Click here to subscribe FREE to Ray Hanania's Columns
The fight against extremism in Illinois
Extremism is the real challenging facing America and Illinois. The fanatics on the Far Right and the Far Left are the real threat. The Far Left has the advantage now, though. But it’s important for voters to look towards the “center” and find the commonsense moderates. The mainstream news media is pandering to readers by playing up the Far Left and slamming the all conservatives on the right. There are alternatives you should consider
By Ray Hanania
Some people define those in the “political Center” as hopelessly optimistic because having commonsense has no meaning in today’s world.
I call them “Reagan Democrats,” people who embrace the best of Democrats and Republicans advocating a commonsense middle ground.
When you are in the middle, though, you are attacked and vilified by extremists who hold today’s world hostage to their political insanity. The Far Right and the Far Left have louder voices, heard above moderate voices of reason.
This past week I shared time with a centrist journalism colleague and a former politician who both have a lot of commonsense.
Former Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass. He was unethically booted out of the newspaper by jealous and untalented colleagues with Far Left, extremist agendas.
Once the voice of “reasoned Republicans,” the Tribune today is a rickety scaffolding of unethical contradictions. The Tribune wouldn’t know a good story if it smacked them in the face. No reputable fish would want to be wrapped in its newsprint.
The other voice of reason is Bill Lipinski, an iconic Reagan Democrat and champion of everyday people.
A former Chicago alderman, Democratic committeeman and Congressman, Lipinski used commonsense to protect the interests of homeowners in his ward and congressional district. His base was one of the city’s most powerful voting blocks.
Lipinski was one of the first elected officials I met when I entered journalism in 1976. He was always honest and upfront about his priorities.
I also was close to Kass, who was vilified by his own newspaper colleagues because he has conservative commonsense political views. Kass would often take on the Democrat and Republican Party sacred cows (more like sacred anorexic chickens) and his rivals (the “chumbolones”) hated that.
They attacked him personally. Extremists and losers who can’t debate real issues always turn to name-calling and demonization as weapon of choice. They are incapable of reasoned counter arguments.
In a column earlier this year, Kass criticized George Soros, the PAC financier who uses his billions to pretend to care for everyday people. Soros is behind some of the most extreme policies in America. His critics couldn’t counter Kass’ reasoning, so they demonized him instead, calling him “anti-Semitic.” Who knew Soros was Jewish? I thought he was Greek, just like Kass who never mentioned in his column anything about Soros background, religion or ethnicity.
The feeble-kneed Tribune editors caved in to the epithets, vicious name-calling, and bullying from the corrupted Far Left. Those same Leftists are navigating the once powerful flagship newspaper to a new frontier of insignificance. A Newspaper Titanic.
Kass is building his own uncensored journalism dominion at JohnKassNews.com. You definitely should check it out if you are interested in reasoned thinking. In a world where the mainstream news media embraces George Orwell’s “Newspeak,” the priority isn’t to educate the American public but to manipulate their thinking by recklessly managing and limiting the public discourse. They don’t want the public to hear all sides, just their own.
But like me, Kass believes the public is smart enough to see through the cacophony of an uncensored debate to come to their own decisions. That’s what the Far Left fears most. A public that thinks for itself.
The media seeks to bully people to embrace their narrow views by limiting what the public can hear.
Kass does a weekly podcast called “The Chicago Way” produced by WGN’s Jeff Carlin. I was on it last week talking about the assault against Christopher Columbus, and truth.
Lipinski and I also do a podcast called “Two Guys on Politics.” Quintessential Reagan Democrats (Kass is one, too), Lipinski and I banter about today’s upside-down political world.
He praises President Joe Biden’s past experience, but notes Biden is surprisingly making many mistakes. The withdrawal from Afghanistan is one of the worst. It has empowered terrorists around the world.
Thousands of container ships are moored in gridlock at America’s ports, which don’t have enough employees — many Americans feel Federal assistance is better than a job or working hard.
Lipinski had a great idea. Biden should have the U.S. Military to unload the cargo ships in order to jump-start our economy. It’s a great idea because despite the PR Spin, the economy is slipping.
Biden’s error is to focus on trying keeping the Far Left happy. That will never happen because the foundation of Democratic Socialism is enjoying an unhappy anger that fuels conflict. If they can’t yell or scream about something, or demonize or bully their rivals (the commonsense people) they are lost.
Listen to the podcast at TwoGuysonPolitics.com.
This country needs a new leader who can navigate us back to the center. Right now, none are out there.
(Ray Hanania is an award winning former Chicago City Hall reporter and political columnist. His mainstream political columns are published in the Southwest News Newspaper Group in the Des Plaines Valley News, Southwest News-Herald, The Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers. His Middle East columns are published in the Arab News. For more information on Ray Hanania visit www.Hanania.com or email him at [email protected].)
SUBSCRIBE BELOW
His award winning columns can be found at www.HANANIA.COM Subscribe FREE today
Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
Email Ray Hanania at [email protected].
Follow RayHanania at Twitter
- Want to go paperless? eBilling lets you receive tax bills via email - January 17, 2026
- Commissioner Frank J. Aguilar Hosts Open House at District Office - January 15, 2026
- Ranking Member Markey Slams Trump’s Reckless Policies Making Life Unaffordable for Small Agricultural Businesses - January 15, 2026
