Wednesday, December 31, 2008
News / Clout City Blago plays the race card
Posted by Ben Joravsky on Wed, Dec 31, 2008 at 6:24 PM
It's been a great year for white guys playing the race card.
Earlier this year, Mayor Daley played the race card on behalf of the Children's Museum. He also played it in 2006 on behalf of Wal-Mart, so you can say the mayor's been on something of a roll.
And now, of course, we have Governor Blagojevich jumping into the act. By nominating Roland Burris -- who apparently is ready to run for anything under any circumstances -- he's hoping to push house speaker Michael Madigan, state rep Barbara Flynn Currie, and his other impeachment-pushing foes in the General Assembly back on their heels.
For those unfamiliar with this game, the race card is when a politician shrewdly attempts to exploit legitimate racial grievances that go back to the days of slavery -- and lord knows there are many -- for the narrowest of selfish political gains. Traditionally it's played by black politicians to bedevil and embarrass their white colleagues into grudgingly cutting a few blacks a slice or two from the pie.
Don't get me wrong -- I've long admired the true master of this game, an illustrious crew that includes Jesse Jackson, the Shaw brothers, and even John and Todd Stroger. But it's a little disconcerting to see white guys playing the card. I always thought that you actually had to have paid some sort of price, like actually having done something of significance in the fight for civil rights. But, alas, like everything else, old standards are eroding.
Ironically, our main hope to offset Blago's power play are two black politicians: secretary of state Jesse White and president-elect Barack Obama. Both have opposed Burris's appointment and they might give the U.S. Senate the cover to block Burris from taking a seat. In fact, Obama could help to end this fiasco once and for all by forcefully -- and I mean very forcefully -- speaking out. But I guess we'll have to wait just a little longer before he takes on the big boys in his hometown.
I suppose there's something positive to make out of all this. In a weird, twisted way, it means we have transcended race -- or at least turned it upside down. It's sort of like the time not long ago when Eminem ruled the world of rap and Tiger Woods was the world's best golfer.
Anyway, time will tell if this does any good for Blagojevich. For what it's worth, Mick says yes and I say no. We shall see.
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It is ironic that the media is now calling out Blagojevich for using the race card when they were pushing it for Obama this entire time. Obama used the race card and now you want to criticize others. The other ironic thing I find is that the IL US Senate seat is irrelevant insofar as we do not have a US Senator officially since the election and Obama was running for President for the last 2 years and is absent 60% of the time. Obama never did anything while collecting our taxpayer funded paycheck and health care and now there is literally no US Senator and we don't miss it and it doesn't matter.
Speaking of race cards: when is someone going to bring up Rolando Cruz?
How about how Angelo Torrez, Victor Reyes,Ben Reyes, and Al Sanchez did everthing alone without Daley's support. If you believe that I'll sell you a bridge on wacker.
Blogo was ok,when he was in the good graces of the Machine/Combine. When Blogo fell out with Daley-Madigan,and other thieves ,including myself,he became evil. Daley needs his rot gut Latinos Officials to stay in office. Daley will win again,because we can get all the illegals to the polls to vote for Daley.
The Hispanics are the ones that keep mayor ding a ling in office. He than treats them like bus boys and landscapers.
What did Obama do as US Senator? Do we even need one? Does it even matter?
It is kind of ironic that the media is now criticizing Blagojevich/Burris/Rush for using the race card when the puppet like media was fawning all over Obama who was effectively using the race card and guilt more effectively than Wallace. The media (and the Sun Times was an extension of the Obama campaign with the exception of Tim Novak) lacked any journalistic ethics of objectivity and did not do a formal vetting process or any real investigation. Because of the media's lying and ignoring the corruption in Illinois and Chicago we are now left with an interesting Constitutional dilemma regarding the appointment to the Senate seat by our corrupt governor. The media has released the internal report by the Obama team that exonerates the Obama team. What did you think Rahm Emmanuel did when he was fundraising? He was swearing and wanted something (Money) for something (favors, contracts, jobs) which is called quid pro qou. Rahm Emmanuel and Rod Blagojevich are basically the same type of person. Egomaniac, vulgar, and corrupt. It is truly ironic that the media allowed a race based campaign on the historic premise of electing he first biracial President but ignored his paucity of accomplishments and the corruption in which he was spawned. Blagojevich is just doing what Obama did with race. It is also at least interesting (if not sad and a waste of money) that Illinois really doesn't need a junior Senator because Obama has resigned since the election and before that he was only there 40% of the time (absent 60% of the time) and has been running for President since he was elected to the Senate in 2004 and officially announced in 2006. So what did Obama do in the US Senate (besides getting a paycheck, pension and health care on the taxpayers dime?) NOTHING Obama did nothing as US Senator and was absent most of the time--now that Obama is gone and we have NO Senator we do not even miss him--isn't that ironic? We have NO US Senator in Illinois and it doesn't matter because Obama did nothing as US Senator. We have no representation at a time that Israel is attacking Hamas, Muslim terrorists are attacking Mumbai, we are supposed to bail out the car manufacturers, mortgage crisis and much much more. But we cannot debate or even discuss any major issues because we are distracted by the National Enquirer and Entertainment Tonight type journalism of the Chicago Sun Times and the the way (perhaps unintentionally) Obama has demeaned and lowered the level of political discourse to Obama's girl, soundbites, Obama on the beach, and verbal platitudes that hide the political corruption of Valerie Jarrett (Chicago CTA and Planning and Development), Rahm Emmanuel (the f bomb fundraiser and liar for the Clintons), Lyrch Arne Duncan and the highest murders in a school district--but glad Obama has a hoops buddy, and Billy (Investment banking and insider deals for him and his son that we all pay for) Daley on the transition team, maybe add real estate Danny Solis's sister that Clinton puked out and you have a real Chicago team--Chicago the most stressed city according to Forbes, highest murder rate, highest sales tax, high unemployment rates, highest foreclosures and evictions--let Obama do to the US what they did to Chicago but we can hear a great speech and he has some African blood. Blago is doing what the Obama team did on race. We don't seem to need a US Senator because it doesn't matter and the last Senator didn't do anything.
Why can't you morons leave well enough alone. Pat Quinn becomes the Governor and appoints Lisa Madigan or Tom Dart US Senator.
I would counsel Pat Quinn to appoint: 1. Adlai Stevenson or 2. Glenn Poshard for a 2 year term as a caretaker people with integrity, honesty and gravitas but who will not run again because of ideology and/or age A good political move would be the State Senator James F Claybourne and get a twofer--both African American AND a Downstater as the downstaters seem slighted and although Dick Durbin is supposedly downstate he is more in his LSD condo in Chicago and is out of touch with downstaters and won big re-election because of poor Republican candidates and not true underlying popularity. Many Downstaters and even non Chicagoans think that Chicago has too much and too many Chicago machine and children. African Americand and Downstate could be a powerful combo.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3463311497285206232&hl=en How come Cicero which is 80% Hispanic American (mostly Mexican Americans) is controlled by a fat, mobbed up, uneducated, inarticulate, racist, fat white cop. Larry Dominick owned questionable bars against cop rules and admitted to meeting with mobster Rocco Infelise. Are there shake downs for window contracts? Shake downs for jobs? Tipping off the mob when the FBI was in Cicero? Racism against the majority of the town? Barbecue, internet porn and BJs from prostitutes?????? High legal fees, illegal use of TIF money? high public relation fees money going out of Cicero to people who live outside of Cicero and not to Hispanics?
Why does Daley need heroin Dealing members of the 6-6 street gang to stay in power. Angelo Torres, State Senator Tony Munoz, Jorge Herrera. Go to any H.D.O party with a camera and you will see people run like cock roaches. Formerly HDO. They have probabily morphed into something else by now.
Daley Supporters, "They have probabily morphed into something else by now." Yeah! The 2016 Olympic Committee.
Isn't Dan Proft on the Cicero team? He didn't treat me very well.
Cicero was better off when Al Capone ran it, Dan Proft and the Melrose Park crew are bleeding it dry. Cicero will be watched this election to see if the votes are being stolen.
All of you crybabies, Chicago is ranked number one City : http://www.lonelyplanet.com/
Orion was ranked #1 lackey in the 11th Ward!
This is why I love the blogosphere. Bedwetters living in their mom's basement can have a place to release the toxins that build up in their system from their own feelings of inadequacy and insignifcance. "Cicero was better off when Al Capone ran it?" What a thoughtful, measured, proportional response. Cicero must have an election right around the corner--yep, I checked, Feb. 24. And thus, the goofballs are out en masse. I am so appreciative of blog posters like "Rocco Infelise" and "Jerry Joyces Cousin Tony". It is because of political opposition of this caliber that the Dominick administration hasn't had to worry about politics at all but could focus on the substantive public policy work of system change in Cicero. That's why, for example, we've passed four balanced budgets in a row under Dominick while zeroing the property tax levy all four years and actually cutting property taxes for Cicero residents by abating $8.5 million in taxes on municipal bonds issued by previous administrations. Oh, and, we've done that while building 20 acres of new parks for a town in desperate need of public green space and redeveloping (or in process of redeveloping) 150 acres of commercial (retail, light industrial, industrial) property in town. That's why we have seen a 60% decrease in violent gang crime under Dominick. I could go on, but I think the record is clear...as is Larry Dominick's 80% approval rating in a town, as was pointed out, that is 80% Latino. Now that the Cicero conundrum has been tackled, I'll let you all go back to discussing the actual thrust of this entry which I believe had to do with Blagojevich playing the race card. Regards, Dan Proft
INDIGHT PROFT!!http://proftexposed.blogspot.com/
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