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| KASICH: A Billy Goat burger? |
Yet
for two of the candidates, the warm-up act on Monday was in Illinois.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich literally was in Chicago, trying to persuade voters
within the media market (those within the city proper are going overwhelmingly
for whoever wins the Democratic nomination) to take him seriously.
CONSIDERING
THE MEDIA market accounts for about three-quarters of Illinois’ population, it
is a significant (and long-overdue) campaign stop.
While
New York real estate developer Donald Trump made his visit to Springfield –
which, for what it’s worth, was the same place where Barack Obama began his
serious presidential campaigning in the ’08 election cycle.
But
while Obama used the old state capitol building that Abraham Lincoln would have
known and walked the halls of (the current capitol building dates to the 1870s),
Trump wanted a differing image.
The
local political bigwigs arranged for the Prairie Capital Convention Center,
which is an arena that has been used for inauguration ceremonies in the past –
in addition to other sports (the Urbana and Springfield campuses of the University of Illinois played basketball there against each other Sunday) and large-scale events.
TRUMP
WANTED THE sight and sound of stands packed to capacity chanting “Trump, Trump,
Trump” as he walked across a stage and made his usual vapid remarks with
regards to why his personal wealth somehow qualified him to be president of the
United States.
Yes,
I wrote this copy prior to the event, because the actual happenings of the
event were so predictable. Tickets for the Springfield, Ill.-based rally were
given away free, first-come, first-served. They went quick.
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| TRUMP: Trying a horseshoe? |
The
spectacle was destined to be packed with true believers – or at the very least
a crowd lacking of individuals who’d have been inclined to say anything
negative about the man who’d likely look at the Springfield skyline and have as
his initial reaction how lame it looks without some gaudy tower bearing his name.
Considering
that Springfield’s only significant tall structures are the current Capitol and
the tower-like Hilton Hotel, it might be one place where he wouldn’t be
blatantly wrong.
THEN,
WE CAME to Chicago, where Kasich spent the day in the city with awe-inspiring
architecture and a definitely-mediocre building named for Trump.
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| BUSH: Beat Kasich to Billy Goat |
Kasich’s
campaign activity centered around an afternoon rally held in the shadow of
tower Trump – Chicago-style. Below ground, actually.
For
the Kasich people, who in Illinois include a significant segment of the
Republican political establishment, were at the Billy Goat Tavern for a
send-off rally to make the governor feel more peppy about doing verbal battle
with the just over a dozen presidential dreamers that the GOP side has given
us.
No
word on whether Kasich actually consumed one of those cheeseburgers the bar
cooks up to try to absorb all the alcohol that is otherwise consumed by
customers on the premises.
ALTHOUGH
IT REMINDS me of an event some decades ago when then-President George Bush (the
elder) decided to try to appear to be a regular-guy Chicagoan by making a Billy
Goat appearance – one that legendary newspaper columnist Mike Royko mocked by
saying he didn’t go because he’d rather watch the cable TV news (one of those ‘90s
‘Crime of the Century’-type trials was taking place).
I
doubt that Kasich’s play-acting at being a regular guy was any more legit than
that of Bush.
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| RAUNER: Not taking sides? |
It
also intrigued me to see Gov. Bruce Rauner’s public schedule for Monday – no events
whatsoever. What does it say for the GOP candidates that the Republican
governor felt no need to advertise his presence at their events?
And
when will the other Republican presidential dreamers feel compelled to visit us
in Chicago to make the long-shot attempt at courting our votes?
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