Mayor Daley of Chicago has endorsed Barack Obama for President.
This is interesting. Mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago has endorsed Barack Obama for President of these here United States.
"Here you have not only an Illinoisan, but a Chicagoan who is a major contender for the highest office in the land. . . . When in our history have we ever had a favorite son this close to [the White House]? Why not get on board early?" said a Daley confidant, who asked to remain unnamed. "Hillary Clinton has been a great senator, a wonderful civic leader. But logic dictates that a Chicago mayor would be behind the Chicagoan who has taken the world by storm. Beyond that, this man has tremendous potential. The world sees that. It stands to reason that the mayor sees it."
So it's a native son type of endorsement, and not all that surprising. Furthermore, Obama has been triangulating like crazy for some time now and Daley is a DINO, so a match made in heaven?
Daley stans to gain a great deal from this arrangement, no matter how far Obama gets. If he runs, he will certainly get a significant number of delegates. He will certainly get virtually all available from Illinois. Daley may look at it like he will have a tidy pile of bargaining chips, if he gets in the game early enough. Bargaining for what? Whattya got?
But wait - there's more!
Bill Daley (Richie's brother) has signed on as a senior adviser to Obama, who is expected to formally enter the presidential race next month.
Recall if you will that Bill Daley was part of the Clinton administration and the Gore campaign in 2000. He was a big player in the Florida recount effort, which maybe he doesn't put first on his resume.
All of which makes me wonder, what happens to this deal if Gore gets in? If Gore does jump in and take the nomination, can the Daley family be a bridge to the vice-presidency for Barack Obama?
Things that make ya go "Hmmm."