Chicago - Mayoral Race - Rahm Emanuel Wins

[Chicago103]

Originally Posted by ardecila

I think Latinos will be the deciding factor in the election. If even a small percentage of them can be swayed from Del Valle, it could tip the scales between Emanuel and Braun.

I think De Valle's voters swaying would help Chico more especially with the Latino angle.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by ardecila

Can somebody explain to me the downside of Moseley-Braun? I know it's still early, but she's the only one with a definite platform plank of increasing transit ridership.

any candidate is gonna have positive and negative points that will sway your opinion on them, but the way that jesse jackson organized this whole "we gotta unify behind one black candidate because it's our turn to be mayor" race-baiting farce has been so distasteful that CMB is absolutely dead last on my list of people i will vote for. if she somehow makes it in to the run-off, i will automatically be voting for the other candidate running against her. also, she was an embarrassment to the city and state when she was a US senator.

as of right now, my vote is up in the air for either emanuel or chico. del valle is also one i'd consider, but the fact that he's on record stating that he wants to go backwards to the bad old days of an elected school board is a big strike against him in my book.

[Steely Dan]

Gery Chico says he's raised $2.5 million for Chicago mayor's race
Posted by John Chase at 9:36 a.m.

Chicago mayoral candidate Gery Chico announced today that he's raised more than $2.5 million for his campaign.

Chico's campaign released his fundraising total weeks before he's required to do so in a move to portray himself as a top challenger to former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, who leads in early polling.

full article: http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/...yors-race.html

[Steely Dan]

more proffessionalism from the braun campaign



Braun won't release tax returns 'because I don't want to'
Posted by Jeff Coen at 12:17 p.m.

Mayoral candidate Carol Moseley Braun today said she won't make her tax returns public before next month's election.

"Because I don't want to," Braun said when asked why she wouldn't be releasing them in the time before the Feb. 22 election.

Fellow candidates Rahm Emanuel and Gery Chico already have released their tax returns. You can read about Emanuel's by clicking here and Chico's clicking here. City Clerk Miguel del Valle, a mayoral candidate, also has released his returns. You can read about them by clicking here.

full article: http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/...t-want-to.html

[the urban politician]

Interesting to see how the latest demographic shifts will influence the Mayoral election:

Face of City Has Changed Dramatically, Census Estimates Show

By DAN MIHALOPOULOS and DARNELL LITTLE
January 1, 2011

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

more proffessionalism from the braun campaign



Braun won't release tax returns 'because I don't want to'
Posted by Jeff Coen at 12:17 p.m.

Mayoral candidate Carol Moseley Braun today said she won't make her tax returns public before next month's election.

"Because I don't want to," Braun said when asked why she wouldn't be releasing them in the time before the Feb. 22 election.

Fellow candidates Rahm Emanuel and Gery Chico already have released their tax returns. You can read about Emanuel's by clicking here and Chico's clicking here. City Clerk Miguel del Valle, a mayoral candidate, also has released his returns. You can read about them by clicking here.

full article: http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/...t-want-to.html

^ Stay classy, Carol..

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Interesting to see how the latest demographic shifts will influence the Mayoral election:

Face of City Has Changed Dramatically, Census Estimates Show

By DAN MIHALOPOULOS and DARNELL LITTLE
January 1, 2011

really interesting stuff in there. it's kind of wild to think that whites are now the largest racial group once again (after a 30 year hiatus) due to black flight and the destruction of CHA. what's even more interesting is that it's possible the metro area as whole lost blacks due to the reversal of the great migration.

with all that in mind, the wagon circling of jesse jackson and his "our turn" nonsense looks even more foolishly myopic.

[Steely Dan]

here's a brilliant blog entry from Brian C. Thomas on why all of jesse jackson's meddling in this election is offensive to anyone who TRULY believes in Dr. King's message of judging people on the content of their character, rather than the color of their skin. click the link to read the full blog entry, it's really worth a read.




Are Black Chicagoans required to vote for Carol Moseley Braun?
Brian C. Thomas on 01.03.11 at 9:30 AM

As the calendar turned to 2011, Danny Davis turned the calendar back to 1983. When he dropped out of the race for mayor, preferring a candidate to unify black voters, he said: "I want to make sure at least one of us has what is needed," Davis said after withdrawing from the race on December 31st. Davis then called Braun "the best candidate."

If Braun was the best candidate, what has Danny Davis been doing for the last two months?

<snip>

Dr. King's dream is becoming a reality. Our "black leaders", ironically, many of whom were with King when he made his speech, are keeping us back from realizing the dream. It may be nice to have a black mayor, but I'd rather have the best person do the job, black, white or Latino. That should be the basis for our vote- not because Jesse Jackson, Danny Davis and James Meeks tell us that Carol Moseley Braun is the best black candidate for mayor. If you believe she is the best candidate, by all means, vote for Moseley Braun. But a vote for her because she is black, gets us farther away from Dr. King's dream.

Read more: http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/your...#ixzz1A0UEadqJ

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

any candidate is gonna have positive and negative points that will sway your opinion on them, but the way that jesse jackson organized this whole "we gotta unify behind one black candidate because it's our turn to be mayor" race-baiting farce has been so distasteful that CMB is absolutely dead last on my list of people i will vote for. if she somehow makes it in to the run-off, i will automatically be voting for the other candidate running against her. also, she was an embarrassment to the city and state when she was a US senator.

Oh, I totally agree about the prejudice inherent in the "consensus black candidate" bullshit. Politically, that suggests that Braun would focus her time on the black community to the detriment of the white, Hispanic, Asian, and others.

[the urban politician]

The press is essentially ridiculing Braun.

We really need to start listening to what Rahm Emanuel is saying, because its pretty damn likely he'll be the next Mayor.

I'd really love to hear what his vision for the city is. Something to address stagnant population would be nice..

[the urban politician]

^ Speaking of which...

Emanuel can stay on mayoral ballot, judge rules

January 04, 2011

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

The press is essentially ridiculing Braun.

We really need to start listening to what Rahm Emanuel is saying, because its pretty damn likely he'll be the next Mayor.

braun is almost certainly DOA. she'll capture a percentage of the black vote, but absolutely nothing else after jesse jackson's race-baiting shenanigans over the past week and her own fumbling incompetence.

but i don't think rahm is a shoe-in. there's a significant "anyone but rahm" contigent out there, and if he should find himself in the run-off with chico, well, things could be a lot closer than many people think.

[M II A II R II K]

Will Chicago think big after Daley?


http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune....er-daley-.html

In modern-day Chicago, outgoing Mayor Richard M. Daley will leave his own indelible mark: A plenitude of projects that stretches into nearly every corner of the city, from the glistening "Bean" in Millennium Park to the miles of shrub-filled median planters that soften Chicago's harsh streets.

This was a mayor with a passion to build. By combining the roles of chief politician and chief planner, Daley became the ultimate shaper of Chicago's cityscape. There was no denying his authority over the cityscape — just as there is no denying the deep anxiety his departure has spawned among the city's architects and builders.

Chicago, they worry, will go from being a city in overdrive to a city on hold.

By leaving the city treasury in such bad shape, Daley almost guaranteed it would be tough for his successor to build the kind of public works that burnished Chicago's global stature during his reign. The still-struggling economy will make it even tougher to match the glory of Daley's greatest triumph, Millennium Park, which cost about $500 million and replaced a dusty railroad yard with a spectacular collection of contemporary art and architecture.

"I hope the intensity remains," said Chicago developer Dan McCaffrey, who wants to turn the vast former U.S. Steel plant (above) on the southeast lakefront into a thriving, mixed-use community. "People in City Hall knew that when the mayor had endorsed something, it was aggressively pursued. You could feel the difference. It was palpable."

"Any new mayor has got to realize that being a green city has become a part of Chicago as much as hot dogs," said Ben Helphand, president of the Friends of the Bloomingdale Trail, which is pushing for an elevated park, nearly three miles long, on a dormant Northwest Side railroad spur.

.......

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

We really need to start listening to what Rahm Emanuel is saying, because its pretty damn likely he'll be the next Mayor.

I'd really love to hear what his vision for the city is. Something to address stagnant population would be nice..

From Blair Kamin, a mayoral candidate forum focusing on the stuff we care about:

There's a new location for the January 19 mayoral forum on community development and environmental issues. It will now take place at the Chicago Marriott Downtown, 540 N. Michigan Ave. The previous location was the Northwestern University law school, 375 E. Chicago Ave.

The timing has also changed. The event is now scheduled to run from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. instead of 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The moderator is still Andy Shaw, executive director of the Better Govenrment Association.

According to one of the organizing groups, Friends of the Parks, each candidate will get 10 minutes to articulate their positions on community development and environmental issues. Shaw will follow up with questions.

[Chicago103]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

We really need to start listening to what Rahm Emanuel is saying.

I'd really love to hear what his vision for the city is. Something to address stagnant population would be nice..

I think that statement really cuts to the heart of the big weakness Rahm Emmanuel has right now and why there is such a big "anybody but Rahm" movement out there that actually has little to do with the residency issue. People would love to hear what his vision is because he hasn't done so at community forums that he has been absent from and he has also dodged the press and gives very few media interviews. Gery Chico on the other hand has very clearly laid out a vision, has attended forums and done lots of media interviews.

What Rahm Emmanuel is doing is insulting the intellegence of Chicago voters. He is just hoping that people who don't pay attention to politics much will just show up and vote for him out of name recognition and considering this is a site where we often lament the ignorance of the average voter this should be a very disturbing trend to many of us.

I agree with Steely Dan that Rahm Emmanuel is not a shoe in but at this point the only person that has a chance against him in the runoff is Gery Chico. I am a bit concerned about Carol Mosely Braun making it to the runoff because if she does then Rahm Emmanuel will be the next mayor because all of the non African American ethnic blocks will flock to him at that point. It is not 1983 anymore by any stretch but people in my neighborhood on the southwest side near Midway Airport are sure as hell not going to vote for Braun even if they dont particularly identify with Emmanuel. She might have had a chance to pick up some cross racial voting before but not now.

[Attrill]

Originally Posted by Chicago103

I think that statement really cuts to the heart of the big weakness Rahm Emmanuel has right now and why there is such a big "anybody but Rahm" movement out there that actually has little to do with the residency issue. People would love to hear what his vision is because he hasn't done so at community forums that he has been absent from and he has also dodged the press and gives very few media interviews.

Rahm definitely needs to offer some vision for the city (although I think there are MANY issues that are much more important than population growth). He has given no specifics, or plans on how to deal with budget shortfalls. He's given no vision for how to address problems with CPS. He's given no outline of how he would try to create jobs and attract businesses. I don't expect an incredibly detailed plan that's carved in stone (circumstances change quickly and a good mayor should be open to new ideas at all times). But so far Rahm has shown no sign that he has even thought seriously about the real issues facing the city.

So far Chico and DelValle are the only two who have addressed any of the real issues that need to be considered. They're the only two I'd consider voting for at this point.

There is also one big negative that I think can really hurt Rahm - he's seen as being in the pocket of big business. Two of the main things any mayor will have to do to make the city run efficiently will be to fight the inefficiencies and corruption in city departments as well as fighting the corruption in contracts given to private businesses. Rahm has a history of supporting deregulation and removing government oversight. In many cases he's supported policies that ended up benefiting businesses at the expense of taxpayers. This could be a big negative with the meter deal fresh in people's minds.

[Loopy]

...

[Steely Dan]

my gut is telling me that no one is gonna get 50%+1 in the first round, which would mean an automatic run-off.

my gut is also telling me that emanuel will be one of the two top-finishers for the run-off.

if it ends up:

emanuel vs. braun - emanuel wins easily.
emanuel vs. del valle - closer, but still an emanuel win.
emanuel vs. chico - ah, now that's where it could get interesting.

why do i think chico would fare better than the other two? well braun's own incompetence has done enough to seal her fate. as for del valle, i think that chico's better resources and insider ties would allow him to put up the stronger fight against emanuel.


just my predictions as of right now. of course with 7 weeks to go, there's still time for another political implosion.

[Attrill]

Originally Posted by Loopy

I would like to agree with you here. Most of the people I know who I normally agree with on politics are rallying behind one or the other of these two candidates. However, I am being surprised by a gut feeling that Rahm might make a good Mayor despite my long dislike (from a Left-Liberal perspective) of his tactics within the Democratic party, both locally and nationally....I think that having an individual with national connections in the chair might be the trick to opening a closed-system, zero-sum game up to financial and business possibilities that that a local pol would have no access to.

I agree that Emanuel has the potential to be a good mayor, although it kind of amazes me that he hasn't really addressed any issues yet.

I think the benefit of national connections are a little overblown. Chicago has more than enough national connections without Emanuel. In terms of Federal dollars the two areas the city gets the most money are education and transportation. Duncan and LaHood are very aware of what Chicago needs, and both already know all of the major candidates running (same for Obama as well). In terms of the financial sector people like Bill Daley are all over the place, and CME and the commodities markets are where Chciago's real relevance to financial markets comes from (the University of Chicago doesn't hurt either).

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

Braun's own incompetence has done enough to seal her fate.

She released her tax returns today. They certainly don't do anything to help her look more competent.

Braun's 2008 federal income tax return shows she had $55,000 in wages but lost more than $225,000 that year, including more than $200,000 in what she called a "net operating loss."

[VivaLFuego]

I assume Rahm is just waiting for the final couple weeks of the campaign --- Firstly, the front-runner in most races rarely takes initiative on outlining any sort of dramatic policy proposals, since doing so only opens you up to specific criticism. It may be frustrating for us political wonks who want words and quotes to pore over, but keeping mum is the smart political move for Rahm right now as the presumptive front-runner with the best name recognition. Secondly, most people (i.e. non-policy wonks) won't be paying much attention til the waning days, anyway, at which point I'd expect the full court press from all candidates when there isn't time to develop a major counter-attack strategy.