Sunday, March 24, 2019

Preckwinkle promised Rahm she wouldn't run against him. She kept her word.

Chicago's progressive movement, unified for a short time around the Sanders campaign, has become badly divided during current mayoral election. 
Well, the split amongst progressives over (of all things) the Chicago mayor's race, is now complete and likely irreparable. The unity that was built behind the Bernie Sanders campaign in 2016 has been obliterated. It's way past the point now where Humpty Dumpty can be put back together after the election. The FBI's '60s Operation COINTELPRO couldn't have done a better job of creating disunity by spreading lies and disinformation.

It culminated at a south side Preckwinkle rally yesterday organized by vestiges of the old political machine and Rahm Emanuel supporters who four years ago pushed the anti-Chuy vote in the black community, that carried Rahm to victory. Can they do it again? It's possible. I've been sceptical of polls showing a Lightfoot blowout. Overconfidence is the worst enemy of any political campaign. Ask Hillary Clinton.

The worst of the bunch, I'm sad to say, was old friend, Cong. Bobby Rush, who accused Lori Lightfoot of being "pro-police" and suggested more black people would be killed at the hands of cops if she’s elected.

A week earlier, it took 19 hours before Preckwinkle repudiated the mass distribution of hateful, anti-LGBTQ flyers at southside churches. Her followers (except for a small few) remained silent on that one.

Rush, who backed Rahm Emanuel last time around and endorsed Bill Daley in the February election, is now blaming potential Lightfoot voters for the city's string of police murders. His repulsive comments drew cheers from many lefty Toni supporters.
"Everyone who votes for Lori, the blood of the next young black man or black woman who is killed by the police is on your hands,” claimed Rush. 
I'm waiting to see if Toni and her supporters repudiate that absurd claim. Don't hold your breath. Things have gone to far.

Preckwinkle & Burke
Rahm backer and old party warhorse,  Secretary of State Jesse White compared Lightfoot to Republicans former Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner and Donald Trump. How ironic since he and all the above can be tied to old party boss Joe Berrios and indicted Ald. Eddie Burke.

Burke worked for Trump for 12 years, persuading Cook County officials like Berrios, to cut the property taxes on the president’s namesake downtown skyscraper by a total of more than $14 million.

Burke and his wife Anne raised more that $116K for Preckwinkle, which she reluctantly returned after Burke was indicted. She took care of Burke's son, and, as president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, gave the son of Burke a $100,000-a-year county job at taxpayer expense.

Remember, it was Preckwinkle who cut her deal with Rahm back in 2014, promising him that she wouldn't enter the race for mayor against him.
Emanuel has said Preckwinkle told him privately earlier this year that she wouldn’t run for mayor, a point Emanuel made Wednesday when asked whether he was concerned about her as an opponent. “I trust her when she’s said multiple times that she’s not running,” Emanuel said. “I think she’s a person of her word.”  — Bill Ruthhart in the Trib 
She kept her word.

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