Why would GOP pols shun Palin?

Joseph Ryan's front-page May 2 article, reporting on Sarah Palin's visit to Illinois for a Republican fundraiser was deeply troubling to me, a conservative Republican.

I've followed Palin, searching through her speeches to learn what she stands for, and I have yet to find any principle she advocates with which I am not totally in agreement. Then I read Ryan's article and learn that some local candidates would be uncomfortable being seen in a photo with her. Does it mean that these men don't embrace these conservative principles? If not, with which ones do they disagree? Are these men going to be more so-called RINOs - Republicans in Name Only - the kind who stick their finger in the eye of conservatives like me?

If Illinois is ever going to have a Republican Party that people like me can be proud of and fully support, we need politicians who are people driven by principle and not by polling data. Besides, I'd like to see the polling data that leads Curt Conrad (Illinois Republican Party Director) to dismiss concerns about top candidates not showing up for Palin because she may not be popular with more moderate voters?

Candidates who would meet with "moderates" but shun "conservatives," tea party people, Palin people, what are they saying about themselves?

Wightman Weese

Wheaton