By Steve Rhodes
So it turns out there’s another connection between Allison Payne and the Rev. Jesse Jackson: Yusef Jackson.
“In the midst of the Rev. Jesse Jackson ‘s recent revelation he fathered a child out of wedlock, there is good news to report: The blooming of a new and totally above-board romance in the Jackson family,” Bill Zwecker reported in January 2001.
“While neither Jackson’s son Yusef Jackson nor WGN-Channel 9 news anchor Allison Payne will comment on the record, it appears the attractive duo have become a couple.
“Along with numerous sightings in such high-profile venues as Harry Caray’s restaurant, Payne was seen as being very much part of the Jackson family group (as opposed to the press pool) at the well-publicized service at Salem Baptist Church on the South Side Sunday.
“This must be a touchy time for journalist Payne , who clearly must be sensitive to the personal feelings of Yusef Jackson , while being forced to report on the details of his father’s situation.”
Ten months later, Zwecker reported:
“SEEN ON SCENE: Black Ensemble Theater supporters Jacqueline Jackson and WGN-Channel 9’s Allison Payne and her beau, Jacqueline’s son Yusef Jackson, were among the crowd cheering the relaunch of The Jackie Wilson Story at the theater – set to run through mid-January.
And in July 2006, Stella Foster reported:
“Lovely and svelte vocalist Santita Jackson, daughter of the Rev. Jesse Jackson and wife Jackie, celebrated her birthday at the Grand Lux Cafe on Monday with her parents, siblings Jonathan, Yusef, Jackie Jr. (U.S. Rep. Jesse Jr. was out of town) and friends including WGN-Channel 9’s Allison Payne, the Defender’s Roland Martin and Art Sims, Channel 11’s Sylvia Ewing and hairstylist J of the Lavish Salon.”
Medical Miracle
Perhaps Jackson can use his clout to see that Jen Hall and Stella Ackerman get the medical attention they need.
Palin Drone
I’m still trying to figure out why 20 months as Alaska governor after six years as a small-town mayor is any more insufficient than 24 months as a United States senator after eight years as a part-time Illinois state senator. Neither of them is qualified.
Sam Swell
Sam Zell is once again spending a gazillion dollars on his birthday party – even as he lays off the reporters who supposedly own his newspapers. I have a better idea: Use the money instead of endow your investigative reporting teams.
School Cash
Chicago Public School students could earn as much as $4,000 in two years by getting good grades. Where do I enroll?
Reverse Psychology
“The latest evidence to bolster Barack Obama’s foreign policy judgment against his critics arrived this morning on the front page of The New York Times,” Joe Conason writes in the New York Observer, in a piece being echoed in the leftosphere. “The paper of record reports today that President Bush issued an order three months ago that permits U.S. special forces to strike against Al-Qaeda inside Pakistan, without the permission of Islamabad’s government.
“That is precisely what Obama said he would do as president if the Pakistani government proved unwilling or unable to act against the Islamist terror organization whose attacks on 9/11 are being marked today in New York, Washington, and around the country.”
Barack Obama: More of the Same.
Border Wars
“Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani said nearly a week after a deadly American-led assault in Pakistani territory that there was no deal to allow foreign forces to operate inside its borders,” AP reports. “He warned that ‘the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country will be defended at all cost.”
Meanwhile, Pakistan announced it would start a series of raids in the Rocky Mountains.
Still Not Ready
When I saw the headline “Obama Ducks Call To Push Reform In Illinois” I thought that it must be an old article that a Google bot accidentally pushed to the fore. Instead, it’s actually from today’s Sun-Times.
Heart of Stone
“Under no circumstances will I give up my pay raise.”
– Ald. Berny Stone, today’s Worst Person in Chicago
Attack Dog
Just as he did when his campaign was in trouble in the Democratic primary, Barack Obama signals on the front page of the New York Times today that he will “intensify his assault against Senator John McCain, with new television advertisements and more forceful attacks by the candidate and surrogates beginning Friday morning.”
I wish Obama would step up to the plate and show some leadership instead. It seems to me he could inspire boatloads of those independent swing voters by practicing a new kind of politics instead of always resorting to the old. It seems to me he could inspire a nation if he said:
“Enough. This campaign has taken a corrosive turn. We’re all guilty. But let’s put an end to this right now. No more attacks on personality; no more mud-wrestling in the gutter. I call upon my supporters to cease sexist and scurrilous attacks on Governor Palin and her family, as well as on Senator McCain. These are decent, honorable people. We’re better than this. Debate the issues – vigorously. If we debate the issues, we win. But nobody wins when we demonize and caricature our political opponents in an attempt to gain power. That’s not what this campaign is about. Let’s lead by example and show that we can unify around a higher purpose. And if we do that, I’m confident that John McCain and his supporters will follow our lead. Let’s do this together, Senator McCain. But to my supporters, I say, let’s do this anyway, with or without them. Let’s show America – and the world – what an Obama administration would be about.”
If you don’t believe you can win an election without playing dirty, then your campaign is pretty cynical.
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Posted on September 12, 2008