Positive stories about the GOP are ignored
Why do the media in general only print or show negative stories about Republicans? On a recent Friday evening, the Lake County Republican Federation gathered at Conway Farms Golf Club to celebrate and honor Lake County women Republican leaders. However, the event was ignored by the media.
The decidedly newsworthy evening featured many women Republican political leaders, past and present, including former Comptroller (and current deputy governor) Leslie Munger, county board members Ann Maine and Carol Calabresa, County Clerk Carla Wyckoff, Superintendent of Schools Roycealee Wood, state representative candidates and numerous judges.
The evening began with the presentation of the Federation's rare Lifetime Achievement Award to trailblazer Corinne Wood, who served as Illinois' first female lieutenant governor. The award was presented to her by current lieutenant governor Evelyn Sanguinetti, who happens to be the first Latino female lieutenant governor in the nation. It was all capped off by a keynote presentation by our Republican candidate for Attorney General, Erika Harold, who is an African-American female.
Why is it, then, that this event received not even the slightest mention in the press? When the media eagerly run stories promoting the Republicans' so-called "War on Women," and someone like former first lady Michelle Obama makes national headlines when she characterized the Republicans as the party of "gray and white" men, it surely sets up the newsworthy counter-narrative: the diversity found in the Republican Party is at best overlooked, and too often totally ignored.
The lack of coverage of our event honoring strong female Republican leaders is especially glaring in light of the frenzied media coverage of a few weeks ago for the Lake County Republican Central Committee's Second Amendment dinner.
Where is the media when the Republicans attempt to showcase our diversity and fabulous women leaders and trailblazers? Sadly, nowhere, it seems.
Lawrence Falbe
President, Lake County Republican Federation