August 30, 2011 2:06AM

If the Republican Party of Kendall County wanted to invite a mean little bigot like Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio to speak at its weekend picnic, that certainly was the party’s prerogative.

Arpaio rallied the party’s base, which doesn’t say much for the base. And if in the process he drove away more compassionate and thoughtful conservatives — not to mention all those political independents who are crucial to winning national elections — well, heck, that seems to be the general plan of the Republican Party anyway.

We continue to marvel at the spectacle of a major American political party doing its darnedest to reduce itself to a club for kooks. Presented with a terrific opportunity, on economic issues alone, to win back the White House, the GOP continues to allow itself to be defined by the boobocracy — those who snort at the theory of evolution, who believe global warming is a hoax, who mock homosexuals, who demonize Muslims, who question the president’s patriotism, who believe the solution to illegal immigration is to ship 11 million people back to Mexico, and who would rather cut social services for the poor than raises taxes on billionaires.

So much for the party of Lincoln, Eisenhower and Reagan.

On Saturday, it was Arpaio’s turn to stir up the GOP’s know-nothing faction, playing on their fears, resentments, animosities and prejudices during a speech at the Kendall County fund-raising picnic.

Arpaio is the Maricopa County sheriff who’s made a name for himself by forcing male inmates to wear pink underwear and feeding them for about half of what he spends to feed guard dogs. He likes to house prisoners in tents that reach 134 degrees in Arizona’s sun, and he conducts constant raids on fast food joints in search of illegal (though otherwise hard-working and law-abiding) immigrants.

Arpaio drew two standing ovations on Saturday, plus plenty of laughs. The crowd of about 375 people — perhaps not a one of them gay or related to a gay person or friends with a gay person — guffawed particularly hard when Arpaio joked that his inmates hated the pink underwear, but “I’m sure in San Francisco it would not be a problem.”

Nothing about Arpaio is new. The boobs shall always be with us. But the willingness of mainstream Republican leaders to sink to such depths is perplexing. Or is this the price one must pay nowadays to win a GOP primary race — become a knuckle-dragger who is virtually unelectable in a general election?

We hope not, but the latest poll gives us no confidence. A CNN poll released Monday puts Texas Gov. Rick Perry at the head of the GOP presidential pack, with 27 percent of the vote. Perhaps those who chose Perry were impressed by the big growth in jobs in Texas during his time as governor, and not by his pandering rejection of, say, basic science or his flip-flop on gay rights. Then again, the least pandering candidate, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, was the choice of just 1 percent of those polled. That’s what the man gets for saying “I believe in evolution.”

Republicans always run to the right in primary elections and then tack to the center in general elections, just as Democrats first run left and then to the center. But we can’t remember the last time almost an entire field of GOP presidential candidates ran so relentlessly and anti-intellectually to the right.

The winner of the Republican primary is going to have a hard time convincing anybody that he or she is any less of a monkey than the Joe Arpaios of the world. Evolution can be a tough sell.

6:34 a.m. CDT, August 30, 2011

WAUSAU, Wis. — The mayor of Wausau says the city won’t help with the cost of staging the annual Labor Day parade unless a decision to ban Republican politicians is reversed.

Marathon County Labor Council President Randy Radtke earlier said Republican elected officials were not invited to participate in the parade because they supported changes to collective bargaining for public employee unions.

Mayor Jim Tipple says the city provides an insurance premium, a stage setup and police traffic control for the parade. The Wausau Daily Herald says Tipple will require the Labor Council to reimburse the city for those expenses if its decision isn’t reversed.

August 21, 2011

Chicago Area Progressives: Register for Camp Wellstone Today!

Are you determined to be a part of the Progressive movement that swings the political pendulum back in the favor of people? Attend Camp Wellstone! Register today to take part in an intensive and energizing training program that is proven effective in providing practical skills for progressive political action.

Camp Wellstone, held in Schaumburg from September 9th through September 11th; will provide grassroots training skills to candidates for elected office, working on a campaign, and community activists looking to create positive change in their communities.

Please register today at www.wellstoneaction.org.

Please contact Trudy Zaja at 630-440-2916 for more details.

Invited Guests include:

Senator Durbin
Governor Pat Quinn
Lt. Governor Shelia Simon
Congressman Bill Foster
Attorney General Lisa Madigan
Secretary of State Jesse White

Games and Prizes for the kids Entertainment by -”Cowboy Bob”
located 1/4 mile south of Route 64 on Route 31 (parking behind Sammy’s bike shop)

Price $35 per person or $50 per family

VIP table of ten
$500-includes name on sign and 12 tickets

Friend
$250 includes -6 tickets
Mail to Kane county Democrats
P.O.Box 365
North Aurora ,IL 60542

contributions are not deductible for income tax purposes. A copy of our report
filed with the Kane County Clerk is (or will be) available for purchase from Kane county Clerks office, 719 S. Batavia Ave. Geneva, IL 60134

Thursday June 2nd, 2011 Huges Creek Golf Course Course
(on Huges road 1/2 mile east of Route 47 in Elburn)

$115 per person (dinner only $40)
includes -golf cart, balls, tees
Raffle Prizes, Putting contest, Longest Drive contest.
Steak dinner at 5:30PM included.

Tee Off starting at 10:30 AM.

We are cordially inviting you to be a participant or a sponsor at our outing .
$115 per person includes dinner , cart and prize drawings.
This is a great opportunity to advertise and meet local candidates .

$1000.00- Dinner Sponsor 2 hole Sponsors and golf for eight players
$500.00 -Hole Sponsor Golf of four players- (sign with name will be provided at each hole)
$200.00- Hole sponsor Only

We look forward to your attendance and thank you in advance for any level of participation
any questions, please contact
630-513-1588

Mail to: Kane County Democrats
P.O. Box 365
North Aurora ,IL 60542

a copy of our report filed with the County Clerk is (or will be) available for purchase from the office of Kane County Clerk,719 Batavia Ave. Geneva IL

Randy Hultgren is planning town hall meetings:

Wednesday (March 23) 6:00-7:00 p.m. at the Sugar Grove Village Hall, 10 S. Municipal Drive in Sugar Grove, and
Thursday (March 24) 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the Hampshire Village Hall, 234 S. State Street in Hampshire.

The cameras will be tracking Randy Hultgren’s answers to questions about the GOP plans for the budget, health care, union bargaining rights, you name it.  Really, you name it.  It’s a town hall meeting.  Ask Hultgren the tough questions that have you up at night.  Get there early to get a good seat.