Rahm in Chicago...what are the stakes?

[Anonymous]

Just as the DC race was a referendum on tolerance of sweeping reform and the centrist face of the Democratic party, will the Chicago race reflect similar values? Or will the same provincialism that brought down Fenty here refuse to vote for an "in your face Jewish guy who is married to an Arab (Amanpour) and is a former member of the Obama administration. Clearly, Rahm is even less of a glad hander than Fenty, to put it mildly. Will sqeamish Dems cut off their noses to spite their purist faces yet again, and lose national respect and Obama momentum in the process? Can Rahm bring this one home for the more Machiavellian wing of the Democratic Party? If not, Obama is in more trouble for '12 than ever, maybe...

Any Chicagoans out there?




Oh dear, the hawtness. Beside the point completely, but still.

[Anonymous]

Um, representing Ravenswood here. Former State spokesperson Jamie Rubin is married to she-man Iranian Catholic (Persians are NOT Arabs!) Christiane Amanpour not Rahmbo-- he's married to Amy Rule.

I hate Rahm, his potty mouth and his chopped-off finger.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:Just as the DC race was a referendum on tolerance of sweeping reform and the centrist face of the Democratic party, will the Chicago race reflect similar values? Or will the same provincialism that brought down Fenty here refuse to vote for an "in your face Jewish guy who is married to an Arab (Amanpour) and is a former member of the Obama administration. Clearly, Rahm is even less of a glad hander than Fenty, to put it mildly. Will sqeamish Dems cut off their noses to spite their purist faces yet again, and lose national respect and Obama momentum in the process? Can Rahm bring this one home for the more Machiavellian wing of the Democratic Party? If not, Obama is in more trouble for '12 than ever, maybe...

Any Chicagoans out there?

LOL! I think your errors per word may have set a new record. Is there anything you got right?

Fenty wanted to be a one man show and give the finger to everyone else -- especially those who had previously supported him. The fact that he got the finger right back should be no surprise. If anything, Chicago is a city in which coalition-building and an ability to satisfy various stakeholders is even more important. But, Rahm is the master of the inside job. Almost the anti-Fenty. And, I fail to see the connection of the Chicago mayoral race to Obama's momentum. Unless the mayor of Chicago has some miraculous control over the economy, the position will be meaningless to momentum. On the other hand, if Rahm can get the dead to vote as dependably as the first Mayor Daley, that could be important come election time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Um, representing Ravenswood here. Former State spokesperson Jamie Rubin is married to she-man Iranian Catholic (Persians are NOT Arabs!) Christiane Amanpour not Rahmbo-- he's married to Amy Rule.

I hate Rahm, his potty mouth and his chopped-off finger.

Lol. You're right. My mistake.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just as the DC race was a referendum on tolerance of sweeping reform and the centrist face of the Democratic party, will the Chicago race reflect similar values? Or will the same provincialism that brought down Fenty here refuse to vote for an "in your face Jewish guy who is married to an Arab (Amanpour) and is a former member of the Obama administration. Clearly, Rahm is even less of a glad hander than Fenty, to put it mildly. Will sqeamish Dems cut off their noses to spite their purist faces yet again, and lose national respect and Obama momentum in the process? Can Rahm bring this one home for the more Machiavellian wing of the Democratic Party? If not, Obama is in more trouble for '12 than ever, maybe...

Any Chicagoans out there?

LOL! I think your errors per word may have set a new record. Is there anything you got right?

Fenty wanted to be a one man show and give the finger to everyone else -- especially those who had previously supported him. The fact that he got the finger right back should be no surprise. If anything, Chicago is a city in which coalition-building and an ability to satisfy various stakeholders is even more important. But, Rahm is the master of the inside job. Almost the anti-Fenty. And, I fail to see the connection of the Chicago mayoral race to Obama's momentum. Unless the mayor of Chicago has some miraculous control over the economy, the position will be meaningless to momentum. On the other hand, if Rahm can get the dead to vote as dependably as the first Mayor Daley, that could be important come election time.

You don't see any association between Rahm and Obama? You'd rather see a Republican get the slot?

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:
You don't see any association between Rahm and Obama? You'd rather see a Republican get the slot?

I think Rahm wins or loses on his own. Unless Obama campaigns for him I don't see any connection. The election is non-partisan and there is no primary. If Rahm doesn't win, it will be another Democrat. Republicans have about as much chance in Chicago as they do in DC.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just as the DC race was a referendum on tolerance of sweeping reform and the centrist face of the Democratic party, will the Chicago race reflect similar values? Or will the same provincialism that brought down Fenty here refuse to vote for an "in your face Jewish guy who is married to an Arab (Amanpour) and is a former member of the Obama administration. Clearly, Rahm is even less of a glad hander than Fenty, to put it mildly. Will sqeamish Dems cut off their noses to spite their purist faces yet again, and lose national respect and Obama momentum in the process? Can Rahm bring this one home for the more Machiavellian wing of the Democratic Party? If not, Obama is in more trouble for '12 than ever, maybe...

Any Chicagoans out there?

LOL! I think your errors per word may have set a new record. Is there anything you got right?

Fenty wanted to be a one man show and give the finger to everyone else -- especially those who had previously supported him. The fact that he got the finger right back should be no surprise. If anything, Chicago is a city in which coalition-building and an ability to satisfy various stakeholders is even more important. But, Rahm is the master of the inside job. Almost the anti-Fenty. And, I fail to see the
connection of the Chicago mayoral race to Obama's momentum. Unless the mayor of Chicago has some miraculous control over the economy, the position will be meaningless to momentum. On the other hand, if Rahm can get the dead to vote as dependably as the first
Mayor Daley, that could be important come election time.

Ok. Hmm. He is the Anti-fenty. Interesting.

[Anonymous]

Isn't the Democratic Primary for Chicago Mayor on February 22, 2011?

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:Isn't the Democratic Primary for Chicago Mayor on February 22, 2011?

That is the date of the non-partisan general election. There is no primary. If no candidate wins a majority, there will be a run-off of the top two candidates.

[Anonymous]

Thanks. By majority, 50% + 1?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks. By majority, 50% + 1?

I'm not an expert on Chicago politics, but "majority" generally means over 50%, which, to split a hair (or a voter) could be 50% plus 1/2, if there are an odd number of voters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks. By majority, 50% + 1?

I'm not an expert on Chicago politics, but "majority" generally means over 50%, which, to split a hair (or a voter) could be 50% plus 1/2, if there are an odd number of voters.

I think the PP was trying to discern whether a plurality or a minimum plurality would suffice. As a pp stated, Chicago has a runoff if a majority is not reached.

The importance of this is that a plurality election (such as the one that brought Jesse Ventura into the governorship in Minnesota) often allows a contentious candidate to get to office. But in an electoral system with a runoff, the candidate with the most votes in round 1 can get squashed as voters coalesce around the #2 candidate in the runoff.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:
I think the PP was trying to discern whether a plurality or a minimum plurality would suffice. As a pp stated, Chicago has a runoff if a majority is not reached.

A majority is required to avoid a runoff. A majority is more than half the votes.

[Anonymous]

Is he eligible to run for mayor. One must be a resident one year preceding the election. He has lived in Washington, DC the last two years. And, his home in Chicago was rented. So, that might be a problem for Rahm.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:Is he eligible to run for mayor. One must be a resident one year preceding the election. He has lived in Washington, DC the last two years. And, his home in Chicago was rented. So, that might be a problem for Rahm.

Yes, Rahm is a little confused about geography. He recorded a video for his website saying it was good to be home. The video was recorded in an office in Washington, DC.