By Steve Rhodes
Just for starters . . .
More From The Beachwood Tweetdeck
* Court rules #Rahm’s name on ballot will temporarily be replaced with skull-and-bones.
* Spielberg, Geffen stop payment on checks to #Rahm; shut down offshore account.
* Challengers ask for stay of #Rahm’s commercials; TV stations object on way to bank
* Mayor Emanuel t-shirts will be sent to Third World along with Bears Super Bowl shirts.
Fox Chicago News Waiting For Rahm’s Campaign To Tell Them What To Report
Local TV “reporter” Patrick Elwood this morning told viewers that Gery Chico would be open to eliminating the mandatory residency requirement for city workers should he be elected mayor. Elwood added that Chico’s campaign – apparently not wanting to distinguish itself from its opposition and also hoping to stem backlash to the idea – had called to say that Rahm Emanuel has said the same thing in the past.
“We’ve got a call into the Emanuel campaign to independently verify that,” Elwood then said.
Memo to Elwood and Fox Chicago News: In the time it’s taking you to “independently” be told what to report, you could have, um, you know, just looked it up – and asked the Chico campaign to provide documentation.
I didn’t find much to go on in a cursory search of the clips about past statements, but I did find this – from yesterday’s Tribune”
“Rahm Emanuel, facing his own residency problem, dodged questions about whether city workers should be required to live in Chicago.”
Meanwhile, ABC7 reported this:
“As for lifting the residency rule for city workers, Emanuel’s campaign says he is open to discussing the subject.”
There’s nothing wrong with telling viewers that the Trib reported that Emanuel dodged questions about the residency issue even while his campaign was telling other news outlets that he was open to the idea.
You could even explain why that probably is. That’s your job.
And putting a call into the Emanuel campaign could be productive if you do more than take down a statement, but you’re not likely to get a useful answer from a campaign propagandist.
Finally, Chico being “open” to considering a rule change is much different than Chico pledging to try to change the rule. Candidates are open to just about anything – especially when they are receiving an endorsement from a special interest group.
To wit:
“Because it is something many firefighters and police support, mayoral hopeful Miguel del Valle accuses Chico of pandering to unions,” the Trib account reports.
“‘To say that you’re going to allow all employees to move outside the City of Chicago and desert our neighborhoods throughout the City of Chicago is just ludicrous,’ said del Valle.”
*
Also:
“Mayoral candidate Carol Moseley-Braun says she is against lifting the residency requirement because it threatens the middle class.”
Man On Street To WGN: Fuck You!
Tell the truth!
Lay Down, Chicago Bears
‘Cause the gang’s all here.
The Return of a Legendary Lager
Leinie’s Limited.
Jay Cutler’s Fantasy Draft Value
Probably a late-round pick for a back-up slot.
Hogwash, Mr. President
“What is the state of the union? You certainly couldn’t tell from that platitudinous hogwash that the president dished out Tuesday evening,” Robert Scheer writes at Truthdig.
Programming Note
More later . . . worked the bar again last night and still trying to get caught up.
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The Beachwood Tip Line: Column interruptus.
Posted on January 26, 2011