Tuesday, December 20, 2016

EXTRA: BossMadigan.com attacks getting lamer and lamer on Kennedy

I’m starting to wonder if the Illinois Republican Party really fears the idea of Chris Kennedy (the son of Bobby and nephew to JFK) running for Illinois governor because they know (but won’t admit) that many people in this state can’t stand the incumbent.


Bruce Rauner has a personal fortune that he spent to get himself elected in the first place, and now seems determined to do it again – particularly by turning the 2018 election cycle into a symbolic brawl between himself and Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago.

THAT WOULD EXPLAIN the many petty, trite attacks on Democrats living outside of Chicago, all of which are virtually alike, in that Rauner wants to isolate Chicago from the rest of Illinois.

It’s the only way he wins. If Chicago does wind up taking an interest in the election for governor two years from now, then he loses his re-election bid.

Lately, the Illinois GOP has been sending me (and many others) copies of these attacks – the latest of which on Tuesday once again goes after the idea of Kennedy (who for many years was the manager of the Merchandise Mart in Chicago, a Kennedy family-owned property).

This one reminds us of the high regard many people hold the Kennedy family (particularly Uncle Jack), and says Chris has disrespected the family name.

“INSTEAD OF FOLLOWING in their footsteps, Chris Kennedy chose to serve corrupt politicians like Mike Madigan,” said Illinois Republican spokesman Steven Yaffe.

I’m actually kind of surprised by that line of attack. I would have thought the Republicans would have accused Chris Kennedy of following in the family footsteps. Because, after all, the Republicans who still haven’t gotten over Richard Nixon’s 1960 loss to John Kennedy are usually the ones who claim that the Cook County Democratic organization stole that election.

In the form of Mayor (and Dem Chairman) Richard J. Daley managing to “steal” enough votes to ensure that Illinois went for the Democrats that year in the Electoral College.

The crooked Chicago Machine working once again to rob the people of this state on behalf of a Kennedy! Which the Illinois Republican Party is now, with their latest advertising spot, is indirectly praising as a family (including Uncle Ted, as well) of statesmen.

YEAH IT’S A lame argument. It’s totally stupid! It makes little to no sense. Anybody with a brain would see that.

But it’s no more pathetic than many of the other accusations the Illinois Republican Party has already spewed on behalf of an election cycle nearly 23 months off in the future. And Republican political operatives are counting on the fact that people won't pay attention to the details of their "attacks," just the general outline of slime being spewed.

Nor the more vicious arguments and talking points we’re going to be verbally assaulted with in the next two years. To the point that it might be enough to get me away from watching television at all – so as to avoid being slathered in stupidity!

Now one should not presume I’m backing Kennedy for governor. I don’t have a clue. I haven’t given it much thought, particularly because Kennedy has a past track record of talking himself up as a political candidate without actually going through the process of running for office.

BESIDES, THERE’S ALWAYS the chance that someone else of significance could come along to challenge Rauner – whose defeat would be a Democratic priority just as many Republicans would love to see anybody but Madigan as a legislative leader.

It’s all about partisan crud. We’re in for an ugly brawl – perhaps all the more if J.B. Pritzker and his family fortune (the Hyatt hotels) wind up turning this into a brawl between the billionaires.

Particularly if either one of them were to try to pretend to have even the least bit of comprehension about what working people endure in their lives.

Then have it topped off with doses of rhetorical nonsense such as we’re now hearing about Kennedy and Madigan. I’m reaching for the ear plugs right about now.

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