Despite endorsing him, the editorial board of the Chicago Tribune is positively giddy that Rahm Emanuel failed to win an outright majority in his reelection effort and is now forced to defend his mayoralty in an April runoff.
Precinct tallies came early, as if the numbers couldn’t wait to be heard. They spoke for an electorate that delivered a megadose of humility — of embarrassment, really — to a once-confident incumbent. More than half of Tuesday’s voters tried to fire Mayor Rahm Emanuel. They exposed him as beatable. Toe-to-toe with Anybody But Rahm, Emanuel lost.
Even the power of incumbency, even a huge money advantage, even a splashy endorsement from the president of the United States couldn’t lift Emanuel. He finished first, yes, but against poorly funded candidates. Who knows what the suddenly unified forces opposing Emanuel now can do with six weeks, a head of steam and, in Cook County Commissioner Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, a likable survivor whom Emanuel could not demolish.
I’ve never been a Rahm hater, but I think he’s been an obnoxious mayor and I’m glad the people of Chicago sent him a message. His opponent, Chuy García, was born in Mexico so he has that in common with George Romney. You might want to familiarize yourself with García’s résumé because he definitely comes from a different wing of the Democratic Party than Rahm. Preliminary results show that García (34%) only trailed Emanuel (45%) by 11% points despite being vastly outspent. I wouldn’t assume that Rahm has this wrapped up. It might even become a galvanizing cause for progressives around the country who have been angry with Emanuel for years.
Here’s some local analysis:
The school closures fueled a tumultuous relationship with the Chicago’s Teachers Union, which went on strike in 2012. The union, which also clashed with Emanuel over other changes to the city’s education system, endorsed Garcia after a brain cancer diagnosis sidelined its own president, Karen Lewis.
Political expert John P. Frendreis said while Garcia is “funny, he’s got a good speaking presence, he’s been around long enough, he’s got this colorful nickname so people kind of know him,” it was the support of the teachers that made the race competitive.
“It’s really the school controversy, the closure of schools, the continued opening of charter schools and then the … battle with the CTU and Rahm that has generated any kind of heat in this and has made him even remotely vulnerable,” the political science professor at Loyola University in Chicago, said ahead of Tuesday’s race.
Maybe some Chicagoans can chime in and give their opinion on how much of Rahm’s weakness came from substance and how much came from style.
It ain’t over yet, but the message I’m getting is that people have had enough. Just like in New York.
There is a Democratic wing of the Democratic party that believes in the values of its members.
There is a Corporate wing of the Democratic party that believes that they can enrich themselves by pretending to have Democratic values while actually helping the rich get richer. Think Bill Clinton or, his UK counterpart, Tony Blair. In general, they have successfully enriched themselves personally while screwing the people and party who support them. Quite the trick.
Then there is the far-right corporate wing within the corporate wing. That’s where Rahm sits, along with his good buddy Joe.
It will be interesting to see if Barak can, through a combination of a) following up the worst Republican ever, thus anything he did looked great by comparison, and b) proposing progressive policies at a rate that has accelerated throughout his presidency, in reverse correlation to his ability to actually enact those policies due to his failure to get any other Democrats elected to support him. But no matter how much reputation rehabilitation he does, we should always remember that when he had the best opportunity handed to any Democrat in a half a century he brought in Rahm to run the show.
Yes, Bill and Hillary Clinton must never be forgotten. Like Bonnie and Clyde.
Rahm closed half of the mental health clinics in the city and used the CPD to arrest stakeholders of those clinics who occupied them in protest.
Rahm made life easier on the wealthy in Chicago through a variety of tax incentives.
Rahm closed a third of the public schools and diverted funds to private charter schools, insulting and antagonizing teachers and not just the CTU in the process.
Rahm spent lots of city money on the prestige of getting the G-8 Summit and the NATO Summit in 2012 and wasted more money on the the way that he had the CPD police both the Occupy movement and the No NATO protests.
Rahm antagonized minority neighborhoods with his closings and toadied up to gentrifying neighborhoods with his incentives. And was the laptop for Chicago’s big corporations.
Rahm failed to take effective action against an outbreak of murders and at the same time allowed the CPD to run wild to the point that minority communities were empowered with #blacklivesmatter protests this year and mobilized voters against Rahm.
It was not just the fact that his style is a perpetual flipping of his missing middle finger to the world. He thought that money voted in Chicago when it still happens that people vote in Chicago.
So what happened in the alderman races? Was there a shakeup there as well? Will Chuy Garcia bring in an new council on his coattails? Or did the neighborhood bosses desert Rahm?
So what happened in the alderman races? Was there a shakeup there as well? Will Chuy Garcia bring in an new council on his coattails? Or did the neighborhood bosses desert Rahm?
A whole bunch of alderman races went to run off as well. Most of them where Rahm’s PAC spent money. Meaning Rahm’s toadies are far from out of the woods yet.
40% of the Alderman in Chicago now face a runoff.
including 8 of the 9 highest recipients of $$$ from Rahm’s SuperPac
And get this, TarheelDem…
the April election will be when CPS is on School Break.
Karma…it’s what’s for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
If 35th Ward is an indicator, Chicagoans might see a change in the city council as well. But 35th Ward is Logan Square, a target of Rahm’s gentrification eviction policies.
Maybe some Chicagoans can chime in and give their opinion on how much of Rahm’s weakness came from substance and how much came from style.
Did you see Jonathan Alter’s tweet? This:
http://twitter.com/jonathanalter/status/570468550785294336
Talk about tone-deaf stupid. Does he ever talk to anyone besides his fellow rich people?
Only half OT, but:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/25/us/politics/clinton-sketches-campaign-messages-in-silicon-valley.h
tml
Is Hillary serious? Does she really think the GOP will treat her any better in office than they have Obama?
She’s undecided .. on policy, on direction for America. A visit to Silicon Valley providing no substance, all is fluid. Perhaps Democrats are best served by new faces, serving a changed world after the financial debacle of past 5-6 years. It’s time to give a new generation a chance …
Very Glad to see Rahm humbled, but Chicago is in for rough times. I hear that only a third of the voters voted due to the Arctic weather. Next month should be warmer. Yet, I wouldn’t be giddy about Garcia. He never denied those tax cheating charges. Rahm Emanuel or another corrupt Alderman. I wouldn’t go out in the cold to vote either.
Hey, in 1986 after being defeated by another Hispanic, he got together with the guy and hired a Mariachi band to celebrate the election of an Hispanic!
How can you NOT like a guy who hires Mariachi bands?
It keeps them off the streets.
I hate mariachi music.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuy_Garc%C3%ADa
hard to believe a person could hate mariachi – even this?
You might try reading Rick Perlstein about this:
http://inthesetimes.com/article/17681/rahm_emanuel_chuy_garcia_runoff
Thank you. That was the only response I’ve seen to a devastating claim.
“He (Rahm)’s making sure that every Chicagoan in every neighborhood is getting a fair shot and success that they deserve,” Obama said in the ad.
From the man about to bring you TPP.
Good Morning Everyone.
Go my Chicago folks….we have an election in April.
Not only has Rahm been forced into a runoff….
But 40% of the Alderman have been forced into a runoff….
The undecideds pretty much all went to Chuy.
In 37 out of the 50 wards, there was a non-binding referendum question about whether Chicago should have an ELECTED School Board. The lowest…I say the LOWEST percentage YES was 83%
That was the lowest.
Yet there used to be local school elections in Chicago. That was not a panacea. The usual loons and crooks were elected and finally, voters were glad to have Mayor Daley appoint a board. I agree. The Mayor should be responsible for the schools. There needs to be a focus and a single point of responsibility. Rahm has failed, so it’s time for him to go, but to to return to the failed days of the past is wrong. Why not have locally elected police and fire officials? How about building inspectors? There’s a reason for representative democracy.
What’s the track record of Mayor controlled public schools vs. elected school board? The latter may not be good and anywhere close to optimal, but my impression is that in the hands of a mayor, it’s no better and usually worse.
I recall fifty odd years ago when it became fashionable to diss unions because so many were controlled by crooks and even the Mafia. So, people took care of ousting those crooks by getting rid of unions. Now workers earn less and the really be crooks take more than those corrupt union officials ever did.
As has been said, “don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.”
I can’t answer those questions. I don’t know. I do know that people pay more attention to Mayoral races than School Board elections. I’d have to look up who heads our school board and who the members are. However, I did look up that information last (and every) election and it took me hours to find very minimal information. I doubt if more than 3% of the voters did. I can tell you that the Superintendent has a PhD (in what, I don’t know, presumably education) and has an awesome skill at making murky gobbledegook speeches that are impossible to decipher, even by an old Civil Servant like me. The voters who bother probably thinks that makes her smart.
But everyone knows the Mayor and most will at least recognize the Trustees’ names.
My own preference is for a state school system funded by a graduated income tax, not property tax, and under the control of the Governor so that he can answer to the voters for it’s failings or improvements.
True. It’s why the right-wing christianists focused on school boards several decades ago. That’s how we went from generally value public education to destroying it and producing more people as poorly educated as what those southern racists created with their anti-integration private schools. Now instead of one generation of regional dumbshits, we have multi-generations of the same spread throughout the country. As such, shouldn’t be surprising that evolution has become less accepted instead of more or that AGW exceeds the cognitive capacity of a majority.
Again, try reading Rick Perlstein about why a mayoral-appointed school board is a bad idea, especially under scum like Rahmbo:
http://inthesetimes.com/article/17681/rahm_emanuel_chuy_garcia_runoff
Well, he is having to answer for the failings now, isn’t he? Sounds to me like the system is working. If all that crap had been done by a board no one knew (or bothered knowing about), who would answer?
I believe the general consensus is that the schools did better under Daley’s direct control than before, but I don’t know if that’s right or not. Does Chicago still have schools without functioning toilets? Do gangs still openly sell dope in the halls?
Lifelong Chicagoan (outside of the times I left the city for college and graduate schools)
Rahm’s arrogance knew no bounds.
It wasn’t just the closing of 55 schools in BLACK NEIGHBORHOODS..
it was turning around and giving the money – that they said wasn’t there to help improve the public schools..
to Charter School scams.
It was not being able to find TIFF monies for the Black and Brown neighborhoods …
but, the ability to find $125 million dollars for a stadium for DEPAUL who hasn’t had a winning team since I was a child.
It was closing 55 schools in Black neighborhoods..
but finding 20 million dollars for an expansion annex for a public school in the richest part of town….
it was his fundamental disrespect of Black people….
it was the scam of the redlight cameras that he expanded…
I could be with you here for hours discussing my rage everytime I drive by the one closest to my house and how utterly ridiculous they are.
And, don’t get me started on Chicago Snow Etiquette. I have never seen the streets of Chicago look this bad after a snow…
and, I’m not just talking about the South Side….
I’m talking about DOWNTOWN CHICAGO looking pitiful after a snowstorm.
then, I could begin with you on the scam of the new paying system with the Chicago Transit Authority, when nothing was wrong with the old way we paid on the CTA, except for nobody was making money off of it.
Question — other than Rahm, was there another “Republican” in the race?
The Black Rahm-backed ringer Wilson.
Another insult by Rahm.
Does that mean that the second choice for Wilson voters (10+%) is Rahm? Or were they bamboozled into thinking that a vote for Wilson was a vote against Rahm’s policies?
Would be interesting to know the split (Rahm v. anti-Rahm) for those that didn’t vote because the result (Rahm wins) was billed as preordained.
It is interesting to note that Wilson has already come out and said he will not tell his supporters to vote for Rahm. Without endorsing Garcia, it is telling that he would do that. Many of his supporters will see that as an endorsement of Garcia anyways.
I am not in the city of Chicago, but one of the suburbs. But I can tell you that the anger towards Rahm is real. rikyrah outlined just some of the reasons.
Unmentioned in most of the commentary I have heard is something that could make a difference in the runoff. Rahm is close friends with our new, worse than Scott Walker, governor, Rauner, who is currently trying to shaft just about anybody that makes under $100,000 per year.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see if Garcia uses that somewhere in the campaign.