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Kennedy says Pritzker used “the language of racists”

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[Bumped up to Friday for visibility.]

Democratic governor candidate Chris Kennedy on Thursday night accused opponent J.B. Pritzker of using “the language of racists” and not political leaders when he spoke to then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich nearly a decade ago about potential African-American candidates to fill Barack Obama’s vacant U.S. Senate seat. […]

“What J.B. says in those tapes, he uses the language, the language of racists, not language of politicians and not language of leaders,” he said.

Asked after the debate whether he thinks Pritzker is a racist, Kennedy did not directly answer, returning to his contention that his opponent has used “language that is commonly associated with racists.” […]

Kennedy, a member of the iconic Massachusetts political family, is counting heavily on support among African-American community because of the work of his late father, former U.S. Sen. Robert Kennedy, and late uncle, former President John F. Kennedy, during the struggle for civil rights. Rauner’s ads have been seen as lending an assist to Kennedy, who has had struggled to raise campaign cash.

As I’ve already pointed out tonight, he’s not struggling as much this week.

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 12:03 am

Comments

The campaigns are getting more and more ugly by the day. I would like them to get to actual issues.

Comment by DuPage Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 10:00 pm
When asked if he thought it was also the “language of racists” to make disparaging blanket statements about schools with majority African American student populations while using faulty statistics to justify it, Kennedy said “Have you no decency sir, have you no decency!”

Comment by Concerned Dem Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 10:04 pm
This description of “language used by racists not leaders” is actually surprisingly nuanced and well crafted. So much better than flat out calling JB (or anybody else) a racist. That would be a personal attack based on nothing more than guessing what’s in a person’s heart and soul– rather than observing a troubling external behavior which is what Kennedy is pointing out here.

Comment by Responsa Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 10:31 pm
===which is what Kennedy is pointing out here.===

Lol. Is that what Kennedy is doing?

Comment by 47th Ward Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 10:33 pm
“Lol. Is that what Kennedy is doing?”

No. We all know what Kennedy was doing.

Comment by Anon0091 Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 10:52 pm
This was more of a kennedy, pritzker debate and biss on the sidelines

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Mar 1, 18 @ 11:21 pm
Kennedy is a laughing stock.

We all know he is desperate because nepotism isn’t taking him far enough this time.

Comment by Anon Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 7:19 am
That Pritzker call was a racist moment. The question is do we accept his apology and can we move on from here.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 7:24 am
i haven’t seen blago tapes on tv lately, what gives

Comment by Rabid Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 7:55 am
I don’t see the call as racist, just insider politics that cares more about results than principles. Which is still not a good look, but the particular problem in this case is not racism.

Comment by Perrid Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 8:28 am
It’s sad that a state of this size puts out the dismal caliber of candidates it does on either side. Kennedy is flailing and will lose. Biss may pull it out but I doubt it. So it’ll be Rauner vs JB. We’ll lose less with J.B. Kinda like Trump vs Clinton.
It’s time to head to a warmer climate..

Comment by Mouthy Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 8:53 am
This debate was a tough clash between Kennedy and pritzker

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 9:11 am
Kennedy has tried to ride the name. It isn’t working, so he resorts to the race card. This is grasping from a going nowhere campaign. I think Biss is finally seeing the handwriting on the wall. This race is over, unless Pritzker does something really silly.

Comment by Retired Educator Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 9:28 am
Truth is, there are no real “issues” in this race. If you’re a Democrat, you either control or are willing to tolerate Madigan/regular party governance or you oppose it. Everything else is trivial - any of the 3 are going to 1) NOT take the actions of Rauner, 2) largely cave to the unions, 3) raises taxes on everyone but do their best to do it in a somewhat progressive fashion.

Comment by lake county democrat Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 9:41 am
Pritker is not using racist language, As a AA, The call between JB and Blago was unvarnished and blunt but i never saw it as racist,Kennedy has run a terrible campaign and I will not waste my vote on someone who is just flailing about. The more I hear from Kennedy the more confident I am in my vote for JB

Comment by JmJ Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 9:43 am
You can dislike Kennedy all you want, but he has a point. When you’re discussing an entire race of people and the best thing you can say is that one person is “least offensive,” that is coded language. Being a racist doesn’t require using the n-word or some other racial epithet.

Comment by Anon324 Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 9:44 am
Anon324, that is a gross mischaracterization of what Pritzker said. He wasn’t referring to “an entire race.” He was referring to several politicians, including Emil Jones, Jesse Jackson Jr., Danny Davis and Jesse White, and the context was which of these might be best suited to replace Obama in the Senate.

You’re painting with an absurdly broad brush and intentionally misrepresenting what happened on that call.

Comment by 47th Ward Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 9:51 am
Well it’s true. It was a racist tape.

Comment by FocusedDem Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 9:59 am
How is implying people are racists going to help Illinois?

All Kennedy had done this campaign is run down Democratics and compliment Bruce Rauner. He will be just as ineffective with working with the other branches of the Illinois government as Bruce Rauner is. Kennedy has shown no ability with working with his own side of the aisle, let alone the other side.

Comment by A Jack Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 10:03 am
47th Ward — that is inaccurate. Here’s the quote:

“‘But if you’re forced to put an African-American in the spot, which my guess is, you’re not forced to do anything, but my guess is a lot of pressure to do it, of all the African-Americans I can think that are sort of like qualified and vetted and people will say, ‘Oh, that’s, you know, that’s that’s a pretty good pick,’ the one that’s least offensive…”

In the call, they indicate that there may be a need to appoint an African-American to the post. Apparently, knowing few personally, they then narrow it down to those in high positions in state politics: those who are “sort of like qualified.” Not qualified, mind you, just “sort of like qualified.” Awesome. The next criteria is who is least offensive–not who is a good choice. Who is the least offensive. So he can’t think of an African-American who is 1. qualified, and 2. a good choice. Just one who is sort of like qualified and not too offensive. No, there’s no hint of racism in that language at all…

Comment by Anon324 Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 10:07 am
Of all the opinions that have been rendered and all the words that have been printed about the Blago/Pritzker conversation that was caught on tape, Mary Mitchell’s essay in the SunTimes is the one that has most stayed stayed with me and will continue to stay with me simply because it rang so true:

“Pritzker can apologize over and over again for the racial remarks he made a decade ago, which were captured on a FBI wiretap of former Gov. Blagojevich’s phone, but — he’s busted.

He got caught saying the very things that a lot of black people suspect white people say when there are no black people in the room.”

Comment by Responsa Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 10:15 am
Anon234,

A lot of experienced political observers were having similar conversations at that time. In fact, it was a bit of a parlor game speculating on who Blagojevich might appoint. I bet Rich’s archives contain plenty of examples of similar language used to describe some of the possible candidates. Are we all racists?

Is Harry Reid racist? Dick Durbin? Rahm Emanuel? Because many of them expressed similar reservations to the idea that Emil Jones might be appointed to the seat.

Look, I get it. Calling JB racist scores some cheap political points. But that’s all you’re doing here and it’s pretty transparent.

Comment by 47th Ward Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 10:25 am
More racists:

https://capitolfax.com/2008/11/24/ministers-want-black-replacement-but-not-emil-jones/

Comment by 47th Ward Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 10:31 am
47th — You really don’t see the difference between he black pastors (“don’t just appoint a short term replacement”) and what Pritzker said?

Comment by SaulGoodman Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 10:42 am
Saul, my point is that lots of us were having conversations about who should get the appointment, and we noted the various positives and negatives of each potential pick.

We’ve all heard the tapes, but context matters. It is grossly unfair and wholly inaccurate to accuse JB of being a racist for having a conversation and saying many of the same things that many other political observers were saying at the same time.

Comment by 47th Ward Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 10:49 am
=== - 47th Ward - Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 10:25 am:

I bet Rich’s archives contain plenty of examples of similar language used to describe some of the possible candidates. Are we all racists? ===

I’ll take that bet. Show me where similar language to “least offensive African American” can be found.

Comment by Birdseed Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 10:51 am
Do your own homework Birdbrain.

Comment by 47th Ward Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 10:52 am
What Responsa/Mitchell said. Folks, people “know.” When Pritzker said he didn’t know if he was going to vote for Obama in 2012, at a time when the two “moderate” GOP candidates had left the race and the choice was between Obama and Romney, Gingrich or Santorum, you didn’t need to know a thing more about him to conclude he wasn’t any kind of progressive. The tone on those Blago tapes (not just the ones about Jones but the earlier release) told you more than any promises of independence from Madigan could ever tell you.

Comment by lake county democrat Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 10:53 am
=== - 47th Ward - Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 10:52 am:

Do your own homework Birdbrain. ===

Sorry, but you made the bet. Bring it.

Comment by Birdseed Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 10:57 am
That’s a great find 47! Of course we were all having those conversations. Rich said at the time that it would be political suicide and political insanity to appoint Emil to the seat. Also not a racist comment. It was political shorthand and an unfortunate choice of words. No more. No less.

BTW, I’m also amused by my own comment nine years later as part of my defense of appointing a black replacement. “I’m white. I’m very white.” Yup - still true.

Comment by Chicago Cynic Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 10:59 am
Here’s Pritzker explaining his companys’ lack of diversity: “If you look, and try to identify, that there are women who are qualified, and we’ve tried very hard to reach out and identify them,” Pritzker said. He said it can be difficult to recruit from other firms because those in senior positions may be vested, where they share in the profits as part of their compensation. In addition, Pritzker said the pool of talent is smaller because people sometimes are reluctant to relocate to Chicago from New York, the center of the financial industry. He quickly qualified that statement.

“I think there are lots, I mean not lots, but there are women and people of color, but it’s also just hard to move people from one organization to another,” he said.

Comment by lake county democrat Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 11:01 am
This one’s for you, birdbrain. Guess who said this?

“Pretty much every story published about the vacancy also has mentioned retiring Illinois Senate President Emil Jones, partly because Jones is allied so closely with Blagojevich.

Jones’ downsides are many. He specializes in crony politics. His family has benefitted mightily from state jobs and contracts. He has almost no respect in the media. And his antics have lost him most of the respect he once had in political circles.”

Comment by 47th Ward Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 11:18 am
47th Ward–

I don’t think you’re understanding the issue. It’s not saying “You should appoint an African-American to the post.” It’s the part that comes after that. Suggesting that, of the ones JB knows of, the best ones are “sort of qualified” and the best of those “sort of qualified” people is, at best, the “least offensive.” Do you want to know what non-racist language looks like? “Well, there are several qualified African-American candidates, but I think the best choice is ______.” That’s along the lines of how non-racists would phrase it. But that’s not how JB phrased it.

Please indicate where Harry Reid, Dick Durbin, or the group of Chicago black ministers used that coded language. The concerns re: Emil Jones that I recall from any of those individuals had nothing to do with being “crass” and everything to do with wanting someone who was planning to run for a full term in 2010.

And I would also point out that when some posters were getting close to/on that line JB hopped over, Rich was quick to provide some helpful guidance about stepping away from the computer.

Comment by Anon324 Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 11:19 am
47th - Are you comparing the above to this:?

“of all the African-Americans I can think that are sort of like qualified and vetted and people will say, ‘Oh, that’s, you know, that’s that’s a pretty good pick,’ the one that’s least offensive…”

~ JB Pritzker

Comment by Birdseed Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 11:28 am
If I think Pence is less offensive than Trump am I rascist?

Comment by DeseDemDose Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 11:30 am
The JB apologists are thick today.

Comment by Birdseed Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 11:35 am
I plan to vote for the least objectionable Democrat in the gubernatorial primary .
What’s the big deal?
If that’s all you have on Pritzker, he must be better than I thought

Comment by Truthteller Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 11:50 am
(submitted something similar to this about an hour ago, but it’s not appearing yet. If it double posts, sorry in advance)

47th Ward–

I don’t think you understand the issue. The problem isn’t in saying “you should appoint an African-American.” Nor is it in finding faults with individuals who are African-American. It’s in the statements that suggest that there are no fully qualified, good choices who are African-American. JB’s words suggest that, in his mind, there are no fully-qualified African-Americans who are good choices. Just sort of qualified ones, the best of which he gave the glowing recommendation of “least offensive.” The implication of his phrasing is that there are no good African-American choices. If you don’t see how that’s racist, there’s really no use in further discussing the matter.

In regards Reid, Durbin, and the black ministers, please identify where you can find them saying that the issue with Jones is simply that he’s “crass.” Emil Jones’ negatives were numerous–that he boiled it down to being crass is strange when he could have just said “I don’t think he’s electable and given that he’s retiring, I’m not sure he’s a good pick.”

As for the discussion on the link you posted, I note that when posters got close to/on the line that JB hopped right over, Rich provided some helpful guidance that they should step away from the computer.

Comment by Anon324 Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 12:44 pm
===It’s in the statements that suggest that there are no fully qualified, good choices who are African-American.===

You are putting words into a conversation that were never uttered by anyone. Please stop.

If you can’t understand the context of two people, familiar with each other enough to communicate via short hand and coming from a central understanding of the political situation they are discussing, then I can’t help you.

It is an impossible stretch to say that JB meant there were no qualified African Americans to appoint, no good choices. His words on the tape in fact contradict that claim.

Comment by 47th Ward Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 12:51 pm
===Please indicate where Harry Reid, Dick Durbin, or the group of Chicago black ministers used that coded language===

The difference is they were speaking in public, not in private.

RRB did not like Jesse White and was closely allied with Emil Jones. Rod was also looking at Jones’ state campaign account, which at the time contained $1.26 million that Rod appears to have believed he might get.

The idea was to talk Rod out of choosing Jones and Jesse Jackson, Jr. and gently steer him to White. Yes, it doesn’t come off well now. But that’s partially because we can all gleefully rewrite history and ignore some important contexts.

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 12:54 pm
==The difference is they were speaking in public, not in private.==

I’m aware of that. 47th Ward indicated all those people made similar remarks. There is no indication to date that they did.

Comment by Anon324 Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 1:07 pm
===But that’s partially because we can all gleefully rewrite history and ignore some important contexts.===

This is why THIS blog has the reputation it does as the blog of record for Illinois politics.

I read what Rich posts and what is commented because of the institutional knowledge and the political context therein.

“But that’s partially because we can all gleefully rewrite history and ignore some important contexts.”

Remembering the history of things and as things percolated in real time… with Emil, with Jesse, with Rod… the racial aspects also have the overarching realities of the politics that are now so overarching, and so easily dismissed.

If you throw in how accepted political practices and ways of conducting that in the past are now considered such awful things but in the context of “then” were accepted practices, yeah, “now”, it’s lazy and disingenuous to what things were “then” and using “today’s” enlightenment as the prism not used then.

Context matters to the honesty of *that* moment, including the real raw politics of that moment too, and the accepted political thinkings of that time that aren’t embraced the same today.

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 1:11 pm
Anon234, I’ll try to make this as simple as I can for you. Kennedy claims that Pritzker “used the language of racists.” I disagree and noted that Pritzker used the language of insiders. I offered contemporaneous examples.

Kennedy is calling Pritzker a racist, and I find that despicable. He should be ashamed of himself. Racism is real and it exists all around us. Using this term so cavalierly, with no evidence or history, diminishes actual racism in our society.

I would suggest that Kennedy is using the language of political losers.

Comment by 47th Ward Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 1:29 pm
“I would suggest that Kennedy is using the language of political losers.”

He was the first to say, “the only poll that counts is the one on election day” (said back in late January) which is the ultimate losers lament.

Comment by Anon0091 Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 2:34 pm
Kennedy didn’t call him a racist. He said he used language racists use. That is 100% accurate.

They established a context: talking about African-American candidates. Within that context, using their “short-hand” they apparently both understand that the best they can do is a “sort of qualified” guy who isn’t too offensive. That is absolutely racist language. I can’t make it any simpler than that.

I agree with you, racism is definitely real and is definitely a problem. But if you think the comments weren’t racist, then it is you who doesn’t understand what that term means or how it evinces itself in society.

Comment by Anon324 Friday, Mar 2, 18 @ 2:34 pm