Thread by @MarkJacob16

I saw another right-wing cheap-shot artist describe Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker as a child of privilege. That would be true if money was the only thing that mattered. But Pritzker lost both of his parents by the age of 17. A thread. 1/7

J.B. Pritzker’s father died of a heart attack at age 39, when J.B. was 7. His mother was an alcoholic, and J.B. would check on her at night because she drank and smoked in bed and he was afraid she’d set the sheets on fire. 2/7
chicago.suntimes.com/2022/5/13/2306…

J. B. Pritzker’s fears about his mother were well-founded. She did indeed have a fatal accident related to alcohol. Apparently drunk, she jumped from the cab of a tow truck and was run over. Her son J.B. was 17 at the time. 3/7
upi.com/amp/Archives/1…

There are different kinds of privilege. Having both your parents alive and healthy when you’re a child is one. J.B. Pritzker didn’t have that. His childhood ordeal gave him empathy toward others who were suffering. It has made him a better governor. 4/7

I’m not a longtime Pritzker guy. When I was metro editor at the Chicago Tribune, we published negative stories about him. He’s a politician, and it was our job to ask hard questions. But I have to say that Pritzker has performed beyond my expectations as governor. 5/7

It’s OK to disagree with Pritzker, but he’s a hard worker whose conduct on Covid was exemplary. So it rankles me when a bitter, twisted fascist like Trib ex-columnist John Kass ridicules Pritzker’s weight and calls him a “rich kid born on 3rd base thinking he hit a triple.” 6/7

Right-wingers like Kass have a strange attitude about rich people. They like them when they’re Donald Trump, or when they’re billionaires bribing Supreme Court justices. They hate them when they use their money to support policies that benefit the less fortunate. 7/7