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Rush plays the race card… again

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Illinois

* Here we go again. The Hill has a new story out entitled: “Race becomes an issue during campaign for Obama’s old Illinois Senate seat“…

Rep. Bobby Rush claims that the “white-dominated” media are ignoring an African-American candidate running for President Obama’s old Senate seat.

Rush, the inveterate race-baiter, is referring of course to Cheryle Jackson. A Google news search shows Rush’s claim to be untrue. Also, I’m on Jackson’s press release e-mail list, and I can tell you she just hasn’t done much of anything lately.

Laura Washington essentially provides the reasoning for Rush’s latest outburst…

“But in order to get [African-American voters] fired up and get them to care enough to show up at the polls you’ve got to talk about race, and that’s when you get into trouble,” Washington added.

Yep. Play the race card, fire up the base and get yourself in trouble. Rush doesn’t seem to care about the “get yourself in trouble” part. That’s just what he does. He has to face no consequences from this behavior, and he’ a pro at this stuff…

Rush, who defeated Obama easily in a 2000 House primary, said Jackson’s candidacy hasn’t gotten more widespread attention because of her race. “I’ve lived through the Harold Washington election,” he said, referring to the former Democratic congressman who became mayor of Chicago. “The white-dominated media tend to be dismissive of African-American candidates early on. They dismissed Carol Moseley Braun when she ran.”

Washington disagreed with Rush. “I don’t think that it’s about race,” she said. “I think that she [Jackson] just hasn’t been able to get her story out in front of enough people.”

Whites also dismissed Barack Obama early on. But Obama didn’t pull stunts like this Rush crud. There was a reason Obama challenged Rush for his congressional seat. This kind of old-school racial pandering is just one of them. Jackson ought to quickly repudiate him.

In my opinion, if Jackson raises the money and starts defining herself, she could become a credible candidate and has a real shot at winning this primary. Her debate at the Tribune was horrible, however. She arrived late, was unprepared, stumbled through her answers, and showed she wasn’t yet a true top tier candidate. If she wants people to take her campaign seriously, she needs to first take her campaign far more seriously. Time’s running out.

Carol Moseley-Braun was a star at the debates against Alan Dixon and Al Hofeld. She projected positivity and refused to be dragged down into the Dixon vs. Hofeld mudslinging. That’s a big reason why she won.

* Speaking of Democratic US Senate debates…

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate David Hoffman ripped into rival Alexi Giannoulias at a debate this morning, saying Giannoulias’ history as vice president of his family’s Broadway Bank make him a bad bet for senator. […]

Hoffman, a former inspector general for the city of Chicago, threw the first punch, criticizing “irresponsible” community banks that withdraw money as their failing — a jab at Giannoulias and his family, who withdrew large amounts of money from their struggling North Side bank. The bank was in better shape, though, when Giannoulias left to be state treasurer four years ago.

Giannoulias replied by accusing Hoffman of “hypocrisy” for complaining about Broadway Bank, noting that Hoffman owns stock in big Wall Street banks that have benefited from federal bailouts.

“Since he’s been in this campaign, he has been falsely attacking me and my family.” Giannoulias said of Hoffman.

Hoffman answered: “He says it’s not fair to talk about the bank because it’s ‘his family.’ When you’re 33 years old and you’ve only held two jobs, it’s worth talking about…It’s nothing to do with his family — it’s about his job performance at the bank.”

Jackson has the opportunity to show that she’s above this fray - if she gets her act together.

You can see a brief summation of most of the points made during the debate by clicking here.

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Dec 16, 09 @ 10:33 am

Comments

I knew Barak Obama/Harold Washington/Carol Braun. Ms. Jackson aint close!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Comment by ivoted4judy Wednesday, Dec 16, 09 @ 10:37 am
Seriously now… Has Cheryle Jackson turned in her FEC ethics forms yet? Or is she still busy?

Comment by Old Man Winter Wednesday, Dec 16, 09 @ 10:40 am
Early on, my support was leaining toward Jackson, but other candidates have since impressed me more. I still think that she would be a great senator for Illinois and agree that she could really have a shot at winning the primary if she gets herself out there more. Especially downstate.

Comment by Springfield Wednesday, Dec 16, 09 @ 10:42 am
I think Bobby was taking about John Arrington,

Comment by OneMan Wednesday, Dec 16, 09 @ 10:43 am
There’s an African-American running for the Senate seat on the Republican side as well.

Comment by colt 45 Wednesday, Dec 16, 09 @ 10:44 am
Completely fair, completely accurate attacks on Giannoulias.

This is for a US Senate seat, people. To replace Barack Obama, the President of the United States. You Democrats are going to hand this 33-year-old guy who has held two jobs (and certainly not a star in either of them) this nomination?

7 weeks left. Let’s think twice.

David Hoffman showed himself to be a formidable man. Worthy of the Senate. Right on the issues (very little separates any of them).

Who do you choose?

Comment by HoffmanForevah Wednesday, Dec 16, 09 @ 10:44 am
or perhaps Corey Dabney?

Comment by OneMan Wednesday, Dec 16, 09 @ 10:45 am
I have a real problem with racist speech. No matter whose mouth it comes out of. Rush should be ashamed of himself.

Comment by Belle Wednesday, Dec 16, 09 @ 10:48 am
Sigh. I guess it’s going to be Alexi. I have liked him in the past, but I have the impression that he is the Chicago Machine candidate. Given Illinois’ extraordinary history of recent corruption, a vote for the Machine is a vote that says we haven’t learned anything….and that corruption (even if Alexi isn’t corrupt, and I’ll assume he isn’t) doesn’t matter that much to Democratic primary voters. Hoffman really would be a vote against traditional Illinois Democratic
trends. A vote against the Illinois version of Tammany Hall, so to speak.

Comment by cassandra Wednesday, Dec 16, 09 @ 10:48 am
Perhaps Alexi and Hoffman should settle this with a duel. Silver spoons at dawn?

Very disappointing for Jackson. This was a major opportunity for her. If you’re not ready and prepared to go all in, you’re just wasting your time.

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Dec 16, 09 @ 10:56 am
come on cassandra!
“I have liked him in the past, but i have the impression that he is the Chicago Machine candidate.” yeah the Chicago Machine was real supportive of Alexi when he ran for treasurer, i.e no endorsement from the democratic party chairmen madigan.
The mayor’s guy rahm and david ask lisa madigan to run, so where has the “Chicago Machine” been supportive.

As for Rush he is a buffoon with this race stuff! Cheryle Jackson has not done the ground work to gain the medias respect, also hasRush thought that maybe Cheryle’s poor relationship with the media when she was the mouthpiece for blago effects her coverage.

Comment by Get it straight Wednesday, Dec 16, 09 @ 11:03 am
The tribune thing was awful. claiming she knows something about job creation when the state is in awful shape, the afghanistan answer alone should get her destroyed from ever seeking any office again.

it’s a big leap from aide to blago to political office. democrats have a lot of people running for that seat who are running for a tier 1 office with tier 3-4 candidacies.

Comment by shore Wednesday, Dec 16, 09 @ 11:08 am
We live in a 24/7 news cycle. She still has some time left to make it happen for her.

Congressman Rush also helped Roland Burris in a similar manner. It is what he does and if he doesn’t make claims like this, someone ought to check to see if he is still breathing. What is silly is that some people take him seriously.

Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Dec 16, 09 @ 11:16 am
Bobby Rush gets rid of his own competition the old fashioned way!!

Barack Obama challenges him in the 2000 primary–in 2002 he is drawn out of Rush’s district.

Donne Trotter challenges Rush in the 2000 primary. He too is drawn out of Rush’s district.

Must be nice to be an incumbent Congressman and be able to willy-nilly have any potential competitors drawn out of your district so you can maintain your own political fiefdom. Then you can go before the press and talk about your outrage about how somebody else is treated without having to answer for your own actions.

Bobby Rush—Stop being such a tool!!

train111

Comment by train111 Wednesday, Dec 16, 09 @ 11:17 am
As a jackson supporter, I have been horribly let down by her complete lack of a campaign.

As an aside, once I learned that the back withdrawl was an automatic event died to the death of a family member and outside the families control, I really see zero traction from that whole withdrawl issue. if the worst thing you can say about Giannoulias is that he inherited money, you are in trouble.

Comment by Ghost Wednesday, Dec 16, 09 @ 11:19 am
I really like Alexi, but there are too many hits on him to withstand Mark Kirk. Suburban independents are going to be turned off by his Chicago Machine connections. They’re not going to like that he’s only 33 and held two jobs. And, the Bright Start thing, while objectively a big success for his office, is a complicated issue, easily turned into a major knock-down by the GOP in the general.

This is where the early primary really hurts. Candidates aren’t going to really be vetted by the primary voters.

Comment by MelClark Wednesday, Dec 16, 09 @ 11:23 am
Well, the Machine isn’t going to push folks to vote for Hoffman.
And Ms. Jackson seems too flaky, even if you overlook her stint as an aide to our Blago. The Machine has nobody left. And they’ll want a voice in Washington.

Comment by cassandra Wednesday, Dec 16, 09 @ 11:40 am
I believe Alexi will win the primary but the charges from Hoffman on Broadway Bank will stick and be a serious issue for him to overcome in the general.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Dec 16, 09 @ 11:50 am
Will Alexi’s connections to the “Machine”, aka the Democratic Party, hurt him?

Let’s look at some past Senate elections:
2008 Durbin vs. Sauerberg
2004 Obama vs. Keyes
2002 Durbin vs. Durkin
1998 Fitzgerald vs. Moseley Braun
1996 Durbin vs. Salvi
1992 Moseley Braun vs. Williamson
1990 Simon vs. token female Republican
1986 Dixon vs. some Republican
1984 Simon vs. Percy

In which of these races did the GOP get traction by attacking the Democrat for his or her connections to the Machine?

If you were to rank the Democrats who have been elected to the U.S. Senate by how much they were creatures of the Machine, how would you rank Giannoulias among the following?

Dixon
Simon
Moseley Braun
Durbin
Obama
Giannoulias

Attacks claiming Giannoulias is a Machine guy are taking advantage of the bigotry that being ethnic + Democrat means that he is urban and therefore of “the Machine”.

Giannoulias beat Madigan’s candidate in the Democratic primary. Giannoulias got minimal help and cooperation from the Illinois Democratic Party in the general election.

Yet, the Hoffman camp and the GOP is trying to knock the guy as being of the Machine.

Whatever.

Hoffman would get more traction if he explained what he’d do for Democratic voters.

Comment by Carl Nyberg Wednesday, Dec 16, 09 @ 11:50 am
The Democratic Machine cares about elections, jobs and contracts. The U.S. Senate candidate controls an insignificant number of jobs. And s/he can’t steer contracts at the local level very much.

So, the chief interest of the Machine in the U.S. Senate race is how it affects elections.

Based on the campaigns being run, the committeemen of the Cook County Democratic Party came to the conclusion Giannoulias would run a better campaign than Hoffman or Jackson.

How is this conclusion controversial? What is the reality-based argument that Hoffman or Jackson has run a campaign as effectively as Giannoulias? Look at the endorsements. Look at the money raised.

Comment by Carl Nyberg Wednesday, Dec 16, 09 @ 11:57 am
Nothing that has been said or done by candidates is moving me off of my intial view that I will support Hoffman in the primary, but will vote for Kirk in the general. And before all my Dem colleagues bash me reminding me of Kirk’s waky right positions, I remind you that this is what you do in the primary. You run to the extremes which is the the primary base. Conservatives in the GOP, labor, women and blacks for the Dems. You then run back to the center in the general. When judged over there careers (Hoffman as a prosecutor and inspector general and Kirk as a Porter staffer, naval officer and congressman), Hoffman and Kirk make the most sense for me.

Comment by Niles Township Wednesday, Dec 16, 09 @ 12:00 pm
I was starting to take an interest in Hoffman, but not if he’s going to go after the bank stuff again.

Heck, Giannoulios has a record as Treasurer, go after him on that or on his “lack of experience” or what not. Going after his family’s business looks like amateur hour.

Comment by cermak_rd Wednesday, Dec 16, 09 @ 12:00 pm
I attended this morning’s forum at the Union League Club. I came without agenda insofar as I usually vote Republican, but don’t expect to this time around. After seeing them in action, my take on the Democratic candidates is;

Jacob Meister - Sincere but in way over his head.

Cheryle Jackson - Stunningly attractive and charming, but horribly underprepared on every substantive question.

Alexi Giannoulias - Has mastered his impersonation of Barack Obama’s mannerisms. Spoke mostly in laundry lists in an effort to appear knowleadgable. Made horrible strategic error attacking Hoffman re: owning some bank stock. Opened the door to Broadway Bank issues.

David Hoffman - Greatest depth on the issues, best rhetorician, seemingly fearless, and seemed to connect the best with the audience and the media.

I think Hoffman would be the toughest opponent for Kirk by far.

Comment by Simply Stunned Wednesday, Dec 16, 09 @ 12:10 pm
Niles Township, did you support Bush’s (and Kirk’s) decision to invade Iraq?

Do you think the United States should consider bombing Iran’s nuclear reactors and infrastructure?

Comment by Carl Nyberg Wednesday, Dec 16, 09 @ 12:12 pm
I was at the debate….Alexi started the “amateur hour” with some lame attacks on Hoffman. Ask the impartial people who were there..or check out the NBC-5 story that Mary Ann wrote.http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/politics/Giannoulias-and-Hoffman-Trade-Jabs-at-Dem-Debate-79417252.html

Comment by lakeview gay guy Wednesday, Dec 16, 09 @ 12:34 pm
Simply Stunned,

I did not attend the debate today, but have met Alexi and Hoffman in the past, and have to say I agree with everything you say about them. Alexi should almost have an SNL skit. Hoffman is wonderfully intelligent, engaging, and issue-focused. Hoffman would make a very formidable general election opponent against Kirk.

Comment by North Side Nellie Wednesday, Dec 16, 09 @ 2:20 pm
“In my opinion, if Jackson raises the money and starts defining herself, she could become a credible candidate and has a real shot at winning this primary. Her debate at the Tribune was horrible, however. She arrived late, was unprepared, stumbled through her answers, and showed she wasn’t yet a true top tier candidate. If she wants people to take her campaign seriously, she needs to first take her campaign far more seriously. Time’s running out.”

Absolutely nailed it Rich. She has to run a real campaign to be treated like a real candidate. Bobby Rush…sigh…

Comment by Chicago Cynic Wednesday, Dec 16, 09 @ 2:23 pm
Carl:

Yes and yes, though I would take back the first yes if I could. Given the information I had at the time it was a yes to me, in retrospect it would be a no.

Comment by Niles Township Wednesday, Dec 16, 09 @ 2:51 pm
I might add on the Iran issue, I would pursue sanctions first.

Comment by Niles Township Wednesday, Dec 16, 09 @ 2:52 pm
I was at the debate this morning. The only question is: Hoffman or Alexi? I thought the contrast in their answers on economics said it all. Hoffman talked about economics like Paul Volker (liquidity and credit) and Alexi talked like LBJ (programs, programs, programs). My personal opinion is that Hoffman understands the economy better (!) and would do a better job in the US Senate, where the scope for action is so macro. But I suspect that Alexi is better at speaking to the pain and fear that ordinary working people are feeling, and that may mean the actual logic behind his programs is beside the point.

Comment by Veritas Wednesday, Dec 16, 09 @ 3:58 pm
Let’s keep our eye on the target — defeating any GOP candidate including Kirk. After the smoke of rhetoric clears, Hoffman appears to be the Democratic candidate to get the job done. We need to fill that senate seat with a winner!

Comment by georger Wednesday, Dec 16, 09 @ 6:13 pm
No wonder we have such problems in the US. To summarize SS:

Meister - sincere but in way over his head.

Jackson - horribly underprepared on substantive questions.

Giannoulias - impersonation of Obama; spoke in laundry lists to appear knowleadgable; made horrible strategic error.

David Hoffman - greatest depth on issues, best rhetorician, seemingly fearless, and seemed to connect best.

Odd because Progress Illinois went into great detail about the whole banking antics between Giannoulias and Hoffman, but then noted at the end of their article: “Jacob Meister was the only candidate to voice support for reenacting the Depression-era Glass-Steagall Act, which erected a wall between commercial and investment banks (before being repealed by Congress in 1999). “We need to create that divide between banks and securities,” he told the audience. It just so happens that U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and John McCain (R-AZ) unveiled such a plan this week.”

So the guy who is talking about relevant matters currently before the senate is in “over his head” and the shiny politician that spend time fighting about silliness are our best bet. Great!

Comment by Anon Wednesday, Dec 16, 09 @ 6:27 pm