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Um, wow

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* One of the most bizarre developments in the Chicago mayor’s race happened yesterday when Bob Fioretti made what appears to be some blatantly false claims about the incumbent…

Fioretti said the mayor’s decision to not press charges after suspects were questioned for attacking his teenage son near the family’s home before Christmas “sent the wrong signal.”

“The next time somebody gets shot, the next time somebody gets beat up, the time somebody’s home gets invaded, you know what? It’s OK,” Fioretti said. “No, it’s not. The Mayor sent the wrong signal to everybody.”

Actually, according to the Sun-Times, a suspect who allegedly bought the phone stolen from the mayor’s son was questioned, but not arrested. And you can’t charge somebody until you either indict him or arrest him.

* Fioretti didn’t stop there…

“This mayor, where has he been? I mean for God sakes, you’ve got a CVS that gets a burglary a couple blocks down. You’ve got your own family member, and you don’t want to prosecute charges? What did we just send a signal about? What did we just do by doing that? When your kid gets a tooth almost knocked out? When your kid is out, just maybe whatever he was doing at 10 o’clock at night on the phone and had to leave the house,” Fioretti said. “What message does that send to every community about let’s not snitch, when they’re saying you gotta take an active role in our communities. Mr. Mayor, you failed us again.” […]

“Now, let’s see. You’re on your way for a vacation. Your kid leaves the house whatever time it was to make a phone call to talk to his college counselor, and then he gets attacked? And then, with all the resources that you have around the house more than any other citizen, to make your block a safe block.

“And he gets attacked, gets a tooth pretty well injured. I don’t know how quick they got to the dentist before they boarded that plane,” Fioretti said.

“And then you catch the people and then you say: ‘Well, we’re not going to prosecute it.’  Isn’t that the same thing that we hear the folks in: ‘let’s make sure you start telling about what crime is happening, who committed the crime?’ What did they do? They left. It sends the wrong signal.”

If he has any proof, he ought to just come out and say what’s on his mind instead of hinting around like that about the mayor’s kid.

Sheesh.

Fioretti, by the way, ended the fourth quarter with just $196,071.16 in the bank and hasn’t raised much since then.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 10:25 am

Comments

Lets see how much he raises now.

Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 10:27 am
Looks like Bob has been spending too much time on the Chicago cop blogs. He won’t get out of single digits on Election Day.

Comment by Pete Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 10:29 am
Bush league.

Anybody who’s run across an Emanuel hater knows what Fioretti is going for here. It’s been the buzz for some time.

I’m not a big Emanuel fan. But unless Fioretti has the guts to spit out what’s obviously on his mind, he needs to lay off.

Comment by Wordslinger Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 10:34 am
Pathetic

Comment by Hacksaw Jim Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 10:34 am
Bob was backstabbed with the re-districting and is going down swinging. I appreciate he won’t back down, but this will likely backfire.

Comment by Connect the dots Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 10:36 am
great live mayoral debate on trib website— ed board.

Comment by mail guy Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 10:41 am
When Glen Poshard raised issues about bribes at Secretary of State’s office under George Ryan, he was attacked by the GOP propagandists at the Chicago Trib editorial board.

History vindicated Poshard. Jim Ryan was somewhat vindicated in his attacks on Blago too.

But the attacks Fioretti are leveling are different a couple ways.

1) Fioretti isn’t coming out and saying exactly what he’s dancing around. He’s hoping people will ask others, “What’s Fioretti talking about?” and then the rumors will spread.

2) The attack doesn’t directly speak to MRE’s management of Chicago PD as the attacks made by Poshard & Ryan. Poshard was alleging GRyan was corrupt and that corruption killed people. JRyan was alleging Blago was mobbed-up and was a thoroughly unethical person.

The stuff Fioretti is trying to turn into a rumor is more about Rahm as a father, not Rahm as a Mayor.

Meh. Leave the rumor-mongering to disgruntled cops. There’s plenty of stuff to use against MRE that is public policy.

Comment by Carl Nyberg Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 10:45 am
what do you think MRE’s blood pressure is boiling at after this??

Comment by Not Rich Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 10:47 am
The father of a robbery victim is not the person who decides whether a suspect will be charged. That’s up to the police and the State’s Attorney’s Office.

Comment by Joan P. Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 10:48 am
Isn’t this what Mayor Richard J. Daley used to call “insinuendos”?

Comment by WTF Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 10:49 am
Fioretti is seething with every word he addresses to the mayor. The anger is palpable.

Comment by Snucka Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 10:55 am
I will invoke what I think of as Durbin’s Dictum here:

“The hottest ring in Hell is reserved for those in politics who attack their opponents’ families.”

Comment by ZC Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 10:57 am
Fioretti will finish 4th. Question is who will finish 2nd and will the Mayor be held under 50%?

Comment by Jon Zahm Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 11:07 am
Yes, do tell Bob, What message or “signal” is it sending? My satellite isn’t picking it up. Spit it out dude.

Comment by A guy Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 11:08 am
Fioretti should look for the frozen strawberries elsewhere.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 11:09 am
Elections create this strange dynamic where we very briefly take some people seriously who have no business of ever being taken seriously, like Fioretti for example.

Comment by The Captain Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 11:13 am
Who needs money or real issues when you have the backing of Da Coach.

Comment by Tommydanger Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 11:19 am
Um, wow, my comments are censored.

Comment by William j Kelly Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 11:20 am
Get your own blog Kelly and you can say whatever you want.

Comment by 47th Ward Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 11:21 am
- william j kelly -,

It could be fit your own good since you don’t sensor yourself from looking/sounding/being Dopey?

Be thankful for unanswered prayers…

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 11:27 am
===William j Kelly - Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 11:20 am:

Um, wow, my comments are censored.====

And yet you were publicly able to say so. Might have something to do with particular content. Hmmm.

Comment by A guy Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 11:37 am
Early prediction on the results:

Rahm - 48%
Chuy - 21%
Wilson - 20%
Fioretti - 9%
Walls - 2%

Comment by Pete Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 11:37 am
that debate was filled with tons of useless. for example, Chuy and the summit, which he mentioned in detail at least twice. I’ve heard more high minded ideas from candidates across the board in local council elections. not well moderated discussion.

Comment by Amalia Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 11:40 am
Fioretti is pathetic. His campaign is falling apart. Paid field staff from his campaign has been defecting to other campaigns on a volunteer basis because they hate it so much.

Comment by Precinct Captain Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 11:42 am
William J. Kelly, you should totally start your own blog. I would read it every single day.

Comment by Soccermom Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 11:45 am
Um, wow, ok, you win, censorship is great, happy now?

Comment by William j Kelly Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 11:45 am
Fie on Fioretti. I do believe quite a few people have reasonable questions about the robbery of the mayor’s son and how it happened. By this, I mean some see this as an example that if crime can happen to someone in the mayor’s immediate family on a block that is well protected– then heaven help the rest of us who do not have personal police protection. Others see it as strange –almost impossible to believe –that it could have happened in the first place, (where and as described) because of all the around the clock police protection of the mayor and his home. If there is, indeed, more to the story then perhaps the public needs to know. For this, even if some don’t think they can trust the prosecutors and police reports, there is investigative media to sniff around and decide if there’s a story–not candidate Fioretti’s disgusting maneuvers, hints, and vague insinuations.

Comment by Responsa Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 11:48 am
===Um, wow, ok, you win, censorship is great, happy now?===

Do you want anyone to take you seriously or are you just lookibg for attention. Think on that.

To the Post,

If Fioretti thinks walking around the barn will help, all it’s doing is reminding me that a candidate that seeks truth but speaks in whispers shouldn’t be heard at all.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 11:50 am
If Rauner “wanders around the barn” searching for a sales closer (kudos to Wordslinger for that insight), then Fioretti dances around the fire pit.

A victim’s mentality and a public service are a dangerous mix.

Comment by walker Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 11:53 am
Connect the Dots,

Bob wasn’t “back stabbed.” Everybody I knew was pretty open about it. Nobody could trust Bob, so nobody wanted him around.

It also wasn’t pure politics. People who routinely opposed the Mayor, but who had a reputation for honesty, did fine.

This wasn’t back stabbing. It was purposely trying to get rid of a person who would say one thing and do another.

Comment by Gooner Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 11:54 am
Regarding paid staffers leaving — of course they are. Bob previously had a problem paying staffers. The minute it looks like the finances are not 100% secure, you need to get out.

Comment by Gooner Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 11:57 am
I do think there are a lot of very real issues in this race and some of them have been raised by Fioretti. I also have to give him credit for not being a blind rubber stamp for the mayor like 40 other members of the City Council. Still, if Rahm’s student needed to call his college counselor at 10 at night, well who hasn’t done that? It’s not really any of our business.

Comment by Carhart Representative Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 12:02 pm
Yes Oswego, you are right, thank you, HAPPY CENSORSHIP DAY! Please make uneventfull.

Comment by William j Kelly Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 12:04 pm
It’s not censorship when the blog is a commercial enterprise. Rich’s blog. Rich’s rules.

Get your own blog where you can set your own rules.

Comment by Siriusly Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 12:06 pm
WJK, sure was swell of you to blow the contribution caps for Emanuel so that he could bury any and all of his opponents with his fundraising.

That action speaks so much louder than any of your silly words.

Comment by Wordslinger Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 12:09 pm
Yes, it is censorship Siriusly.

What is is not is a First Amendment violation.

Censorship is common. Everybody does it to some degree. Kelly is outraged. Perhaps he wants a strong central government to step to tell a private business what to do.

Comment by Gooner Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 12:18 pm
From what I’ve read, I think there is a good possibility the police deferred any arrest due to the family’s refusal to press any charges for whatever reasons. No proof…just an opinion based on the reporting and past practice in Chicago.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 12:23 pm
The really interesting thing is that Democrats like to claim that tea partiers are bunch of conspiracy freaks.

Well, it looks like the left can play that game too. People on the far left, and then people on the far right (including Dan Proft) have come up with some weird theories about the events.

Being on the extreme of either party seems to cause, or be caused by, problems dealing with reality.

Comment by Gooner Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 12:26 pm
Wordslinker, your comment makes perfect sense if your only frame of reference is the misinformation you are spoon feed by the Rahm media. However, if you take a moment to think for yourself you would realize that had I not busted the caps Chuy wouldn’t have received the 6 figure contributions that have allowed him to stand up to Rahm.

Comment by William j Kelly Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 12:30 pm
Wordslinker, do you understand if I hadn’t busted the caps Chuy wouldn’t have received the 6 figure donations that have allowed him to stand up to Rahm?

Comment by William j Kelly Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 12:35 pm
I don’t know what the big rumor is supposed to be, but, as Rich Daley is aware, if your son does something stupid and illegal, your career as Mayor is over. You certainly will not be re-elected four times. I would suggest Emanuel hang it up right now.

Comment by Century Club Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 12:35 pm
Do we live in such an Orwellian world now that you can even wait till after the fact to rewrite history?

Comment by William j Kelly Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 12:43 pm
WJK acts if he was the only on who could have busted the caps? Any candidate did and the contributions to Chuy and Wilson would have done it. I assume their contributions are legitimate and backed by real cash, as opposed to what is disclosed as a $100k loan that was then paid back in the same reporting period.

On Bob, he has always had a real problem staying on message and yes he pays too much attention to police blogs.

Comment by truthteller Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 12:45 pm
Since we’ve got Kelly here –

So Bill, are you ever going to tell us the intent of that check? You never made any serious attempts to run, so why did you do it?

My theory is that you viewed it as the cost of advertising, knowing that it would get people talking about you. Am I right, or did you have something else in mind?

Comment by Gooner Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 12:49 pm
So this thread that started out to be about Fioretti and Rahm’s kid has now morphed into a solid WJK threadjack. Why?

Comment by Responsa Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 12:51 pm
Too much anger

No one is going to beat Emanuel like that, not even Karen Lewis.

Rise above.

Comment by North Shore Joe Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 12:58 pm
Truthteller, your total lack of understanding of even the basic timeline of events makes me realize the hopelessness of my efforts here. So I will have to leave you with this, one of my fathers favorite phrases was, ‘in the land of the blind the one eyed man is king.’ In this case however, I would say, the one eyed man is miserable.

Comment by William j Kelly Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 1:00 pm
Responsa,

It is because Bob and Bill are freak shows. We can discuss real issues, or we can be amused by clowns.

I’m going with being amused by clowns today.

Comment by Gooner Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 1:04 pm
Did Fioretti hire Pat Quinn as a consultant?

Seems right in line with the PQ of the last 90 days.

Comment by Chris Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 1:10 pm
Fioretti did yesterday correctly raise the very legitimate issue of Chicago’s fiscal melt down and the need for more revenue based on the intelligent presumption that most ideas for rapidly saving money on city pensions will be unconstitutional. Unfortunately, Fioretti said categorically he opposed increasing the property tax rate and asking for a waiver on the tax cap.

Whether its Fioretti or Emanuel they are being let us say less than truthful, Chicago’s property tax rates will increase to at least the average level for Cook County eventually. But who wants to give the residents that bad news, especially prior to an election.

Comment by Rod Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 1:24 pm
By his own words, Dick Durbin is going to burn like a dry twig because he attacked the hell out of Oberweis’ wife during this last campaign.

Comment by Caswell Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 1:29 pm
William j Kelly, I don’t believe you and I have interacted.

I sorta like your comments some of the time because you’re a little different.

But when I scan through 50 comments and you’ve made seven and a bunch are addressed at you, you’re monopolizing the conversation.

Please play well with others. If things get too hot online, use discretion and step away.

Comment by Carl Nyberg Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 1:32 pm
The investigation I’m sure is ongoing. I can assure u that if the case were dropped by the mayor someone from cpd would leak it out.

Comment by regular democrat Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 2:03 pm
Oswego Willy @ 11:09 a.m. wins the Internets for today. Well played, sir.

Comment by Northsider Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 2:06 pm
Rod McCulloch just released a poll showing Fioretti is in 2nd Place. McCulloch’s company is called “Victory” so it must be a good poll.

Comment by Connect the dots Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 3:42 pm
Is this “MRE” for Emanuel I’ve noticed here a thing? Where did that come from? Is it necessary?

Probably should leave the acronym for field rations.

Comment by Wordslinger Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 6:36 pm
Bobs about to find out that the base for a 65 year old platinum blond male is minuscule at best….

Comment by Glass half full Tuesday, Jan 27, 15 @ 10:18 pm