 |
| Kenilworth, home of Chris Kennedy |
From the Chicago Sun-Times:
His hands shook as he spoke, and he accidentally dropped the microphone when he finished, but Chris Kennedy tried to play it cool Monday as he made his pitch to Cook County Democratic leaders, downplaying — and even joking about — the value of their endorsement in the governor's race.Wrong.
"Slating? I don’t know. Is this like the Town and Country Restaurant? [My note: What in the hell is he talking about?] I mean, what are we talking about here in the back room of a restaurant?" Kennedy said. "If you think the people of the United States would put up with that, it's not going to happen. It ain't going to happen. I love you all. I mean no disrespect."
Most in the room — the back room of a River North restaurant — laughed. But asked later by reporters whether he'd be asking for the party’s support, Kennedy dug in deeper.
"I just don’t know that it's as meaningful as it was 50 or 60 years ago where people in the back room could control the outcome of an election," Kennedy said. "I don't believe that exists in the United States anymore. … I would say that having a huge social media presence. I'd say having the endorsements of people on Facebook, and LinkedIn, or Twitter or Snapchat is probably more important than what goes on in the back of a restaurant.”
Kennedy seems unaware that the typical Chicago voter--which means a Democratic voter--typically selects the candidate who is backed by the local ward boss or alderman. Often that person is one and the same. Yes, we are talking about uninformed voters. In general elections they just have to show up to the local polling place and pick the man or woman with "D" next to their name. Easy. In primary elections the Chicago voter has to be guided. And yes, in the 21st century, these Machine bosses still matter. Oh, and guess what, Kennedy: Democratic ward heelers use Facebook and Twitter. Snapchat and LinkedIn? Maybe not.
Kennedy is already a train wreck of a candidate. In life you don't get far by insulting the people that you want something from, whether you are selling something to them or if you want them to support you in a political race.
Even if they are jerks and crooks.
Kennedy versus the Chicago Democratic Machine is like the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s. You want both sides to lose.
I leave you with this Kennedy quote about the Machine: "I love you all. I mean no disrespect."
But he didn't respect them. Nor does he love them.
From my post at Da Tech Guy:
Chris Kennedy, Illinois’ snowflake candidate for governor
No comments:
Post a Comment