Saturday Late Night: Chicago GOP Party Alleges Fellow Republican Jack Roeser Launders Campaign Cash…and More

(Chicago, IL) – Chicago GOP Clown Car: Part I – GOP State Treasurer Dan Rutherford, who is laying the groundwork for a 2014 gubernatorial campaign, on Friday jumped into the backseat of the clown car that is the Chicago Republican Party, endorsing the party’s current driver, Eloise Gerson, who is locked in a bitter primary battle against Chicago Young Republican Tom Smithburg for the booby prize of Chicago’s 42^nd Ward GOP Committeeman post.

In a statement, in which Rutherford lauded his own statewide victory in 2010, he wrote, “One of the hardest working Republicans in Chicago who helped me accomplish this was Eloise Gerson, the 42nd Ward Republican Committeeman… I support her and ask you to vote for her as your GOP Ward Committeeman …”

On Monday, Gerson had sent a three-page, 1,100 word letter to Smithburg ranting bullet-point by bedraggled bullet-point about a draft of a negative Smithburg mail piece obtained by Gerson’s camp. In the letter’s introduction, Gerson wrote: “I have seen a draft, and find it vile and vicious. It is also full of outright lies.” It raves on like that for the next 1,000 words or so.

Gerson “cc’d” this missive, which dredged up sexual harassment charges lobbed between the Chicago and Cook County GOP parties in July 2011, was sent to an intimate circle of 48 national and state GOP activists, including Rutherford, the Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Preibus, the ailing U.S. Senator Mark Kirk, ex-Governor Jim Thompson, ex-Governor Jim Edgar, and current Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady. Both Edgar and Brady have endorsed Smithburg.

Apparently, Rutherford may be the only one among the lucky 48 who took Gerson’s bait and climbed in for the ride. As a Downstater, Rutherford is always looking to expand his Chicago ties, because the Windy City is the primary source of campaign cash for GOP candidates with statewide ambitions.

But there has to be a better networking strategy for Rutherford than rushing for Gerson’s passenger’s seat for a wild ride in this local demolition derby.

Chicago GOP Clown Car: Part II – The Chicago Republican Party this week baldly and publicly hinted that wealthy conservative GOP activist Jack Roeser’s Republican Renaissance PAC may have allegedly laundered campaign cash from Tom Smithburg’s father, William, to help fund his kid’s 42^nd GOP committeeman race.

The Chicago GOP party reported, under the headline “Is This a Campaign Violation???”, that Roeser’s PAC donated $1,000 to Smithburg the Younger on February 8, 2012 and Smithburg the Older donated $2,500 to Roeser’s group on February 10, 2012.

Just so you wouldn’t be snookered by the headline’s subtly, the Chicago GOP party wedged in this comment: “So Jack Roeser gives $1,000 to young Tommy and Smithburg’s father gives Jack Roeser’s PAC $2,500 two days later? Is that against the law?”

You can’t make up this stuff.

No Worries – Cook County Democratic Party smart-as-a-leather horse whip political director Scott Cisek, who helped engineer Toni Preckwinkle’s 2010 primary victory, has no worries while the current Chicago GOP crew is in charge.

Quotable: “That American Airline flight attendant should switch to being a politician where grabbing a microphone and going on long, deranged rants seems to be a valued skill.” – State Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago), March 10, 2012. Facebook.

About Town: Democratic State Rep. John Bradley from Marion in deep, downstate Illinois, who is unsupportive of Chicago’s gun and gay rights laws, was spotted dining a month or so ago at the swank Cocco Pazzo restaurant at 300 W. Hubbard in Chicago. Perhaps more regular visits to the Windy City and Bradley, the well-respected Chairman of the House Revenue Committee, will view things from the Chicago Way?

Don’t Quote Me – Rumor and gossip that’s not quite fit to print, but, what the heck, we’re including it anyway as a public service because we’re sure you’ll find it as titillating as we do… Not Our Job – Some officials at the Illinois Department of Corrections are hoping that the budget cuts to community reentry services for ex-inmates that the department itself proposed can be restored by The John Howard Association and its army of volunteer, citizen “lobbyists” lobbying lawmakers. Oy… Helping Hands – Judge Larry Alexrood, who is fighting for a seat on the 9^th judicial subcircuit on Chicago’s north side snagged on Thursday a big-name endorsement: Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart. More importantly for boots on the ground purposes, Alexrood has lined up top operatives of Ex-46^th Ward Alderman Hellen Schiller’s formidable political organization.

Tomorrow’s News… In the Dog House – The Chicago Tribune’s Ryan Haggerty is working on story targeting the troubled tenure of Chicago Animal Care and Control Director Cherie Davis.

What’s a Weekend? Nothing Doing – Both Governor Pat Quinn and Mayor Rahm Emanuel have no public events… Lincoln-Douglass Rematch – Democratic Illinois 8^th congressional candidates Tammy Duckwork and Raja Krishnamoorthi debate each other at the Jackson Middle School in Villa Park on Saturday at 2:00 p.m.