* On Wednesday, Scott Lee Cohen posted a message on his Facebook page…
Just a reminder that I will be speaking at the Erie Cafe at 7pm tonight. The group is reform Chicago NOW, I can’t think of a better event to speak at. I hope to see some of you there.
Earlier in the day, Cohen had posted a link to Michael Sneed’s item about how Cohen was mulling a bid for governor as an independent and about how he would be speaking that night at the RCN event.
But then, less than 90 minutes before the event, Cohen FB’d this…
I’m dissapointed the meeting tonight at reform Chicago now has been cancelled.
NBC5’s Mary Ann Ahern picks it up from there…
“I was planning on talking about what happened … and what the future holds,” Cohen said during a phone call.
Cohen didn’t give a specific reason why he didn’t show. But William Kelly, who is organizing the Reform Chicago Now movement, says The Erie Cafe, where Cohen was planning to speak, was concerned it would lose its liquor license.
The explanation doesn’t appear to hold up, however…
“I can say with 100 percent certainty that the Erie Cafe would not cancel any event for fear of repercussions from any official,” restaurant manager John Brom told me.
Brom said he wasn’t even aware that Cohen was the featured speaker. He said reservations at the restaurant, in the River North neighborhood just east of the Chicago River, are made by “whoever picks up the phone.”
This isn’t the first time Cohen mysteriously failed to show for an event. It may not be the last, either.
* Meanwhile, Cohen linked approvingly yesterday to a Huffington Post blog item demanding that Democratic US Senate nominee Alexi Giannoulias step aside…
Wow I could not have said it better myself!
And Gov. Quinn was asked what he thought about a possible Cohen bid…
Quinn says “whatever he wants to do” is fine with him.
- VanillaMan - Friday, Apr 16, 10 @ 10:30 am:
Quinn says “whatever he wants to do” is fine with him.
yeah - that’s what Quinn says - today.
- dupage dan - Friday, Apr 16, 10 @ 10:54 am:
I bet PQ has a plan to link SLC with that reality show, “Pawn Stars”, as a way to get him out of Illinois politics. He is that prepared, no doubt.
- jaded voter - Friday, Apr 16, 10 @ 10:58 am:
Scott Lee Cohen is not the sharpest knife in the drawer. That should be obvious. He withdrew from shooting his mouth off and maybe relaunching as an independent because Mike Madigan or one of Mike’s minions reminded SLC of the little conversation he had with Mike Madigan a few weeks ago when he left crying and withdrew as the DEM Lt.guv candidate.
probably went someting like this:
MM: Scott you are an embarrassment and I wonder if you would do me the kindness of withdrawing?
SCL: Wha..? I earn this spot. The voters choose me.
MM: Scott you WILL be withdrawing. If you don’t Lisa and her staff will look into all your business dealings and some of your unusual personal history. …pawn broker…all your paperwork in order?
MM: Make it easy on yourself.
SLC: [sniffling & crying]…”waaah, waah…”
MM: There’s the door. Grab yourself an apple son.
- George - Friday, Apr 16, 10 @ 10:58 am:
“whatever he wants to do” is fine with him.
Except run for Lt. Gov.
- QC - Friday, Apr 16, 10 @ 11:24 am:
SLC can run for LT Governor - it’s just not acceptable for him to win the nomination!
- PFK - Friday, Apr 16, 10 @ 11:36 am:
Hey, since Cohen labels himself an independent, maybe the Better Government Association will endorse him too.
- wordslinger - Friday, Apr 16, 10 @ 12:28 pm:
The Erie Cafe doesn’t want to be associated with this mess.
- Anon - Friday, Apr 16, 10 @ 12:39 pm:
The link to the Alexi article has Hoffman people written all it. It appears that the author had this comment in the Chicago Reader . . .
“Mr. Hoffman had the stones (not Berny, mind you) to take on City Hall. For that, I give him credit.
I have no idea how he’ll fare in a statewide Democratic primary, but based upon his body of work, I’ll be happy to knock on doors on his behalf.
Posted by Matt Farmer on August 26, 2009 at 3:03 PM | Report this comment”
Ironically, his article is titled, “Take One for the Team, Alexi”. Well it’s way beyond the time that Hoffman and his people took one for the team. Of course that would require that they were real Dems.