* Press release…
Chris Kennedy’s Campaign Fact Checks JB Pritzker
Today, JB Pritzker failed to answer issue-based questions from the Crain’s Chicago Business editorial board. Instead, he said lie after lie to deflect from the downward spiral of his campaign.
It’s too bad that we already have to call out Bruce Rauner and Donald Trump for their lies, but if we have to do it for JB Pritzker, so be it.
Allow us to fact check:
JB: “I think I was the first candidate to talk about this in the race - legalizing marijuana in the state. I know that’s a point of difference between me and Chris Kennedy.”
Truth: Chris Kennedy supports legalizing marijuana. In fact, reinforced that point yesterday on WBEZ’s “Morning Shift.” The difference isn’t around “legalizing marijuana,” as JB said. The difference is that Chris doesn’t think lobbyists should lead this effort. He thinks third party experts at a research university like the University of Illinois should recommend the legislative package. So, what’s the difference? JB thinks lobbyists should determine how we legalize?
JB [when trying to explain away his relationship with House Speaker Mike Madigan]: “Chris Kennedy, who, you know, decided he wanted to run for Congress, for a little while. He chased Mike Madigan around–asked for his support. Decided he wanted to run for Senate. Chased him around, asked him for his support. And as we all saw, I think in 2016, he did the same thing, asking Mike Madigan for his support to run for Governor.”
Truth: Unlike JB Pritzker who has a history of running for office and asking Rod Blagojevich for political appointments, Chris Kennedy never “decided to run” for any office besides the one he’s running for right now.
JB: Multiple times throughout the interview, JB said he’s the “only” candidate to put out a jobs/business plan.
Truth: Chris Kennedy released an 23-page jobs and economy plan that can be found here. Crain’s even wrote about it here.
- Arsenal - Friday, Feb 9, 18 @ 3:36 pm:
==Chris Kennedy supports legalizing marijuana.==
Well, that’s new.
- Arsenal - Friday, Feb 9, 18 @ 3:37 pm:
==Chris Kennedy never “decided to run” for any office besides the one he’s running for right now==
Eh, but he’s flirted with it before, and looked for Madigan’s support.
- Lester Holt’s Mustache - Friday, Feb 9, 18 @ 3:40 pm:
Just give it up already, no one is interested anymore
- I Miss Bentohs - Friday, Feb 9, 18 @ 3:47 pm:
JB seems to have a problem with the truth over and over again. Seems the only time we catch him speaking the truth is through a secret wire tap … and those are truths he apologizes for not being his best.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Feb 9, 18 @ 3:51 pm:
No ad on this crisis.
No ad on the “blind trust - broken trust”
Rauner gets away with these things because other campaigns won’t put to voters Ads that describe hard hitting policy issues like this.
Rauner wins the day again.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Feb 9, 18 @ 3:52 pm:
Sorry, my phone cycled out.
Apologies
- Arsenal - Friday, Feb 9, 18 @ 3:54 pm:
==JB seems to have a problem with the truth over and over again.==
Only if you take Kennedy’s flip-flop on legalization at face value.
- Carol - Friday, Feb 9, 18 @ 4:13 pm:
Lol gotta love a fact check with no facts.
- Amalia - Friday, Feb 9, 18 @ 4:14 pm:
No one is interested anymore? JB is super damaged goods. there is more than just Biss on the rest of the list.
- Anon0091 - Friday, Feb 9, 18 @ 4:25 pm:
Serious weak sauce from team Kennedy. Really, you didn’t run for any office or ask Madigan for support. That’s the biggest whopper of all. Everyone knows you did. Madigan even said so. So why lie?
- Moe Berg - Friday, Feb 9, 18 @ 4:36 pm:
More double-talk. He knows it’s a popular idea, but he doesn’t support it. So, he tries to hide behind all kinds of qualifications. Currently on his website:
“Chris Kennedy believes marijuana should be publicly available to the extent that reputable scientists and medical professionals advise.”
“He supports expanding access to medical marijuana and decriminalizing marijuana in Illinois.”
Why would we need to decriminalize it if we are legalizing it?
“Chris further believes that the issue of legalizing marijuana should be separated from the issue of using taxes as a revenue stream to fund state government. He does not believe that the economic chaos that Governor Rauner has imposed on the state should be the driving factor factor that leads us to new forms of revenue without understanding the impact of such decisions.”
Again, more hedging. He’s saying that there are reasons not to legalize it and because some people say it could help bring in revenue that’s not a good one.
“If the medical and scientific evidence supports the legalization of marijuana, then Illinois should legalize marijuana, whether it is helpful to the state budget or not.”
What really does “medical and scientific evidence” mean? Would it support legalizing alcohol or smoking? No. So, really his position is that, other than medical, he’s again legalizing marijuana.
Cowardice doesn’t look good on anyone. It’s really unfortunate on a Kennedy.
- The Most Anonymous - Friday, Feb 9, 18 @ 4:39 pm:
== Really, you didn’t run for any office or ask Madigan for support. That’s the biggest whopper of all. Everyone knows you did. Madigan even said so. So why lie? ==
@anon0091 You’ve officially spun your spin into lies. Good thing this week is finally over for you. I’ve never heard that Kennedy has run for office before. Did he form a committee?
And, who cares what Madigan says? Only your boy JB, that’s who.
- Amalia - Friday, Feb 9, 18 @ 4:44 pm:
The Trib headline up now says JB is “on apology tour.” not good
- Anon0091 - Friday, Feb 9, 18 @ 4:50 pm:
The Most Anonymous
Are you actually claiming that Kennedy never went to the Speaker asking for his support when he was considering running for office before? If so that will be big news.
- Arsenal - Friday, Feb 9, 18 @ 4:50 pm:
== I’ve never heard that Kennedy has run for office before.==
Oh, please, Kennedy has flirted with every major office open since 2010. Campaigns start well before the D1s are filed.
- Anon0091 - Friday, Feb 9, 18 @ 4:51 pm:
And Most Anonymous, if you’re hiding behind the claim that he never officially ran, that’s just more parsing which is an odd thing to do in a supposed “fact check.”
- Anon0091 - Friday, Feb 9, 18 @ 4:52 pm:
“And, who cares what Madigan says? Only your boy JB, that’s who.
Then why did Kennedy seek Madigan’s support in the summer of 2016? Or are you claiming that’s untrue as well?
- Lil Lebowski Urban Achiever - Friday, Feb 9, 18 @ 4:57 pm:
Anon0091- Again… did you read the statement? You’ve had a rough week. I get it. But what are you even saying?
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Feb 9, 18 @ 4:57 pm:
- Anon0091 -
As Pritzker is on what NBC5 Chicago and now the Trubuje call an “Apology Tour”, your concern about Kennedy should probably be focused on Pritzker righting the ship and looking less now than what Kennedy did it didn’t do.
- Anon0091 - Friday, Feb 9, 18 @ 5:07 pm:
LLUA,
You’re parsing. As Arsenal said above, “Oh, please, Kennedy has flirted with every major office open since 2010. Campaigns start well before the D1s are filed.” That was exactly the point he was making so the fact check was nonsensical.
- Arsenal - Friday, Feb 9, 18 @ 5:10 pm:
==As Pritzker is on what NBC5 Chicago and now the Trubuje call an “Apology Tour”, your concern about Kennedy should probably be focused on Pritzker righting the ship and looking less now than what Kennedy did it didn’t do.==
Eh, setting aside that it doesn’t really matter what a bunch of us on a message board do, you don’t right the ship by letting the other campaigns dunk on you. Chris Kennedy didn’t support legalization before today. He’d sought Madigan’s support before. Those are the facts, and that doesn’t change just ’cause JB’s in trouble.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Feb 13, 18 @ 9:07 am:
===you don’t right the ship by letting the other campaigns dunk on you. Chris Kennedy didn’t support legalization before today. He’d sought Madigan’s support before. Those are the facts, and that doesn’t change just ’cause JB’s in trouble.===
The Pritzker Campaign seemingly isn’t interested in going after, with real gusto or financial powers, anyone. That’s what I commented as I did. If they feel protecting Pritzker for nickel and dime things instead of a real oppo strategy, that’s their call I guess.