Rahm Emmanual Might Be Running Against Da Mayor... better look out Dick.

I like The Mayor, I hate the Mayor.  The Mayor likes me, that Mayor hates me.  This is the way it is.  Likes and dislikes.  I do not understand his job enough to say that he is a bad Mayor, but I do understand ethics enough to know that systemic problems are part of how THE MACHINE runs this city.  Daly would not be where he is without his father (see mafia and gang connections), political workers paid off with jobs, and surrounding himself with people who are enriched by their relationship.  You could say the same about a lot of politicians.

I think it is time to change the system.  Cut the head off the snake.  Whether Daly deserves this or not, whether he has changed and done all he could, he is still the head of a Machine that is CORRUPT as hell.  You start looking into the way his family makes a living, the shady backroom deal that enriched his son (a vet who is now in Russia and by all accounts has forsworn this lifestyle after getting burned young  --  I do not want to dis him at all...  everyone deserves to make mistakes).  Like I have written before, I do not blame Daly personally for taking the pie that was offered him by being the son of a powerful politician, and I appreciate that he is on, somewhat, our side.  But, when I saw the Olympics shit happening, it made it obvious to me who Daly really represents.  The elite, of course.  He is also a Union Buster.  The charter schools, which are now being shown to be no better than the rest (they simply recruit better scholars and get better numbers, not to mention they do not take in non-English speakers, or the handicapped, who bring the public scores down), take the jobs of union teachers.

The other thing Daly is doing that kills me, is refusing to negotiate with the police for a new contract.  This is just dead wrong.  What kind of Mayor alienates the police?  He talks a good game about supporting law enforcement, but he sure as hell is not walking that walk.  We have a horrible murder rate in this town.  Kids killing kids.  The only way to really stop this is to go in and start using RICO on the gangs.  We need to make joining a gang a sure ticket to jail.  To do this, kids need to be protected from the things that drive them to join a gang.  Mostly, getting beat up by gangs and not having any jobs (unemployment here is around 50% FOR YOUNG MEN, and not having access to lifestyles that are more appealing).  Cops could be organizing a lot of this shit, if they had the money and the time.  There are times when I think we need a cop on every corner around some high schools.  We could save dozens of lives a year with this one small change.  But...  tell anyone that the city is not going to even bother to negotiate with you, and your attitude has got to  be effected.

The sale the parking meters is a great scandal, money that was supposed to last 75 years, is going to be spent this year.  How the hell was he so wrong about this?  He claims that he was able to balance the budget without further cuts by doing this.  Good, then, I am glad the money was there... but damn, he really thought that money was going to last 75 years, or he just lied his ass off in that secretive, late night session they used to pass this legislation?  He may have kept the city going for awhile, but the price of those meters has had a serious downer effect on some businesses, because people do not want to pay 2.50 an hour to park.

Any Democrat who runs against Da Mayor, has a shot.  I see a lot of names out there that could pull this city in a different direction.  The racial shit in this city makes it hard for a black to get elected, but Emmanual (however it is spelled), is a different story.  I do not know enough about him, yet... but still, it was nice to hear that a very savvy politician thinks he could win.  When Obama's administration doings finally catch up with the press and his legacy begins to grow,  Rahm can only grown in influence.  I guess if Oprah or Rev. Jackson (or Johnathon or Jessie Jr.) are not going to run, we could do a lot worse than a man Obama trusted enough to make his chief of staff.

Daly has done a lot of great things for this city, and I love him for it.  However, it is time for someone else, who has less invested in keeping a corrupt system of syncophents in power  --  not that Daly created it.  At this point, he is just as much a victim of history as the rest of us on this front.  Chicago is not unique at all.  I will even feel a certain sadness when he goes.  His honesty in front of the press, showing his chagrin, and his wonderful sense of humor have made me proud to be a part of his city many times... however, I just wouldn't be much of a radical if I didn't think we could do better.

Love ya Mayor...  you had a good run.  Maybe  before a cut-throat like Rahm comes in and displays all your dirty laundry, you could bow out and move on?  Why not run for the Senate?  Use your skills in a game where there is none of the baggage of this city.  Let the press become your friend, become an elderly statesman and all that.