Early Word
Wednesday, Jul 3, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This is one of Wordslinger’s first comments on the blog. It’s from an August 2007 post about some Rod Blagojevich shenanigans…
Is there anyone who can get through to this guy and tell him to move on? Durbin, Rahm Emanuel, Obama? Maybe a Jim Thompson or a Jim Edgar? Anyone inside his admininistration? If there’s another CTA fire, or a bridge collapses, and there’s no capital budget, he, as the face of Illinois government will pay a dear price.
* Here’s his reply to a 2007 Question of the Day about our strongest memories of Harold Washington…
Political:
His alliance with and resurrection of George Dunne after he had been cast out by Byrne.
To benefit Mondale, running as a favorite son in the 1984 Illinois Presidential Primary to keep Jesse from winning.
The final defeat of the Vrodlyak 29 with the special election of Luis Guiterrez. First order of business: Firing Ed Kelly and the Park District Board.
Quote: Asked if his fight with the Two Eddies was racial: “It’s not racial. They’d support a purple ape if they could control him.”
And in addition to “Hocus Pocus Dominocus,” I’ll add “Willie Lump Lump,” a handy description of any self-important non-entity.
* And here’s one from March 2008 about a poll showing broad support for medical cannabis…
Hard to believe that we’re still so rigid when it comes to this issue.
Throwing marijuana, medical or otherwise, into the same boat as crack, meth and heroin in a “war on drugs” is just silly.
I’ve been around the block a few times and have sampled my share of mind-altering substances. Based on that, I’d be more concerned about catching my kid with a bottle of Jack Daniels than a joint. I hope he does neither. But if you want to hear yourself sound stupid, try explaining to a kid why pot is illegal and whiskey is advertised on Sunday tv sport contests.
It’s 2008, not 1958. The Woodstock generation is pushing 70. Next issue, please.
* From 2010, when the Ricketts family wanted to finance Wrigley Field upgrades with a $200 million state bond…
The Ricketts rollout was about the biggest bellyflop for a first-time dive into the Illinois political pool in a long while. Confusing for all, painful for some.
* 2011…
Kass has four or five columns — Cellini, Daley runs the country through Obama, Quarters Boyle, Obama/Rezko — that he just recycles over and over, rewriting a couple of paragraphs here or there.
Maybe now that Fast Eddie is out of the can he can get some new material.
I’m really gonna miss that guy.
Click here and help put Word’s daughter Emma through college.
…Adding… We want to keep the grand total of contributions under $20,000 for tax reasons, so keep that in mind, please.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jul 3, 19 @ 9:49 am:
Word was able to “talk” at something from the outside… by speaking at it from an inside perspective.
He passively was teaching by seemingly speaking as an observer… with an uncanny wealth of inside/institutional knowledge.
Saying so much… with so few words.
Unmatched.
- Grandson of Man - Wednesday, Jul 3, 19 @ 9:50 am:
“But if you want to hear yourself sound stupid, try explaining to a kid why pot is illegal and whiskey is advertised on Sunday tv sport contests.”
This all day. So glad he saw marijuana get legalized here in Illinois (before gubernatorial signature) and so sad that he won’t be here to experience it next year. Hoping all of us make it to next year, because there’s no guarantee.
The Capitol Fax community really came together to help Wordslinger’s child, from the heart. Great job.
- illini - Wednesday, Jul 3, 19 @ 9:59 am:
“Saying so much… with so few words.” Exactly.
- Honeybear - Wednesday, Jul 3, 19 @ 10:03 am:
I feel somehow
that a great deal of
“certainty”
has been ripped out of the equation.
It’s startling to me,
to be faced with not getting
an explanation
an insight
an alternative
I always read the headline and Rich’s post
Then skipped down to Word and OW, or RNUG
Then worked my way out from there.
Thereby
feeling fairly “certain”
I understood the perimeters of an issue.
- State of DenIL - Wednesday, Jul 3, 19 @ 10:18 am:
Those are brutal.
Wordslinger also gave us “Best Paid in America(BPIA)” this very year. I am going to miss him. OW is right to say “unmatched” .. I can only dream of having that depth and breadth of wisdom and brilliant tact. He was one of a kind.
One of the things I liked about his commentary that it was not only high brow and policy-driven, but it was said and related in a very down-to-earth, kitchen table manner. We need far more of that.
- Token Conservative - Wednesday, Jul 3, 19 @ 10:25 am:
The GoFundMe is further proof that while the politics on this site often drive me crazy, it’s the best group of human beings on the internet.
- illini - Wednesday, Jul 3, 19 @ 10:34 am:
@Honeybear - And I always do the same.
- Sayitaintso - Wednesday, Jul 3, 19 @ 11:25 am:
Wordslinger was the Capo in this arena. Respect. He never ran for the position. Didn’t have to, and for a few who tried to take him on, he flicked off like a gnat was on his sleeve. He didn’t crave plaudits, but his clear mastery here didn’t require it. He didn’t often praise, nor certainly never kissed buttocks in order to be raised in esteem here. He simply put his immense talent for writing into this fine enterprise, and we all were the better for it. (Can’t seem to shake his shadow yet).
- Earnest - Wednesday, Jul 3, 19 @ 11:52 am:
The gay dudes across the street who adopted the little girl, and the the gay ladies down the street who raised three swell kids, have somehow not ripped the social fabric of my “traditional” heterosexual marriage, family, neighborhood and community.
They’re good folks and good neighbors. I’m glad Penny Pullen doesn’t live on my block.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Dec 20, 2012 @ 1:24 pm
I appreciated his many great comments relating to equal rights for same-sex couples, from Catholic Charities suing the state to allow them to refuse to adopt to gay couples to the reminders of history’s judgement when gay marriage came to a vote. Whether relating events to his own neighborhood or looking up the percentage of taxpayer funding versus donations for Catholic Charities, he elevated discussion of social issues beyond tired talking points.
- Stuntman Bob's Brother - Wednesday, Jul 3, 19 @ 12:14 pm:
We would all, well before hitting the “Say It!” button, be better off pondering the acronym “WWWW”.
(What would Word write?)
More of this please, Rich. Thank you.
- walker - Wednesday, Jul 3, 19 @ 12:19 pm:
Always informed insights. Never repetition of unsupported opinions. And he had mad artistic skills. We miss him dearly.
- A guy - Wednesday, Jul 3, 19 @ 2:12 pm:
The Capitol Fax Scholarship fund is a credit to Sling, for sure, and to Maestro Miller for getting it going, to Emma for her charm and unassuming manners and poise (Mrs. Sling must be something special!) But also to the folks here who acted.
Nobody fears a General on a Horse with a sabre pointed…it’s the vast force behind that General who cash the check the General writes.
Good show to all of you. Good luck to Emma!
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Jul 3, 19 @ 2:18 pm:
There should be no tax reason to limit the contributions, assuming no individual kicks in more tha 15k there would be no gift tax issues. The donors will get no income tax deductions because Emma is not a charity (for tax purposes). But Emma won’t pay tax on the gifts either. As for you, to avoid any tax issue, you may want to get some consent from her that you are merely collecting amounts donated on her behalf in order to establish you as her agent. I suppose I would suggest you verify this with your own tax people. I’d hate to see this girl get less than she would otherwise because of some tax misconception.