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* Former Illinois Congressman Ken Gray wrote a letter to Caroline Kennedy and then talked to the Daily American about his relationship to Caroline’s father John F. Kennedy…
“Your dad asked me to run for president after his two terms would have expired,” writes Gray.” The Constitution only allows two terms for a president and he was not fond of Lyndon Johnson and wanted me to succeed him.”
Why this revelation had never seen the light of day has more to do with Gray’s safety than it did his privacy. He says he was concerned for his own life which would have paralleled his dear friend in politics, issues and programs.
“He wanted me to be a candidate because he knew we shared the same ideology,” said Gray. […]
Gray says he was more interested in hunting down a killer than becoming president which could have been fatal. […]
He says from that time on he knew that his life was at risk should he continue in the footsteps of Kennedy.
“I feel there is still some danger, but I’m at an age now that it wouldn’t be so harmful,” said Gray who spoke with authority and total clarity throughout the interview.
“I could have been killed if they knew of the friendship,” he continued.
Um, OK.
* The accompanying photo…
No, that’s not Phil Spector.
Caption?
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 2:47 pm
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“…and in the middle, Paul Lynn. Let’s play Hollywood Squares!”
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 2:50 pm
Playing the role of Congressman Gray, Christopher Walken…
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 2:51 pm
How can we comment? There is nothing that can possibly be said.
Comment by Responsa Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 2:51 pm
“No, that’s not Phil Spector.”
With all due respect, can you offer proof.
Caption:
You remember me; 12 noon every weekday on WGN.
Comment by A guy... Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 2:52 pm
“…I told them, 30 years ago, I need more Cowbell…”
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 2:52 pm
This was personally disappointing; I have that same suit.
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 2:52 pm
Where’s his tinfoil hat?
Comment by Wensicia Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 2:53 pm
I see you!
Comment by Spliff Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 2:53 pm
“I ordered that drink, Sweetie, and a side order of you!”
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 2:53 pm
“If I recharge my ‘Lil Rascal’ in time, you want to join me for some shuffle board?”
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 2:55 pm
LBJ was the south end of a northbound donkey, but even LBJ wouldn’t whack Ken Gray. (Sorry Kenny)
Comment by I B Strapped Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 2:56 pm
“I didn’t want to ruin our night, but my reserve unit got called up, and I leave in the morning, not knowing if I will return…”
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 2:56 pm
“For those wondering what happened to ‘Larry’ from ‘Three’s Company’…”
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 2:57 pm
“Yep. Me too. Marilyn Monroe.”
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 2:59 pm
After Letterman announced his retirement his announcer Alan Kalter really let himself go…
Comment by OneMan Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 2:59 pm
Could that be Joe Biden’s dad?
Comment by I B Strapped Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:01 pm
- OneMan - well done, Sir!
Ralph Malph - he’s still got it!
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:02 pm
Who knew Kenny was still around? A quick check shows that he’s 93.
The first thing that comes to mind with Kenny is that he handed off one of his assistants, Elizabeth Ray, to Wayne Hays.
Elizabeth confessed she couldn’t “type, file or answer the phone” but Hays, to his ultimate regret, found other duties for her.
Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:02 pm
” … and then Johnnny said, he liked his friends to call him Johnny. Johnny said Kenny …. he really liked names to end in Y. He said Kenny I want you to be the president …”
Comment by Spliff Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:03 pm
You, sir, are no President Kennedy!
Comment by Just Me Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:04 pm
Why no I haven’t been drinking … does it look like I have been drinking?
Comment by Spliff Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:04 pm
“If you don’t believe me, ask Bobby and Teddy, they was in on this too”.
Comment by A guy... Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:06 pm
Man Survives 55 Years of Cuban Death Threats
Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:07 pm
tour guide for rauner nursing home
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:07 pm
That’s Al Pacino who played Spector. Boolah!!
Comment by Anon Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:08 pm
Kennedy Confidant Surprised By Newton Minnow Endorsement of Rauner
Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:10 pm
“I knew Sinatra. Hoffa. Kennedys. I knew ‘em all, Baby…”
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:12 pm
Wow a nice mixture of self promotion and craziness
Comment by RMW Stanford Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:12 pm
Who plays Giancana?
Comment by Oldboy Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:13 pm
This IS my hair’s natural color…”
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:13 pm
“Today, we at ‘Studio 54′, ok. He woke up from his nap and wanted to see Andy Warhol…so, we’re at ‘Studio 54′…”
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:15 pm
Are there still some interchanges-to-nowhere down in Southern Illinois, courtesy of Kenny? He was pretty good at bringing home the bacon, if I recall.
Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:16 pm
“After all the ‘Airplane’ movies, Robert Hayes never really recovered…personally.”
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:17 pm
Somehow he doesn’t seem to fit the image of Camelot….
Comment by Stones Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:18 pm
He was pretty good at bringing home the bacon, if I recall.
Quite above average in that regard. Really punched above his weight, so to speak.
Comment by Pat C Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:19 pm
“I’m here to see…’Mercedes’…she working tonight?”
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:19 pm
“Prince of Pork”
Comment by Pat C Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:20 pm
All my look alikes…Rea, Forby, Poshard,…… will be happy that I have released these thoughts
Comment by CircularFiringSquad Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:22 pm
“I would have thought Jason Plummer would have aged better, but that’s why you don’t time travel; you face disappointment.”
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:22 pm
A physical specimen / exhibit of the notion “Politics”
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:25 pm
“I was more hip back when we only had 47 states…”
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:26 pm
“Your doctor’s office, or mine?”
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:27 pm
“I happen to have a Medical Marijuana prescription in my coat pocket. How about we go fill it and see what happens?”
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:29 pm
“Anyways, I was cruising down Main Street with an onion tied to my belt, which was the style at the time.”
Comment by Dirty Red Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:32 pm
Word, those interchanges went somewhere. To every one-horse town every 3-4 miles south of Mt. Vernon all the way to Cairo.
Caption: Keep 50 Feet Away From Flame
Comment by Arthur Andersen Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:33 pm
“Then Jackie said to me, ‘Kenny, I’m not moving to LA with the team. I want you to take my spot on the roster.”
Comment by Dirty Red Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:33 pm
“And then Buddy said, ‘Kenny, I gotta go get on this plane,’ and I never heard from him again.”
Comment by Dirty Red Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:35 pm
Is this Carrot Top without makeup?
Comment by Give Me A Break Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:38 pm
“Had Franky not called me before he turned it in, the Star Spangled Banner might have said ‘Oh Jose’ instead.”
Comment by Dirty Red Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:38 pm
As one who was represented by Kenny Gray, there is an old story:
All that Kenny’s family wanted was to farm, but every time they bought some land, in about two years, the government built an interstate right through the middle of it.
Comment by SIUPROF Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:40 pm
“Steve was talking crazy. I couldn’t help but wonder if he was just hungry. So I gave him the piece of fruit I packed for lunch, and things just changed for that little computer outfit of his.”
Comment by Dirty Red Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:43 pm
Ken Gray was a revered figure in Southern Illinois, who brought home the bacon and worked both sides of the aisle well. We need his kind of Congresscritter today! At 93, I bet he is still active and sharp.
Comment by Formerpol Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:43 pm
–All that Kenny’s family wanted was to farm, but every time they bought some land, in about two years, the government built an interstate right through the middle of it–
LOL, there was a state senator back in the day who kept having the same bad luck when they extended the tollway west from Aurora.
Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:45 pm
–Ken Gray was a revered figure in Southern Illinois, who brought home the bacon and worked both sides of the aisle well. We need his kind of Congresscritter today!–
Here, you praise the career and integrity of Ken Gray, but on another thread, you say Quinn should resign right now?
You’re handling the cognitive dissonance quite well.
Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:49 pm
= We need his kind of Congresscritter today! At 93, I bet he is still active and sharp. =
http://lolmeme.co/media/created/g5wfvx.jpg
Comment by Capitol Meme Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 3:53 pm
There’s a movie titled “Bubba Ho-Tep” with Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis as old guys in a Texas nursing home who insist that they are, respectively, the real Elvis (who switched identities with an Elvis impersonator) and the real JFK (whose skin was dyed to hide his identity). Has Gray been hanging out with them lately?
Comment by Secret Square Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 4:20 pm
–At 93, I bet he is still active and sharp.–
Apparently active.
You still want to go with that “sharp” stuff after reading about how JFK wanted him to succeed him, how he was hunting down the real killers and how his life was in danger because of their friendship?
Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 4:25 pm
“Hugh Hefner still rocks the ‘Bunny Ears’ in this undated photo.”
Comment by Arthur Andersen Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 4:32 pm
“my ringtone is Red-Headed Stranger!”
Comment by Arthur Andersen Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 4:35 pm
Oh, dear.
Comment by democrat Grrrl Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 4:48 pm
Anything I might say would just be piling on. The man is 93 for God’s sake, so let him have his little stories and his leisure suits.
Comment by Jake From Elwood Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 4:52 pm
Now that I think about it, Kenny was legendary for some pretty swinging parties at his houseboat on the Potomac, back before that sort of thing made the news.
Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 4:56 pm
“I did it my way.”
Comment by Walker Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 5:15 pm
“I never did find out who that Smart@&& SOB was, and what ever happened to that Randy Whats-his-name anyway.”
That’s kind of an obscure old joke
Comment by SO IL M Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 5:22 pm
And I said…I don’t care where the
donation comes from…just transplant it right to my scalp. Yeah baby!! Shag-o-delic!!
Comment by Johnnie F. Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 5:33 pm
Is that Michael J. Madigan before his magic apple that morning?
Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 6:02 pm
Caption : ” I Started That Legend Stuff Myself”
Gray’s own words upon our referring to him as the legendary Congressman Kenny Gray just a few year ago down at the DuQoin fair. A true character.
Comment by x ace Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 6:37 pm
And since I didn’t run for President, I decided to create the Illinois Policy Institute.
Comment by 4 percent Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 6:40 pm
Ken Gray is an example of a fine public servant who should be respected for his experience and wisdom. Obviously, some of the commenters here don’t know Mr. Gray or else they wouldn’t treat him with such mockery & foolish comments. Ken Gray was serving his second career in Congress (and retired) probably before many of you were even born! You don’t know what a real statesman is.
Comment by Fearless Freep Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 8:23 pm
what is there about Illinois politics that produces self grandizement and false narrativies?
Comment by Capitol View Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 9:38 pm
Richard Simmons Sweatin’ to the Oldies
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 9:44 pm
- Fearless Freep -,
It’s just a caption. Its just Humor.
No personal harm intended.
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, May 6, 14 @ 9:45 pm
Betty White’s younger boyfriend.
Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 7:40 am
Chick magnet, mmmhhhmmm.
Comment by Bill Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 8:09 am
The letter sounds as delusional as the final weeks of Dan Rutherford’s gubernatorial campaign.
Comment by Upon Further Review Wednesday, May 7, 14 @ 8:18 am
Kenny Gray was truly a character and very good for Southern Illinois. It was hard to take him seriously though, as colorful as he was - a carnival barker at heart. I will never forget the time he told me, while flirting with me of course, that he could see lightening and electricity bolts from my braces on my teeth! He was TOO MUCH! Hard to believe this tall tale though.
Comment by Northern Light Thursday, May 8, 14 @ 1:34 am