56 Comments - RogersParkProgressive - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 1:14 am: I mean, come on, the Kennedy family spans four generations if you’re counting the sitting Massachussets Congressman. I’m sure none of them ever even hinted at giving money or connections in return political favors. Chris Kennedy’s attempts at positioning himself as an outsider is just as laughable as Pritzker’s attempts to portray himself as one who understands the common struggles among the working class. - Lynn S. - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 1:46 am: And let’s don’t forget, all the money grandpa Joe Kennedy made in the stock market in 1929, or Gloria Swanson as his mistress. And his mother’s family–the Skakels– are all their business dealings at Carbon and Carbide clean? Or Michael Skakel and Martha Ann Moxley. Kennedy better think long and hard about where he’s going. The path may wind up circling back around to his clan quicker than he thought. - Truth - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 3:18 am: I mean if he keeps this up, he might help Pritzker. Who is running that Kennedy campaign since Thompson & Weir are gone? - David - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 5:47 am: I just flipped around this morning and saw RFK jr on Russia Today at this moment. Anything to do with them should not help you in a Democratic primary. I am really annoyed at Obama for not telling us that the Russians were in our systems to alter the elections. - Ward Heeler - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 5:47 am: Allegedly, Joe Kennedy agreed to bankroll James Michael Curley’s final (successful) mayoral campaign in return for Curley agreeing not to run for Congress in the district where JFK launched his political career. Curley was a notoriously corrupt politician who made Richard J. Daley look like a piker. - DuPage Saint - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 7:13 am: Let’s see, I believe the Kennedy family owned the Merchandise Mart. In Chicago right? once the worlds largest store/office. I am sure no zoning, tax code issues with city. I am sure no political donations or consideration for any of the Kenedys or Schrivers in his town. No phone calls or favors made. Chicago always plays it straight - William j Kelly - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 7:35 am: OK, I see Rich Miller has already decided who his next meal ticket is going to be. - @MisterJayEm - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 7:41 am: “OK, I see Rich Miller has already decided who his next meal ticket is going to be.” Subscribers who want the straight dope on Illinois politics? Yup. Same as it ever was. – MrJM - Hhood - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 7:41 am: One can not be held responsible for what our uncles did. Brothers did. Cousins did ect ect. Everybody has to stand on his own two feet. I hope Chris Kennedy stands tall on his own right to make his own legacy. We need a strong tough smart smart individual to lead Illinois out of this mess. We needs solutions to the current mess. I’m ready to hear some - Blue dog dem - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 7:54 am: Since ya’ll thought i made an insensitive comment the other day. Heres to RFK. - Anon0091 - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 7:59 am: ” Hhood - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 7:41 am: One can not be held responsible for what our uncles did. Brothers did. Cousins did ect ect. Everybody has to stand on his own two feet. I hope Chris Kennedy stands tall on his own right to make his own legacy. We need a strong tough smart smart individual to lead Illinois out of this mess. We needs solutions to the current mess. I’m ready to hear some” I assume you apply the same logic to Pritzker? - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 8:10 am: When Chris Kennedy (and/or Crew) stated about the Pritzker FBI tapes, paraphrasing… “The tapes speak for themselves” … I thought, given everything, that was the best response, still “feel” that way. The reason I felt that way isn’t what this Post is about, per se, but exactly what this Post is saying… Less… is more. Less keeps candidates from going “too far”. Less… says more, by saying so little. Kennedy needs the warm memories, of his uncles, of his father, and today, the anniversary of his father’s death, the great and giant doings of the Kennedys are embraced and today we remember more pointedly the Kennedy legacy. There was no reason to compare by Kennedy. Sometimes it’s best to let what’s not said stay unsaid, and to allow sentiment, memories, feelings warm people’s memories without words to diminish that warmth. - Soccermom - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 8:11 am: I don’t particularly have a dog in this fight — I will be voting proudly for Anybody But Rauner in 2018. But this thing is going to get messy(er) fast if we start bringing in everybody’s families. “I’ll see your Gloria Swanson and raise you Liesl.” If we’re not careful, this thing could turn off voters and lead to “A pox on both your houses.” Strongly recommend staying focused on the guy you’re running against, and not his sisters and his cousins and his aunts. - War Heeler - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 8:15 am: William J. Kelly, career gadfly without a portfolio has resurfaced. Please go away. - J Edgar - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 8:15 am: Don’t forget uncle Bobby wiretapping Dr. King. - Anon0091 - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 8:15 am: Soccermom, You’re absolutely right. But Pritzker hasn’t attacked anyone. Every Dem has attacked him - including the way over the line Kennedy attacks on Pritzker. Kennedy is saying things he knows aren’t true but that will be cited later by Rauner. So maybe someone should have an intervention with teams Kennedy and Biss to tell them to make their case first and leave the attacking to the GOP. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 8:21 am: ===- J Edgar - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 8:15 am Don’t forget uncle Bobby wiretapping Dr. King.=== ‘Nember what I said, “Less is more”… Maybe know something before typing anything. - Terry Salad - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 8:28 am: I remember the shabby role he played in the firing of professor Steven Salaita from his job at the University of Illinois. Kennedy was chairman of the U of I board at the time. - Mason born - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 8:30 am: Isn’t there a risk in going overboard on attacking Pritzker. Yes It’s a primary & Everyone is playing to win, but once you win you face Rauner of the bottomless checkbook, wouldn’t it be best to not say something you can’t walk back to your best source of cash? “Hey JB can I get a donation, no I really didn’t mean you we’re a shameless corrupt political hack.” - Arock - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 8:30 am: 1963 October 10 AG Robert Kennedy Approves Wiretaps on Martin Luther King In September, Kennedy consented to the technical surveillance. Kennedy gave the FBI permission to break into King’s office and home to install the bugs, as long as agents recognized the “delicacy of this particular matter” and didn’t get caught installing them. Kennedy added a proviso — he wanted to be personally informed of any pertinent information. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 8:31 am: - Anon0091 - Pritzker has yet to shut the door on the Blago tapes. Days have passed, nothing of significant pushback or response that allows Pritzker and/or his Crew to move forward, and that in of itself allows the attacks to be made, and if not made, gross malpractice if his opponents, now, don’t go after JB Pritzker. I see 2 really good outs for Pritzker, I even see 2 paths to move forward. What I see… from Pritzker and Crew… is what I’ve been saying about them since they were getting attacked solely by Rauner… The glaring hole, the obvious weaknesses of Protzker and the Comm Crew is handling crisis messaging and understanding and being able to answer their own oppo. The debate here is Kennedy not understanding his own “name” history and all, the good and not so good that the “name” has when deciding how to attack opponents. Pritzker, until that Comm Crew and Pritzker himself fix the glaring issues they have, they will face “scrutiny”. They need to be way better. Kennedy? Kennedy needs to be the candidate that says so much by really saying little that takes him through doors that lead to places he should be staying away from in comparing. With respect. - Fax Machine - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 8:36 am: Rich, More overnight posts please - some of the best conversations happen before 9AM. We’re not all state workers who first check the blog when we get to our desk… - Walter Concrete - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 8:38 am: Bobby Kennedy also worked as an assistant counsel for US Senator Joseph McCarthy for about six months during the Fifties. The truth was that the Kennedys were anti-communists during the McCarthy Era — something that the Progressives whitewashed during the Sixties. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 8:38 am: - Arock - Chris Kennedy was born July 4th 1963. While Chris Kennedy’s flippant response to the questioning is without any question fair game… Chris was barely 3 months old when this occurred. - Anonymous - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 8:39 am: Mary Jo Kopechne could not be reached for comment. - Fax Machine - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 8:47 am: Kennedy sounds genuinely offended that Pritzker is laughing at his sister’s misfortunes. Not that anyone doubted it but it shows he’s serious when he talks about how important family is to him. With that, he’a very aware of the fact that his father and uncle both primaried sitting Presidents and I don’t see him going anywhere just because he’s got an opponent with gobs more money than he does. - Lovie - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 8:56 am: Rich, I don’t think you’re being fair here. Chris Kennedy had nothing to do with his grandfather’s past, or for that matter, his uncle’s transgressions. - OneMan - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 8:58 am: Well there is no evidence anyone of anyone in his family talking to Rod on tape so there is that… - Puddintaine - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 9:00 am: Waves hand slowly ” those are not the Kennedys you are we are speaking of…” - Pritzker Logic - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 9:07 am: =I remember the shabby role he played in the firing of professor Steven Salaita from his job at the University of Illinois. Kennedy was chairman of the U of I board at the time.= TS makes an excellent point @ 0828. It will be hard for anyone to deny that this is the same Kennedy who’s running for governor. The U of I was an out-of-control administrative cesspool when Kennedy was board chair. It certainly raises a question of how will he oversee the State bureaucracy. - Anon0091 - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 9:09 am: So fax machine, it’s ok to hold Pritzker responsible for His family but not Kennedy? How about if we hold each candidate responsible for what they do and not what their family does? That’s kind of the point of the post. And Willy, no argument on your point. - Anonymous - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 9:10 am: The criticisms here are fair in that Chris stupidly said ‘the Kennedys never did that…’. See Rich’s paragraph where he is basically calling out Kennedy for perpetuating the myth/BS of the Kennedys are blameless victims. They have done good things and bad things, but don’t tell me The Kennedys are above reproach, which Chris seemingly implies. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 9:10 am: Bruve Rauner has not fully funded higher education, with the U of I system owed $750 million nearly 7-8 months ago, with a number, arguably, growing into a billion dollar neighborhood… … Rauner’s own destruction of higher education… that seems far more purposeful and damaging(?) - Anonymous - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 9:18 am: ===Rich, I don’t think you’re being fair here. Chris Kennedy had nothing to do with his grandfather’s past, or for that matter, his uncle’s transgressions.=== “I don’t think there’s anything in the history of the Kennedy family that looks like that… The Kennedy’s have never done that. ” Look, if Kennedy brings his family into this as paragons of virtue in direct contradiction of the historical reality, then yes, people have a right to call him on it. - Southwest Burbs - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 9:18 am: Chris Kennedy was never recorded on a FBI wiretap, JB was. Chris just stepped in it now, should’ve just redirected the question with a simple answer of I’ve never been caught on a wiretap. If he wants to have a shot, this campaign needs to stop taking one step forward and two steps back.. And is anyone else wondering if Team JB is the one leaking the oppo research? Get it all out there in may and June while no one is paying much attention to the race, just a possiblity.. - Graduated College Student - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 9:18 am: Anonymous at 9:18 was me. - Hhood - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 9:19 am: In response. I believe anybody caught on tape asking for special favors is not very smart. No matter who it is. We need the smartest people in play working to fix the mess which is the state of Illinois. And the professor at the u of I was obviously not the smartest guy in the room. We need to remove those not capable of doing the job. No matter where they are working in the state of Illinois. For the record. Past political hires are still on the job. Qualified or not. - Amalia - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 9:22 am: I guess the point Kennedy is trying to make is that Pritzker attacked his own family in a way to benefit himself, and it’s on tape. just say that, Chris. - Anon 7 - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 9:28 am: Southwest Burbs nailed it. Kennedy should have corrected WLS and said he is not talking about the Pritzker family or anyone’s family. Should have said he was referencing only the candidate, JB. - Lynn S. - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 9:29 am: @Hhood– You may disagree with Steven Salaita’s politics. And you seem to be shilling hard for Kennedy. But that doesn’t make Chris the smartest guy in the room, or entitle him to my vote in the Dem primary. If Kennedy’s as smart as you say he is, why is his campaign making so many dumb errors? And why isn’t Kennedy committing his own $$ the way Pritzker is? - cdog - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 9:31 am: May I repeat part of the first comment of the thread, “Chris Kennedy’s attempts at positioning himself as an outsider is just as laughable as Pritzker’s attempts to portray himself as one who understands the common struggles among the working class. Kennedy is a Bubble Boy, and doesn’t know it. Always has been. Always will be. Pritzker is a Faker, and honing his fakes by the hour with high-priced trainers. This, is the more dangerous of the too. Billionaires and their common man sales pitches. Yuck. - Anonymous - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 9:35 am: As an aside, I wonder if any of us here - me definitely included - would like to hear their own taped conversations in the course of any week…..bar talk, coffee shop talk, …… what a revelation that might be - Fax Machine - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 9:38 am: “We need the smartest people in play working to fix the mess which is the state of Illinois.” It sounds like you’re saying we need SUPERSTARS! - wordslinger - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 9:40 am: Behind every great fortune is a great crime. Look at some of Rauner’s documented business practices — that he knew nothing about, of course. In Gus Russo’s book on Sidney Korshak, you’ll find that both Abe Pritzker and Joe Kennedy at times shared some rather colorful associates from a certain Chicago business outfit. For that matter, Nixon and Reagan played ball with the boys at various times in their careers. Teamster cash was the likely source of the hush money for the Watergate burglars. And as SAG president, Reagan granted highly lucrative union contract waivers to Korshak associates, who were later instrumental in furthering both his acting and political careers. They even set Reagan with a Vegas act at an Outfit casino when his career was at rock bottom and he needed cash. - Michelle Flaherty - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 9:44 am: William Kelly’s press conference in the Blue Room will begin in 5 minutes. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 10:00 am: ===I wonder if any of us here - me definitely included - would like to hear their own taped conversations in the course of any week…..bar talk, coffee shop talk=== Yep. Kinda scary to think about it. - Michelle Flaherty - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 10:02 am: And just when I thought he had learned his lesson, Chris Kennedy runs right back in the elevator. - @MisterJayEm - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 10:11 am: And Google, ‘Rooster Sun’, you’ll see who has the portfolio to affect the night-into-day cycle. – MrJM - Ghost - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 10:11 am: Kennedy is the Dem version of Onerweiss, seems ibsessed with the idea of winning an election over the actual job. - Chicago Cynic - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 10:19 am: “- William j Kelly - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 10:03 am: Rich, be careful, I might decide to put 2 billionaires heads on my wall in 2018.” What the hell does that mean? Trolling… - Arsenal - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 10:32 am: I’m *not* a fan of Kennedy’s campaign so far, but I’m not really comfortable roping stuff Joe Sr. did into this. Same goes for those Pritzker trusts that were set up in the ’50s. The guy actually in the campaign was a child when it went down. - JoanP - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 10:33 am: Answer should have been, “I’m not my family. I don’t hold J.B. responsible for his family. I DO hold him responsible for his own actions.” Period. - Soccermom - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 11:31 am: Anon0091 — I may or may not have had that exact conversation with somebody yesterday… - Pritzker Logic - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 11:37 am: =- Arock - Chris Kennedy was born July 4th 1963. While Chris Kennedy’s flippant response to the questioning is without any question fair game… Chris was barely 3 months old when this occurred.= Where was Madigan then? Mike Madigan and the infants he controls!!! - Downstate - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 11:52 am: Rose Kennedy was declared a resident of Florida at her passing, thus avoiding inheritance tax in the state of Massachusetts. It appears that she’d not been to Florida for nearly a decade prior to her passing. Hope Governor Kennedy will fight for my right to get the same deal! - Nieva - Tuesday, Jun 6, 17 @ 12:47 pm: If you are going to bring up all the good your family has done expect all the bad to be brought up also. The Kennedy name has many good deeds associated with it but the dark side will come to light in an election. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.