Funny how one announcement can get even the most distant Chicagoan interested in what goes on in Chicago. Current Mayor Richard Daley announced recently that he had had enough. Not seeking re-election for the office he's held since the "great" 80's. Call it what you will, jumping ship, quitting, abort rescue mission whatever the terminology -it's a wrap. Job well done? Depends on who you ask. If you poll most Chicagoans you'll hear a chorus of adios amigos. Mayor hasn't exactly made friends with the citizenry. Rampant privatization of every AND ANYTHING not nailed down, a sinking school system and the mother of all "oops I made a mistake, that's all" the 2016 Olympic debacle...might be time to pack it in.
Who'll replace the unbeatable one? To paraphrase Dr. King, every village and hamlet is jumping at the chance for the number one spot. From homeless street entrepreneurs to 800 seat baptist preachers to the former Chief of Stuff at the White House Mr. Rahm Emanuel. You all know Rahm right? The foul mouthed go getter from Chicago's North side. The man who is going to be attached to the economic morass that plagues the poorer parts of this city. Rahm who is already trying to change the image of himself as a bit of a jerk into the man who can put a nearly bankrupt city back together.
If you know anything about politics, you know good and damned well that money wins elections. In Chicago however money and "machine muscle" win elections. Members of the Latino and Black communities also help win elections and Rahm has little connect with those two communities. He kicked off his "Tell It Like It Is" tour this week and got told. Rahm better be wary of the two aforementioned communities. There is power in numbers and men and women are literally lining up like the scene in Airplane to hit all of these candidates in the face with a bit of telling it like it is. It's bad. Not quite sure Rahm or anyone else can fix that.
