CHI: Larger meaning of Chicago election next week

The Mayoral Election next Tuesday is not in doubt, but the fate of the Mayor may depend on it anyway.

Mayor Daley is a good friend of President Bush and did nothing to help John Kerry in 2004 and little or nothing to help Dems running in three close races for Congress in the Suburbs in 2006.  He has a huge machine of supporters and had he sent them to the suburbs we might have won in IL-06 and IL-10.  But he didn’t.   Republicans have no strength in Chicago; the contests are always between machine Dems and reform Dems.

For years, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley has won everything.  Elections.  Bulldozing an airport in the middle of the night when he could not get permission to do so.  Budgets approved unanimously.  But that might not last much longer.  Why?  That, and a call for help, after the flop:

Daley’s strength has meant that aldermen (many are women but, oddly, the official title remains "alderman") long decided that if he is going to win everything, then if they work with him they will win all their elections.  That has been a good plan, but "the times they are a changing".  How so?  

The big near defeat for Daley was the Big Box Living Wage Ordinance.  That would have mandated something like $10 an hour, plus $3 for health benefits for workers at stores like Walmart and Home Depot.  The campaign for the ordinance brought together unions, churches, community activists and small businesses.  And it got two-thirds of the votes in the city council.  Daley vetoed it and got a few aldermen to change their votes and the council was unable to override his veto.  But it showed that Daley is now vulnerable, and so is anyone who marches lockstep with him.

There were supposed to be one or two high profile challengers to Daley this year: Congressmen Jesse Jackson Jr. and/or Congressman Luis Gutierrez.  But when the Dems took the House they both announced that they could do more good in Congress.  So Daley will win his race, but not all the others.  There are contests in the aldermanic races in 41 of the 50 wards and more candidates than any other recent election.  

People sense that Daley, and his closest associates, are weakened.  (Several aides are under indictment or investigation for corruption.)  And if five or so of his allies can be beaten the new insurgents can join the few progressives on the city council and a few more who are afraid of losing next time.  There would be some opposition for the first time in years.

How can you help?  If you live in or near Chicago, look up one of these campaigns.  They are all endorsed by DFA (or almost all).  There are a few other good ones.  Help out this weekend and on Election Day.  It could make a big difference in the coming years, both for the City and nationally.

David Askew (CHI-02)  
Michele Smith (CHI-43)  
Ricardo Muños (CHI-22) (can’t find his campaign website)
Joe Moore (CHI-49)  
Greg Brewer (CHI-50)  

•  tip jar

  better links, stories, or other progressive candidates would be appreciated.

  by lawyerDan on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 09:30:05 AM PDT

•  I don't disagree with your main thesis

  about Daley and the aldermen, but I think it's far fetched to blame Daley for the losses in suburban Chicago.  If Daley had sent his "machine" out into the suburbs to help, there would have been just as likely a backlash against Chicago trying to dominate the suburbs too.

  Also, Kerry didn't need help from Daley in winning Illinois in 2004 did he?

  by KingofNewOrleans on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 09:41:17 AM PDT

  •  good point, but

    he has influenced elections much farther away by sending people.  IL-06 was very close.  Had he sent 100 seasoned activists out there it might have made a difference.

    and no, Kerry did not need help in Illinois in 2004.  but many of us in Chicagoland went to Wisconsin and Ohio for Kerry.

    by lawyerDan on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 09:44:46 AM PDT

    •  *everyone*

      pulled out the stops for IL-06. DCCC, Kos, the Chicago Democrats, everyone. And also, everyone on the opposition pulled out their stops, too.

      I'm not a big fan of Daley, but I don't think lack of zeal or vision is his problem. In some ways, given what we've seen from him on Meiggs, it's quite the opposite.

      by maxomai on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 09:57:42 AM PDT

      •  Haha

        Yeah, the Meigs thing really cracked me up.  It was an airport strictly for the rich and I'm glad that he reclaimed it for the general public.
        What he's done for downtown is great.  The rest of the city is falling apart and smells like urine.

        by ChgoSteve on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 10:26:03 AM PDT

  •  The Machine certainly helped win Cook County

    for Todd Stroger.  What a pity.

    by sheddhead on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 09:56:08 AM PDT

    •  What Machine?

      That was an organized effort of ward committemen particularly in the predominately african american wards.  It doesn't take much because of voter apathy.  Ward committeeman decides who the organization is backing and what few people are left in the organization go door to door.  There is no monolithic Daley Machine anymore.

      by dennisk on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 10:02:08 AM PDT

      •  I disagree

        it may not be what Hizzoner the Mare built in the 60's and 70's, but it's there - and even more insidious than it once was.

        by sheddhead on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 10:06:14 AM PDT

        •  It is more insidious because

          its about money.  Daley knows that chicago politics is not about "door to door" anymore.  He can plaster the airwaves with commercials.  He is in the news on a daily basis.  He doesn't need the foot soldiers because he has money.

          by dennisk on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 10:11:16 AM PDT

          •  I completely agree with it being

            about money.  

            by sheddhead on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 10:20:06 AM PDT

      •  I strongly suspect

        ballot boxes were stuffed in the Eighth Ward.

        Turnout was low in the morning when I visited about a half dozen polling places on the South Side, mostly in the Eighth Ward.

        But by the end of the day they were claiming strong turnout.

        I have trouble believing there was a large turnout in the evening rush when it was soft during the morning rush.

        So, I suspect some of Stroger's votes were cast legitimately.

        And that qualifies as Machine politics.

        by Carl Nyberg on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 10:39:04 AM PDT

        •  It's possible.

          But I would suspect the 18th Ward Organization not a "Daley Machine".

          by dennisk on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 10:43:08 AM PDT

          •  if the elections are determined by cheating

            does it matter who is the head cheater? of if it's an oligarchy of cheaters?

            by Carl Nyberg on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 10:56:04 AM PDT

            •  I agree.

              by dennisk on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 10:58:09 AM PDT

•  I'm curious how you define Daley

  as a "close friend" of the president's. Daley's brother worked for the Clinton administration and he has spoken out against the war in Iraq. Or are you confusing "politics" with "friendship?"

  by dannyinla on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 09:42:43 AM PDT

  •  well, it is more than just friendship

    Daley praisedBush after the 2004 election.

    Bush spent his 60th birthdaydinner with Daley.

    it may just be friendship, but what decent person would be friends with this guy?

    In the end, all I really care about is that he does nothing to help Dems nationally.  and he could

    John Olver, a Congressman from Massachusetts, took his campaign staff and spent Election Week in 2004 working for Kerry in Youngstown, Ohio.  and he had an election himself (maybe he was unopposed, but I think not).  other Dems campaign for candidates in close races.  Daley does not, to my knowledge.

    by lawyerDan on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 09:55:16 AM PDT

    •  Daley is hard to define

      But he's a Politician and if that means sucking up to the president then that's what he'll do. I think Daley is too amorphous to be defined as anything but a politician. Pro-gun control, pro-business, pro-gays rates - a curious combination.

      But I'd say the following comments goes a longer way than the birthday dinner.

      Mayor Daley said Wednesday he would have "no problem" with County Clerk David Orr issuing marriage licenses to gay couples — and Orr said he’s open to a San Francisco-style protest if a consensus can be built.

      "They’re your doctors, your lawyers, your journalists, your politicians," the mayor said. "They’re someone’s son or daughter. They’re someone’s mother or father. . . . I’ve seen people of the same sex adopt children, have families. [They’re] great parents.

      "Some people have a difference of opinion — that only a man and a woman can get married. But in the long run, we have to understand what they’re saying. They love each other just as much as anyone else.'’

      A devout Catholic, Daley scoffed at the suggestion that gay marriage would somehow undermine the institution of marriage between a man and a woman.

      "Marriage has been undermined by divorce, so don’t tell me about marriage. You’re not going to lecture me about marriage. People should look at their own life and look in their own mirror. Marriage has been undermined for a number of years if you look at the facts and figures on it. Don’t blame the gay and lesbian, transgender and transsexual community. Please don’t blame them for it," he said.

      by dannyinla on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 10:02:43 AM PDT

      •  He is a great politician.

        He knows who votes for him and he knows where the money comes from.

        by dennisk on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 10:07:37 AM PDT

      •  I really wish that you could hear

        what he saids about blacks and gays in private.  But don't worry, David Axelrod has Daley well-trained!

        by FGFM on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 10:10:09 AM PDT

        •  He's from Bridgeport.

          I'm from Mt. Greenwood.

          I know how people talk in private versus how they talk in public.  But that doesn't negate his very liberal comments on an issue on which too many politicians fail to take a stance.

          by dannyinla on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 10:14:17 AM PDT

          •  I am from Bridgeport.

            He supports most issues because he knows who votes for him and who contributes to his campaign.  He is in an incredible position with no opposition.  So he can take positions such as supporting gay marriage and then not supporting the big-box ordinance.

            by dennisk on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 10:18:58 AM PDT

            •  I heard

              he abandoned Bridgeport years ago because his wife is a social climber and it isn't posh enough for her.

              by anastasia p on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 10:41:08 AM PDT

              •  It could be that or because

                Bridgeport has a reputation of racial intolerance.

                by dennisk on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 10:44:20 AM PDT

  •  Bush had his 60th B-day in chicago

    with Daley and a very small number of guests.

    by Carl Nyberg on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 09:58:47 AM PDT

•  Agree that the Mayor needs opposition in

  City Council.  But he doesn't have the foot soldiers that he once had. What he lacks in foot soldiers he makes up for with money.  He has a lot of it.  

  by dennisk on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 09:50:50 AM PDT

•  I've met David Askew

  And he seems like a solid guy.

  I interviewed Joe Moore on Collective Interest. He's a long-term progressive.

  by Carl Nyberg on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 09:57:52 AM PDT

  •  Moore's a good guy

    I'm keeping my fingers crossed for him.

    I wish someone would replace Hellen Shiller. She's great on rhetoric but she's been light on production -- and the fact that she hangs out in Andersonville instead of her own ward attests to this IMO.

    by maxomai on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 11:36:37 AM PDT

•  So much bullshit in this diary

  it is hard to know where to start.  Several comments above highlight the bullshit about Daley being a close friend of Bush and not sending his machine to the suburbs.  What nonsense.  In 2004, Daley did nothing to help Kerry?  Illinois went for Kerry in 2004 with huge numbers for Kerry in Cook County, what more did you want him to do?  If you don't like Daley, that's fine, but don't make up shit.  The Big Box Ordinance failed because it was a nice idea but impractical. As far as Daley being weak, you have got to be kidding me.  He has never been more powerful.

  by Southside on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 10:00:06 AM PDT

  •  He is powerful because of voter apathy.

    Chicago is plagued by a notion that voters cannot make a difference so they don't vote.  

    by dennisk on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 10:04:52 AM PDT

    •  voter apathy?

      Chicago voters know and care about politics and politicans more than in most cities... especially the one I live in now.

      by dannyinla on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 10:09:05 AM PDT

      •  I wish I can agree with you.

        by dennisk on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 10:13:59 AM PDT

    •  Election next week?

      I just spent the weekend in the Chicago media market, and could barely tell that there was an election taking place.  The reason may be that Daley has a talent for kicking talented politicians of color upstairs or co-opting them.  He stood foursquare behing Luis Gutierrez, Jesse Jackson, Jr., Carol Moseley-Braun, Barack Obama and Todd Stroger.

      by Yamaneko2 on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 10:40:26 AM PDT

      •  Or if he cannot co-opt then

        he destroys them like Miriam Santos.

        by dennisk on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 10:45:37 AM PDT

        •  Miriam Santos...

          ...destroyed herself.

          And lest I be accused of being a Daley apologist, Stroger is on his way to doing that himself.

          by maxomai on Tue Feb 20, 2007 at 10:28:18 AM PDT

  •  we disagree on issues, but I never said Daley ...

    ... is weak.  he is very strong.  but is just now becoming vulnerable.  those who would like to see a mayor less tied to corruption, more interested in helping minority communities, and more interested in helping other Dems, should look upon this election as an important opportunity.

    by lawyerDan on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 10:44:12 AM PDT

•  Dorothy Brown for mayor

  I've read all the comments in this string and am disturbed that people don't recognize Daley as corrupt and don't realize the power of the machine.
  The machine isn't the old time operation that his father ran, it's a slick alliance of quid pro quos.  He's won the support of even crazies like Alderman Helen Shiller by handing out blocs of city jobs that Shiller can fill with whomever she wants.  He's built an allegiance in the black community by endorsing Stroger nepotism.
  Downtown looks great; the rest of the city, especially the CTA, is falling apart.  When Daley recently praised CTA president Kreusi recently, he proved how out of touch he is.  He should ride the damn trains every once in awhile.  
  Dorothy Brown has the integrity, independence and populism that Chicago politics is sorely lacking.  I'm voting for Dorothy for mayor and James Cappleman for 46th ward alderman.

  by ChgoSteve on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 10:19:24 AM PDT

  •  I wish Dorothy Brown all the best.

    I order to combat the money that Daley has you have to have an incredible grassroots organization with people and candidate going door to door.  And counter the myth about Daley's great vision for the City.

    Does Dorothy Brown have that?

    by dennisk on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 10:25:45 AM PDT

    •  No, she doesn't

      And as important as the door knockers, she doesn't have the money to raise her visibility.  
      I think there's a general sense that this is Daley's last campaign.  If that weren't the case, I think this race would be competitive.

      by ChgoSteve on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 10:30:27 AM PDT

  •  First you say...

    The machine isn't the old time operation that his father ran...

    Then you describe the exact methods hizzoner used:

    ...a slick alliance of quid pro quos.

    handing out blocs of city jobs that [chosen patron] can fill with whomever she wants.

    But then, the elder Daley also handed out Cook County jobs because he was head of that as well as Chicago mayor.

    Of course there's corruption going on under little Richie. But most of the voters don't care.

    They see that he took a fractious local scene, where 'Council Wars' was a running joke, and herded (perhaps 'strongarmed') everybody into line. Behind him.

    There's been no police, fire, sanitation, transportation labor problems or teacher's contract problems to speak of. The garbage gets picked up, the schools are open when they're supposed to be, and the snow gets plowed.

    He'll get his 6th term (to match his father). And the father-son team will then fully outpace the first Chicago father-son dynasty - the Carter Henry Harrisons, Sr. and Jr., who 'only' served five terms each (and I bet there was corruption and patronage back then, too).

    by jacortina on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 11:05:27 AM PDT

    •  You are right.

      Voter don't care.  But they will in a couple of years when City has to raise taxes to pay for debt load incurred during Daley's administration.

      by dennisk on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 11:10:19 AM PDT

•  I would like to add to your list.

  John Somerville in the 19th Ward.  He going against a stalwart supporter of the mayor - Virginia Rugai.

  by dennisk on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 10:29:21 AM PDT

•  I must say I am surprised

  I did not think Daley would be so popular in the dKos community.  

  by lawyerDan on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 11:39:42 AM PDT

  •  I love Chicago and I love Chicago Politics

    by dennisk on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 11:41:53 AM PDT

  •  Like I said up above -

    he's hard to define.

    On the big list of politicians that I could bitch about, Daley is nowhere near the top.

    by dannyinla on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 03:03:32 PM PDT

  •  We're ruthlessly practical

    And not exactly what you'd call nuts. For that, go to Indymedia.

    Besides which, Daley's power and corruption is positively benign compared to what we see routinely in Texas, Cicero, the Bush Administration and the Congressional GOP.

    by maxomai on Tue Feb 20, 2007 at 10:36:27 AM PDT