Preckwinkle Blew A Dog Whistle On Lightfoot's 'LGBTQ Orientation'

“You are shameful.” That’s right, Lori Lightfoot said it.

She called mayoral ballot rival Toni Preckwinkle a “liar,” too, live on Channel 5 Thursday night during Chicago’s first mayoral run-off debate.

And it was about time.

When Preckwinkle wasn’t stretching the truth, she was dodging questions using a tactic political spin doctors call, “ABC.” We’ll get to that later.

First, let’s breakdown Preckwinkle’s obvious trouble telling the whole truth. It’s frustrating to watch.

On Thursday night, Lightfoot couldn’t take it anymore.

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Preckwinkle dodged a question about sanctuary cities by accusing her opponent of being friendly with Trump supporters — former firefighters-turned-aldermen who represent the conservative Northwest Side — who announced they backed the firefighter union’s endorsement of Lightfoot.

It sparked a heated exchange.

“I’m going to let you lie and then I’ll respond,” Lightfoot said.

“I’m not accusing you of lying,” Preckwinkle responded.

“You are lying,” Lightfoot said. “There’s no lie you will not tell. It is sad and pathetic.”

Well, ain’t that the truth. And Preckwinkle went on to prove it.

Her most egregious act of phoniness Thursday night came when she had an opportunity to be civil.

Debate moderator Carol Marin asked Preckwinkle to name one thing she admires about Lightfoot. Preckwinkle offered fake praise for Lightfoot having the courage to be open about her LGBTQ status.

Lightfoot bit her lip. But I won’t. Preckwinkle was blowing a dog whistle meant to signal to every conservative black pastor in Chicago that Lightfoot is the LESBIAN candidate.

Lightfoot declined to comment Friday, but people close to the campaign — and plenty of people on social media — said they considered Preckwinkle’s comments disingenuous, or worse, a thinly veiled attempt to capitalize on bigotry to win votes.

One woman who asked not to be quoted using foul language said the message was clear: Preckwinkle used the televised debate to tag Lightfoot as a “f------ Lesbo” who “f---- a white woman at night.”

Preckwinkle, a grandmother who doesn’t have the courage to talk about the failure of her marriage, or own sexuality for that matter, should be ashamed of herself.

And there's more. Preckwinkle even lied while condemning Lightfoot for name-calling as if it’s not a Chicago tradition. She feigned hurt feelings while complaining the campaign frontrunner called her “cockroach” — which isn't true.

In January, Lightfoot said that what Chicagoans witnessed after the feds accused Ald. Ed Burke of corruption is what happens when “light is shined on a dozen cockroaches.” They scatter. Preckwinkle, Bill Daley, Susana Mendoza and Gery Chico all scattered after Burke's arrest. It’s a metaphor. Any real high school teacher knows that.

Which brings us to the fib Preckwinkle repeated the most: She calls herself a “history teacher” by profession.

What’s closer to the truth is that Preckwinkle was a Catholic school teacher a lifetime ago, long before she began the long, slow climb up Chicago’s corrupt political ladder to become a pay-to-play Cook County Democratic Party boss.

How long are Chicagoans supposed to pretend that Preckwinkle’s candidacy should be defined by a job she had for 10 years about 20 years ago?

Not one more day.

Besides, Preckwinkle sure didn’t sound like a straight-talking school teacher Thursday night.

The Democratic Machine boss came across as veteran politician well-coached in the ABCs of responding to tough questions with non-answer answers, the kind favored by Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Here’s how the “ABC” technique works: First, acknowledge the question. Then, bridge to a different topic. Finally, communicate a talking point.

That’s the tactic Preckwinkle used to dodge a question about her connection to Ed Burke, accused of shaking down a Burger King owner for a $10,000 contribution to Preckwinkle’s campaign.

Preckwinkle shrugged off the query and launched into a rambling list of issues that affect people living in Chicago neighborhoods — crime and good schools, among them — until it was time for a new topic.

A well-known grump, Preckwinkle even sported a fitting fake grin when she misled voters by claiming to be independent of Chicago’s corrupt political status-quo.

Preckwinkle obviously lost any right to claim she’s a reformer after being outed for accepting more than $100,000 in campaign contributions collected at house party thrown by Democratic Machine power couple — Burke and his wife, Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke — and hiring their son to a six-figure, do-nothing job in her administration.

The lady’s pants are on fire.

See Also:

• Preckwinkle Disses Voters By Ditching Sun-Times Mayoral Debate
• The Lori Lightfoot I Know Blindsided Mayor Emanuel With The Truth
• Chicago Election Results Confirm Referendum On Emanuel's Failure
• Want Change Chicago? Vote Out Absentee, Rubber-Stamp Aldermen
• A Vote For Daley, Preckwinkle, Mendoza, Chico Is A Vote For Rahm
• 'Empire' Actor Doesn't Fib As Well As Chicago's Clout Candidates
• Is Chicago Crazy Enough To Elect Bill Daley, The Rahm Candidate?
• Don't Believe CTU Hype: Undecideds Could Shock Mayoral Status Quo
• Mendoza Rapid-Fire Tweets Sling Mud On Clout Candidates, Herself
• Chicago Mayoral Race Is Absurd And Nightmare If You Don't Wake Up
• Did Rahm's Failure, Solis' FBI Wire Make Chicago GOP Relevant?
• Mayoral Candidate Susana Mendoza Can't Be Taken Seriously Anymore
• Facts About Pay-To-Play Preckwinkle Help To Voters To Form Opinion
• Chicago Needs To Elect Bunch Of Snitches To Kill Code Of Silence
• Rahm's Podcast Isn't Practice For TV Gig; He Stinks On TV (VIDEO)
• Are You For 'Cockroaches' Or Reformers In Chicago Mayoral Race?
• Cash Connects 'Independent' Preckwinkle To 'Good Ol' Boys Club'
• Hmm, Mayor Candidate Bill Daley Doesn't Want To Dis Rahm Anymore

Mark Konkol, recipient of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for local reporting and Emmy-nominated producer, was a producer, writer and narrator for the Chicagoland series on CNN.