By
tricky, it becomes important to consider whether an alleged debate actually
includes the significant candidates, or is merely a chance for a lone candidate
to show themselves off without any pesky opposition to challenge them.
I
BRING UP this point because the Center for Working Class Studies at the
University of Illinois – Chicago is having a “debate” on Friday.
Yet
the only two candidates who are expected to show up are Cook County
Commissioner Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, D-Chicago, and 2nd Ward Alderman
Robert Fioretti.
Which
means the people who bother to watch the event on Chicago Access Network will
have a chance to see if one of the two can create the perception of themselves
as the legitimate challenger to Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and the image of the other
as a political bumpkin in over his head.
Emanuel
himself will not be there. Neither will Willie Wilson, who is hoping that the
millions of his own money he plans to spend on his campaign will help him be so
dominant among African-American voters that both Fioretti and Garcia wind up
becoming the bumpkins who don’t deserve to be taken seriously come the Feb. 24
municipal elections.
FOR
THE RECORD, Emanuel’s campaign has said he is participating in five debates –
although only two of those are traditional debate formats where candidates face
questions and rigidly-timed periods in which to answer them.
Those
debates will be the League of Women Voters event to be held Feb. 5 and a Feb.
10 event by the Chicago Urban League.
Other
events that could wind up having all the major mayoral hopefuls include a Feb.
4 broadcast of “Chicago Tonight” on WTTW-TV, and appearances before the
editorial boards of the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times.
Admittedly,
those newspapers likely will put video of those interviews on their websites
for political geeks to ponder over. But their real purpose is to provide the
quotes and other information that the newspapers will use when preparing their
editorials in mid-to-late February about how enthusiastically they wind up
backing the re-election of Rahm Emanuel.
DOES
ANYBODY DOUBT that the two major newspapers will take such a stance?
Particularly when one regards just how enthusiastic they were in offering their
official support for Bruce Rauner to replace Pat Quinn as governor in last year’s
statewide election cycle.
I’m
likely to try to watch all of these events in some form or another, even though
all they usually wind up doing is reinforcing the beliefs of the hard-core
supporters of each candidate.
The
people who want Anybody But Rahm probably already have the talking points
drafted in their minds about how inept Emanuel will be during the upcoming
debates.
For
all I know, they’re probably also going to claim he is behaving in a cowardly
manner by not showing up on Friday and at other events being sponsored by
organizations that wish they could get the public attention that is derived
from sponsoring a political debate.
I
NOTICED THAT Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis told the Chicago
Sun-Times on Thursday how Garcia will overcome his “mild-mannered sweetheart”
temperament to ravage Rahm’s reputation and make him out to be completely inept
at representing the needs of the “average” Chicagoan.
I’m
sure the Emanuel backers are ready to claim how all the other candidates don’t
have what it takes to address the diverse set of problems that confront Chicago
and other urban areas in the United States.
And
as for Wilson, the man who already is attracting derision for the fact that
responded to a Chicago Tribune candidate questionnaire by saying on many issues
that he can’t develop specific solutions until after he is put into office. We’re
supposed to trust that he’ll figure things out!
I’m
sure that Wilson’s campaign guru, outspoken former alderman and state senator
Rickey “Hollywood” Hendon, is counting on reaching out to voters who despise all
the other mayoral candidates that they won’t care what Wilson actually says
during a debate.
-30-
No comments:
Post a Comment