Daley Out as Chicago's Mayor; Rahm Emanuel In?

Someone named "Daley" has been Mayor of Chicago for 42 of the last 55 years. Yesterday, Mayor Richard M. Daley announced that that was at an end when he said he would not run for seventh term. Immediately, pundits started talking about whether White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel would try for the job. If he does, he is not guaranteed the nomination, and if he does not, Chicago will be no worse off. This is a media story, hot-stove league politics that is germane only to the people of Chicago.

Mr. Emanuel is, of course, viewed as Satan himself by both the Republican Party and the left-wing of the Democratic Party. The GOP constantly harps about "Chicago-style politics," which is much like the city's version of pizza -- the crust is thick, the ingredients fat-laden, and it is not to be consumed by the faint of heart. For the "professional left," well, Mr. Emanuel has called them "retards" and told them to "fuck off." Were he drowning, most of these people would throw him a anvil. They view him as the chief impediment to Barack Obama implementing a truly leftist agenda.

This is, of course, nonsense. The White House Chief of Staff is a rather important office, but it is not a policy-making or decision-making position. The job is to advise and to implement. Even under the extremely powerful James Baker III, the job was clearly and openly one of gate-keeper. Mr. Emanuel is no James Baker.

If he chooses to get into the race, he must do so no later than November 22, as the election will be February 22, 2011. This means he can play his hand after the mid-term elections. Right now, the White House would prefer that he stay on because if he goes, demands for other changes will increase. Minority Leader Boehner has already unhelpfully suggested that Mr. Obama fire his entire economic team. Mr. Emanuel resigning after November 2, would not create the same pressures.

However, this does not mean Mr. Emanuel is a shoo-in. As a former congressman from the north side, he does have some legitimate claim on the local Democratic Party, but he is not running in an open field. Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. is almost certain to enter the lists. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan is likely to run. Congressman Luis Gutierrez has already formed an exploratory committee. Time magazine also suggests these candidates: Chicago Transit Authority chairman Terry Peterson; Cook County Assessor Jim Houlihan, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, Illinois State Rep. Kwame Raoul. Also mentioned are a number of alderman, including Manny Flores, Sandi Jackson (who is Jesse Jackson Jr.'s wife) and Bob Fioretti.

The process is brutal. In 90 days, candidates must file 12,500 valid petition signatures, and thanks to challenges that are certain to come, 40-50,000 signatures represents the level needed to secure a place on the ballot. This favors those with name recognition and organization -- to say nothing of money. If no one gets 50% of the vote on February 22, a run-off between the top two will take place April 5. Historically, no one has ever won in the first round.

Mr. Emanuel has made no secret of his desire to be Mayor of the Windy City. And perhaps this is his time. Of course, it might not be. Who wants to be mayor with a $654.7 million budget shortfall in a 2011 budget of $3.39 billion?

© Copyright 2010 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.

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