I missed the Beacon News piece on Joe Dunn’s recent vote to include sexual orientation in the list of categories of unlawful discrimination in the Illinois Human Rights Act, which both state houses have passed, and the governor has said he will sign, perhaps today (SB3186). The law will have Illinois join 14 states, Washington, DC and the city of Naperville (among other Illinois cities) in having legislation barring discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Joe Dunn, a socially conservative Republican, will get great credit for voting with 64 other House members for human rights - he could easily have joined fellow Naperville Republican State Representative Jim Meyer and 50 others in voting against the bill. But no one would have noticed that vote. Joe sized up the situation; the House had passed similar measures before, with the Senate being the problem. Now the Senate had voted for the bill - and the House would as well. Dunn’s vote didn’t matter. That is, unless he made it matter. So Joe did the right thing - politically and morally. Joe cast a very discriminating vote for his future, by casting a vote against discrimination. He can allude to choice bigoted remarks from GOP colleagues on the other side of the vote, as he did for the Beacon News, to show he is against bigotry and votes independently - later he can also use conservative libertarian arguments to herald his vote. It will work for supporters and detractors alike - it already is working - and the positioning and press was purchased at little cost.
In the Beacon News, Joe paints voters a picture of his transformative experience,
“When Joe Dunn took his seat on the House floor Tuesday morning, he had every intention of voting against the hotly debated gay-rights bill that would be put before him later that day.
….
‘The conservatives who support me demand it,’ he remembers thinking. ‘and I should represent them.’
But as Dunn sat back and listened to his colleagues from both sides of the aisle debate the issue, he slowly began to reconsider what he was about to do.
‘I was just really turned off by what was coming out of the mouths of some of my fellow party members,’ he said of the conservative Republicans who were trying to derail the bill. ‘I just didn’t like the hatred and bigotry and intolerance I was hearing.’
One downstate Republican, Rep. Shane Cultra, went as far as to suggest that, if homosexuals were extended equal rights, pedophiles and people who have sex with animals might as well be given similar legal protections.
Others, including Sen. Peter Roskam - a Republican from Wheaton who represents parts of Aurora, North Aurora and Batavia - argued incorrectly that the new law would require churches that see homosexuality as a sin to hire gay ministers.
‘It was just disgusting, what they were trying to do,’ Dunn said.”
The message: Joe Dunn showed courage, moderation and independence in voting against bigotry.
Joe reports that his office has received a “10 to 1 positive” response to his vote - and an estimated 1-1 response among GOP primary voters, many of who have said they admire his independence, even if they disagree with his vote. Joe isn’t worried about the GOP primaries - a religious far right challenge just makes Joe look more moderate. Republican House Minority Leader Tom Cross has pointed to Dunn as someone with future prospects (look about 2/3 down, highlighted) - Joe’s a “made man.”
Joe’s January 11th Human Rights Act vote positions him well for the future. Look for him to occasionally take ‘unusual votes,’ at limited political cost, that show independence, soften his hard conservative image and gain him admiring press. For the Beacon News “Dunn recalled Cross saying, ‘That vote just cost us $100,000 for a primary campaign.’” If Tom said it - expect more than that to flow into Joe’s campaign coffers - in anticipation of a bid for higher office (Joe ran unopposed this past election). If Tom didn’t say it, take that as a signal from Joe - and expect more than $100,000 to flow into Joe’s campaign coffers. Tom Cross is smart. But give credit where credit is due - Joe is showing he is smart too.
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