From: thf2@ellis.uchicago.edu (Ted Frank)
Subject: Re: Looking for info on Carol Moseley Braun
Reply-To: thf2@midway.uchicago.edu
Organization: University of Chicago
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 16:50:29 GMT

In article <13060066@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM> patm@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Pat Murphy) writes:
>	i need some help from our chicago and/or illinois
>	friends...  i'm looking for background info on
>	Carol Moseley Braun.  i just bought *Just Permanent
>	Interests*  (and highly recommend it to all!) and
>	would like to maintain an updated list of AfAms in
>	Congress (the book stops at 1991).  Having seen
>	Carol recently on CSPAN kick the press's collective
>	butt, i am quite impressed with her demeanor and
>	handling of the press hounds. 
>
>	the little i know is that she was recorder of deeds
>	(i think in cooke county) and she ran essentially on
>	a *they-treated-anita-badly* type of platform (this,
>	unfortunately, from the national media)....   what
>	else has she done?  what is her agenda when she hits
>	DC?  what does the chicago/illinois media think about
>	her?

Braun is a University of Chicago Law graduate.  She didn't run much
of a campaign on the issues, so it's not all that clear where she
stands on much stuff.  The Democratic primary featured a lot of
mudslinging between Alan Dixon and Al Hofeld, and this, combined
with Dixon's vote for Thomas, let Braun sneak in a surprise victory
because of voters' disgust for the other two candidates.  The
Republicans nominated a non-entity, thinking they'd have no chance
to beat Dixon, and Rich Williamson was soundly incapable of running
a solid campaign.  Williamson tried flooding the airwaves with
racially provocative advertising, which led to much disapproval,
and after that he never really had a chance -- Braun was so far
ahead in the polls, and everyone was so taken with her new
celebrity-status that there was no need for her to discuss issues,
because that would only have hurt her.  Revelations about scandals
in her past (she ripped off Medicaid) were enough to make the race
a small landslide instead of a large landslide, but since Williamson
was campaigning on "Braun is a hack Chicago politician" and Braun
was campaigning on "Vote for me and make history" and "Williamson
is a Reagan-Bush loony", no issues got discussed, and Braun won in
a walk, with some (unneeded, as it turned out) help from Mayor Daley,
who had been worried about Braun for some time as a potential mayoral
opponent, and was happy to see her off to Washington.

The local media's impressions of her started off overwhelmingly
positive and worshipful, and then turned on her when she proved
human.  Right before she left her office as the Cook County
Recorder of Deeds to go to Washington, she had the office hire six 
of her former campaign workers, much to the disgust of Jesse White
(of the Jesse White Tumblers), the new Recorder.  Press opinion
started falling right before the election in the wake of the
Medicaid revelations, plus leaks from within the campaign, as
staffers became disgruntled with her manager and boyfriend,
Ngosie Matthews (is that the right name?), who, by all accounts,
was not particularly a nice person, and has been accused of
sexually harassing some of the staffers.  Further problems arose
when newspapers interviewed her and found that she wasn't on top of
many important issues; the Chicago Tribune refused to endorse either
candidate for the Senatorial election.  Braun brought further
disdain when she took a month-long vacation with Matthews after
the election instead of trying to network with the other senators,
and then responded to media criticism by lashing out at the media--
not a positive sign.

Other trivia:
* I've heard at least one report that much of her Congressional staff i
  consists of former Alan Dixon staffers. I don't know how true that is.
* Her televised oath of office was marred when Dan Quayle, administering
  the oath, accidentally stood right between Braun and the TV camera,
  so all we saw was a great shot of the VP's back.
* I'd lay odds that Braun is in for further criticism from Jesse White;
  she was elected to the Recorder's Office on a reform platform, one
  which she didn't seem to keep.

I've cross-posted to uchi.politics, so that others can give second
opinions on the media's perception of Braun.

>[request for other info on new black congressfolk]

Mel Reynolds replaced the despicable Gus Savage in Illinois [Second?]
District, and former Black Panther Bobby Rush is the representative in
my District, the First.  He looks like he'll be a big wheel in the
Congress because of the work he did for the Clinton campaign.

-- 
ted frank                     | thf2@ellis.uchicago.edu 
standard disclaimers          | void where prohibited
the university of chicago law school, chicago, illinois 60637
never shout movie in a crowded firestation
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