Quote:
Originally Posted by the urban politician
......and a Mayor that nobody in the world has ever heard of nor takes interest in. Yay for Chuy! Hell, Chuy is still so unknown that when I say "Chuy" I still think more about Chewbacca from Star Wars than this guy.
|
Who outside of NYC had heard of Bill de Blasio before their 2013 mayoral race?
I mean while there are always valid financial/policy points to be made but I don't buy this "we need an already well known person to be mayor", I think anyone who is Mayor of Chicago, the third largest city of the wealthiest and most powerful nation on the face of the earth, is by definition a major political player. I think people who keep pushing this point are actually rather underconfident and insincere of Chicago's position in the world of cities, I could see people in Milwaukee or Indianapolis wanting a household name mayor to get them on the map but Chicagoans talking that way to me is just weird.
Also if Chuy is elected Mayor he would gain some fame as the first Latino Mayor of Chicago, the largest city with a current Latino Mayor, and probably the highest office ever achieved by a Mexican born immigrant (former LA mayor Antonio Villagrosa for instance was actually born in the USA). Granted I don't think Chuy has any prospects for anything beyond being Mayor of Chicago but don't underestimate the potential national publicity it could bring.
Then there is the national press coverage this race is getting, in part because of Rahm and Chuy the men but also because of what this race symbolizes as far as a rift in the Democratic party and/or center-left in this country. For instance check out this eight minute PBS NewsHour segment:
• Video Link