Wednesday, April 18, 2007

* Don Gordon Concedes (Updated)

Today Don Gordon has thrown in the towel on politics. And you won't see him in four years either. He's finished.

"It has been a terrible strain on me and my family - and I won't put them through that again", said Don Gordon this morning.

Knowing he could continue to mount a legal challenge, and everyone under the sun knows he's got a pretty good case, it's just not worth it. "This local voting system is set up for corruption and wrongdoing and that's exactly what happened", said Gordon.

Will Don Gordon call Joe Moore to offer congratulations? If I were Don, I sure the hell wouldn't.

UPDATED 2:30PM: Don Gordon has withdrawn is concession. A official press release will be issued shortly. Or so I'm told from HQ. At this point, even I'm confused.

15 comments:

Zorban99 said...

More sunlight needs to shine on the 49th Ward. Blatant election irregularities and encumbent aldermanic shenanigans go on year after year after year, and the state board of elections doesn't do anything about it. It saddens me to see my old neighborhood still lorded over by Joe Moore, one of the most obnoxious and impertinent politicos I have ever had the misfortune to know. It shames Chicago to have such a "representative". Please review www.Forum49.org and the other local blogs which have been documenting his nonsense for years... there ought to be a law worth enforcing - action is long overdue. Thanks for reading.

Jim Witts said...

Where did you get this info? Did those final votes ever get counted?

YourChicagoFriend said...

He has no conceded.

Craig Gernhardt said...

Get real people. He knew he was on the record when I asked him. Has he changed his mind since I talked with him around 11am? Could have, but I really doubt it. He knows the struggle he would be up against.

Zorban99 said...

Don is not conceding.
Don has not stepped way from the election.
Craig needs to check his facts.
I just got off the phone with Don's campaign, and a challenge is in the works as we speak.

Zorban99 said...

It isn't a matter for argument, Craig. Check in with the campaign and modify your post appropriately.

49th Ward Truthsquad said...

Greetings from the reality based community. The bizzare postings over the last 12 hours speak volumes about the credibility of the Gordon campaign.

Is there a split between the Freeman Institute and Gernhardt? Why is Don taking advice from these people, and how much money did they take him for? Politics isn't for the faint of heart or the foolish, which Don seems to have learned the hard way.

If anyone has a case for filing suit, it's Joe Moore. The Gordon campaign was engaged in illegal voter suppression tactics, including "tailgating," a practice used in Ohio and Florida to discourage people from voting before they even get to the polls. Gordon has one of his volunteers outside Potawattomie Park telling people they would need two forms of ID to vote. This was quashed immeadiately, as were other blatant attempts to challenge people's right to vote.

I'd love to hear from Craig about the hired guns on the Gordon campaign. Who were these guys, if not GOP operatives?

Jocelyn said...

Truthsquad is an oxymoron. He/she/it can't seem to stop LYING.

If you can't make statements using your own name, maybe these are statements you should not be making. And why should anyone believe their veracity?

Fargo said...

Truthsquad - You need to check your facts. Joe has repeatedly violated the law with his electioneering tactics. How about the fradulent voter registrations?

A lot more sun needs to shine on the corrupt practices that have been business as usual in the 49th ward for too many years.

Unknown said...

The Chicago Board of Elections reports that 7,791 ballots were cast in the 49th ward aldermanic election yesterday. A large number of allegations of voting irregularities have been raised in the 49th ward. This challenges the integrity of the election. We will have a formal statement tomorrow.

Thank you,
Michael Harrington, Chair
Citizens To Elect Don Gordon
www.dongordon.org

chris said...

Have all the votes been counted yet? Last I heard (this morning) one precinct's votes had not been counted due to a computer problem. If the votes haven't been counted yet how can Don 'concede' and how can Moore proclaim victory. Any thoughts?

Craig Gernhardt said...

Chris, didn't you read the update and Michael's statement? Don recanted his concession this afternoon after consulting with the high paid, HQ suits.

When I talked with Don this morning in front of his house, (I was giving him the camapign signs I went around collecting - as to not mess up the neighborhood) we both had not slept much, he had just gotten back from having breakfast, and was feeling a bit beat up by the system.

Campaigns have many ups and downs, that was a down moment.

Once those suits got going, I'm guessing the tide changed.

Like I said earlier, now it's down to lawyers and money.

Kheris said...

I'll be very interested in how this turns out. If Don's got a case to pursue, he should.

And I wonder if Truthsquad has noticed those photos of JoMo's electioneering? Wonder if s/he will own up to their candidate's bad behavior. Rhetorical question of course.

Levois said...

Yeah I'm confused.

Hillari said...

If Burt Natarus and Dorothy Tillman can lose their long-term seats in City Council, so could Joe Moore. But let's understand something. Machine politics is not dead, and Moore is a product of that. He has been in office long enough to know the tricks to stay in. The next person that mounts a challenge has to figure out a way to work around machine politics, and at the same time, not come down to Moore's level.

Gordon did a good job of running a clean campaign, but like he pointed out, the Chicago political system has a lot of flaws that stymie good people who want to be true public servants.

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