Chicago 9th Ward candidate Harold "Noonie" Ward releases campaign video
In Chicago political races, video ads are rare. On TV, we've seen plenty of ads for Rahm Emanuel, but not much from his opponents in the mayoral race. And in ward races... most candidates simply don't have that kind of money.
So when one of the four candidates in the 9th Ward race put out a video ad, that, in on itself, made news.
9th ward stretches across several neighborhoods on the section of Chicago's South Side near Lake Calumet, including portions of West Pullman, Roseland, Rosemoor and West Chesterfeld neighborhoods, as well as the entirely of Pullman neighborhood and Altgeld Gardens public housing development. Those neighborhoods are ether working-class or poor (though some are home to a decent chunk of Chicago's black middle class). Pullman stands out amongst them for being mixed race and mixed-income.
A Roseland corner store (photo by Eric Allix Rogers/Reallyboring)
The message in the Ward's video ad is as harsh as it is simple - the 9th Ward is plagued with crime, vacant buildings, unemployment, bad schools and the lack of local businesses, and incumbent Ald. Antony Beale (9th) hasn't done anything to change that. The video overlooks the nicer parts of the ward (Pullman, West Chesterfield), and it glosses over one what Beale has been touting as his crowning achievement - bringing Wal-Mart to the 9th Ward. But I think that the video would resonate with a lot of ward residents that haven't seen much change. And even Pullman residents would probably nod at the parts lamenting the lack of local businesses and grocery stores.
(And no - having a Wal-Mart isn't going to resolve that problem. Not in on itself.)
Plus, as Chicagoist.com noted, it's a good ad. Not as slick and high-production as Emanuel ads, but it doesn't look armature, ether, and it gets its message across well.
One thing that did cause me to raise an eyebrow was that Ward's video listed Planned Parenthood among the 9th Ward's problems (at the 1:23 mark). Setting aside for a moment whether or not the abortion is a bad thing - according to Planned Parenthood website, this particular location doesn't even do abortions. It does offer "Birth Control, HIV Testing, Men's Health Care, Morning-After Pill (Emergency Contraception), Pregnancy Testing & Services, STD Testing, Treatment & Vaccines and Women's Health Care." If you shut down the clinic, the closest place to get those... Well, some of those services are available in the University of Chicago hospital. For others... they'd have to go to Planned Parenthood locations at either Englewood or downtown Chicago.
I suspect that Ward didn't really consider any of that, that he just included the Planned Parenthood as way to appeal to voters. While African-American neighborhoods have the most solidly Democrat areas in the city, the electorate's cultural attitudes toward things like abortion and gay rights are more likely to be to the right of the Democratic Party platform.
And, personally, I have little patience with so-called "values" based fear-mongering.
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So when one of the four candidates in the 9th Ward race put out a video ad, that, in on itself, made news.
Click to view9th ward stretches across several neighborhoods on the section of Chicago's South Side near Lake Calumet, including portions of West Pullman, Roseland, Rosemoor and West Chesterfeld neighborhoods, as well as the entirely of Pullman neighborhood and Altgeld Gardens public housing development. Those neighborhoods are ether working-class or poor (though some are home to a decent chunk of Chicago's black middle class). Pullman stands out amongst them for being mixed race and mixed-income.
A Roseland corner store (photo by Eric Allix Rogers/Reallyboring)
The message in the Ward's video ad is as harsh as it is simple - the 9th Ward is plagued with crime, vacant buildings, unemployment, bad schools and the lack of local businesses, and incumbent Ald. Antony Beale (9th) hasn't done anything to change that. The video overlooks the nicer parts of the ward (Pullman, West Chesterfield), and it glosses over one what Beale has been touting as his crowning achievement - bringing Wal-Mart to the 9th Ward. But I think that the video would resonate with a lot of ward residents that haven't seen much change. And even Pullman residents would probably nod at the parts lamenting the lack of local businesses and grocery stores.
(And no - having a Wal-Mart isn't going to resolve that problem. Not in on itself.)
Plus, as Chicagoist.com noted, it's a good ad. Not as slick and high-production as Emanuel ads, but it doesn't look armature, ether, and it gets its message across well.
One thing that did cause me to raise an eyebrow was that Ward's video listed Planned Parenthood among the 9th Ward's problems (at the 1:23 mark). Setting aside for a moment whether or not the abortion is a bad thing - according to Planned Parenthood website, this particular location doesn't even do abortions. It does offer "Birth Control, HIV Testing, Men's Health Care, Morning-After Pill (Emergency Contraception), Pregnancy Testing & Services, STD Testing, Treatment & Vaccines and Women's Health Care." If you shut down the clinic, the closest place to get those... Well, some of those services are available in the University of Chicago hospital. For others... they'd have to go to Planned Parenthood locations at either Englewood or downtown Chicago.
I suspect that Ward didn't really consider any of that, that he just included the Planned Parenthood as way to appeal to voters. While African-American neighborhoods have the most solidly Democrat areas in the city, the electorate's cultural attitudes toward things like abortion and gay rights are more likely to be to the right of the Democratic Party platform.
And, personally, I have little patience with so-called "values" based fear-mongering.
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