As the only major election of the first half of 2011 -- the Chicago mayoral election -- comes into focus, there is more action on these boards to try to figure out who, in the national progressive community, deserves what could be a sizable chunk of support to try to (admittedly) beat the odds against one of the major enemies of progressive politics, former Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. Indeed, Rahm is working overtime to show just how much he despises true progressive policies, from his open-armed embrace of corporate money to his Chris Christie/John Kasich-like call to deprive Chicago school teachers of their right to strike.
That Rahm deserves to lose is probably not in too much dispute here. The question, however, is which Chicago mayoral candidate stands up for the true progressive policies that could make Chicago better and bring Chicago out of its tradition of mayoral machine politics into the 21st century.
In the opinion of this poster, there is really only one candidate that can do that. The (somewhat lengthy - apologies) explanation (and bold-faced appeal for support) below ...
First, logistics: the goal on Election Day -- February 22 -- is twofold: be in the top two, and make sure the winner stays under 50%. If both (as is likely) happens, a runoff occurs in April 5. By all accounts, nobody, not even Rahm, is expected to get to 50%. However, Rahm will in all likelihood be first. So the question becomes, which of the three other major Mayoral candidates can get to second and make the best case to beat Rahm?
Currently, former Senator Carol Moseley Braun is second in most polling, mostly the result of now being the lone major African-American candidate. She has money (about $3M from what I've seen), she is charming and engaging on the stump, she has name recognition, and she's willing to throw some sharp elbows towards Rahm ("Do you want Rahm to do to Chicago what he did to Obama?"). She also, to put it mildly, has baggage -- lingering baggage from her dalliance with African dictators while Senator and persistent reports that her Senate office was run poorly, along with emerging issues with personal taxes and her post-political businesses and a somewhat weasely response to those questions. Finally, her solution to Chicago's emerging budget woes -- that Chicago will simply and magically grow itself out of debt -- is as fantastic as it is unrealistic. Carol's personal and tax issues, as well as her policies, leaves her vulnerable. IMHO, she's not the Anti-Rahm.
A poster on these boards for the last two days has brought forth the name Gery Chico as the Anti-Rahm. But, as I've tried to point out, while his record on GLBT issues is laudable, his campaign war chest is deep and getting deeper, and his knowledge of Chicagoon City Hall is vast, he too has baggage that progressives should heed. He has made millions of dollars lobbying on behalf of the City of Chicago. While head of the Chicago Public Schools system the system has slipped to the point where education is a prime issue in the election. His embrace (along with Rahm) of using Tax Increment Financing monies to hire cops is both gimmicky and quite likely not legally possible. And, flying in the face of the argument that he can win, is the fact that despite having many advantages his poll numbers have stayed frozen for several months - a reminder that he was supposed to be the favorite in the 2004 Democratic Senate primary until he showed he is just unexciting on the campaign trail. Chico is also not the anti-Rahm.
That leaves one more candidate: Chicago City Clerk Miguel Del Valle. He does not have the war chest of any of the other three candidates. He can be somewhat dry on the stump. He has, admittedly, the longest odds of the three anti-Rahm ...
(You know what's next, right? RIght!)
... HOWEVER ...
... Miguel Del Valle's record as a legislator, as a campaigner, as a politician, and as an unquestioned Progressive, makes HIM, IMHO, the anti-Rahm. Del Valle has beaten Chicago Machine candidates to become the first Hispanic State Senator in Illinois - and later helped clean up a riddled-with-corruption Chicago Clerk's office. While a state legislator, Del Valle helped create Chicago's Local School Councils - now a bulwark in improving Chicago public schools - and has been a champion of education funding for education of all levels. He threw elbows in the Illinois legislature to help maintain and grow African-American and Hispanic-American representation at the state levels. He grew up in Chicago, loves Chicago, does not see the Chicago mayoral seat as a stepping stone to other higher offices, and has made a central part of his platform the rebuilding of Chicago's neighborhoods - not to ignore the mega-businesses in the Loop, but to ensure that they don't get the lion's share of support.
These are progressive policies, championed by a progressive politician who has shown that he knows how to fight entrenched powers and get things done, built by a man who builds coalitions (he helped register voters to get Harold Washington elected in 1983 and is the only candidate aggressively registering new voters as part of his electoral strategy) and isn't intimidated by anyone or anything.
Miguel Del Valle is the Anti-Rahm. He's the guy who deserves Daily Kos support. I don't work for the campaign but I do volunteer - and, yes, I'm hoping this can lead to a groundswell that can lead to what is a needed money bomb for Del Valle. I respect both Carol Moseley-Braun and Gery Chico and would likely support either of them if they finish behind Rahm - who I think is the wrong choice for Mayor for both policy and temperamental reasons. But they aren't my first choice. They aren't my anti-Rahm. Miguel Del Valle is. And he should be yours, too!
Throw him some coins, willya?
I thank you if you got through this looooong post, apologize in advance if it violates various policies, look forward to other debates with other supporters, and do hope I convinced some folks in Chicago to vote for Miguel Del Valle for Mayor!