How dirty tricks sometimes work
Monday, Jun 8, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tom Kasich writes about a former House Republican candidate’s trials and tribulations on the campaign trail as he attempted to keep his restaurant afloat…
“For me it always comes back to that I need to take care of my (restaurant) staff and to be honest, one of the things that was tough the last time is that I’m a very, very easy target,” [Rob Meister] said. “All it takes is someone to come in here or call or email or whatever and they can say they’d like to make a reservation for 40 people at 7 o’clock next Friday night. I take down their name and phone number and ask if they want me to do a private menu or anything. And then 20 minutes after they were supposed to show up I call them and they call me everything besides a nice person and slam the phone in my ear, and then I’m out money that I had booked for that space.“
Meister said the dirty tricks happened “weekly” when he ran against former state Rep. Naomi Jakobsson three years ago, a race he lost 69 percent to 31 percent.
“There were one-star reviews of the restaurant popping up (online) every other week where people wouldn’t even give the right information. They’d write about a dish that we don’t even serve that supposedly was super-cold,” he said. “Honestly, my Number One worry is it’s just so easy when you meticulously try to plan your week-to-week business. It’s easy for someone to throw a wrench into that.”
When things can get that mean in a lopsided district like former Rep. Jakobsson’s, just imagine how rough it gets during a hotly contested race in a much more equally drawn district.
- Deep Yogurt - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 9:43 am:
Well if he didn’t ask for a credit card to hold the reservation the second time, he’s probably not the smartest guy…
- NewWestSuburbanGOP'er - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 9:43 am:
That is just plain childish behavior.
- phocion - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 9:44 am:
Yeah, Deep Yogurt, it’s all the business owner’s fault. And we wonder why more qualified people don’t run for office.
- Adam Smith - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 9:45 am:
It is truly among the biggest problems in politics.
Why would anyone want to subject him/her self and family to the kind of sleazy attacks and tricks used on a routine basis?
I find myself regularly pleading with friends and even acquaintances not to put themselves through that ordeal.
The problem is that none of the campaign operatives give any thought to the children, employees, associates and others whose lives are impacted by these campaign tactics. And even if the did, they would not care.
- Deep Yogurt - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 9:47 am:
Phocian,
Come on man. It’s obviously childish behavior, but fool me once…
- Anonin' - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 9:49 am:
Speakin’ of dirty trips this is really a free CNG promo for a GOPie getting a $1 million BVR rental payment for run for the Senate. Searched and searched and could not find reports of all this evilness in 2012 so wonderin’ why it is news in 2015? Oh well just more fair and balanced BS from CNG. Great start to the week.
- Precinct Captain - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 9:59 am:
Meister’s restaurant, which used to be at First and Springfield in Champaign, was terrible before he ran for state rep. It’s also telling that none of these “dirty tricks” he mentioned were ever brought up, not one single time, during his run in 2012.
- Madison - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 10:00 am:
Win an election 70-30 and need to harrass anybody?
Lar Daley had a better chance than that.
- Fred - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 10:01 am:
Man, I hope he’s exaggerating. Naomi Jakobsson of all people (or her staff) would resort to that in a 69-31 race? Shame.
And if he lost half that Senate district 69-31, I think he’s gonna need a lot more than a million to beat Bennett next year.
- The Captain - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 10:08 am:
Finding people who underappreciate how truly adversarial this business is is all too common. Even people from the private sector who are used to dealing with competition to grow their business are often unprepared for the direct adversarial nature of this stuff. Every day you have to face your opponent(s), your opponents’ supporters and the press who can be both adversarial and eager to document and magnify your forced and unforced errors. Very few first time candidates are anywhere near as prepared as they think they are for this challenge.
- Juice - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 10:14 am:
Well…on the upside, no one blew up a car in this race.
- Formerly Known As... - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 10:32 am:
It will be a pity when that karma circles back on Rep Jakobsson.
- nona - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 10:36 am:
It is hard to believe that Naomi was involved in such dirty tricks. On the other hand, both parties engage in underhanded tactics.
- Anonymous - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 10:46 am:
This guy sounds like a delusional whiner.
He and Rauner talk about all of their friends leaving the state to find work, not my experience at all. Maybe they just don’t have many friends.
- Soccermom - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 10:48 am:
As a huge fan of Yelp, I would point out that this kind of thing happens to non-political restaurant owners as well. When I read the reviews of some of my favorite restaurants, it is often clear that their competitors down the street are trying to drive down the number of stars by posting nasty stuff.
It certainly is possible that Naomi’s supporters engaged in this kind of behavior, but this could also be good old fashioned capitalism at its finest.
- Sleepysol - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 10:59 am:
This sounds a lot like that social justice stuff that everyone’s complaining about on twitter and reddit. Its terrible that this abuse is allowed to happen.
- A guy - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 11:07 am:
If you don’t have a lot of insulation from your private life, jackals on both sides will go above and beyond to make life miserable for innocent bystanders. It’s awful. They know no boundaries.
It really is the toughest part of this; the toll it takes on everyone else. For this among other reasons, I don’t use Yelp; to add a comment either way or for research. It’s not a reliable source.
- chicon - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 11:11 am:
Both parties use dirty tricks in races at all levels across the country. The reason for this is that it works. It works because the voters don’t hold the perps accountable. Politics ain’t beanbag.
This is another topic where the partisans think only the other side does it, or that their side only does it because the other side does it.
Wanna take a bite out of it? Primary someone in your party, or vote against your candidate, or go to a town hall and call out your own candidate for a dirty trick.
- Willie Stark - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 11:12 am:
First of all, anyone who thinks Naomi would be capable of directing or tolerating these tactics obviously never met her. Second, this guy is credible why? Because he says that’s what happened? And, we’ve never seen a candidate have his tires flattened or a brick thrown through his own campaign office window to get some sympathy, right? Kachich is, and has always been, a GOP partisan - so both these guys have motive to portray events other than as they are.
- chicon - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 11:17 am:
Willy Stark - in your world, does a Democrat partisan have a similar motive to lie?
- Soccermom - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 11:27 am:
Just went to Yelp to read the reviews. Apparently people knew he was challenging Naomi as early as 2010, because that’s when a bunch of bad reviews started showing up.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/minnecis-ristorante-champaign-2
- Nick Danger - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 11:49 am:
So this is meant to illustrate how political campaigns are conducted. But we all know this anyway right? Does a candidate know all that goes on? Probably not every stinkin’ thing. But it’s a win or go home fugly bidness.
- Precinct Captain - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 11:58 am:
==- Soccermom - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 11:27 am:==
You can look at several sites: Yelp, Facebook, TripAdvisor, and nothing comes close to Meister’s “every other week” comment about one-star reviews.
- chicon - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 12:05 pm:
Right Precinct Captain, dems never use dirty tricks. Only repubs. Be real.
- A guy - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 12:22 pm:
=== Willie Stark - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 11:12 am:
First of all, anyone who thinks Naomi would be capable of directing or tolerating these tactics obviously never met her. ====
I’ve met her. We ‘may’ agree on the directing someone to use these tactics. We are at odds with the ‘tolerating’ them.
She was very capable of tolerating plenty of it. Being unaware is a blissful state for a candidate.
- AmericanPie - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 12:33 pm:
Re: Fred - above.
While Meister sounds like a decent fellow, if he only got 31% in the state rep race, how he is a credible candidate to win the state senate race, even with $1 million? (Esp considering that Bennett is a good fellow and not an easy target). Wonder if this reflects Rauner’s view that (enough) money can break any log-jam.
- foster brooks - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 12:42 pm:
I wonder if Donald Segretti was behind this
- Stuff Happens - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 12:49 pm:
@nona: Yes, I know the Jakobssons I don’t believe for a second that either would have condoned this type of activity.
@soccermom: Exactly. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. Unless red herring is on the menu.
- Just Me - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 1:54 pm:
Equally drawn districts? We have those in Illinois?
- MurMan - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 2:00 pm:
I went to U of I Champaign/Urbana. Ate at his restaurant. Was not a fan. Yelp is usually prett reliable. But with all review sites, some fake reviews can slip through the cracks. The more reviews a place has, the more accurate its rating will be.
Every one uses dirty tricks. I’m not a fan, but I don’t think you can change it and whining about it changes nothing. If you can’t stand the heat, then get out of the kitchen.
- Filmmaker Professor - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 3:37 pm:
And you believe him why? Evidence please.
- Wordslinger - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 6:20 pm:
“I’m a very, very, easy target.”
No kidding. Might not want to let the neighborhood kids know that, if you’re booking reservations for 40 without a credit card. I’m guessing reservations for 40 dont happen often, if it ever happened at all.
I see some of the intrepid commenters here found that the Yelp review claims don’t quite add up. Stupid Internet.
“Then, someone called up and asked for Ivanna Tinkle or Seymour Butts. So I’m yelling ‘Ivanna Tinkle, Ivanna Tinkle, Seymor Butts, Seymour Butts here…”
- MyTwoCents - Monday, Jun 8, 15 @ 8:39 pm:
So Kacich just takes what he is told as the absolute truth and meanwhile the commentators here poke holes in the story? Maybe he needs to do better at his job and he should read these comments.