I'm a man, I can take. But first, back to comment moderation for this post. Some anons are just too vile and don't have the courage to say these things to my face.
I've gotten a couple of emails, many, many comments and last night Don Gordon's hired guns accused me of losing this election for Don Gordon. Hugh's been accused of the same thing in the 50th.
Could it have been possible for one volunteer to lose a election for a candidate? I'd like to hear what other readers think? First and last names for all comments if you haven't already signed up. I should also ask for a photo id and proof of residence too.
30 comments:
No- Gordo lost it because he didn't speak out against your hate!
And next time I and my Ginderske/Moore/Heartland/art studio and balcony and beachdwellers see you on the street, our comments will NOT be anonymous! Once you sat in the Red Line Tap next to me and spewed silly bile- now you have defined all that is worst of our age and I will reward you with my not so covert condemnation.
Please stop and just be quiet.
You didn't lose the race for Don- you had lots of lil dirty rotten scoundrels to help you, so no- you don't get to take an ego trip on the wings of defeat!?
PS- the Alderman's Intern is tired of you too and merely wants to say two words> diaper rash!!
Craig when I first moved to RP I was very happy to find your blog. You had up to date postings on ward activity and you were informative.
Once I began to do my own research on local stuff I found that often your reporting was to say the least slanted. You attack Moore for all the wards problems when clearly one man couldn't be the cause. Trash in the area, gangs, shootings, slums, these problem are seen all across America if not the world, yet you only say Moore as the blame.
So yes here it is to your face, or as close as I need to get...you were a major motivating factor for many of us who supported JM Sorry but your tone and style did as much to bury Gordon as did all the money in Joe's war chest.
Now lets all work together to make the 49th much better and we'll be keeping Moore's feet to the fire as we go forward.
No...I don't think you lost this election for Don (actually, I don't think Don has lost yet...wait for the recount).
This post says so much about you Craig. On the morning after Don lost a tight race, you turn the attention on yourself. Such narcissistic behavior. And if he had won you would have taken credit.
I heard after Joe finished his victory speech, they played the song: "Yes, we have no bananas."
Great sense of humor!
I don't think you necessarily lost the election for Gordon, but you two were certainly interesting bedfellows to say the least.
After what you'd said about his daughter earlier and all of that..
Also was surprised to see you so actively involved b/c a few months back you said you weren't even going to vote at all (which I called you on before you deleted my comment and the original post).
i said weeks ago, that you and the rest of the angry mob made Gordon appear to be a very unappealling option.
Sorry.
You and mannis joining forces only made things even more bizarre and off putting.
Gordon could have had this election sewn up.
Craig,
If I were a ward resident, I would have voted for Gordon.
And, why? Because of your blog.
Moore's supporters can't stand that you see the forest through the trees, and expose his ineptitude whenever you get the chance.
Sorry that Joe MooreOn will be around for 4 more years.
Maybe it's time for YOU to step up and be his next contender.
Now's the time to start. You'll want to get a good head start.
BTW; no, you did not lose the election for Gordon. I'm pretty sure his piss-poor showing on Chicago Tonight did enough to sway more than 138 votes in Moore's direction.
I think everyone here is putting too much stock into blogs. Anyone that decides to vote FOR or AGAINST a candidate because of what is written in a blog, is a fool.
So it appears that Joe Moore will be our alderman for another 4 years. Let's stop the blame game and the gloating and the name-calling. Or in other words, CUT THE CRAP! We all live in the same ward - we are neighbors! We can all agree (I hope) that the 49th Ward has serious issues that need to be addressed.
Let's focus on what we all can do to make Rogers Park a safe and prosperous place for everyone - and make sure that our alderman focuses on those issues too.
ChiAnim8r (Scott Norris)
This election had nothing to do with the blogs or Chicago Tonight.
The unions brought their thugs in, and enough sheep did what they said. If we were to only count the people who actually thought about who they were voting for, Gordon would have won hands down.
What this election tells us is that the unions do not care about the little guy, they care about themselves. They don't care what their policies actually mean for the wards they will help destroy.
what heppened to the remaining 200 votes? Since the lead is only 138 votes, why are they not being counted? It may be a long shot, but I would be pissed if I found out my vote did not count.
This is one very narrow and doubtful "victory" for the Mooron.
From what I hear so far, it isn't even decided yet.
There really is no "mandate" for either candidate, but there certainly exist vast discontent with Joe.
Gordon did a great job of campaigning. Here is a brand new aspirant who has never run for public office before. He raised an impressive amount of money for someone new.
Don't give up, Don. If you lost this one, it is by so small a margin as to be meaningless.
And maybe Gordon didn't lose. We'll see.
Well Craig, in a way you did lose this election for Don. You see, one day this summer I came across the old hell hole while surfing the web in my Dad's office. I instantly became hooked becasue I wanted to know what the oppostition was saying about my father. Well needless to say, after half a year of hearing some of the most cowardly low blows I have ever heard said about my father, I decided that I needed to stand up for him and the people of Rogers Park. Without you Craig, I truly don't know how passionetly involved I would have been in this campaign.
That being said, it is not all your fault that Don lost this race. The man was stupid enough to take $60,000 from a guy who donated to Bush, Cheney, and the Swift Boat adds. I guess one thing Don hasn't picked up on in his 25 years here is that although Rogers Park is economically and racially diverse, it is certainly not politically diverse. In the words of your good friend Tom Westgard, "Whisper this in Don Gordon's ear: 'We're all Democrats, Don. Over 90% of us. Dem-O-Crats...'"
Wow, Nathan Moore is almost as idiotic as his father, I would campaign too if I thought my dad was going to lose his influence and 100,000 a year. If I wasnt redistricted out of 49 I would have voted for Gordon, mostly because of this blog, Joe should realize that half this distric doesn't want him. Furthermore, most people that vote have no idea what they are voting for. Joe smartly tried to label Gordon a republican, even though he isnt, and peopel picke dup on this. I work in a nursing hoem where many residents voted for Moore only because they believed Gordon was a republican, Id love to see the break down of nursing home votes for Moore or Gordon since there are 20somethign nursing home sin the 49th ward
The precint totals are now available online at Chicago Board of Elections. The one precinct not reporting is 1.
chianim8tr is absolutely correct.
While i found all the blogs i read and perused to be interesting, thought provoking... colorful to say the least... i still rely on my BRAIN to make my decisions.
see you around the neighborhood.
Morse Ave went heavily for Joe.
Juneway said...The precint totals are now available online at Chicago Board of Elections.
Do you have the address? I can't seem to find anything but the summary totals
Click here.
No, Craig, I do not believe you lost this election for Gordon. I think any campaign running against an incumbent is an up hill battle and, as such, is a long shot from the beginning. The fact is, with a bulging war chest, endorsements from media icons like Obama (what in the world does that man know about the needs of our ward anyway?) and an army of “volunteers” from A Safe Haven, he still came close to losing this election to a virtual unknown. This says more about Joe Moore’s relationship (or lack thereof) with his constituents than it does about you, Gordon, or anyone else for that matter.
In fact, I credit your blog with bringing to light many facts, insights and opinions that may not otherwise come to light. Do I think you always portray the facts in an unbiased, fair way? No, not always. Do I always think the insights are relevant or even particularly insightful? No, not always. Do I always agree with the opinions? No, of course not. But then again, I fee the same way about the Sun Times, The News Star, the Tribune and The Defender. The fact is this blog - for me at least - is just one more opportunity, a very valuable opportunity, to see, hear and interact with the citizens of my neighborhood. I recommend this blog to friends and neighbors and will continue to recommend it so as long as you continue to cover the streets of Rogers Park. I commend you, Craig Gernhardt, for your diligence and commitment to Rogers Park. I do not always have to agree with things the way you see them to know that we agree on wanting what is best for our wonderful neighborhood.
Hopefully, Joe will see this as a wake-up call and use the next four years to reach out to the citizens of Rogers Park in an honest and open manner. We’re losing our affordable rental housing at an alarming rate. Condos are going up after fait accompli presentations at “Community Meetings.” Morse Avenue, once a strong street of commerce, arts and community interaction is now a shameful, dirty, broken piece of real estate. I sincerely hope Joe does not see this last election as an endorsement for the status quo in Rogers Park. Instead, I hope he sees this as an opportunity to sit down with the Adams, Ginderske and Gordon camps to work out new, positive and inclusive plans for our neighborhood.
Of course, I also sincerely hope big business and world governments will one day work together to bring an end to global warming and find a fair and equitable solution to overpopulation too . . .
that precint vote count was really informative, I find it interesting that the precint poll place i work at 20th, thenursing home was th eonly precint to have more than 300 votes cast, Moore winning at a 2 for 1 clip, I know the woman who got us established as a polling place is a Moore supporter, and there were Moore workers in here all day (as I am sure they were everywhere else), just something I found interesting
Craig didn't lose the election for Don Gordon. People say things in the heat of the moment that reflect frustration more than truth.
Craig's post doesn't make him a narcissist. He didn't even have to raise this point. Doing so suggests he's open to criticism and willing to solicit feedback while it's fresh - or in this case, raw. He must have known he'd get some cheap shots tossed at him. Yet he did it anyway. That's kind of brave.
Craig, you've been very passionate about what plagues the ward and have tried to do your part to draw attention to it. Granted, a lot of the problems that are in the ward were not caused by Joe Moore per se. But he was elected many times to lead the charge to address them. He's not. His misdirected priorities and lack of genuine interest in the day to day nuts and bolts issues has caused them to fester and get worse.
A lot of people forget that blogs are for OPINIONS. Unlike a lot of blogs, yours seems to strive to provide actual documentation. Unlike the Alderman, you don't have a SEIU bankroll and its minions at your disposal. You don't have developers throwing money at you - this is all on your time and on your dime.
This doesn't mean I always agree with you. I don't. But you've opened a lot of eyes and provided a necessary service in the information and truth void promoted by the Alderman's office. So, I thank you.
On another note - Rogers Park (particularly as evidenced by pseudo progressives like Joe Moore) supposedly embraces, relishes, and otherwise goes orgasmic with its boasts of diversity, tolerance, and inclusion - yet those values clearly don't extend to political differences. I'm a registered Democrat, a DNC donor, and wish George Bush would be impeached and sentenced to Gitmo. Call me pollyanna, but I don't get the widespread Republican bashing here. That works for national politics but on a neighborhood level those caricatures are just stupid. Its unnecessarily divisive for a community that supposedly prides itself on welcoming a variety of opinions.
Maybe? Craig, I have to admit that I am adicted to your blog. It's like a trainwreck. Yes, you have done a decent job uncovering the wrong doings in our ward, but I strongly believe that complaining is not the answer. Instead of pointing out the faults, we need to be recommending solutions.
Your blog has a devout readership, and just by looking at the comments you can see how many people are engaged by your words.
I've been a long time lurker, and never bothered responding until now. I do believe you may have hurt Don's campaign, just as much as you may have helped it.
However, it matters no more.
What we need now is a positive voice for our diverse community. Posts about the good things that are happening. Interviews with local shop and restaurant owners. If Joe Moore will not fight for a safer and more vibrant Rogers Park, than the jobs lies on us...and we cannot afford to miss this calling.
People that read your blog deserve to see the bright side of Rogers Park. And there is a bright side, despite Joe Moore. Rogers Park is bigger than Joe Moore, or any alderman for that matter. Our community will continue to exist long after they do. Let's begin celebrating the good that this neighborhood has to offer and encourage more of it. You have the power to promote the positives that surround us. Please use your words wisely.
Christy Lynn. 3 year RP resident.
to nathan moore and thomas westgard:
if this ward is 90 percent democratic, then how did tony peraica get so many votes? he didn't get only 10%.
your father is a clown nathan. did you see his act on chicago tonight? are you proud to be a part of his absurd campaign tactics? are you aware of some of your fathers donors?
probably not nathan, but 50% of the ward were fooled.
No and yes. The long-running 24/7 bashing of Moore undoubtedly built up his negative ratings, undermined him (especially among newer and younger voters), and not only created a fertile field for the overall campaign(s) against him, but planted a lot of the seeds in that field. While most 49th Ward residents don't read this or any other blog, bloggers are opinionmakers. Blog readers get their opinions shaped and reinforced. Blog content gets passed on, secondhand, to many nonviewers.
I'd venture that most of the Gordon campaign tuned into this blog at least some of the time.
The "yes" part is that there are some limits to what negativity can do. This blog became symbolic of the negativity of the Gordon campaign, and the two seemed to end up reinforcing each other, immune to any conflicting data, drifting away from 49th Ward reality, like some cult. The sheer relentlessness, ferocity, and unfairness of this blog, and the milder yet still incredibly nasty tone of the Gordon campaign -- easily the most negative campaign seen on the lakefront since Council Wars days -- not only turned off many 49th Ward voters, but made Moore more of a "cause" than he might have been otherwise. Neutral observers looking at this race got the impression that Moore was under attack by a frenzied, hate-filled mob. That is not fair to many of the Gordon campaigners who seem truly idealistic, but that was the overall impression given. You need to step outside to see just how over the top it was.
One result was that people who had not been active in years, some folks who had never been active, and many people outside the ward, threw their energies (and money) into Moore's campaign at levels they would not have otherwise.
I would not say this blog gets full credit/blame. I'd say its gleeful meanness was symptomatic of a problem Gordon had -- and a choice he made -- in structuring his campaign around negativity.
I am going to repeat myself a bit -- first, Don did not lose due to Craig or any other blogger.
To freshwater, 247 votes to win doesn't necessarily mean JoMo was under attack, I think it more likely that folks realized he was not invincible, and he has learned just how vulnerable he really is. Look at his victory margins over time, they are going down. According to Jim G, JoMo got a 'wakeup call' after the 2/27 election. That's not the response of someone under attack, that's the response of someone asleep at the switch.
For Christy Lynn - I agree whole heartedly.
freshwater. maybe I'm blind, but how on earth can "Let the sun shine on RP" be considered an angry campaign??
I think I was one of the idealists. I was hoping we could have an Alderman who was truly a steward for the Ward and not using the office for a political platform regardless of how "PC" it is.
And I think the gloating is pretty sickening and reflects very poorly on the character of those commenting. Don ran a good campaign- alot more above board than Joe's with his SEIU and pink postcard nonsense. The shame of it is people believed it.
Joe had 4x as much money, legions of hired workers and political organizations backing him and he barely squeaked by. This was Don Gordon's first attempt at running for public office and he nearly beat Joe. I think we should all be very proud.
Oh, and as far as who lost the race for Don, if I had to pick someone I would pick Jim Ginderske not Craig. But if Don had the same money as Joe, I believe e could have beat him hands down.
too close for you to be any blame.
Excellent comment left on the Living Room.
The concept that an alderman should be some sort of uber-ward-superintendent is almost unique to Chicago and is a legacy of Machine politics. It's a mistake to buy into that, bash Joe Moore for not doing enough of it, and then call him a Machine-style politician.
The Council is supposed to be a legislative body. The Chicago voter mentality of expecting the alderman to be in charge of all ward services is one of the main things that keeps Chicago politics screwed up -- it translates almost directly into private political support being traded for the dispensing of public monies or influence.
Here's the deal: altho Chicago is theoretically set up with a "weak mayor" system, the Daley org re-seized what control it briefly lost (during the Byrne-Washington years) a long time ago. No alderman gets jack in their word unless they sufficiently kiss the Daley machine's behind. Joe Moore has actually been a lot more effective than David Orr was in getting $$ into RP, but the price was that Moore ended up voting with Daley and the majority aldermen on disputed issues a lot more than Orr had ever voted with the Machine mayors. However, in Moore's defense, Orr was alderman back when there was a significant opposition in the Council. Once Tillman, Shiller, etc. all became Daley people, Moore had little choice but to cut his deals -- or he wouldn't get anything for his ward.
In recent years Moore has shown a resurgent independence. If you don't recognize that that is the real reason Moore was targeted this election, then you are only seeing the superficial.
I'm not saying that's the reason that average persons supported Gordon. A lot of idealistic people concerned about the lakefront, or crime, or ward appearance, also did. But IMHO they were ultimately coopted, and have bought into an image of Moore that is really pretty distorted.
The "political organizations" that back Moore, that Jocelyn bashes, are primarily progressive organizations that recognize that Joe Moore has been a supporter of progressive causes, even at his political expense.
I say primarily because, as in any campaign, there are some in Joe's camp that are in it for their own purposes, and who, unlike Joe, I would not trust. But the same was true in Gordon's camp.
Gordon's so-called "sunshine" campaign was hypocrisy. I call it an angry campaign because it was. A "sunny" slogan doesn't change the fact that it sent out mailings based on fear, mailings that distorted Moore's record. I have a stack of Gordon's negative-themed campaign lit. His bloggers were angry and name-calling from Day 1.
It's really too bad, because as far as I can see it misled and co-opted a lot of good people who supported Gordon, and took the Gordon campaign down an ignoble and unneceessary path. There is an opportunity for input and cooperation that can be exploited now, or squandered. There will be opportunities for the idealists who supported Gordon to work with Moore in getting their message across, and ideas put into action in the ward. There is also an opportunity to drive home to Joe that he may have some acquaintances and allies it's time to say goodbye to. You can take advantage of that, or spend the next 4 years carping in bitterness.
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