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@Trib_ed_board covers up Robin Kelly refusal to debate and ethics issues in #IL02

@Trib_ed_board covers up Robin Kelly refusal to debate and ethics issues in #IL02

The Editorial Board of the Chicago Tribune offered Republican Paul McKinley a private meeting as part of its “endorsement” review in the Special Election to replace Jesse Jackson, Jr.

As if there ever were any doubt whom the Tribune would endorse.

McKinley declined to take the Tribune up on the offer of a private meeting, and instead requested that the Tribune sponsor a debate between Democrat Robin Kelly and McKinley, at which debate McKinley would answer all the Tribune’s questions.

We previously covered that demand, Paul McKinley calls on Chicago Tribune to sponsor debate in #IL02.

Kelly has refused not only to debate, but to show up for a candidate forum next week sponsored by a local radio station.

Kelly does not want to have to defend serious questions about alleged ethics violations, which the Tribune’s own reporters (unlike its Editorial Board) note are unanswered:

The treasurer’s personnel rules required all of a worker’s time off to be approved ahead of time by a supervisor. But from August 2009 through December 2010 — when Kelly was campaigning for treasurer — Kelly filed 107 requests for unpaid time off, the audit found. Of those requests, 82 percent were not approved by a supervisor, but by a human resources director who reported to Kelly, the audit found. Many of those requests were submitted well after the time off had already been taken, the audit found.

In addition, the audit stated that 19 of Kelly’s 24 monthly time-off calendars in 2009-10 were OK’d before her time-off requests had received final approval. It also found 17 of those 24 calendars were approved late and three were never approved.

McKinley also specifically requested that the Tribune inform readers that the reason he was declining to meet privately with the Tribune was that he wanted a public debate with Kelly:

I’m prepared to answer any and all questions the Tribune editorial board presents at a public debate with candidate Robin Kelly.

If you write about this, I hope you will inform your readers of my response.

Not surprisingly, the Tribune has endorsed Kelly, while completely covering up Kelly’s refusal to debate and ethics issues.  Not a word about either.

The Tribune noted McKinley’s refusal to meet with the Editorial Board, but did not inform readers that McKinley instead requested that the Tribune sponsor a public debate (emphasis added):

McKinley, a 54-year-old community activist, is running on an anti-establishment message. He’s finding support within the grass roots of the Republican Party, including some tea party activists, despite his background. As a teenager and during his early 20s, McKinley went to prison for burglary, armed robbery and aggravated battery. He says he got a GED while in prison, was paroled in 1997 and turned his life around. He has acknowledged his record but declined to be specific about the accusations. He turned down several invitations from us for an interview about his candidacy.

The Tribune’s endorsement is a big plus for Kelly — she gets to avoid debating, avoids dealing with her ethics issues, and the Machine has its candidate in place with the help of Michael Bloomberg’s SuperPac.

The Tribune Editorial Board did a disservice to its readers by going along to get along.

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Comments

Why doesn’t McKinley just sponsor his own debate with a local radio host, or some host who is not a corrupt Machine bastard? Then, he can issue a public invite to Kelly via Twitter, public banner, and the radio. When she doesn’t show, all he has to do is ask her if her ethics problems prevented her from participating, and enumerate them. Light a fire under her.

    9thDistrictNeighbor in reply to Juba Doobai!. | March 30, 2013 at 12:16 pm

    Basically, that’s just about what happened. McKinley has been all over social media trying to engage Kelly. Local radio station WVON is having a candidate roundtable this week which Kelly refuses to attend. McKinley asked the Tribune to sponsor a debate because she was not participating or even communicating. He couldn’t ask the Daily Southtown or the Sun-Times to do anything as they’re openly in the tank for The Machine. The Trib likes to position itself as the newspaper for adults…. Even John Kass, the only wisp of fresh air at the Trib, won’t touch the story. The lack of interest and support for this man just burns me up.

      Juba Doobai! in reply to 9thDistrictNeighbor. | March 30, 2013 at 1:20 pm

      He needs to get an assist from a local audio host that is popular in the community. In this way, he can ignore the old media which wants The Empire. Instead of pleading with the Trib, lump them in with Kelly and go Twitter crazy. Why is the Trib carrying water for The Machine? What’s in it for the Trib? Does the Trib want to be a State organ or a free press?

      He needs to adopt Palin’s attitude to the press. A huge heap of mockery and scorn with a side of charm and substantial answers as needed. She never forgets they are the enemy, so she never pleads but to remind them of their constitutional duty.

nordic_prince | March 30, 2013 at 12:29 pm

The Trib has been a worthless rag for quite some time now. We unsubscribed years ago.

Nothing to see here folks… Just move along now!

Yep, typical Chicago machine thug politics and we got one of ’em residing in the White House. The too stupid dumbed down American public no long is smart enough to realize that they’re not smart enough.

Oh woe is me…

The Tribune editorial that endorses Ms. Kelly conveniently has no way to leave feedback.

Typical Tribune.

I’m sure that money and/or favors are changing hands as I write this.

John Kass where are you on this?

In short, the media is as corrupt as every other institution in Chicago? Shocking.

The calls for a “local radio host popular in the community” to help are naive. No such host would dare help McKinley if he wants to keep his job and audience. Straying off the plantation is strictly prohibited.

I heard a rumor this week….supposedly the Koch brothers are looking at purchasing The Trib. Anyone else hear that?

Same thing happened in California, where Diane Feinstein refused to debate her more worthy opponent. The newspapers — all Democrat organs — were silent. And, CA got itself yet another corrupt, stupid Senator.

[…] Legal Insurrection points out, Robin Kelly has refused throughout the campaign to accept opponent Paul McKinley’s debate challenges. In what appears to […]