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| Preckwinkle won't disappear just because … |
Not
only does she retain her Cook County Board presidential post if she loses, she
also remains as chairwoman of the Cook County Democratic Party.
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| … Lightfoot manages to become mayor |
MEANING
IF LIGHTFOOT does manage to prevail in the April 2 run-off election, she’d have
to deal with Preckwinkle as competition on two fronts. And with “Boss” Toni as
party chair, she’d have to be capable of showing some sort of respect toward
her.
Unless
she literally wants to have the party hacks all ganging up on her mayorality in
ways that would be reminiscent of the Harold Washington era. Because for all
the symbolism of being the city’s first black mayor, it could be argued that he
didn’t accomplish much of lasting value because of how early into a second term
he died.
If
anything, the Washington era was historic for the way in which the city got bogged
down in partisan (as in racial) politics; it wasn’t a big plus for Chicago.
That
doesn’t necessarily mean I’m saying Toni Preckwinkle is going to turn into some
version of Edward R. Vrdolyak; going out of his way to thwart anything that
Harold Washington tried to accomplish as mayor.
BUT
THIS IS partisan politics. Anybody who thinks they’re going to “get tough” with
Toni by having a symbolic Lightfoot smack her around ought to accept that she’s
just as capable of fighting back.
And
not just with her first campaign advertising spot – the one that basically
implies she’s a “corporate lawyer” with ties to Republican politicos.
Personally,
I’m not sure what to think of Lightfoot. Other than the fact she has been a
federal prosecutorial-type and one-time Police Board member, she doesn’t have a
government background to run on.
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| Could we get partisan brawl reminiscent of 80s? |
Which
allows many of the people currently backing her (including many of the North Lakefront
types) capable of defining her to their desires – not necessarily by who she
really is.
WE
COULD WIND up very surprised by what a Lightfoot mayorality turns into. Whereas
I’m inclined to think that a Preckwinkle mayorality is exactly who she has been
during her time as an alderman from Hyde Park and as a county board president.
I’m
thinking these thoughts based on a recent poll I saw – the results of which say
that Lightfoot is leading Preckwinkle by roughly a 2-1 voter margin. As in this
election could turn into a butt-whuppin’ of the sorts that Daleys usually
administered throughout the years to the people who had the nerve to challenge
them.
But
it is early in the process. We still have nearly a month for various factors to
come into play for people to make up their minds – particularly since the
election last week showed two-thirds of those who voted didn’t want either
Lightfoot or Preckwinkle as mayor.
Meaning
I’m not sure what we should be thinking in terms of which of these two is the
front-runner.
THERE
ARE THOSE who think that some establishment types, particularly those who
wanted William Daley to be in the run-off election running will back
Preckwinkle. Because, or so the thinking goes, that one of the people who’d be
in the running to replace her as county president would be John Daley.
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| Could there be a Daley family win? |
As
in a Daley brother – and another son of the one-time mayor Richard J. – the last
person who was both mayor and party chairman simultaneously. The real
establishment types would have wanted a “Mayor” Daley, but may settle for having
the county board presidency.
Of
course, the thought of that happening may well scare some voters into picking
Lightfoot just so that the Preckwinkle post doesn’t become vacant for another
Daley to have.
Which
could result in Chicago politics becoming a Lightfoot/Preckwinkle brawl between
mayoral opponents for the next month, and between “Mayor Lori” and “Boss Toni” for
the next four years!
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