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* No surprise at all, considering he’s not been heard from in weeks…
Merchandise Mart mogul and political heir Chris Kennedy told supporters Tuesday he isn’t running for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Roland Burris.
“In the end, I did not want to have to leave the state in order to serve it,” said Kennedy, the son of the late Robert F. Kennedy. “They say love conquers all, and in my case, it conquered ambition. I realize that I would rather be a good husband and a good father than a good Washington politician.”
He also won’t run for governor.
Steinberg is disappointed…
And I probably should admit that I’d been privately goading Kennedy to run for the past few months. Why? Because I consider him smart and well-spoken, because I thought he might win (what, you think you’re reading the neutral report of the Jedi Council? Wrong). Because I feel that Illinois could use a second effective senator and not some 33-year-old gee-whiz whelp like State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, the putative Democratic candidate, nor a sour little crab apple like Republican Mark Kirk, coupled to a suspicion that a Kennedy campaign would enliven our often tedious political process and his victory might even be good for the country.
Kennedy is rich enough not to be beholden to anybody, and a smart, independent man with new ideas would stand out in the U.S. Senate, if only for his novelty.
I told Kennedy I was disappointed.
“I think it’s the right decision,” he said, explaining that, basically, he wasn’t willing to spend time on the campaign trail that a successful Senate campaign requires.
Kennedy would’ve been a much better campaigner than I think some expected. But this party savior thing is a bit much. And it’s not confined to liberal-leaning Kennedy-loving types, either. I found the end of this column about Illinois Republicans a tiny bit disturbing…
We just need to be reminded that our state’s best days are ahead.
All that’s left is for a leader to come along with that message, the credibility to challenge us with it and the ability to grab our attention. If he or she can raise our heads, we’ll get going again.
If we’re gonna depend on politicians to “raise our heads,” we’ll be waiting around forever. Put your faith in God (if you believe, of course), not people. People will always disappoint. Hey, I love people. But we’re all humans and are therefore flawed creatures.
* Meanwhile, a Sun-Times guest columnist thinks Todd Stroger is a lock for reelection, then proceeds to declare voters stupid…
So don’t be surprised when Stroger pulls off the re-election win. Heck, it will be so bizarre that it could lead to a book deal. There’s even a working title being kicked around in certain circles — Cook County Voters are Dummies.
One wonders if this columnist will declare him/herself (there’s no name on the online version of the column) a dummie if Stroger is defeated.
* The Daily Herald thinks there are two “central questions” in the upcoming election campaign…
First: Given the political turmoil in Illinois so far this decade, why would anyone vote for Democrats?
Second: What alternative will Republicans offer?
But Cullerton makes a good point in the same story…
State Senate President John Cullerton, a Chicago Democrat, said he believes the GOP won’t be able to mount an aggressive take-back of the state despite the scandals of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and discontent over proposed tax hikes.
“We kind of benefit somewhat with the dysfunctionality (of the GOP),” Cullerton said. “They are split. They have a real conservative (wing) and moderates who are fighting each other. They don’t agree. … So, they haven’t taken advantage.”
Cullerton also had this to say about Illinois Democrats and Republicans…
“Our brand is bad, their brand is just as bad,” he said.
The GOP “brand” is still not good in Illinois, but if Mark Kirk’s polling numbers show us anything, it’s that the party isn’t as far into the wilderness as it’s been in recent years.
* Related…
* Candidate for state treasurer stops here
* DemurralMania– Who’s not running in `10
* Coulson joins 10th District race
* Sen. Terry Link to run for lieutenant governor
* Kirk touts pro-growth agenda
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Aug 19, 09 @ 9:40 am
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Is Kirk taking questions from regular folk in his campaign for U.S. Senate?
In my experience he’s particularly condescending and not at all respectful of constituents.
The evidence seems to be that he’s mastered the art of schmoozing editorial boards and journalists who think of themselves as insiders.
But when Kirk is out interacting with people who aren’t feeling compelled to support him for partisan reasons, Kirk’s shtick doesn’t play well.
At what events has Kirk taken questions from regular people? Got video to show how he talks to regular people?
Comment by Carl Nyberg Wednesday, Aug 19, 09 @ 9:51 am
Re: todd stroger
too bad the guest columist name wasn’t posted. must’ve been a close friend or relative of todd’s.
the guest columinst fails to take into account tha cook county is more white than black, and the white vote will be a backlash vote (in favor of anybody but todd stroger). also if i were the guest columnist, i wouldn’t bank on too much of the black vote either, as many blacks are not shy about voicing their displeasure with stroger. in fact many are downright embarrassed by him, and they openly admit it.
how will hispanics vote remains unclear right now. this is the group to watch in that race.
Comment by Will County Woman Wednesday, Aug 19, 09 @ 10:15 am
Carl - if Mark Kirk was condescending and not respectful of constituents he would not have won the recent close elections in 08 and 06.
Comment by Pre Wednesday, Aug 19, 09 @ 10:17 am
i’d like to agree with cullerton, but i cannot entirely. i think the tax increase will be a huge factor for voters. while i am not sure about the gop chances of capitalizing successfully on voter tax increase angst, i’m pretty sure that it won’t help quinn. will he flip later this year or early next year and not want a tax increase? probably.
Comment by Will County Woman Wednesday, Aug 19, 09 @ 10:22 am
I would have liked to see Kennedy or any number of people enter the Senate race, not because I’m pining for Camelot or a hero, but because I would like some alternatives to the current announced fields in both parties.
Open Senate seats don’t happen very often, so you would think there would be more ambitious people willing to take a chance.
Sternberg is way off on Kennedy’s wealth, by the way. Granpa Joe’s money was split among that rather large clan, so he would have had to raise money like everybody else. No Corzine or Bloomberg self-funder there.
The wealthiest, by far, of Joe’s grandkids is Caroline, and much of that stems from her mother’s marriage to Onassis, and includes sales after her death of enormously valuable, 100%-mortgage-free real estate in Manhattan and on Martha’s Vineyard.
Under California law, Maria would do pretty well if she dumped the Governator, too.
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Aug 19, 09 @ 10:25 am
unlees i’m just not seeing it, kirk needs to post his petitions online.
Comment by colt 45 Wednesday, Aug 19, 09 @ 10:32 am
How could Kirk have survived these last two cycles if he was disrespectful and condescending to constituents? In 2008 60% of the 10th went for President Obama, and yet enough of those folks felt compelled to split the ticket and support Kirk.
Comment by Red Hawk Wednesday, Aug 19, 09 @ 10:33 am
Anyone have a hard copy and can tell us who the guest columnist is? As usual, the geniuses in charge of the SunTimes Web site fail us again…that is unless this strong opinion was actually unsigned.
Comment by Chicago Cynic Wednesday, Aug 19, 09 @ 10:34 am
===there’s no name on the online version of the column===
It’s Mark Konkol
===and the white vote will be a backlash vote (in favor of anybody but todd stroger). ===
I was passing petitions for Terry O’Brien last night in a mostly caucasian ward in Chicago. Half of the people didn’t even know, or care to know, who Terry was. He was the guy running against Todd and that was good enough reason to sign the petition. It reminded me when we were passing petitions for the then unknown Obama when he ran against Bobby Rush.
Comment by Been There Wednesday, Aug 19, 09 @ 10:41 am
LOL, word is that Sneed has gone into seclusion over Kennedy’s announcement. No Lisa,and now no Chris to supply scoops.
Comment by Hank Wednesday, Aug 19, 09 @ 10:44 am
–It reminded me when we were passing petitions for the then unknown Obama when he ran against Bobby Rush–
What are you saying — Todd’s a lock?
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Aug 19, 09 @ 10:44 am
“I realize that I would rather be a good husband and a good father than a good Washington politician.”
That is a five star statement in a one star political world.
Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Aug 19, 09 @ 10:47 am
===What are you saying — Todd’s a lock? ===
No. I know Obama lost that race but in that area he cleaned up. But that area only counted for maybe 20% of the vote in that congressional district. My guess is the white areas of the city and suburbs will run to anyone but Todd. And as noted above by WCW those areas have more votes than the black areas.
Comment by Been There Wednesday, Aug 19, 09 @ 10:51 am
== if Mark Kirk’s polling numbers show us anything, it’s that the party isn’t as far into the wilderness as it’s been in recent years. ==
Only because the opposition party went running into the wilderness in hot pursuit….
Comment by Leory Wednesday, Aug 19, 09 @ 10:52 am
Republicans still need to come up with a credible candidate to win anything.
Give me a reason to give up the incumbent
Comment by Inish Wednesday, Aug 19, 09 @ 10:57 am
Konkol wrote “Race still matters in Cook County. And that’s good for Todd Stroger.”
No, that’s bad for Todd Stroger as long as there are 3 other black candidates in the contest and only one white guy.
As far as the Dem Senate race is concerned, I’m still convinced the national Dems (including Axelrod and Rahm,) see Alexi and Cheryl Jackson as heavy underdogs to Kirk. I think they’re gonna try to talk someone else into the race. Another run at Bill Daley or Jan Schakowsky perhaps? What about Rahm himself? Or how about Dan Hynes (which would help long-time Axelrod client Pat Quinn quite a bit.) Or Tom Dart, another Axelrod client.
Though, getting any of the above into the race would probably take the personal intervention of Obama. Not sure he would do that to Alexi, if they’re are as close as Alexi would have us believe.
Comment by FDR Wednesday, Aug 19, 09 @ 10:59 am
–“I realize that I would rather be a good husband and a good father than a good Washington politician.”
That is a five star statement in a one star political world.–
It’s also the first entry in the political handbook, “Platitudes for When You Bow Out Because You Think There’s a Good Chance You Would Get Beat.”
It’s possible to be all three, or none of the three, or a combination of the three.
If the money and polling looked really good, I doubt very much he would be saying it.
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Aug 19, 09 @ 11:07 am
Again, the Daily Herald fails to mention the Green Party candidates. Can we get some journalists to write for this paper? It seems the most reliable political reporting comes from WBEZ, where when they talk about party politics or who’s running, they usually get it right, instead of leaving out 1/3 of the candidates and 1/3 of the parties. Sun-Times papers do okay, Rockford Register Star is good, the Southern is good, as are a couple others. But the Daily Herald NEVER gets it right. The Tribune rarely does either, but at least they do investigative journalism, which is valuable to society. Daily Herald, on the other hand, is more or less a shell of a newspaper that only prints the most superficial, incomplete stories.
Comment by PFK Wednesday, Aug 19, 09 @ 11:15 am
The worst bellyaching in America the last few years has come from newspaper reporters crying about losing their jobs. Hard to have much sympathy for them when the team america’s of the world are getting better political information and doing better work than the folks that actually do it for a living.
Comment by Shore Wednesday, Aug 19, 09 @ 11:18 am
The ST columnist just established himself as the columnist with the worst political insight or instincts in the state.
Comment by Watchman Wednesday, Aug 19, 09 @ 11:41 am
Again, I’d like to see videos of Kirk taking questions from people who aren’t completely in his camp.
Winning an election is proof that a politician is good at all aspects of being a politician, it’s proof that s/he got more votes than the other candidate(s).
Comment by Carl Nyberg Wednesday, Aug 19, 09 @ 12:00 pm
“Again, I’d like to see videos of Kirk taking questions from people who aren’t completely in his camp.”
You weren’t around when Kirk was fielding questions on his vote on Cap and Trade?
Comment by Louis G. Atsaves Wednesday, Aug 19, 09 @ 12:23 pm
Steinberg says, “Because I feel that Illinois could use a second effective senator….”. Uh, who’s the first? Just sayin’.
Comment by Cranky Old Man Wednesday, Aug 19, 09 @ 12:33 pm
The Chicago Dem machine knows the score with Stroger and realizes he is now an embarrassing pariah to their brand. Their non-elected “innocuous, quiet, and willing dupe” turned out to be a far worse liability and way more dangerous than they could have imagined. Will it be “concerns” over a recurrence of illness?, a new “helped along” scandal? an outright pay-off? Stroger will not be allowed to survive the field in a Democratic primary if he is indeed so foolish as to run.
Comment by Responsa Wednesday, Aug 19, 09 @ 12:49 pm
Regarding the Konkol piece about Cook County voters being “dummies.”
http://www.chicagoelections.com/voterinfo.php?Lookup=Lookup&HouseNumber=11129&StreetDirection=S&StreetName=ST%20LAWRENCE&StreetSuffix=AV&LastName=konkol
Konkol is such a voter; as such his prediction will prove correct either way.
Comment by Dirt Digger Wednesday, Aug 19, 09 @ 1:47 pm
==Kennedy is rich enough not to be beholden to anybody . . . would stand out in the U.S. Senate, if only for his novelty.==
Can’t disagree with you on that, Rich.
Brings back fond memories of Sen. Peter Fitzgerald, our favorite iconoclast who, of course, begat Patrick Fitzgerald. Peter was, and Patrick is, this state’s only source for hope of anything resembling real political reform.
Comment by Ready for Someone New Wednesday, Aug 19, 09 @ 2:06 pm
Why would anyone want to run for state or federal office in this crooked state?
Good move for Kennedy!
Comment by Northside Bunker Wednesday, Aug 19, 09 @ 2:13 pm
LGA, link to the video. Show me.
Comment by Carl Nyberg Wednesday, Aug 19, 09 @ 2:25 pm
PFK, most people would say the same thing about the Green Party and the seriousness of it’s candidates.
Comment by Michelle Flaherty Wednesday, Aug 19, 09 @ 2:49 pm
===Daily Herald, on the other hand, is more or less a shell of a newspaper that only prints the most superficial, incomplete stories.===
The Daily Herald is an association of journalistic hacks who couldn’t get jobs at the Trib or the CST (which doesn’t say a whole lot) and instead have been relegated to serving as the official soapbox of the DuPage GOP.
Marni Pyke, in my opinion, is an exception. She does good work.
Comment by Obamarama Wednesday, Aug 19, 09 @ 4:30 pm
Has Danny Davis officially declared for County Board President?
If not that’s so rude and tacky (in other words Lisa Madigan-ish). People looking to replace him in congress need to get started on petitions and a host of other things.
Comment by Will County Woman Wednesday, Aug 19, 09 @ 4:52 pm
Carl, show you what? You already decided that Kirk is “disrespectful” to his constituents and you are looking for video now to back up your assertion.
That’s called putting the cart before the horse.
Next time check out the facts, then come to a conclusion.
Comment by Louis G. Atsaves Wednesday, Aug 19, 09 @ 6:52 pm
==========
One only need to drive through the state of Illinois in late summer, observe the beauty of tassled corn fields, child-filled parks and school buses, busy airports, from the Chicago skyline to the banks of the Mississippi, to be stirred by the greatness of our home state.
==========
Awwww…that was sweet, Fran–and how true!
“…a sour little crab apple”? Rich!!! Really!!!
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Aug 19, 09 @ 6:57 pm
Typical, Louis Atsaves. You have no proof showing Kirk’s inconsiderate attitude toward his constituents. And I’m sure part of the reason is that his town hall meetings are so carefully contrived and controlled by his thugs.
Kirk has fooled a lot of fools, IMHO. And unfortunately, IL-10 is full of fools with too much money. Let’s hope that the state is smarter than IL-10 & sees right through Kirk’s crap.
Comment by Ann T. Kirk Wednesday, Aug 19, 09 @ 8:55 pm