Kennedy wows Daily Herald
Friday, Feb 16, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Great words, but Kennedy really needs money right now to start putting stuff like this enthusiastic endorsement on the air so lots of people actually see it…
From a distance, Chris Kennedy doesn’t seem to look much like his charismatic father. But up close, looking at him from the side, you recognize it in his profile: the unmistakable reflection of Robert F. Kennedy.
At first blush, Kennedy seems surprisingly ill-suited to politics, an introvert in an extrovert’s profession. He doesn’t work the room the way politicians do. And he doesn’t duck questions the way they do either. That penchant for candor occasionally adds bite to an answer that more calculating candidates might work to avoid.
But Kennedy is so much more than those superficial first impressions.
Up close, he carries forth his family’s legacy with strength and eloquence. He aspires to be a servant leader in the finest tradition of the phrase. His underlying philosophy is rooted in a belief that the highest service is owed to those who are the least privileged.
Quite the love letter. I mean, candidates dream about endorsements like that. I’d bet it’s almost exactly how Kennedy would write it.
* On to the GOP side…
The question facing voters in the Republican primary election for governor on March 20 is who will be the standard-bearer of the party. Will it be a sincere, stalwart but flawed incumbent who has been frustrated in his efforts to bring reforms in business and state government? Or, a three-term state representative with a limited record of accomplishment, a demonstrated, indeed proud, history of ridiculing Illinois citizens who do not share her uncompromising conservative values and all but no chance of winning in November?
Wanna guess who they picked?
- Retired Educator - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 3:03 pm:
No guess, he bought them all several years ago.
- Snucka - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 3:08 pm:
Kennedy is an exceedingly bad campaigner, and can’t be trusted in an extemporaneous setting. I’m glad to hear that he’s not as terrible in an editorial board interview format, but it’s just not a chance that Dems can take. Not this time.
- Lovie - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 3:08 pm:
Kennedy is the candidate who hasn’t received his due because of the lack of money and lack of charisma expected from a member of the Camelot family. The endorsement is eloquent and heartfelt. I would hope more people consider him on election day.
- Anonymous - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 3:19 pm:
I wish I was that impressed by Kennedy.
- Pieroge tirebiter - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 3:19 pm:
And not a word about if he has the cash to take on a billionaire disaster of a governor
- DuPage Bard - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 3:21 pm:
I never thought the Trib Ed Board was a big fan of Don Quixote but I guess flailing at windmills is now their trademark.
Anyone who watched the Trib endorsement should realize after today that the Trib endorsement is already predetermined going in. She crushed him. The Trib acknowledged as much in the multiple articles by Kass and their own Ed Board right after the session. Yet they don’t call him out for not debating. They blame his horrible record on others. It’s really pitiful.
- illini - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 3:22 pm:
@Pieroge - and Biss does?
- Lil Lebowski Urban Achiever - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 3:22 pm:
I think Kennedy is going to pick up a lot of newspaper endorsements. I’ve heard from reporters that his people have been working the editorial boards hard.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 3:28 pm:
Rauner will sweep the endorsements, Proft made sure if that.
Kennedy just couldn’t get something going, then Pritzker took his campaign ideas.
We’ll see, 4 weeks to go.
Daylight is burning.
- TopHatMonocle - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 3:29 pm:
==I’ve heard from reporters that his people have been working the editorial boards hard.==
Yea because editorial boards love to be worked hard…
Good news for Pritzker that Biss didn’t get this one I suppose.
- Ron - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 3:30 pm:
Kennedy and Rauner are the best candidates running. I’ll vote for Kennedy in the primary and Rauner in the general.
- Ron - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 3:33 pm:
Biss is the worst with his desire for a transaction tax on the Chicago exchanges.
- Pieroge tirebiter - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 3:33 pm:
Illini- No, but Pritzker does.
- DuPage - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 3:34 pm:
@- Pieroge tirebiter - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 3:19 pm:
===And not a word about if he has the cash to take on a billionaire disaster of a governor===
Pritzker is the only candidate that can match the Rauner money. End of story.
- Pundent - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 3:34 pm:
The Kennedy name and message still resonate with a lot of people. Unfortunately for Chris he’s the wrong Kennedy to deliver that message. And in the instances where he’s had an opportunity to present his vision for the state he’s come across as very angry and bitter.
- Roman - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 3:34 pm:
Ron
Don’t count your chickens….Rauner might need your vote in the primary to get to November. Just sayin.
- Cubs in '16 - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 3:35 pm:
Credibility went out the window the moment they referred to Rauner as “sincere”.
- RP_Progressive - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 3:37 pm:
So the Daily Herald endorses both Kennedy and Rauner… I see the similarities between the two.
And in that editorial, these lines in particular stuck out:
“Chris Kennedy doesn’t seem to look much like his charismatic father…”
–no, he certainly doesn’t.
“Kennedy seems surprisingly ill-suited to politics, an introvert in an extrovert’s profession. He doesn’t work the room the way politicians do.”
– is he even campaigning?
“he carries forth his family’s legacy with strength and eloquence.”
– eloquence? Did they not remember when he dropped the mic at the Cook County Dems slating meeting? Or when his campaign banner fell on top of him at an event? Or the sweat stains? Or the wrinkled shirts?
“In an era of cynicism and stark partisanship that speak to our worst impulses, Kennedy provides a refreshing call to our better angels.”
– Is this the same Kennedy who has called for Madigan and Berrios to resign, and blames Emmanuel for “strategic gentrification.” Is it the same Kennedy, who in a week applauded Rauner but couldn’t say a nice thing about any of his opponents?
AND THIS:
“Bright and widely experienced, he campaigns for governor on an exceptional and nuanced vision for Illinois that is both well reasoned and well articulated.”
– Bright? Widely experienced? He campaigns? a Nuanced vision? Well reasoned and well articulated?” He doesn’t seem all that bright to me. Widely experienced? By “nuanced vision” do they mean inconsistent? See legalization of pot, for example. Well reasoned? Not quite - his plan to fix Cook County’s broke property tax system is to try to ban elected officials from serving as property tax appeals lawyers… which is likely unconstitutional. “Well articulated?” I would never consider Kennedy well articulated.
“It involves tapping into the state’s universities as the center of a strategy to drive economic growth,” AND “It involves a dedication to equal opportunity that also includes an understanding of how challenging that equality is to achieve.”
– Wonder what the Black students at U of I feel about Kennedy’s increasing tuition every year he was there while black enrollment dropped consistently during the same time.
“Today in America,” he says, “if you were born poor, you’ll probably stay poor. If you were born rich, you’ll probably stay rich. If you were born in between, you’ll probably have a life of great turmoil.”
– This is a description of the problem, which implicates himself in the tax schemes that makes himself richer and the poor poorer. Its not a prescription of how to fix it.
- Ron - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 3:38 pm:
I never vote in the Republican primary as I’m not a republican.
- lake county democrat - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 3:40 pm:
I haven’t been that tuned-in this week but from a distance it seems like Biss couldn’t capitalize on his momentum. Maybe bad timing: when the Madigan machine stumbles as it did this week, Kennedy is positioned to benefit from it the most.
- IRLJ - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 3:41 pm:
Knowing the editorial page of The Daily Herald, the preference for Kennedy presages a general-election endorsement of Rauner…regardless of opponent.
- Back to the Future - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 3:42 pm:
Very nice endorsement for Kennedy.
- Whatever - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 3:42 pm:
It’s too bad for Kennedy that people don’t read newspapers any more, and they certainly don’t let editorials and endorsements tell them how to vote.
- Not The Real Joe Maddon - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 3:47 pm:
In that commercial where Ives says, “ now that I have your attention” well she got all the editorial boards attention that’s for sure….
- Arsenal - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 3:52 pm:
==And not a word about if he has the cash to take on a billionaire disaster of a governor==
I’ve become convinced that vast personal wealth isn’t necessary to beat the guy who is basically running with Legionnaire’s Disease as his running mate. But I understand if you don’t want to risk it, and it certainly can’t hurt, especially when it comes to down ballot races.
That being said, Kennedy is out of step with me- and most Democrats- on some key issues, such as progressive taxation and legalized marijuana. And if his campaign tells us anything about his management style, he’d be a very chaotic Governor. So he still won’t get my vote.
- Blimpy - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 3:54 pm:
Too little, too late for Kennedy. Pritzker practically got the establishment right out of the gate.
- Ron - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 3:55 pm:
Biss is the worst of the three main dems by far.
- Ron Burgundy - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 3:58 pm:
–Anyone who watched the Trib endorsement should realize after today that the Trib endorsement is already predetermined going in. She crushed him.–
And she crushed her chances of an endorsement when she ran that ad. It’s not that hard to fathom.
- mtwtsn - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 4:11 pm:
- Ron - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 3:55 pm:
“Biss is the worst of the three main dems by far.”
It’s a tough call between Biss and Pritzker. Biss doesn’t seem phased at all that the core initiative holding up his entire plan (the financial transaction tax) won’t bring in any money and will actually cause the exchanges to move out of state, creating an even bigger budget hole. We don’t even need to discuss Pritzker at this point.
And Ron, I have to come to your defense here. It’s disappointing that any suggestion that some pieces of Rauner’s agenda (property tax freeze, workers comp reform, pension reform) would actually help the state make you a Republican. I’m also a Democrat who’s considering voting Republican in November-for the first and hopefully last time-because the Democrats in this state are not only refusing to acknowledge the state’s biggest problems, but willfully blocking any reform on them.
I hope to be proven wrong.
- A guy - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 4:19 pm:
I’m not sure I’ve seen an editorial quite so fawning, even of the now Ivy encased Mr. Obama. No matter what else happens, those are words that stop you for a minute.
- Anonymous - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 4:21 pm:
“with a limited record of accomplishment”
Ives earns this comment, but somehow Rauner does not? Bizarre.
- Anon0091 - Friday, Feb 16, 18 @ 5:07 pm:
“Knowing the editorial page of The Daily Herald, the preference for Kennedy presages a general-election endorsement of Rauner…regardless of opponent.”
Yea, they already did, and took shots at Ives in the process.
http://www.dailyherald.com/discuss/20180216/endorsement-rauner-for-governor-in-republican-primary