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LouisVanDerWright Oct 17, 2014 6:58 PM

CHICAGO | Politics and Current Events
 
I don't know why a thread like this doesn't exist yet. We keep getting on OT discussions all over the place about Chicago political events. Let's dump all those discussions and articles here.
Quote:

Brain tumor keeps Karen Lewis out of mayor race: source

By Rick Pearson, Juan Perez, Jr., Michelle Manchir,
Tribune reporters

Karen Lewis, the controversial, combative and charismatic leader of the Chicago Teachers Union, will not run for mayor, significantly boosting Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s chances to win re-election next year.

The decision by Lewis comes after she was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor last week, said a source familiar with her medical condition. Lewis underwent surgery and took a leave from her union duties.

The development removes from political equation Emanuel’s most prominent potential opponent amid widespread dissatisfaction with his leadership. It leaves Ald. Robert Fioretti, 2nd, as the most high-profile challenger to the first-term mayor, with several lesser-known potential candidates talking about getting into the contest ahead of the Feb. 24 city election.

More Here:http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...013-story.html


This should be entertaining:

Quote:


http://politics.suntimes.com/sites/d...?itok=7JuYQwJ-

Emanuel commits to debates—even without Karen Lewis in race


WED, 10/15/2014 - 3:00PM
FRAN SPIELMAN

Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Wednesday he plans on waging a “vigorous campaign” for re-election that includes debates with Ald. Bob Fioretti (2nd), even though the field no longer includes Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis.

When Lewis dropped out of the mayor’s race this week after having surgery to remove a malignant brain tumor, there was speculation that Emanuel would ignore Fioretti, forsake debates and use his $9.5 million campaign warchest to rebuild his plummeting popularity with a blitzkrieg of television commercials.

But Emanuel told the Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board on Wednesday that the speculation is all wrong. The former White House chief of staff will not use a Rose Garden strategy to insulate himself.

He was asked specifically if he would debate Fioretti.

“I’m sure we’ll have debates. And I’m gonna be out there laying out an agenda that people can make a [judgment] on. Part of my responsibility is also to say, 'Here’s what we’ve done. Here are the results. Here’s what we’re gonna do’ and we’re gonna have that,” Emanuel said.

“Campaigns are healthy. So’s holding people accountable when they govern healthy. I plan on doing that, and I’m doing it right now.”

More Here: http://politics.suntimes.com/article...10152014-300pm


LouisVanDerWright Oct 17, 2014 7:03 PM

Quote:

MR MAYOR: REFUND THE $7.7 MILLION TO DRIVERS NOW!

This week the mayor said he has not “made a judgment” on whether to refund drivers the $7.7 million in tickets that were racked up after his administration lowered the length of yellow lights. The reduction in the length of yellow lights resulted in 77,000 tickets!

Tell the mayor that he should restore public trust by refunding the money that was a result of his administration lowering the yellow light length!

http://bobfioretti.com/mr-mayor-refu...o-drivers-now/


Now Fioretti is Pandering to the Entire City! I guess he's hoping to turn the red light cameras into the Bilandic Blizzard or Daley Meter Deal of Rahm's career.

the urban politician Oct 17, 2014 8:12 PM

With Karen Lewis out of the running for Mayor, Rahm is almost a shoe in for mayor, which means that we will likely see a doubling down on some of Rahm's favorite pet projects such as:

Bike sharing
Bike lane expansions
Ashland BRT as well as other BRT projects citywide
?Red Line extension
Red light cameras
Perhaps more school closings?
McCormick hotel/Depaul stadium/Motor row environs stuff
Headquarters snatching

hawainpanda Oct 17, 2014 8:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the urban politician (Post 6772593)
With Karen Lewis out of the running for Mayor, Rahm is almost a shoe in for mayor, which means that we will likely see a doubling down on some of Rahm's favorite pet projects such as:

Bike sharing
Bike lane expansions
Ashland BRT as well as other BRT projects citywide
?Red Line extension
Red light cameras
Perhaps more school closings?
McCormick hotel/Depaul stadium/Motor row environs stuff
Headquarters snatching

awesome, hopefully also the destruction of the teacher union...:notacrook:

joking aside, Rahm is prob the best person to get Chicago out of the ditch...I sorta wished we had Bloomberg but Rahm is a good second best choice

SamInTheLoop Oct 17, 2014 8:47 PM

Thanks for starting this one. I'd been thinking for a while that we should have this thread.


First - just to carry over a little from the econ thread (of course you have to say this first). Get better to Karen Lewis and I hope her prognosis is good.

I actually think it's a real shame that she is not in the race (or apparently any other serious contender now), despite my opinion that she would not have been a good mayer and 99%+ sure would not have gotten my vote. Most important is that Chicago needs to have a real democracy. Its citizens deserve credible contenders and real debate about important issues. That is of primary importance. Keeping corporations and the already wealthy and powerful with bouyant confidence over the next handful of months that they'll have government and political continuity in this city, perhaps along with no radical change in direction or priorities is decidedly of less importance..........

Anyway, an interesting question now is how low turnout will be this election.......I can't remember exactly what it was in 2011, but of course in Daley's last couple elections it was disgustingly, embarrassingly low....

Justin_Chicago Oct 17, 2014 8:56 PM

I really hope we see a new CTA Rail Line funded in the next decade with transfer stations to other lines (*Circle Line*). Something.... anything to connect Pilsen and Humboldt Park. I truly believe it would create a wave of population growth and increase the coffers with property tax revenue.

I love the Bloomingdale Trail project, but I wish that ROW was used for a new CTA line running through the western Portion of Lincoln Park (North/Clybourn area) and Humbolt Park.

People are getting excited about the office park growing in Goose Island, but it is an awful location for anyone living in the South Loop or many northside neighborhoods along the Red, Brown and Blue Lines. It only makes sense for people that are an easy bus route away.

LouisVanDerWright Oct 17, 2014 10:36 PM

Quote:

Rauner holds tiny lead over Quinn in latest poll

October 17, 2014

GOP nominee Bruce Rauner holds a slender lead over incumbent Pat Quinn, but the race essentially is tied. And U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin holds a comfortable 10-point lead over GOP challenger Jim Oberweis, though a lot of voters still are undecided.

So says the latest poll out there, this one prepared not for a candidate but by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University.

According to the survey of 1,006 registered voters, Mr. Quinn is up, 37.7 percent to 34.6 percent. But when the sample is limited to likely voters — usually a far more reliable measure — Mr. Rauner goes ahead 42.4 percent to 40.7 percent, mostly because Republicans report they are more likely to vote than Democrats.

“It's a tied race,” institute Director David Yepsen said. “No one can predict from these numbers who will win. It's likely to be close on election night, and every vote will be important.

The survey has a margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points among all registered voters and 3.7 percent among likely voters.

More Here: http://www.chicagobusiness.com/artic...in-latest-poll

One wonders what effect, if any, the Karen Lewis news will have on the larger State races in particular the dead heat between Quinn and Rauner. It certainly hurts Quinn to a degree since Karen Lewis was excellent at energizing the progressive, Democrat base. The Republicans downstate and in the burbs are rallying around Rauner and will have an easy route to the executive post if Quinn's liberal Chicago base does not turn in big numbers. A heated Lewis-Rahm race might not result in a Lewis victory, but it could have resulted in huge progressive turn out in Chicago and a large number of votes against Rauner.

From this prospective Rahm and Rauner are in the same camp and, not surprisingly, they share a lot of common donors like Ken Griffin. An uncompetitive race in Chicago means no extra stoking of the base for Quinn and hurts his chances. I'm sure Quinn would love nothing more than a progressive firebrand like Lewis touring the South Side and firing up the union machine.

Rahm and Rauner is a dream team for going after unions, pension obligations, and pillaging other states for jobs (or at least fighting back!).

the urban politician Oct 18, 2014 12:45 PM

^ Great points LVDW. Rauner has a very good shot at winning this thing.

Sam, in regards to your comments, Crains just had a piece lamenting this very issue. The reality is, we need two viable parties but the GOP just gave up on Chicago a long, long time ago. It's really unfortunate, because Chicago is ruled by whoever can cobble together enough money, and right now it is Rahm. Obviously Fioretti is not going to be a serious challenger.

However, does this mean that we lose Fioretti as an Alderman and keep Rahm as mayor? That's not an altogether bad situation

HowardL Oct 18, 2014 10:40 PM

I am a complete Rahm man but when it comes to the gubernatorial race, I am still not sure. I lean Rauner simply because Quinn supports two dumbass projects, Iliana and Peotone.

Would a Rauner governorship impede Rahm's momentum in continuing to make improvements to the city or would there be a pro-business synergy there?

Or do I simply have to accept Quinn and his Peotone/Iliana madness because he would actually work with Rahm to keep the city moving forward?

If I had to place my vote in the next 10 minutes, it would go Rauner but I know I am missing some key points in comparing these two.

the urban politician Oct 19, 2014 2:53 AM

^. Nope, your instincts are right. Quinn sucks.

ardecila Oct 19, 2014 6:29 AM

Uh, the gubernatorial election is in November while the mayoral election isn't until February. I don't think there is much interplay between the two races.

Fioretti has not even started to campaign in earnest, and probably he won't until the November elections are done and they stop drowning him out .. What has he done to reach me, the average city voter? I can barely tell he was running, except I saw one bumper sticker in logan square.

ardecila Oct 19, 2014 6:35 AM

Rauner and Rahm are a match made in heaven, seriously. They're both neoliberals who are pretty agnostic on major social issues, both are pro business, etc.

It's hard to know how Rauner would govern, he basically doesn't have a platform other than lowering taxes, and his entire campaign is based around smearing Quinn instead of promoting fresh ideas. If he is a technocrat, I haven't seen the policy ideas to back it up.

On the other hand, it's hard to see Rauner doing anything that seriously harms the vitality of Chicago. Rauner is a lifelong resident of the city and suburbs and he surely understands that the city is the lifeblood of Illinois' economy. His natural constituency is wealthy white professionals in gentrified city neighborhoods and posh suburbs. His claims to represent the middle class are laughable. But I am sure Rauner will support improved transit service, highway reconstruction/widening, etc

the urban politician Oct 19, 2014 4:10 PM

Looks like all 3 of Chicago's major periodicals (Tribune, Sun-Times, Crains) have endorsed Rauner for Governor

LouisVanDerWright Oct 20, 2014 1:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ardecila (Post 6774023)
Uh, the gubernatorial election is in November while the mayoral election isn't until February. I don't think there is much interplay between the two races.

Fioretti has not even started to campaign in earnest, and probably he won't until the November elections are done and they stop drowning him out .. What has he done to reach me, the average city voter? I can barely tell he was running, except I saw one bumper sticker in logan square.


I don't know, a heated banter between Rahm and Lewis between now and the gubernatorial race could have resulted in a significantly more energized base in the Chicago area. If the unions are all riled up, then you are going to get a lot more people turning out for Quinn. If you have a strong black political candidate like Lewis telling people to get out to the polls, they will get to the polls.


Fioretti has been trying to do the grassroots thing and even showed up at a neighborhood group meeting in my area. The problem is no one cares what he has to say and he doesn't have anything to attack Rahm with other than "he closed schools" which I think most Chicagoans know was the right decision whether they say they like it or not.

Steely Dan Oct 20, 2014 6:58 PM

donkeys and elephants both make stinky farts.

sentinel Oct 20, 2014 7:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steely Dan (Post 6775594)
donkeys and elephants both make stinky farts.

Then say goodbye to:

- Collective bargaining for tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of hardworking union members (if you and others really think Unions are a bad thing, then please move to Texas)

- Clean drinking water, not to mention possible severe relaxation of federal/EPA environmental rules. Oh yeah, enjoy having Lake Michigan inundated with Asian carp (even though you Steely have said in other threads in the forum that that damn fish poses no threat).

- Dissolution of film tax credits (I personally know dozens of folks who work in film/tv/commercial production, among thousands in the state who will see their jobs going to Atlanta or NC or even Canada if Rauner wins - believe it)

- (necessary) stalling of in-state hydraulic fracturing, both downstate and closer to Chicagoland, which as we've seen in Oklahoma and TX works wonder for the environment, and doesn't cause any earthquake problems, whatsoever.

- Any possibility for resolving the state pension crisis, unless you don't mind the unemployment rate going up above 9-10% again, within the next 2 years.

- the dream of hiking the state minimum wage to a decent living wage for those who desperately need it most.

Among many other issues that I'm sure you and I will all be affected by.

If turncoat voters such as yourself really think a bitter, ultra-wealthy corporate raider really gives a s**t about you or any of the other 12.8 million of us in Illinois, you're in for a world of hurt the next 4 years if Rauner wins.

Quinn is by no means a saint, but at least he's not painting himself as the Second coming. And if you thought Springfield was gridlocked before Rauner with King Madigan on the throne, grab some popcorn and watch what's sure to be an amazing s**tshow.

Steely Dan Oct 20, 2014 8:05 PM

like really, really stinky farts.

sentinel Oct 20, 2014 8:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steely Dan (Post 6775708)
like really, really stinky farts.

I get what you're saying, but I disagree about Quinn driving the state into the ground, when the vast majority of the damage was already enacted by Thompson, Edgar, Ryan, and Blago. Also, 'temporary pain' could last years, and dramatically alter the economic and employment landscape for many years after that.

Is the current state of the State that messed up (than say, even 6 years ago) to where a complete shift in political ideology is necessary to make things 'better'? Other than the pension f*ckup, which is a state Constitutional issue and not up to just up to a governor to fix (Quinn tried a number of months ago, and was shot down in court, remember?), what is Quinn doing so so wrong or poorly that Rauner could ever possibly fix?

woodrow Oct 20, 2014 8:30 PM

I am curious, why do people think business people, and in Rauner's case, private equity guy, are good public office leaders? I am serious. I don't get why people are on board for Rauner. I am sure he is a perfectly nice gentleman, but what has he offered except cut taxes. Where are the plans? Quinn was dealth a shit hand and is working dilligently and relatively admirably.

Plus, what is Rauner going to do with a Democratic party controlled legislature run by Madigan??

I will say that Rauner is opportunistic and will say anything, so maybe he is a good politician.

Steely Dan Oct 20, 2014 8:33 PM

Man, I really hate stinky farts.


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