Jackson and Jackson: Racial, Economic Politics in Illinois

Joint Statement by Fmr. Congressman Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. & Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.

Monday, February 12, 2018

USE OF RACIAL POLITICS EXPOSES BOTH REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS IN ILLINOIS

President Donald’s Trump’s former chief political advisor and strategist Steve Bannon said, “If race is the issue, we win.” So we see Trump’s obsession with blaming everything on former President Barack Obama, or attacking Colin Kaepernick, Jemelle Hill, Steph Curry and other African Americans. The only way Republicans can currently win elections is by cheating (e.g., gerrymandering in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania) or using voter suppression tactics (identifying more health care for more Americans, the Affordable Care Act, with race – “Obamacare” – or supporting restrictive voter ID laws, cutbacks in early voting, elimination of same-day on-site voter registration and other voter suppression tactics as in North Carolina and Texas).

Now we see Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner has joined in this racist strategy with his J.B. Pritzker commercial which is an attempt to divide the black community and get African American leaders to attack Pritzker and abandon him.

But what the anti-Pritzker commercial actually reveals is that Democrat J.B. Pritzker was also engaged in playing racial politics to suppress the black vote. At the time of the FBI recorded phone conversation between Mr. Pritzker and Governor Blagojevich, Jesse Jackson, Jr. was not under any federal investigation and was the very popular Congressman for the 2nd Congressional District of Illinois. If Jesse Jackson, Jr. had been the Democratic Senatorial nominee there would have been a huge black and south suburban voter turnout and not just because Jackson was African American.

While Mayor Richard M. Daley and J.B. Pritzker had political and economic interests in hotels in downtown Chicago and by O’Hare Airport, Jesse Jackson, Jr. was focused on the underdeveloped South Suburban communities that were attempting to convince the governor, the mayor and Mr. Pritzker to build an airport in the South Suburbs that would have employed many thousands of workers of all races and genders in new businesses so that the masses of people living in that area might have good jobs, an economic future, a stable and growing tax base to fund good schools, and balanced economic growth in the Chicago metropolitan area.

Unfortunately, like all good Monopoly players, Mr. Pritzker has placed all of his hotels downtown on “Boardwalk” and near O’Hare Airport where rent is high. And if we land on his property we will pay a premium. He has not indicated his support for building the South Suburban Airport or offered a jobs and economic development plan comparable to building the new airport. I gave the airport to Democrats – e.g., Governor Blagojevich and others – who have not indicated they want to build it, and now Republican Governor Bruce Rauner has it. [sic]

Mr. Pritzker has not called to offer Jesse Jackson, Jr. a personal apology, nor has one been sought. However, more than a personal apology, Democrat J.B. Pritzker owes the entire African American community an apology for denigrating Barack Obama, Emil Jones, Jesse White, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and Jesse Jackson, Jr. in a private FBI recorded conversation that has now become public – and there could be more to come. Mr. Pritzker was playing racial politics in pursuit of his narrow economic interests. The African American community must reject being misused by white politicians in the political game of racial politics by Republicans or Democrats.

https://m.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2018/02/09/pritzker-the-sneak-disser-might-as-well-have-said-the-n-word

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I found this statement by Jesse Jackson, Sr. and Jesse Jackson, Jr. issued on Facebook. I'm sharing it here, because it is thought-provoking and offers information I'd not heard about until now. I've done no fact-checking to date and am still forming my opinions about assertions made here.

Anne Johnsos on her family, new book and "mommy juice"

I'm a print journalist, a photographer, editor and designer, now getting into podcasting and radio. I have so many friends and colleagues who are veterans in radio and brilliant at what they do. Anne Johnson is one of those. She was one of the first to encourage me as I ventured into a new medium, which I'm forever grateful to her for.

A former TV anchor, former Northwestern professor, former WGN radio producer, Anne has ventured into print .

Anne’s recently published book, POTTY-MOUTHED: Big Thoughts from Little Brains, shares conversations she and her husband have had with their daughters starting when their youngest was about 2 years old.

Constantly curious, I lobbed these questions to Anne and she sent them back with answers.

K: What were your girls’ reactions when they first learned you were documenting what they’d been saying?

A: They had no idea until I started writing the book. For years I typed their words and wonders onto my iPhone, stowing them away for later. Occasionally I posted the most humorous bits to Facebook, but the kids had no idea what Facebook was. It was only after I drafted the manuscript that we all sat down and read through the hundreds of moments. The girls laughed with glee when they realized they were a) funny and b) just a little bit famous.

K: What was it like getting permission from your family to publish this book?

A: When we went through the manuscript, the girls let me know what was OK and what was not. Poop and toots are funny up to a certain age (in my case 100!), but as kids round the corner toward “tweendom,” privacy becomes more important. My oldest also was quick to point out the moments in which my written thoughts were slightly unkind. She told me not to include them because they made me look, well, unkind. And while we all have our “judgy” moments, it’s best not to highlight them. (Note: The conversation we cut had to do with my daughter’s attempt to learn the violin. Anyone who has tried to play the violin knows it’s a slow start. I merely observed that in one of my posts.)

K: How did you pick which of their remarks made it into the book?

A: We chose the ones we considered to be funny, poignant and relevant. Some of my favorite conversations centered on pop culture and were too time-sensitive to last. Think Bieber, Blurred Lines and Daft Punk. Need I say more?

K: Social media has played a part in the way you created this book. Do tell.

A: Without social media there would be no book. The reaction I got to the early posts inspired me to keep recording the girls’ conversations. I loved getting positive feedback from friends and fellow parents. It was a former journalism student of mine who first suggested the book, and the idea gained momentum from there. When I took the plunge to write, I asked my Facebook hive for possible illustrators and reconnected with a friend from college. The idea was to have just a smattering of drawings, but his work was so good, POTTY-MOUTHED became a comic book.

K: Tell me more about “mommy juice”. Must it be Italian or can it be from any region?

A: “Mommy juice” is famously cheap and of low quality. After my husband and I realized our exciting social lives were firmly in the past, we resorted to bulk buying wine from Trader Joe’s. Turns out Two Buck Chuck isn’t so bad.

K: You protect your girls’ privacy, but they have been going to some of your book events. How are they dealing with the attention they are getting?

A: They seem to enjoy it, but I’m aware of the potential pitfalls. Right now they really want to read some of their own funny moments. That might change as they get older. The important thing is: They approved the content, so they aren’t surprised. Last night at a reading, some of the toot jokes made my older daughter “facepalm,” but she laughed because she knows the actions of a 4-year-old do not draw a straight line to the 11-year-old of today. Note: I also regularly add money to the therapy jar.

K: Are you still documenting the nuttier conversations you have with your girls? Can we expect a sequel?

A: A sequel is ready and waiting if this book is successful. I have hundreds more moments to share, and many of them are funnier and smarter than the current book because the girls are older. I still write down and share some current conversations, but less frequently. Now that the girls know what I’m doing, they occasionally ask me to write down what they say, and that’s too meta for me. Also: No matter how funny puberty might be, it’s just too personal. I value my daughters’ trust too much to cross that line.

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YOU'RE INVITED: Come meet Anne. I'm the impresario for a rare performance by Anne and radio colleague Charlie Meyerson. They'll share some of the most hilarious utterances by her daughters and his sons with friends and strangers on Thursday, February 22. We'd love to see you there in the flesh. Cyberspace is only fun for a while. Details are up on Facebook and online here and here.

Mystery revealed: Mommy juice = 2 Buck Chuck's

FUN to come

Dear friends, neighbors and strangers,  

This year is going to be #FUN,
if I have anything to say about it.

I'm planning some unique events and opportunities: 

Performances, book readings, photo shoots, workshops, dinners and then some.

Some will be of interest to my media, journalism,
photography and creative colleagues,
but most will be geared toward folks who
may or may not do any of that stuff.

 If you want to hear more via email, sign up here.

Keep warm,

Karen Kring