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* Jesse Sullivan was on AM560’s Amy Jacobson and Dan Proft show this morning…
Dan Proft: Sorry to interrupt, but so overturn Roe v. Wade? Yes or no?
Jesse Sullivan: Yeah, I mean, I believe in life, I am a pro-life person and candidate. And so I want, I want to see that.
Full show is here, by the way. Sullivan has been somewhat cagey on that topic, so now he’s fully on record.
* Also…
Jesse Sullivan: Yeah, yeah, let me share. It’s almost laughable because because because I feel like…people in Illinois, these political operative types, they know, they’re scared, because I’m not beholden to them. So I’m not a politician. I know that Illinois is corrupt, and this den of vipers. And so you know what? One of those high and mighty types of this political machine, they showed up at my door before I even decided to run. This political backroom dealing class, they wanted me to be a part of this. And I’m not here to line their pockets. And so you know what? They decided they’re going to come after me. And they’re going to go and try to find, create all these lies. That’s what they do. That’s how these people work, and they’re going to keep at it. And you know what? Donald Trump, he didn’t pay them off, he didn’t bend his knee to the establishment. And I’m not going to either. And so I’m here to fight corruption, not to be a part of it. But I’ll share what I was doing in college…
Dan Proft: Just before we get to that, who was the high and mighty type that showed up at your doorstep?
Jesse Sullivan: So all of this I’m going to share. It’s all going to come out because we need sunshine and bleach on the whole system. And so I am…I’m going to be sharing everything with everybody along the way. And I don’t think you’ll be surprised by it.
Dan Proft/Amy Jacobson: Can you share with us now? Who is it?
Jesse Sullivan: And I don’t think you’ll be surprised by it.
Dan Proft: I’m sure I wont be but I still want a name.
Jesse Sullivan: Well, I’m preparing it with my whole team. And we’re going to share with the people of Illinois what this whole system is like.
Dan Proft: Alright, I want to get to St. Louis University and this, this paper you started, but I would just say this, I would just say this, and I’ll take you to word, and we’ll see what happens. But if if you’re unwilling to name names, and this goes for anybody, if you’re unwilling to name names, including within the Republican ranks, then that tells me it’s going to be more of the same that tells me this is…
Jesse Sullivan: Oh, I will, I will. I promise. Trust me. I will. I’m going to.
Not sure what the holdup is. Spilling to Proft would’ve been a big get for the show.
* OK, now some additional background on that magazine Sullivan started at SLU. This is from the university’s student paper back in 2006…
A group of socially conscious Saint Louis University students will launch a new campus publication early next month. Dubbed One World, the magazine will focus on global issues and promote social justice. Organizers hope that One World will inspire students to take action and to fight poverty and oppression throughout the world.
“[The magazine] is a call to action. It is centered on the notion that every person, regardless of national boundaries or cultural or religious differences, is linked together by our common humanity,” said Jesse Sullivan, the founder of One World.
Sullivan, a junior majoring in theology and international studies, first thought of starting a social justice magazine after returning from a semester abroad in El Salvador last year. Sullivan said that the poverty he witnessed there inspired him to raise awareness about social justice issues once he returned to SLU. […]
“Based on the Jesuit ideal of ‘men and women for others,’ we must take a stand and side with the suffering and the oppressed. We have a responsibility to hear the cries [of the suffering], to let them resonate with us and echo in our lives. Raising awareness on international issues is a necessary first step in taking action to help,” Sullivan said.
* Today…
Jesse Sullivan: Yeah, so here, here’s what I was doing at St. Louis University. I was working in campus ministry, I was traveling out to Washington, DC to go on right to life marches. And I created an organization and a magazine, largely driven by my faith to focus on global poverty. So I can’t tell you what the magazine has done since then, and what articles they’ve published or haven’t published, because I’ve been living my life since then past college. And so, so if they want to go, that’s the most they can find to try to ruin my good name is that they’re going to say, Oh, this, this magazine that he got started back when he was a college student, has since then wrote articles where I have no oversight or control over what’s said. And, you know, from what the reporting, I would disagree with many of those articles, obviously. And so if that’s the best they can do, it’s pretty sad. And they see me as a threat to this system. And so that’s why they’re coming after me.
Dan Proft: That’s fair. But I want to be a little bit more clear on this then. So you didn’t found this magazine as a social justice outlet?
Jesse Sullivan: Yeah
Dan Proft: You did not?
Jesse Sullivan: So I, No, no, I did not. So social justice. Listen to me on this, I say the Pledge of Allegiance in the morning, and I talk about justice. And for me, this notion of justice, for me was talking about people living in poverty, and how we can use our faith to help them that we have an obligation to remove obstacles to opportunity. And so that’s what I’ve always meant in my life and how I’ve always tried to approach things.
In context, that’s actually a fairly decent explanation, although a bit too earnest. Thoughts?
…Adding… From that Free Beacon story
Sullivan, a political neophyte who ran a San Francisco-based nonprofit before launching his gubernatorial bid in early September, founded the magazine One World in 2006 while a student at St. Louis University. The publication had financial support from left-wing groups like the Center for American Progress, whose Goal Was To “counter the growing influence of right-wing groups on campus.”
If you look at page two of this issue of his magazine, it says it’s funded by Center for American Progress’ campus arm. And click here and scroll down and you’ll see that his magazine was listed as one of the 51 progressive journalism outlets funded by Campus Progress while he was still on the masthead.
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 2:22 pm
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==I say the Pledge of Allegiance in the morning==
Who among us can say they don’t roll out of bed, look into the mirror and recite a loyalty oath in front of no one? Certainly not Jesse Sullivan, earnest everyman.
Comment by 48th Ward Heel Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 2:36 pm
Sullivan went on to say: “Ah, but the strawberries, that’s, that’s where I had them, they laughed at me and made jokes, but I proved beyond the shadow of a doubt, with geometric logic, that a duplicate key to the ward room icebox did exist, and I’ve had produced that key if they hadn’t pulled the Caine out of action.”
Comment by yeah Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 2:36 pm
Well now, if he has Dan Proft in his corner, the sky’s the limit. Soon Jesse’s name will be in all the newspapers.
Comment by Roadrager Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 2:38 pm
Abortion might be a big deal next summer.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 2:41 pm
I think it’s safe to say that Jesse Sullivan starts a lot of things that he doesn’t finish. And talk about pandering - now he’s linking himself to Trump. He must have finally read the memo about who’s likely to make it out of the Repub primaries and who’s not.
Comment by Shytown Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 2:41 pm
You know, this guy says “you know” way too often. Now that I’ve noticed it, you know, it is really annoying.
Comment by SomeGuy Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 2:44 pm
Pretty sad that “social justice” is something from which one needs to distance oneself to appeal to GOP voters.
Comment by charles in charge Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 2:45 pm
If it wasn’t such a keyword for the Right to get angry, shouldn’t “social justice” as he defined it - opposing poverty and oppression, seeing the common humanity in all people, hearing the cries of the suffering - shouldn’t that be as uncontroversial as motherhood and apple pie? I mean, is even Dan Proft (explicitly) coming out in favor of poverty and oppression?
Comment by John Parker Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 2:47 pm
===Thoughts? ===
A man who wants to be Governor of Illinois should have the courage and integrity to stand behind the definition of what social justice is and has been, especially in relationship to the last two centuries of intentional Catholic efforts on the cause of social justice.
He denied his social justice magazine was a social justice magazine. Just because the right wing decided to turn the phrase “social justice” into some sort of left wing trope doesn’t mean he shouldn’t stick to his original convictions.
Is Jesse Sullivan against social justice now?
It’d appreciate it if someone could as Jesse Sullivan on the record if he is now against social justice — and maybe even ask the other GOP candidates if they’re against social justice just to see what these hamhocks have to say.
===And they’re going to go and try to find, create all these lies.===
Jesse lied about his military service all by himself. His website still says “Faith. Family. Service.” That’s pretty suggestive to me of the idea that he’s not backed away from pretending that getting paid a quarter million dollars a year as a civilian contractor as counting as “service.”
He’s made it pretty easy to spot the lies.
===We have a responsibility to hear the cries [of the suffering], to let them resonate with us and echo in our lives===
It’s neat to see this guy say this sort of thing and then turn around and head off to Afghanistan. Maybe he should talk about all of the suffering he witnessed there and what he was doing to address that then?
How much wealth has this guy accumulated?
How much of it has been directed towards anything that resembles “Service.”?
===Listen to me on this, I say the Pledge of Allegiance in the morning, and I talk about justice.===
… Is he really saying the Pledge of Allegiance every morning?
Comment by Candy Dogood Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 2:48 pm
“And for me, this notion of justice, for me was talking about people living in poverty, and how we can use our faith to help them that we have an obligation to remove obstacles to opportunity.”
His explanation is not consistent with the Jesuit notion of social justice. Social justice is not simply acts of charity to the poor or providing “opportunities.” Social justice seeks structural change to remove the conditions which result in poverty and inequality.
Comment by cityrat Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 2:48 pm
If Roe is overturned, what specific impact would it have on Illinois? I though HB40 under Gov. Rauner and then Gov. Pritzker strengthened the right to choose. Or if Roe is overturned by SCOTUS, is abortion illegal instantly in our state??
Comment by Matthew Dean Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 2:51 pm
Good luck running against abortion and winning a state office here.
Comment by Grandson of Man Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 2:51 pm
abortion is a big deal all of the time.
Comment by flea Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 2:52 pm
“Donald Trump, he didn’t pay them off, he didn’t bend his knee to the establishment. And I’m not going to either.”
Sullivan and His co-signer Donald Trump.
Comment by Dotnonymous Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 2:54 pm
He reminds me of the last governor who also positioned himself as the political outsider that was going to take on corruption. And the unnamed political operative reminds me of all of the conversations that Rauner was having with people who agreed with him privately but could never be identified publicly.
The challenge for Sullivan is that he has to do a lot of explaining on how we should or shouldn’t interpret his past. I don’t really see that with Bailey and Rabine at this point. They are who they are unapologetically. And GOP voters seem to like that these days.
Comment by Pundent Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 2:56 pm
A decent explanation if he can make it more concise in future talks. Nonetheless, going on the attack against the “shadowy Republican figures” will probably serve him well. Going on the attack against his “Republican opponents trying to destroy him” (read Bailey) will also serve him well. The Republican base has a fetish for fire and brimstone right now.
Comment by Lakefront Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 2:56 pm
“Listen to me on this, I say the Pledge of Allegiance in the morning,…”
…to The United States of America or Donald Trump?…gotta pick one or the other, Sully.
Comment by Dotnonymous Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 2:57 pm
What a bunch of word salad.
There’s a much simpler way to say he’s a proud Catholic and before social justice became the political buzzword of the day it was not a big deal for a Catholic to care about social justice issues. Then if he has to he can pivot to accuse his critics of being anti-Catholic if he needs to.
The rest about someone showed up at his door but he can’t say who just sounds like “that’s the ticket” stream of lying. And which door did they even show up at? A door in IL? Or one in Cali?
Comment by hisgirlfriday Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 2:59 pm
===abortion is a big deal all of the time.===
Two SCOTUS rulings will be in by then, one was today, the other goes after Roe.
To the Rauner strategy?
… fool some of the people ALL the time…
Bailey is trying the same strategy, ironically, but with different foolishness
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 3:01 pm
Also,
If you know Sullivan is an empty vessel caricature who ignores his own major and minor foibles, this all makes sense.
No deep analysis needed.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 3:03 pm
So the guy who hired $25k per month DC consultants and has a fundraiser that has worked for most big-time GOP candidates and caucuses is not beholden to (checks notes) political operative types?
Comment by Red Ranger Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 3:07 pm
I think he is beginning to figure he needs to win the Republican Primary.
The “attack” on his college magazine days just seems like nonsense to me, but it might have some traction among some republicans who probably were not going to vote for him no matter what he was doing in college.
I thought his explanation on what he thought “social justice” meant to him was compelling. He has not only talked the talk but walked the walk by doing social service work in Haiti and on other “hands on” efforts.
I have always been pro choice so that would be very big issue for me and an awful lot of voters in the General Direction.
Not sure what to make of Mr. Sullivan at this point, but not willing to write him off.
Comment by Back to the Future Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 3:09 pm
“Not sure what to make of Mr. Sullivan at this point, but not willing to write him off.”
Then you are either gullible or lacking in your political analysis…or… is that you, Sully?
Comment by Dotnonymous Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 3:19 pm
There’s the Friday oppo dump I’ve been awaiting.
Comment by Bruce( no not him) Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 3:22 pm
===If you know Sullivan is an empty vessel caricature who ignores his own major and minor foibles===
The fact he is in an industry that involves other people giving him their money to manage is really something.
Can’t wait till he’s talking about throwing our pension funds into crypto.
Comment by Candy Dogood Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 3:30 pm
Gotta be honest, you front load over $10 million and you can’t get Griffin to match ya, given who else is in this field… “you ain’t it”
Plus… Proft is still Alan Keyes.
Forgetting Alan Keyes and Jeanne Ives in Proft’s history is ignoring that Proft and understanding the electorate to win it all is laughable… this was Sullivan being introduced to Ives-type lemmings that would rather be right *and* Right then actually win… and vessels to seem thoughtful to the willfully ignorant are encouraged
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 3:30 pm
=== Not sure what to make of Mr. Sullivan at this point, but not willing to write him off.===
If you are for empty vessel, valor stealing, gym bro-talking California businessmen… then I wouldn’t write him off either I suppose.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 3:34 pm
“And so you know what?”
That’s a little something called a “tell”
– MrJM
Comment by MisterJayEm Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 3:42 pm
“I think he is beginning to figure he needs to win the Republican Primary.”
This is why in a way I support Bailey and Ives types, because they do GOP base all the time and are not trying to “redefine” themselves. Will not forget how utterly overdone and desperate Rauner was at the Trump rally, with that garish jacket and hat.
Comment by Grandson of Man Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 3:42 pm
Why does it feel like more is coming on this guy?
Comment by Raising Kane Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 3:55 pm
Jesse seems like the gift that keeps giving and my hunch is more gifts are on the way.
Comment by Long Time Independent Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 3:57 pm
=== Why does it feel like more is coming on this guy?===
The last few oppo dumps seem to be like “foundation” bad oppo things…
… maybe what’s coming, which could be as bad or worse, will be believed far more than if it were played first simply because the foundation of this guy is wet, stinky, sand… now it’s how the house will be swallowed up in the sink hole.
Sullivan is seemingly an empty vessel. Than can cut both ways as this oppo fills the vessel quicker than the phony Sullivan wants as his story.
Slow motion train wreck… but timed (or clocked if you will) to wreck at the best time
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 3:59 pm
I really love the idea that if your political opponents are doing the bare minimum to run against you, it’s only because they’re scared of you.
Ooooh, the Packers are gonna try to score touchdowns Sunday night. They must be scared of the Bears.
In this interview, Sullivan hurt himself in the general election (though maybe not fatally, given Youngkin in VA; but maybe so, given that…when was the last time someone pro-life was elected statewide in IL?) and didn’t really do much to get passed the oppo out there on him. His explanations were…fine, but they’re explanations. “When you’re explaining, you’re losing.”
Comment by Arsenal Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 4:02 pm
OW really packed a lot into one sentence on Sullivan.
Starting with “empty vessel” and then covering lot of ground in a few words.
Always appreciate his opinions, but thinking this guy is not the kind of fellow that is going away.
Pretty sure I would not make any bets on any of the announced candidates winning a general election, but the fellow who served as a Marine and Sullivan seem to be the best of the bunch in terms of having any chance to win a general election.
Time will tell.
Comment by Back to the Future Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 4:05 pm
Mrs. blue Dog just sent this guy a check for his position on abortion.
Comment by Blue Dog Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 4:07 pm
===but thinking this guy is not the kind of fellow that is going away.===
So far, not much good coming from that camp.
===Starting with “empty vessel” and then covering lot of ground in a few words.===
The thing about empty vessels, is you can pack lots of words because they are nothing but what is put in them. So… in other words… when one can define another’s empty vessel, that’s not great.
===Pretty sure I would not make any bets on any of the announced candidates winning a general election===
You could’ve stopped there.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 4:08 pm
=== Mrs. blue Dog just…===
The utter phony charade that y’all are a bunch of free thinking independents is proven.
The man hasn’t even filed petitions, friend.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 4:10 pm
=== … AM560’s Amy Jacobson and Dan Proft show … .===
Stopped reading at that point … .
Comment by Anyone Remember Friday, Dec 10, 21 @ 4:14 pm