It must be a cold day in hell, but we agree with John Kass re: coverage of Black politicians

We don't normally agree with John Kass but his column today makes some interesting points. Essentially he is noticing that it appears when the media is covering allegations of corruption there would appear to be a double standard when it comes to covering African American versus white politicians.

We agree with the overall premise of his piece but we also must acknowledge what we know will be the media's defense of their practices: the media was EXTREMELY hard on Rod Blagojevich. That will be their defense and we are confident they will stick to it.

John Kass in the Chicago Tribune: Coverage of corruption has hypocritical scent
John Kass
February 20, 2009

Watching the Chicago media pack take chunks out of Roland Burris this week—and after taking a few bites out of the lying weasel myself—I couldn't help but wonder:

When it comes to covering corruption, is there a media double standard, one for weak black politicians and another for powerful white guys?

African-Americans like the hapless Sen. Tombstone, or Cook County Board President Todd Stroger, the Urkel of local politics, deserve the thwackings they get. When Burris or Stroger give a foolish non-answer, that or even a no-comment becomes news, evidence of their nefariousness. Not so with the much pinker bosses, like Mayor Richard Daley or Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Lisa's Daddy), two bullies who believe in democracy as long as they can play king.

Burris' few lies to a state impeachment committee are nothing compared with the hundreds of millions devoured by corruption in the Daley administration. And Madigan still hasn't been held to account for his flunky, state Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie (D-Madigan), holding onto the bombshell Burris affidavit—the one in which Burris revealed his earlier lies under oath—by slipping it into her desk drawer.
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We could not agree with Mike Downey more. . .

In today's Chicago Tribune Mike Downey goes after Mayor Daley for going after Ozzie for not going to the White House.

Daley caught off base when it comes to invites
Mike Downey
Published February 11, 2006

Downey's Eleven:

1 Richard M. Daley is as wrong as a man could be in knocking White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen for skipping the team's scheduled trip Monday to the White House.

The mayor should be ashamed of saying, "I don't care who you are. Maybe you think you're too important."

What a cheap shot after everything Guillen has done for this city.
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Click here for the entire column

Daley upset with Guillen, needs life . . .

. . .its kind of ridiculous for Mayor Daley to be upset with Ozzie for choosing a family vacation over a White House visit, doesn't he have bigger issues to worry about? Rumor has it Da Mayor won't participate in any public events on Sundays because that is family day, well isn't Ozzie entitled to a little family time before the start of a long baseball season?

Guillen skipping D.C. trip irks Daley

By Gary Washburn
Tribune staff reporter
Published February 10, 2006

Mayor Richard Daley tried not to criticize the man who guided his beloved White Sox to a World Series championship last season, but he acknowledged Thursday he is "disappointed" manager Ozzie Guillen and some other members of the team won't travel to the White House to be honored next week.

Daley is a Guillen admirer and rode with him in the city-sponsored parade after the Sox won last October.

Guillen a few days later visited City Hall, where he and the mayor posed for countless photographs before the Sox skipper was honored at a City Council meeting.

But Daley clearly was not happy on Thursday with the news that there will be less than 100 percent participation at the White Sox's White House visit.

"I don't know who you are," he said. "Maybe you think you're too important. I think Ozzie is on vacation or something. I mean, that is up to him. But you don't realize how precious that is, and very few Americans have ever been in the White House. To me, that is a privilege for anyone to be."
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Click here for entire story.

When Daley says "Maybe you think you're too important," it strikes me a tad bid immature, but that is just me.