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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsJoe Ricketts' anti-Obama campaign raises Wrigley Field renovation questions
As you may have heard, the New York Times reported yesterday that Joe Ricketts, the founder and owner of TD Ameritrade and the news site DNAinfo, was considering launching a $10 million attack ad campaign on President Obama, playing up his ties with Rev. Jeremiah Wright and introducing the "Ricketts Plan to End His Spending for Good." While Ricketts has long been a staunch conservative and anti-government-spending zealot, this was considered a glimpse into his plans to become a more major player in the new Super PAC world of rich-guy-sponsored campaign ads.
And why on earth are we talking about that here? Because Ricketts is also part of the same Ricketts family that owns the Chicago Cubs (his son Tom is team CEO) the same Cubs that are asking the city of Chicago for as much as $300 milllion in subsidies for renovating Wrigley Field. And the same city of Chicago whose mayor is Rahm Emanuel. The same Rahm Emanuel who used to be chief of staff for Barack Obama, and who is possibly best known for once mailing a dead fish to a pollster who had displeased him.
Speculation on what all this means for the Wrigley renovation plan is already fast and furious: Emanuel called the proposed ad campaign "insulting to the country" and promised to have more to say later on whether it will affect the Wrigley talks; Business Week reports that Emanuel is "livid" and "refusing to return the [Ricketts] family's phone calls."
The Ricketts family, meanwhile, has gone into full damage-control mode, with Joe insisting that he never actually intended to run the ads, and \Tom adding that "I repudiate any return to racially divisive issues in this year's presidential campaign or in any setting like my father has." Forbes, meanwhile, notes that Tom's sister Laura (another Cubs co-owner) is a major Obama fundraiser.
http://www.fieldofschemes.com/news/archives/2012/05/4954_joe_ricketts_an.html
monmouth
(21,078 posts)GoCubsGo
(32,099 posts)Last edited Sat May 19, 2012, 10:09 AM - Edit history (1)
This asshole not only pissed off his daughter, but also many of his family's customers (i.e., Cubs fans), AND the mayor of the city he had been begging to foot the bill for the enhancement of one of his businesses--not to mention the taxpayers of that city and its state. One has to wonder how someone that bloody stupid was able to start a business that turned him into a billionaire.
Scuba
(53,475 posts)GoCubsGo
(32,099 posts)I follow the team on Facebook. The day this news came out, they posted BS about only being concerned about the team, and not politics, blah, blah, blah. The vast majority of the replies bashed the Ricketts family. Fans were also calling into Ed Schultz's radio show stating that they contacted the team to complain. And, the First Fan (Rahm) won't even take their phone calls. I think they get the idea of what a stupid move this was.
Scuba
(53,475 posts)Have not heard anything on those lines.
DonCoquixote
(13,616 posts)This is the sort of fight that makes you wantot just sit back and enjoy the show..
mmonk
(52,589 posts)KamaAina
(78,249 posts)Skidmore
(37,364 posts)Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)Is there a single owner in American sports who isn't a bumbling RW tool??
aint_no_life_nowhere
(21,925 posts)and when they can profit from a taxpayer handout.
PA Democrat
(13,225 posts)when he has money to burn on attack ads.