Tribune Opinion quotes of the week ending July 13
President Joe Biden this week tried his best to reassure Democrats that he is up for the job he is running for. After a deadly weekend in Chicago, Mayor Brandon Johnson took a strong stance against those committing atrocious violent acts in Chicago. And one alderman reflected on whether NASCAR deserves to be a permanent fixture of Chicago’s summers.
Read last week’s quotes here.
“I wouldn’t be running again if I did not absolutely believe I was the best person to beat Donald Trump in 2024.”
— President Joe Biden
Biden wrote this in a letter to congressional Democrats.
“We need to ensure that we are holding every single individual accountable for the pain and trauma and the torment that they have caused in this city,. There will be consequences. There will be consequences for the violence. We will not let criminal activity ruin and harm our city.”
— Mayor Brandon Johnson
Johnson said this at a news conference Monday morning after more than 100 people were shot over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, as reported by the Tribune.
“I’m not engaging in hypotheticals. You can see that I’m all in for Joe Biden.”
— Gov. J.B. Pritzker
Prtizker expressed his support for President Joe Biden, saying that he is mentally and physically capable, as quoted by the Sun-Times.
“If it was good enough for the Klan, it’s good enough for the Oath Keepers here.”
— Chicago Inspector General Deborah Witzburg
Witzburg was referring to a rule that allowed the Chicago Police Department in the 1960s to fire officers with ties to the Ku Klux Klan, as reported by WBEZ.
“Major events are great, but they come and go. Chicagoans remain. It would do this administration well to remember that.”
— Ald. Raymond Lopez, 15th
Lopez was criticizing the mayor’s support of the NASCAR Chicago Street Race, as reported by the Tribune.
“I don’t know why it has to take the Democratic National Convention to come here for them to actually do something for the citizens already here.”
— Titi
Titi lived in the tent city along the Dan Ryan Expressway that was recently cleared in preparation for the DNC. The residents will get temporary housing at the Tremont Hotel in Chicago, as reported by Block Club Chicago.
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