT THE RNC LAST NIGHT, IT WAS THE HONOR OF A LIFETIME AND IT HIGHLIGHTED THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRATIC PARTIES.
LET'S TAKE A LISTEN TO WHAT HE TOLD ME.
WHEN I STOOD UP THERE.
AND I TOLD THE ROOM TO CHEER IF THEY SUPPORT ISRAEL JUST WAS A DEAFENING ROAR FROM THE CROWD.
YOU KNOW, I SAID TRY THIS AT THE DEMOCRATS CONVENTION IN CHICAGO NEXT MONTH, YOU KNOW, THE PERSON WOULD BE BOOED OFF THE STAGE.
YOU CAN'T SAY YOU'RE PRO ISRAEL INTO THESE DEMOCRATIC PARTY AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO THE JEWISH COMMUNITY KNOW THAT THERE IS A REAL DIFFERENCE IN THAT.
THERE IS PRO-ISRAEL PARTY THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.
AND, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY MANY FOLKS ON THE LEFT EVEN THE FAR LEFT, SEE THE DEMOCRATS AS BEING FAR TOO PRO-ISRAEL.
THEY SAY IT IS AN APARTHEID STATE THAT THEY ARE OCCUPYING TERRITORY.
WELL, INDIANS HAVE HISTORICALLY LIVED FOR CENTURIES THOUSANDS OF YEARS AND THEY THINK THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY HAS BEEN FUNDING A WAR WITHOUT A MORAL JUSTIFICATION.
AND I IMAGINE WE'RE GOING TO SEE A LOT OF PROTEST TO THAT EFFECT AT THE DNC.
BUT BROOKS WANTED TO UNDERSCORE THE POINT PRO-ISRAEL JEWS AND PRO-ISRAEL VOTERS IN GENERAL HAVE A HOME WITHIN THE GOP.
ALL AMANDA TRUMP'S VP PICK, JD VANCE.
WE KNOW HE'S EXPECTED TO SPEAK TONIGHT AND WE HEARD SOME REACTION FROM ILLINOIS REPUBLICANS TELL US WHAT THEY THOUGHT.
PLEASE TO LAST TO LEAVE, YES.
SOME REPUBLICANS SAY THEY JUST DON'T KNOW ENOUGH TO SAY MUCH ABOUT HIM, BUT THAT THEY TRUST TRUMP TO MAKE A QUALITY SELECTION AND THEN OTHERS ARE ALREADY REALLY EXCITED.
SO LET'S HEAR FROM STATES UNDER TERRY BRYANT WHO SAYS SHE HAS CHILDREN WHO ARE MILLENNIALS IN THEIR 40'S AND A SON INCLUDED WHO SAYS THAT THIS IS THE GREATEST DECISION THAT TRUMP COULD HAVE POSSIBLY THAT IS A DEMOGRAPHIC THAT WE REALLY WANT TO FOCUS ON.
AND I THINK THEY'RE GOING TO LOVE A JD VANCE.
AND AGAIN, REMEMBER, I COME FROM THE PART OF ILLINOIS THAT WE KNOW IS GOD'S COUNTRY.
AND IN THAT PART OF THE COUNTRY, JD VANCE'S STORY RESONATES LOUD AND CLEAR.
WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT HAVING HIM.
JEANNE.
THAT THE EXACT OPPOSITE IMPRESSION THAT WE GOT FROM GOVERNOR JB PRITZKER JUST THE OTHER DAY WHEN ASKED ABOUT IT AND HE SAID THAT HE COULD GO ON AND ON ABOUT THE REASONS THAT THAT CAN'T BE BAD FOR THE COUNTRY BELIEVES THAT HE HAS EXTREME USED, PARTICULARLY WHEN IT COMES TO AN ISSUE NEAR AND DEAR TO HART AND HIS POLITICAL AGENDA.
AND THAT IS REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS IT.
SO LET'S HEAR FROM WHAT PRITZKER HAD TO SAY ABOUT WHAT HE BELIEVES ARE.
THE VANCE IS A POOR USE THAT ARE GOING TO CHASE INDEPENDENTS HE IS SOMEONE WHO HAS VERY EXTREMIST VIEWS AS YOU MAY KNOW, HE IS NOT JUST IN JOYCE, AGAINST REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS, BUT HE ALSO THINKS THAT IF YOU'VE BEEN RAPED.
HAVE HAD INCEST COMMITTED AGAINST YOU THAT YOU SHOULD BE FORCED TO HAVE THAT CHILD.
HE IS SOMEONE WHO HAS RIDICULED WOMEN'S RIGHTS.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S A PRETTY LONG LIST OF A VERY, VERY EXTREME VIEWS THAT HE HOLDS.
AND I THINK, COURSE, IT'S IN KEEPING WITH THE MAGA EXTREMISM OF THE BROADER REPUBLICAN PARTY.
SO AGAIN, HE SAID THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HE'S NOT SURPRISED IS BEING EMBRACED BY REPUBLICANS HERE AT THE RNC.
BUT PITTSBURGH POLICE THAT THIS IS NOT THE PICK THAT IS GOING TO HELP THE TICKET FOR AND I HEAR SINGING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM THERE BEHIND YOU GETTING STARTED FOR THE EVENING'S PRIME TIME SPEECHES.
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