Politics Makes Strange Bedfellows

By Scott Smith in News on Sep 22, 2006 6:00PM

The race for State Comptroller - normally a bit of a snore - has gotten downright weird in the last few days. First, Illinois State Comptroller Dan Hynes, son of Southside ward committeeman Tom Hynes, urged his one-time rival for US Senate Barack Obama to run for president, calling him “a man for these times,” who can “restore the hope and optimism that made this country great”.

Chicagoist couldn’t agree more with Hynes’ sentiment. We remember going door-to-door on the Southside collecting signatures before the primary and hearing people say “Osama WHO!?” But the cynic in us also wonders why Hynes would pick now to talk about an election that is still two years away.

Adding to the weirdness, Hynes told a business group in Chicago that unless lawmakers take a more long-term approach to state finances, Illinois could face a “serious crisis” by 2010. Citing state pension payments and social programs as primary drains on the budget, Hynes pointed out that any new income growth the state generates in the next four years will go to maintaining payments, rather than growing the state budget.

Could Hynes be making surrogate moves for Hizzoner to shore up some black support in advance of Jr.’s anticipated run? It’s a given that candidates move towards a piece of their opponent’s base in a race, and certainly Jr has supported issues that matter to white lakefront liberals. Likewise, Daley has taken up the causes of South and West side blacks.

It seems to us that Hynes is trying to sidestep Blagojevich’s budget and corruption problems without actually trashing a fellow Democrat and Friend of Daley, while endearing himself to progressive voters by vowing to start a Draft Obama movement.

And it ain’t even October….

Thanks, Kevin!