Todd Stroger Lashes Out at Pollsters

Blames Zell for 10 percent approval rating

Sam Zell may be evil, but he hardly has the time or inclination to engineer a bogus anti-Todd Stroger poll.

First, it's not necessary. People can hate Stroger just fine all by themselves.

Second, he's already got his hands full dodging taxes and grave-dancing. Little Todd Stroger isn't even on his radar.

But the only explanation Stroger can conjure for a new Tribune poll showing his approval rating at just 10 percent is that Zell has it in for him.

"I’m not surprised that the Tribune poll fails to accurately capture the opinions of voters – just as I’m not surprised by the ongoing smear campaign this paper mounts against me in their editorial pages," Stroger said in a statement. "This paper’s owner, Sam Zell, after all, poured over $75,000 in the final weeks of the last primary into the campaign coffers of Forrest Claypool, and has made no secret that the Stroger name is loathed by the editorial pages."

It's true that Zell contributed $75,000 to Claypool, but the Stroger name was loathed on the Tribune's editorial page long before the paper was a glint in Zell's eye.

And Stroger seems unaware of the concept of both polls and editorial pages.

"[A]cross the county, countless residents have voiced outrage at the biased editorials of the Chicago Tribune and its running attempt to steer an election," Stroger said.

Apparently he would prefer unbiased editorials.

"Our recent polling data severely conflicts with the so-called 'data’ that the Chicago Tribune is publishing in this poll, not surprising given the miniscule size of the sample, particularly among minority communities."

Name that data! 

It would sure make for a more effective argument.

But until then, we'll side with Tribune commenter Pamsigor, who writes: "I don't believe the poll. Todd Stroger's approval rating can't be that high."

Steve Rhodes is the proprietor of The Beachwood Reporter, a Chicago-centric news and culture review.

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