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The [Wednesday] Papers

By Steve Rhodes


In fact, journalists do a disservice to citizens by continuing to namecheck Rush as a former Black Panther, which gives him some progressive cred he doesn’t deserve but cloaks him in a patina of righteousness. His former Black Panthership became irrelevant a long time ago.
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See also: The [Bobby Rush] Papers.
And there’s been a lot more since that post; just use the search bar.
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It just shows the power that narrative and branding have over journalists. The identifiers for Rush should have been updated a long time ago.
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“Rush is the first Congressional Black Caucus member to back the former New York mayor and says he’s doing so because of Bloomberg’s vow to invest in African American communities,” Shia Kapos writes for her Politico Illinois Playbook.

“I feel connected to him on a range of issues,” Rush told Playbook, ticking off gun prevention, the environment, job security and even trade with China. But it’s Bloomberg’s focus on boosting economic opportunity that prompted him to endorse.
“He wants to provide more businesses, more jobs, more home ownership, more investment in the African American community,” Rush said. “None of the other candidates have made similar commitments to the African American community.”

Okay, that’s pure folly. Why let him get away with it unchallenged?
1. Rush feels “connected” to Bloomberg on issues including gun prevention, the environment, job security and even trade with China.
How in the world does Bloomberg’s stance on those issues set him apart from virtually every other Democratic who is running?
2. None of the other candidates have pledged to provide more businesses, jobs, home ownership and investment in the African-American community? Pure bunk. In fact, Bloomberg’s record on that score is even more fraught than Pete Buttigieg’s.
To wit, from the Beachwood earlier this month:

“Billionaire Michael Bloomberg is the 8th-richest person on the planet with a fortune estimated at $57.1 billion. His wealth has spared him from doing any fundraising for his presidential campaign. He will spend at least $150 million on television and internet ads. He has a $10 million ad that will air during the Super Bowl,” Erick Johnson writes for the Crusader.
“On Wednesday, January 8, Bloomberg brought his presidential campaign to Olive-Harvey College on Chicago’s Far South Side.
“It’s a neighborhood that has far less wealth and affluence than Bloomberg. So does most of Black Chicago, which has long suffered from poverty, disinvestment, little affordable housing and the many police brutality issues that have impacted Blacks in the last several years.
“None of these were mentioned in Bloomberg’s speech.”

There’s more; go read it.
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At least Kapos included this:
“This isn’t the first time Rush has backed a wealthy, white guy. Recall he stood up for Bill Daley during the first round of last year’s mayoral race in Chicago.”
So let’s put the Black Panther piece to bed.
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Meanwhile, one of Rush’s opponents, who has appeared in some national press, appears to be making a lot of shit up.
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None of Gad’s problematic claims appear this morning’s Q&A with the Sun-Times. The paper does, however, ask if climate change is real. You might as well as if gravity is real. The science is proven. Continuing to ask candidates that, instead of asking what they would do about it, only gives oxygen to debunked deniers.
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If the Q&A was, as I suspect, in writing and filled out days (or even weeks) ago, it’s still incumbent on the paper to update as developments warrant. I’d say in this case developments warrant.
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Park Place
“Arlington International Racecourse officials on Tuesday denied the Arlington Heights racetrack is for sale or that any offers have been made to purchase it,” the Daily Herald reports.
Really? Maybe the track isn’t for sale, per se, but I hear selling the real estate for development is a done deal.
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ChicagoReddit

Do you think it’d be overkill to wear a surgical face mask through O’Hare? from r/chicago


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ChicagoGram


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ChicagoTube
Heilung at the Riv on Monday night.

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TweetWood
A sampling of the delight and disgust you can find @BeachwoodReport.


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The Beachwood Treyf Line: Beer blessed.

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Posted on January 22, 2020