Everyone's Jumping In The Races

By vouchey in News on May 2, 2005 2:04PM

What a score for Jesse Junior! Landing his new thin self on the front page of Red Eye today, Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. was introduced to transient, hipster Brown and Blue Line voters across the city. And what was the purpose of the article? For the South Side Congressman to declare that, no he's really happy in his current job, and has no interest what-so-ever in running for mayor.

It would be bad form and bad politics to declare candidacy for mayor against Mayor Richard M. Daley -- a man who still commands tremendous popularity in the city despite continued problems with hired truck, and federal agents combing his office for documents related to the mob. Jackson, Chicagoist thinks, is betting that Daley is merely holding on to his office to keep control of patronage. Then, when Daley announces that we won't run in 2007, Jackson swoops in with his (relatively) high name recognition, and locks in the front-runner position for mayor.

Meanwhile, over in County government, the battle for liberal, white standard-bearer has been heating up in the anticipated 2006 County Board President race. A lotta folks seem to think that current Board President John Stroger will not run for reelection in 2006, so candidates have been jockeying for position as if it was an open seat. So, a few weeks ago "reformer" Chicago lakefront Board member Mike Quigley (D-10) made it clear that he was running for President, and now another "reformer", Northwest Side-Chicago member Forrest Claypool (D-12), announced he's running for president too.

Quigley, a bit miffed that Claypool is calling himself a reformer too, says, "I started it," and that "No other Democrat was getting their brains beat in and threatened with extinction before that."

Chicagoist is very impressed that Mr. Quigley was getting his brains beat in. But aren't we supposed to want people who beat other people's brains in?

Image via Red Eye