The Official Ditka Senate campaign photo

[wndycty]

Should Ditka decide to run, circulate this pic far and wide!


http://www.warrenwimmer.com/pictures/gordon,%20jeff%202002%20ww.html

[prolesunited]

1. Hey, there's GOP family values for you

:eyes:

How much of a threat do you think he really is? Is there a deadline by which he must be put in the race?

IIRC, they didn't put Arnie in until the last minute so people were caught up in the whirlwind of his celebrity and didn't bother asking any hard questions?

[wndycty]

4. Without disclosing much. . .

. . .there are so many photos and videotapes from celebrity events that Dtika participated in that Whoopi Goldberg would blush. . .trust me. This is not speculation its a fact.

[Frodo]

6. Yes, he would be a threat.

He would probably poll in the lead after an announcement (which I don't expect to happen).


And I think arnie had plenty of "hard questions" before the vote. I think the NUMBER of hard questions helped him win. It appeared obvious that the Times had it in for him.

[prolesunited]

8. Wow!

Almost sounds as if you supported Arnie and don't mind too much that he won.

And clearly, the Times had it out for him. All those "silly" charges about him groping women were just evidence of his evolved attitude toward women and his support of women's issues. Good thing the voters didn't take women's concerns seriously.

[Frodo]

9. It never ceases to amaze me

that people think reality defines partisanship.

No, I didn't support his candidacy. Even apart from party affiliation, he had no qualifications for the job (nor does Ditka for that matter).

I can tell a hit job when I see one (and California voters are pretty Democratic as well). The charges were not irrelevant. It was the TIMING that was telling. And more than one person from inside that editorial room has revealed that.

Just look at how ridiculous you sound. Did you take the same view towards the papers that reported on Clinton? "All those "silly" charges about him groping women... etc"?

I can judge motivation apart from the truth of the allegations. And there was no question that the voters in California didn't like the coverage either.

I can look at the Bush DUI story and agree that it was true... agree that it was relevant AND voters should know about it before making a decision on who to vote in to the White House. That doesn't change the fact that we all know why the story came out 2,3,4 days before the election. It certainly wasn't just discovered then, it was held for maximum political effect (and the Bush campaign were idiots to not see it coming and leak the story two months earlier.... I wonder what they're missing THIS year?).

[prolesunited]

10. Frankly, I'm no fan of Clinton

But thank you for taking the time to point out how ridiculous I sound. :-)

[Frodo]

11. My pleasure.

Maybe I was just reading your post in a high squeaky voice? :-)

The issue here isn't your feelings about Clinton (like many here I think "good President, lousy man"). The question is how did you feel about the coverage. Were the paper justified in their "research"? Could you spot "hit job" coverage even when you suspected the allegation(s) were true? Don't you think some of the support he gained was due to over-playing that hand on the part of Republicans?

[wndycty]

12. A note about Arnold. . .

FULL DISCLOSURE: I worked very closely with him when I worked for Planet Hollywood and I served on the board of directors of the Inner City Games.

Most people who worked with him saw him as a leader who cared. Sure the stories were out there but a lot people either did not believe them or found a way to rationalize them. A number of women (many of whom are very liberal) who I worked with who also worked with him had nothing but good things to say about him. So the charges were kind of impotent, I am not saying that they did not have validity, but MOST people judge these things based upon their own personal experience (and the experiences of those those they know) with an individual and so many people had positive things or experiences.

A lot of people I know did not have a problem with Arnold, they had a problem with his party (GOP) and the fact he was taking part in the recall, but they did not have a problem with Arnold.

I have been very conflicted about the whole Arnold situation. I was opposed to his run for his governor, but I really like him. He has been very good to me, but more importantly I saw first hand the compassion he had for kids with his work on the Inner City Games and Special Olympics. I spent an entire day with him (well before he decided to run for governor) in the projects of Chicago and what impressed me most was not what he did publicly, but the conversation we had, he was sincerely concerned about what he could do to improve the lives of the people who lived there.

I believe that there has to be some truth to the allegations made against him, but I don't know if it was just boorish behavior or criminal (there is a major difference). I can only hope that the allegations are not true, but barring a criminal investigation I will never know. I DID NOT LIKE NOR DID I SUPPORT THE RECALL, but I am pulling for Arnold and more importantly I hope that the allegations are not true. . .I am withholding judgement.

On domestic issues Arnold is very progressive and I often wonder why he chose to be a Republican as opposed to a moderate or conservative Democrat. The only explanation I have is his relationship George H.W. Bush who he has been close to since he was the head of the President's Council of Physical Fitness.

I know I might have pissed off some dear DU friends with this post, but I hope they take the time to consider my perspective. If the allegations are true, throw the book at Arnold, but since we don't know (there really is no evidence either way) I cannot help but pull for him.

[Frodo]

2. Maybe they will run him for VP?

They may not have realized his qualifications.

[LTR]

3. He's going for the Rastafarian vote here

[underpants]

5. It could be very impotent

ON EDIT-That should have been "important" my bad.

[redqueen]

18. *snicker*

:D

[Jivenwail]

7. I guess this is exactly where Bush learned to use that finger

After all, bush flicked at those boys in PA who were protesting as his "bus tour" rode through their small town. BTW...these boys will be on the Al Franken Show today at 1:30...

[KharmaTrain]

13. They're Working Overtime In The Newsrooms Here...

Just got an email from a friend who says the archives at his station are very alive this morning...digging out all the aired and un-aired Ditka footage...the rants, the rampages and more.

There are a bunch of press conferences that were so profane they couldn't be used...until now. Also some supposed "party video" of "Da Coach" taken in Plattville during the late 80s...kinda shows Da Coach two sheets to the wind and doing the Anheiser Bush twins floor mambo.

Hopefully someone will get this stuff to The Daily Show and Letterman...ready to roll when the oaf begins his little ego trip.

[wndycty]

15. Where is your friend. . .

PM me, I may have something for him.

[terrya]

14. Cool! I'd also love to see a financial investigation into this jerk.

I bet we'd see some sliminess in his finances as well.

[wndycty]

16. Kick

:kick:

[AlCzervik]

17. He's got the Cheney demo all locked up.