Bizarre or typical? Bomb threat investigated
Wednesday, Jun 6, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Tribune has the basic outline…
A campaign volunteer for 35th Ward aldermanic candidate Vilma Colom was arrested Tuesday for allegedly phoning a bomb threat to Colom’s campaign headquarters in March. […]
Authorities said that in a call to Colom’s cell phone, Wood claimed a bomb had been left in Colom’s campaign office. After a search of the office turned up no bomb, police reviewed Colom’s telephone records and discovered that the threatening call came from Wood’s phone, a source said.
* But the Sun-Times goes deeper…
According to law enforcement sources, a few weeks before that runoff, Wood [the pastor of the Fourth Congregational Church of Chicago] dined with Colom and two others at a Mexican restaurant on Lincoln Avenue. At one point during the meal, Wood allegedly called Colom’s cell phone from his cell phone and told her a bomb had been planted at her Diversey Avenue campaign headquarters.
Colom called the police, who went to the campaign office but found no explosives, sources said. An investigation revealed the call had come from Wood’s phone.
[Emphasis added.]
What the heck? More from the CS-T…
One source said Wood might have placed the call to gain publicity for Colom’s campaign. It was not clear whether Colom knew Wood placed the call, but the source said the matter was “still under investigation.”
I can’t find any mention of the bomb threat in the local papers, so if they wanted publicity they didn’t get it. Calling in a bomb threat, or even bombing your own office, is one of the oldest political tricks in the book, and some of the people who worked on Colom’s campaign are tricksters from way back (she was supported by Ald. Dick Mell’s organization).
It apparently didn’t take much for the coppers to trace the call to Wood, who has been an “outspoken advocate against violence in his neighborhood,” according to the Sun-Times.
What are your all-time favorite dirty tricks? One of the funniest I’ve ever heard of was when legendary trickster Dick Tuck hired a bunch of pregnant women to show up at Richard Nixon campaign events carrying signs that read: “Nixon’s the one.” More on Tuck here and here.
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Wednesday, Jun 6, 07 @ 9:06 am:
Transvestite sent to fundraiser of bachelor Republican in Southern Illinois — back in the 70’s.
“We’re ‘old friends,’ you know what I mean?” the transvestite told party guests all night.
- Skeeter - Wednesday, Jun 6, 07 @ 9:14 am:
The B-Team’s push-polls about Sen. McCain and his daughter in South Carolina in 2000. It put Bush in the White House.
- S.I. Anon - Wednesday, Jun 6, 07 @ 9:23 am:
The guy dressed as a chicken that followed daddy Bush around when he wouldn’t debate Clinton (it has been used repeatedly by campaigns since but with much less coverage). Very funny!
- Commonsense in Illinois - Wednesday, Jun 6, 07 @ 9:31 am:
One of the most famous, and one that Tuck denies, was when Richard Nixon was doing a train tour. As Nixon began his speech Tuck, wearing a conductor’s hat, waived to the engineer who promptly pulled out of the station. Classic…and pure Tuck.
- Ravenswood Right Winger - Wednesday, Jun 6, 07 @ 9:39 am:
the recent shenanigans in the 49th ward race.
- 42nd Ward Resident - Wednesday, Jun 6, 07 @ 9:42 am:
Burt Natarus had the sidewalks demolished in front of his own condo building on election day.
- anon - Wednesday, Jun 6, 07 @ 9:53 am:
A bunch of us volunteered for the incumbent representative. What she didn’t know was we were actually backing her opponent. We were a large part of her field organization and all of her campaign literature ended up in the garbage can. She lost.
- HoosierDaddy - Wednesday, Jun 6, 07 @ 10:01 am:
Another cute one from the Clinton’s: Bush 41’s people had repeatedly told the media that “the fat lady has not sung in this election.” On the weekend before the election the Clintonistas hired a choir of obese women to serenade the White House. I voted for Bush, but I still loved that one.
- Closer to Home - Wednesday, Jun 6, 07 @ 10:04 am:
How about the guy that took his clueless son in law and made him State Rep, then Congressman, then Governor
I don’t know if the joke wound up being on the father in law or the state or both.
- ZC - Wednesday, Jun 6, 07 @ 10:06 am:
The Clinton campaign in 1992 had a couple of choice tactics. I forget the two Ohio towns involved, but they sent in a crack squad with the wrong banner to a Bush rally, let’s say it was in Toledo, and it read, “Welcome to Canton.” Late in the campaign, Bush was tired, he took the bait, “I’m so happy to be here in Canton …” and the crowd groaned.
- Rob_N - Wednesday, Jun 6, 07 @ 10:14 am:
Karl Rove stealing a bunch of letterhead from 1970 Democratic candidate Alan Dixon and promoting a Dixon fundraiser among the homeless as a party with “Free beer, free food, girls, and a good time for nothing.”
That one cracks me up.
- St. NickName - Wednesday, Jun 6, 07 @ 10:44 am:
This isn’t a dirty trick but back in 1997 SEIU and other labor groups protested a funder headlined by Gingrich in Peoria by setting up a soup kitchen out front. Funny because it was so true.
- Clinton campaign - Wednesday, Jun 6, 07 @ 11:39 am:
Looks like they were pretty sure they could win honestly so they had to cheat.
I’m thinking of things Madigan’s assistant on floor used to due to frehmen repa in the 70s and 80s. Don’t want to mention names, but you probably know, Rich.
- George Ryan's Cellmate - Wednesday, Jun 6, 07 @ 11:51 am:
1) Filling out change of address cards for your opponent’s campaign office; when the checks quit coming in and the lights and phone get turned off, its pretty comical
2) Sending in those annoying magazine subscription cards checked off “bill me later” for Hustler, etal mailed to your opponent’s home.
- A Citizen - Wednesday, Jun 6, 07 @ 12:22 pm:
A friend of mine created a Dawn Clark Netsch handout/poster featuring her as a “bathing beauty” with the caption “If she’s good enough for Walter, she’s good enough for Illinois.” It got wide circulation and was copied ad nauseum.
- Arthur Andersen - Wednesday, Jun 6, 07 @ 12:53 pm:
Many Moons Ago..rearranging the directional arrow signs on the State Fairgrounds reading “Democrat Day Parking.”
Everyone who followed the signs drove themselves right in, then right off the fairgrounds.
It was also a Dem Day tradition back in those days to either park a loaded manure hauler or garbage truck right at the entrance to the Director’s lawn.
Those were the days.
- Pro-gunner - Wednesday, Jun 6, 07 @ 5:15 pm:
Anti-gunners calling lawmakers offices and pretending to be pro-gunners. They are extremely rude and hostile to the office staff. Anti-gunners calling Father Pflaeger pretending to be pro-gunners and threatening his life. Anti-gunners are sick desperate obsessed people.
- Pro-gunner - Wednesday, Jun 6, 07 @ 5:23 pm:
Correction to above: Only anti-gunners who are guilty of pretending to be pro-gunners are sick desperate, obsessed people.
- Fed up - Wednesday, Jun 6, 07 @ 6:47 pm:
How about 19th ward dem committeman M. Oshea getting arrested for beating up a oppossing campaign worker in a recent election. Or state rep K. Joyce getting arrested for battering a security guard at a concert. Stay classy chicago
- Dooley Dudright - Wednesday, Jun 6, 07 @ 7:36 pm:
Activist Saul Alinsky threatening Mayor Richard J. Daley with a “s**t-in” at O’Hare in 1964. It was so outrageous (and preposterous) that Hizzoner promptly caved. See Alinsky’s version of the events at http://www.progress.org/2003/alinsky12.htm
- Loyal Whig - Thursday, Jun 7, 07 @ 2:06 am:
Rich, Dick Tuck tortued Nixon, but the best Tuck story, was when he ran for office and lost, said what every losing candiate would like to say-”The people have spoken, the dirty bastards.”