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Daley Blames - Who Else? - The Media For Oprah-geddon

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Nov 20, 2009 4:20PM

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Mayor Daley, making the sad trombone face; Photo by our old friend, WBEZ's Kate Gardiner

Mayor Daley, fresh off his smackdown of the media over a question regarding Michael Scott on Wednesday, has wasted no time in lashing out once more. Remember Oprah's big party downtown to kick off her new season and the hubbub the local media - us included, admittedly - caused over it? Daley is saying it was that backlash that's contributed to Oprah's decision to pack up and move out in a few years. Speaking at a United Negro College Fund fundraiser last night, CBS 2 reports Daley said:

"I think she was the most successful woman that we will ever know in the history of this country...That became a big rhubarb in the Chicago press -- beat up Oprah...So you keep kicking people, people will leave, simple as that....I'm just saying that when someone's doing something like that, most cities would love it. … It's just amazing. I don't know why it became so controversial."

We'd like to take this opportunity to revel in our new-found power. If we have the power to force Oprah to leave town, why, we could possibly harness these powers to get other people to leave town! Maybe even, say, elected officials! Hmmm....