Chicago Mercantile Exchange RNC party will be more subdued, charity-related

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Chicago Mercantile Exchange had scheduled a party for Illinois delegates to the Republican National Convention to run from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. tonight.

But in keeping with the new mandate for more somber, charity-related events in respect for Hurricane victims, it has become an earlier, 7 p.m. event at which the Merc and other private donors have pledged $10,000 in Hurricane relief to get the ball rolling.

Guests will be invited to donate money, commit their time to volunteering, or send building materials to Rebuilding Together, a non-profit operation that has been building new homes to replace those lost in Hurricane Katrina three years ago.

“Today is going to be all business,” said Illinois delegation chair Jim Durkin. “This is a very fluid program. It changes by the day, by the hour.”

Elmhurst-based Superior Ambulance has already dispatched 15 ambulances and crews to New Orleans and evacuated one hospital, said Kim Godden, an alternate delegate here who handles government relations for the company.

Lake County GOP Chairman Dan Venturi has mobilized five trucks that U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk will dispatch full of relief supplies Wednesday from Northbrook.

Nina Stephenson, a member of McCain’s Illinois Finance Committee from Barrington Hills, left Monday morning’s brief delegation breakfast to go back up to her room to see the latest news on Hurricane Gustav’s landfall and check in with her family in her native Mississippi to make sure they were alright.

Illinois’ Republicans have been washed out of every statewide office in recent years following former Gov. George Ryan’s scandals. The state party’s hope against U.S. Rep. Dick Durbin, Dr. Steven Sauerberg, cheerfully made the rounds at Monday morning’s breakfast, even though the odds look long for him to beat Durbin in Barack Obama’s home state this year.

But the party’s new leadership is more hopeful for 2010 when they think voters will be tired of Gov. Blagojevich and ready to elect Republicans statewide again. And the party leaders are also hopeful that John McCain’s choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will help his effort.

“She’s an outstanding choice: She’s pro-life. She’s pro-gun. She made some great comments. She has attracted conservatives. And I think she will attract women,” said Demetra DeMonte, the new Republican National Committeewoman from Illinois.

Former Gov. Jim Edgar and State sen. Republican leader Frank Watson both said they were initially skeptical about Palin but have come around.

“At first blush, I thought it was a mistake -- it took experience off the table as an issue to use against Obama,” Edgar said. “But now that I’ve gotten to know more about her, I think it was a very good decision.”

Illinois Republicans will hear from former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton and McCain’s former Vietnam cell mate Bud Day.

Bob Michel, former minority leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, emerged from the elevator carrying his golf clubs Monday morning.

“There’s some dead time here -- we gotta make the most of it,” he said.