>>> IT'S BEEN A DEBATE A DAY OVER THE LAST WEEK AND THE CANDIDATES HAVE COME AWAY BATTERED AND BRUISED, SO HAVE SOME OF THE MODERATORS.

HAVE CHICAGOANS GOTTEN ANY CLEARER PICTURE OF WHO THEY WANT TO VOTE FOR ON FEBRUARY 28?

AND HAVE ANY CANDIDATES LURCHED AHEAD OF THE PACK?

JOINING US IS JASON DESANTOS.

HE'S A SENIOR LECTURER AT BOTH NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITIES SCHOOL OF LAW AND SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATIONS.

JASON, LONG TIME NO SEE.

MAYBE AFTER SOME OF THOSE DEBATES, IT FEELS LIKE A LONG TIME.

>> IT'S NEVER TOO SOON TO COME BACK HERE TO TALK TO YOU, PARIS.

>> WE APPRECIATE YOU COMING BACK HERE ESPECIALLY UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES TONIGHT IN THIS MAKESHIFT STUDIO.

SO TELL US YOUR GENERAL IMPRESSIONS FROM WHAT YOU SAW THIS WEEK.

>> WHAT I SAW THIS WEEK WERE THREE DIFFERENT EITHER TELEVISED OR RADIO FORMS, IN WHICH I THINK THE PREVIEW SAID IT QUITE RIGHT.

THE CANDIDATES WERE GOING AT EACH OTHER A LITTLE BIT MORE.

BASICALLY WE HAVE NO MAJOR CHANGE IN THE RACE RIGHT NOW EXCEPT FOR CANDIDATES STARTING TO ATTACK PAUL VALLAS A LITTLE BIT MORE.

I THINK THAT REFLECTS HIS STATUS RIGHT NOW MOVING INTO, IF NOT, A FRONT RUNNER STATUS.

PROBABLY THE TOP TWO RIGHT NOW.

>> MY QUESTION FOR YOU, DO YOU THINK ANYTHING THIS WEEK MOVED THE NEEDLE FOR ANYBODY?

>> I THINK FOR VALLAS, WE'VE GOT SOME THINGS WE WOULD SAY IS GETTING INTO A POSITION FOR OTHER PEOPLE.

TO START LODGING SOME ATTACKS THAT ARE MORE POWERFUL.

THIS IS THE FIRST WEEK OF ALL OF THE WEEKS THAT WE'VE SEEN THE DEBATES, WHERE I SAW SOMEBODY GET UNDER HIS SKIN A LITTLE BIT IN ONE OF THE DEBATES.

IT WAS ACTUALLY THE WBEZ DEBATE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK.

CHUY GARCIA MADE A COMMENT ABOUT THE SCHOOL IN LITTLE VILLAGE, AND CREDITED ERNIE DUNCAN WITH HAVING GOTTEN THAT SCHOOL OPEN, NOT PAUL VALLAS, WHILE PAUL VALLAS HAS CLAIMED HE WAS THE ONE THAT GOT THAT SCHOOL OPEN.

THAT'S CHUY GARCIA'S AREA.

THAT'S HIS NEIGHBORHOOD.

AND VALLAS BRISTLED A LITTLE BIT AT THAT.

>> THIS IS AN OBSCURED ISSUE FROM 20 SOMETHING YEARS AGO?

>> IT SEEMS TO BE.

HERE IS THE POINT, HE'S GOING TO FACE MORE OF THAT IN THE FORMS THAT ARE LEFT, IN PUBLIC APPEARANCES AS WE GO THROUGH THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS.

SO ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I'M GOING TO HAVE IN WATCHING HIM, WHAT KIND OF DEMEANOR DOES HE SHOW IN HANDLING THOSE KINDS OF ATTACKS?

ONE OF THE KNOCKS ON HIM IN THE PAST IS HE DOESN'T WEAR VERY WELL.

SO I THINK AS WE SEE MORE AND HEAR MORE ATTACKS AGAINST HIM, WE'RE GOING TO SEE HOW HE WEARS THAT MANTLE THAT HE HAS RIGHT NOW.

>> OKAY, WE WILL BE LOOKING TO SEE HOW HE HANDLES THAT.

HERE IS PAUL VALLAS, WILLLY WILSON, AND WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY ABOUT CRIME ON TUESDAY.

>> CLEARLY THERE IS A PERCEPTION OR MAYBE IT'S A REALITY THAT DOWNTOWN IS UNSAFE.

PUBLIC SAFETY IS THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE.

>> IF YOU COMMIT A CRIME, YOU HURT SOMEBODY, YOU KILL SOMEBODY, THEY SHOULD BE HUNTED DOWN LIKE A RABBIT.

THAT'S WHAT I SAID, THAT'S WHAT WE MEAN.

>> AND WHAT HE'S SAYING IS BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE PAIN OF LOSS OF A VICTIM OF GUN VIOLENCE, UNFORTUNATELY THAT'S WAY TOO MANY PEOPLE THAT A CITY HAS.

WE SHOULD TURN OUR DEPARTMENT INTO A GROUP OF VIGILANTES TO HUNT DOWN AND KILL PEOPLE.

>> AND JASON, IT'S NO SECRET THAT CRIME IS THE MAYOR'S ACHILLES HEEL RIGHT NOW.

DOES SHE HAVE AN EFFECTIVE COUNTER MESSAGE ON THAT?

>> ONE OF THE PROBLEMS SHE SAID IN THIS RACE IS TWOFOLD.

ONE, ON THE CRIME ISSUE.

I THINK SHE'S HAD A LOT OF DATA, A LOT OF DEFENSIVENESS.

NOT MUCH OF A MESSAGE.

SHE'S NOT REALLY MEETING THE EMOTIONAL MOMENT OF WHERE PEOPLE FEEL THEY ARE ON THE CRIME ISSUE.

SHE WILL SAY PEOPLE DON'T FEEL SAFE AND THEY NEED TO FEEL SAFE, BUT WE'RE NOT REALLY GETTING A SENSE, I THINK FROM THE ANSWERS, THE WAY SHE'S ANSWERING THEM, THAT SHE UNDERSTANDS REALLY THE DEPTH OF THE PROBLEM.

MOSTLY SHE'S LAUNCHING INTO A LOT OF NUMBERS, A LOT OF STATISTICS.

A LOT OF THE THINGS SHE HAS DONE.

FOR THE LACK OF A BETTER TERM, AND SOMEWHAT AGAINST INTEREST GIVEN MY BACKGROUND, I THINK SHE'S OVERLIERING SOME OF THESE ANSWERS.

AND SHE IS GIVING FACTUAL ANSWERS, BUT NOT REALLY PUTTING THEM IN A FRAMEWORK OF UNDERSTANDING WHERE PEOPLE ARE RIGHT NOW EMOTIONALLY ABOUT CRIME.

>> I GET THE SENSE IF YOU WERE ADVISING HER, YOU WOULD SAY YOU NEED TO TAKE THAT BILL CLINTON, I FEEL YOUR PAIN APPROACH?

>> WELL, A LITTLE BIT OF THAT, AND ACTUALLY MORE OF WHAT SHE DID IN THAT ANSWER YOU JUST SHOWED, WHERE SHE WAS ABLE TO USE WILLIE WILSON AND HIS ANSWER AS PAINTING HIM TOO FAR TO THE RIGHT.

SHE COULD DO A LOT MORE OF THAT WITH VALLAS.

WHILE AT THE SAME TIME, PAINTING BRANDON JOHNSON AND CHUY GARCIA TOO FAR TO THE LEFT.

SHE GIVES PEOPLE WHO ARE WATCHING A SENSE OF THE ALTERNATIVES.

AND TO PUT HERSELF IN THE SENSIBLE MIDDLE.

THAT'S NOT REALLY COME THROUGH.

INSTEAD WHAT WE'VE GOTTEN ARE A LOT OF ANSWERS WITH DETAILS.

A LITTLE BIT OF DEFENSIVENESS.

EVEN IN THE FOX DEBATE LAST NIGHT.

SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT CAR THEFTS.

SHE GAVE A RELATIVELY GOOD ANSWER ON CAR THEFTS.

BUT AT THE END, ENDED UP BLAMING A PART OF IT ON KIA AND HYUNDAI FOR ALLOWING THEIR CARS TO BE CARJACKED WITH A THUMB DRIVE.

AND THAT JUST SOUNDS A LITTLE BIT LIKE EXCUSE MAKING.

IT MAY BE TRUE, BUT UNLESS WE THINK YOU'RE TAKING RESPONSIBILITY AND YOU UNDERSTAND WHERE PEOPLE ARE EMOTIONALLY, IT'S NOT REALLY GOING TO AFFECT PEOPLE THE WAY YOU WANT.

>> THERE IS A SPOT FOR SOMEONE IN THE MIDDLE, LEFT OF CENTER, RIGHT OF CENTER, GIVEN SOME OF THE MORE EXTREMES FROM THE CANDIDATES.

THE MAYOR ALSO WENT AFTER SOME OF THE MODERATORS THIS WEEK INCLUDING A FAMILIAR FACE.

TAKE A LOOK.

>> A LOT OF YOUR QUESTIONS ARE JUST BELITTLED BY THE FACTS.

YOU'RE DESCRIBING THEM AS IF THEY'RE DUMB, LAZY, AND NOT DOING ANYTHING.

[ INAUDIBLE ] >> THE QUESTION IS ABOUT THE 45% OF THOSE CHRONICALLY ABSENT.

WHY ARE THEY NOT IN CLASS?

>> HERE IS WHAT I KNOW, MIKE.

THE REALITY, AND I INVITE YOU TO COME WITH ME SOME TIME TO AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL OR HIGH SCHOOL.

>> SO JASON, WHEN YOU'RE COACHING CANDIDATES TO GET READY FOR THE FORUMS AND DEBATES, DO YOU TELL THEM YEAH, GO AFTER THE MODERATORS AND TELL THEM THEIR QUESTIONS ARE NO GOOD?

>> I TELL THEM I ADMIRE THEIR TENACITY AS I ADMIRED THE MAYOR'S TENACITY, BUT ALL IN GOOD MEASURE AND TO A LARGER MESSAGE.

IF THE MESSAGE OVERALL WAS I'M FIGHTING ON BEHALF OF THE PEOPLE OF CHICAGO.

I REALIZE WE STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO.

I UNDERSTAND WHERE PEOPLE ARE.

AND THE OTHER PEOPLE ON THE STAGE ARE OFFERING SOLUTIONS THAT ARE EITHER GOING TO BE TOO WEAK OR ARE GOING TO RESULT IN POLICE BRUTALITY.

THAT WOULD POSITION HER IN A DIFFERENT WAY.

WE ARE EVEN GIVING THAT KIND OF A RESPONSE, WHICH WOULD SEEM MORE SENSIBLE.

BUT A KNOCK AGAINST YOU IS YOU ARE COMBATIVE AND YOU ARE BEING COMBATIVE, EVEN THOUGH SHE'S DEFENDING STUDENTS, THAT PLAYS INTO A NEGATIVE NARRATIVE FOR HER, AND I THINK IT IS JUST NOT A POSITIVE PLACE FOR HER TO BE.

I THINK THERE ARE BETTER PLACES FOR HER TO BE.

>> INTERESTINGLY SOMEONE EARLIER TONIGHT SAID THE COMBATIVENESS WORKED WHEN SHE WAS A NON-INCUMBENT.

NOW WHEN SHE IS AN INCUMBENT, IT DOESN'T WEAR SO WELL.

>> BEING AN INCUMBENT IS YOU WEAR THE JACKET.

I ADMIRE ANYBODY WHO GETS INTO THE FRAY, TO BE THE MAYOR.

I ADMIRE THE MAYOR'S COMMITMENT AND HER TENACITY.

BUT YOU OWN EVERYTHING WHEN YOU'RE THE MAYOR.

WHEN THAT'S TRUE AND NOW YOU'RE BEING MORE COMBATIVE OR YOU'RE FIGHTING MODERATORS, YOU DON'T SEEM LIKE SOMEBODY WHO IS WILLING TO WORK WITH OTHER PEOPLE.

YOU'RE GIVING OTHER PEOPLE ON THE STAGE A FREE PASS, AND THAT IS NOT SOMETHING SHE CAN AFFORD RIGHT NOW WHEN SHE'S TRYING TO ADD A NUMBER HERE AND THERE TO GET INTO THE RUNOFF.

NONE OF THEM CAN REALLY.