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Media Mon Sep 14 2009
The Mechanics Round-Up
To catch you up on last week--crossposted from Chicago Now.
His Elective Majesty, Mayor Richard M. Daley, of Ithaka Chicago
--Alfred, Lord Tennyson
It little profits that an idle Mayor,
by this over-priced park, among these barren potholes,
match'd with a rubber stamp Council,
I mete and dole unequal laws unto a savage race
that hoard and sleep and feed and know not me.
- ...so, in other words, the Tribune reported that Mayor Daley has the lowest approval rating of his career. He blames it on the economy. I blame it on his not doing things that earn people's approval.
- Meanwhile, the City Council--unbelievably, given the above, which anybody could have explained to them if they listened to anybody--unanimously voted to give the Mayor a blank check for the Olympics, with some minor transparency concessions--that would still let the Mayor do whatever he wanted, but would force us to watch him while he did it. Gross.
- Former City Inspector General David Hoffman officially announced his bid for the US Senate. His clerkships for right-wing judges are easily explainable, and his pledge to not accept corporate PAC or lobbyist money goes pretty far.
- Former Blagojevich fundraiser Christopher Kelly was found dead this weekend. It is suspected that an overdose, and suicide, was the cause of death. The cost of corruption.
- Over at Mechanics, we challenge the conventional wisdom that laying off state workers is a way to solve our budget problems.
- Republicans need to try to build the perfect candidate for governor.
- The Cook County Democratic Party is not making an endorsement for Cook County Board President--though they endorsed Giannoulias for the Senate seat, and Quinn for the Governor's office--and this brought no end to the glee of one former aspirant to that seat. Some inside stories from the slating committee meeting, and some made up ones, too.
- The Trib's Eric Zorn cruelly (or thankfully, depending how you look at it) blogs Blago's book.