Paul McKinley: GOP’s “Hope & Change” for Chicago?

Paul McKinleyThe GOP has been weak in a lot of capacities according to their supporters and even some of the members, but this one place the GOP is decidedly standing against could be a place where change is actually needed most.  Still, one has to ask, is this the kind of man we want representing Republicans?

The man is Paul McKinley and he is running to fill Illinois’ 2nd Congressional District seat left vacant by Jesse Jackson, Jr.

Recently Mr. McKinley joined ranks of such beloved Tea Party candidates as Allen West, Ted Cruz & Tim Scott to be endorsed by Operation Black Storm, a group dedicated to getting minority candidates funded and elected.   It sounds like he’s made a name for himself among these great leaders, so why should he be questionable to the GOP? Well, this young man is not being ignored because of the color of his skin, you see.  He’s also got a felony record from crimes committed more than 30 years ago.  He served time, however and has paid his debt to society stating, when asked by Breitbart News,  “I’ve been to the penitentiary, I’ve done my time, I’m not gonna keep doing my sentence.”  Also, it should be noted that McKinley has openly campaigned as an ex-offender which can even been found on his campaign website.   This seems to have no negative affect on the voters in his community, though.  Likely, they can relate to this man who has lived a life that many of them or their family members may have also experienced and has come out strong on the other side.  Even as a Republican in Chicago, many of them support his run to represent them in Congress.

Chicago politics is often said to be the most corrupt of all the states and to this candidate, nothing has changed about that in 60 years.  “If they was gonna do something they had 60 years to do something in this community.”

But GOP activist Chris Robling has said, “He’s not a Republican, obviously, and he doesn’t represent the Republican Party.”

So let’s take a look at that statement, then. As I understand it, the Republican Party is supposed to be representative of the constituents of any particular district in accordance with the principles of the GOP platform, not approved by a handful of men simply on one’s past transgressions.  Is it “fair” to make such a negative judgment against this man, who is clearly is standing up to buck the system (what he refers to often as “the Machine”) and to finally work for the people, rather than for “the machine”?  Is it fair to disregard a candidate who seems determined to see things done to prosper this needy community, despite the party politics and high-talking rhetoric from the party?  Is it really the American way for the GOP to demonize a man who has paid his penance for crimes he’s committed while so many of the administration have been tried and set free for theirs?  Aren’t we ready, yet, to embrace a candidate who doesn’t embrace a party but instead embraces values, principles and his neighbors’ best interests?  Is this the man that Chris Robling is telling us “doesn’t represent the Republican Party”?   It makes me scratch my head in wonder, as does much that the GOP stands for and/or against these days.

As Paul McKinley is running for the office vacated by Jessie Jackson, Jr., who confessed to having embezzled almost a million dollars, it might even make sense that someone with McKinley’s past could do well working to turn around the 2nd district with his Republican message in this community.    To his credit, it should be noted that McKinley has not been convicted of repeat offenses since his release from prison.   He has, however, been arrested for protesting 11 times between 2003 and 2007.  So where Paul McKinley might not be what the GOP considers to be “one of them”, I would argue that the path the GOP currently has Republican voters on, (aka the Good Old Boy network) has no positive future for America either.

Here is PolitiChick anchor Ann-Marie Murrell’s recent interview with Paul McKinley at CPAC:

Written by Bea Wilson

Ann-Marie Murrell

Ann-Marie Murrell is one of the creators of PolitiChicks and co-owns the site with Morgan Brittany. Ann-Marie is co-author of two bestselling books, “What Women (Really) Want” and "PolitiChicks: A Clarion Call to Political Activism". She has appeared on dozens of television shows including Fox & Friends, CNN, Hannity, the Dr. Phil Show, Huckabee, Lou Dobbs, C-SPAN, One America News, Stuart Varney & Company, Newsmax, MSNBC, and more. In addition to PolitiChicks, Ann-Marie has written for multiple other news sites. You can find Ann-Marie Murrell on Facebook and Twitter: @PolitichickAM E-mail: thepolitichicks@gmail.com

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