Chicago Megathread: With CTU on strike, Lightfoot lays out her budget

[Mr. Illini]

I think Obama if they endorse I think they would endorse Prickenwitle as she was the one who started his political career in 96 even though they had a rift or else he would vote Meldoza

I think there is a decent chance he does not endorse, but if he does, I expect him to endorse Preckwinkle. Despite the rift, Obama endorsed her for re-election in 2018.

Obama and Mendoza don't have any sort of history.

[Mr. Illini]

I think Obama if they endorse I think they would endorse Prickenwitle as she was the one who started his political career in 96 even though they had a rift or else he would vote Meldoza

I think there is a decent chance he does not endorse, but if he does, I expect him to endorse Preckwinkle. Despite the rift, Obama endorsed her for re-election in 2018.

Obama and Mendoza don't have any sort of history.

or maybe Daley if Preckwinkle didn't run

Yes, certainly. In fact, he may wait until a runoff to endorse Preckwinkle to avoid snubbing Daley (assuming the runoff if not Preckwinkle vs Daley).

[Mr. Illini]

the "Republican" in the race is not Daley, and certainly not Wilson. Daley stands for the interests of the city's wealthy elite, but that's not synonymous with Republicans, especially in Chicago -- it's more or less a lot of the same people who backed Rahm. The candidates who are actively attempting to court Republicans (appearing at GOP events, targeting GOP voters, etc) are Joyce, Fioretti, Kozlar, McCarthy and Vallas, the latter two of whom are the most serious. Vallas, hilariously, showed up at my college's College Republicans meeting, and recently received the endorsement of Bruce Rauner. McCarthy, meanwhile, is pursuing the votes of every cop in the city

if you're a Republican in Chicago, you're probably voting for McCarthy if you're one of the northwest side Republicans, and Vallas if you're one of the rich Republicans who wants to privatize every function of city government. Also a decent chance of voting for Joyce or Kozlar, depending on neighborhood ties (southwest side for the former, Canaryville for the latter). No idea who's voting for Fioretti, but someone is lmao

I was speaking more so in terms of preferred policy as opposed to courting actual Republicans. Going to Republican events etc is a waste of time in this city - they do not represent a serious voting bloc. On the other hand, there are candidates whose policies are more conservative than others. Daley has openly said he wants to amend the IL Constitution to make it so the state can go back and reduce the pensions of those who have already worked. He stated that he did not favor a progressive income tax in Illinois (Vallas says he does, Fioretti and McCarthy also say no).

[Mr. Illini]

Lightfoot is probably my preferred candidate overall, but I'll only vote for her if Preckwinkle seems guaranteed one of the runoff spots -- if there's any real potential of a Mendoza-Daley runoff, I'll vote for Preckwinkle.

I'm taking the same approach at this point. The ironic point is that Lightfoot could be a factor in forcing Preckwinkle out of the runoff. She is aiming for the same coalition that Preckwinkle is - the Harold Washington coalition of African Americans plus white reformist liberals on the north side. Mendoza is shooting for a coalition of Latino residents plus WWC workers on the far NW and SW sides. Daley hopes to peel off enough of the north side whites + Latinos (his brother's coalition).

[Mr. Illini]

the "Republican" in the race is not Daley, and certainly not Wilson. Daley stands for the interests of the city's wealthy elite, but that's not synonymous with Republicans, especially in Chicago -- it's more or less a lot of the same people who backed Rahm. The candidates who are actively attempting to court Republicans (appearing at GOP events, targeting GOP voters, etc) are Joyce, Fioretti, Kozlar, McCarthy and Vallas, the latter two of whom are the most serious. Vallas, hilariously, showed up at my college's College Republicans meeting, and recently received the endorsement of Bruce Rauner. McCarthy, meanwhile, is pursuing the votes of every cop in the city

if you're a Republican in Chicago, you're probably voting for McCarthy if you're one of the northwest side Republicans, and Vallas if you're one of the rich Republicans who wants to privatize every function of city government. Also a decent chance of voting for Joyce or Kozlar, depending on neighborhood ties (southwest side for the former, Canaryville for the latter). No idea who's voting for Fioretti, but someone is lmao

What do you mean "certainly not Wilson"? Rauner praised Wilson on multiple occasions. Also, Rauner did not only endorse Vallas. He said he thought Vallas or Wilson would make the best Mayor. Whether or not Wilson is actively courting Republicans, he's certainly a candidate that appeals to Republicans.

Also, re:your next comment, Eniya is a complete non factor who will finish like 12th, and I would certainly add Mendoza is a progressive liberal.

No, she is certainly not. She has fallen in line with Madigan and the rest of the machine every step of the way. She cites Madigan and Ed Burke as her mentors. She is no reformist nor progressive.

[Mr. Illini]

the "Republican" in the race is not Daley, and certainly not Wilson. Daley stands for the interests of the city's wealthy elite, but that's not synonymous with Republicans, especially in Chicago -- it's more or less a lot of the same people who backed Rahm. The candidates who are actively attempting to court Republicans (appearing at GOP events, targeting GOP voters, etc) are Joyce, Fioretti, Kozlar, McCarthy and Vallas, the latter two of whom are the most serious. Vallas, hilariously, showed up at my college's College Republicans meeting, and recently received the endorsement of Bruce Rauner. McCarthy, meanwhile, is pursuing the votes of every cop in the city

if you're a Republican in Chicago, you're probably voting for McCarthy if you're one of the northwest side Republicans, and Vallas if you're one of the rich Republicans who wants to privatize every function of city government. Also a decent chance of voting for Joyce or Kozlar, depending on neighborhood ties (southwest side for the former, Canaryville for the latter). No idea who's voting for Fioretti, but someone is lmao

What do you mean "certainly not Wilson"? Rauner praised Wilson on multiple occasions. Also, Rauner did not only endorse Vallas. He said he thought Vallas or Wilson would make the best Mayor. Whether or not Wilson is actively courting Republicans, he's certainly a candidate that appeals to Republicans.

Also, re:your next comment, Eniya is a complete non factor who will finish like 12th, and I would certainly add Mendoza is a progressive liberal.

No, she is certainly not. She has fallen in line with Madigan and the rest of the machine every step of the way. She cites Madigan and Ed Burke as her mentors. She is no reformist nor progressive.

What kind of metric is that? You don't necessarily have to be a reformist to be a progressive or liberal. Preckwinkle, for example, is also a machine politician... and is far more dependent on her machine ties than Mendoza (Mendoza actually has a strong personal brand at this point. Without her machine ties Preckwinkle would have no hope of making the runoff.)

Preckwinkle actually has a record of progressive opposition. As alderman, she voted many times against Daley's budgets. One time, she was the only one to do so. As Board President, she has made significant investments in criminal justice reform and restorative justice/recidivism reduction programs. She has a strong record on affordable housing. She opposed the parking meter deal. She pushed for weed decriminalization. She opposed Rahm on the school closings.

Preckwinkle has certainly made friends with certain individuals in order to avoid conflict with those individuals, but that is trumped by her progressive record. What is Mendoza's progressive record?

[Mr. Illini]

the "Republican" in the race is not Daley, and certainly not Wilson. Daley stands for the interests of the city's wealthy elite, but that's not synonymous with Republicans, especially in Chicago -- it's more or less a lot of the same people who backed Rahm. The candidates who are actively attempting to court Republicans (appearing at GOP events, targeting GOP voters, etc) are Joyce, Fioretti, Kozlar, McCarthy and Vallas, the latter two of whom are the most serious. Vallas, hilariously, showed up at my college's College Republicans meeting, and recently received the endorsement of Bruce Rauner. McCarthy, meanwhile, is pursuing the votes of every cop in the city

if you're a Republican in Chicago, you're probably voting for McCarthy if you're one of the northwest side Republicans, and Vallas if you're one of the rich Republicans who wants to privatize every function of city government. Also a decent chance of voting for Joyce or Kozlar, depending on neighborhood ties (southwest side for the former, Canaryville for the latter). No idea who's voting for Fioretti, but someone is lmao

What do you mean "certainly not Wilson"? Rauner praised Wilson on multiple occasions. Also, Rauner did not only endorse Vallas. He said he thought Vallas or Wilson would make the best Mayor. Whether or not Wilson is actively courting Republicans, he's certainly a candidate that appeals to Republicans.

Also, re:your next comment, Eniya is a complete non factor who will finish like 12th, and I would certainly add Mendoza is a progressive liberal.

No, she is certainly not. She has fallen in line with Madigan and the rest of the machine every step of the way. She cites Madigan and Ed Burke as her mentors. She is no reformist nor progressive.

What kind of metric is that? You don't necessarily have to be a reformist to be a progressive or liberal. Preckwinkle, for example, is also a machine politician... and is far more dependent on her machine ties than Mendoza (Mendoza actually has a strong personal brand at this point. Without her machine ties Preckwinkle would have no hope of making the runoff.)

Preckwinkle actually has a record of progressive opposition. As alderman, she voted many times against Daley's budgets. One time, she was the only one to do so. As Board President, she has made significant investments in criminal justice reform and restorative justice/recidivism reduction programs. She has a strong record on affordable housing. She opposed the parking meter deal.

Preckwinkle has certainly made friends with certain individuals in order to avoid conflict with those individuals, but that is trumped by her progressive record. What is Mendoza's progressive record?

Well, she supported moving to a progressive income tax system and raising the minimum wage. Opposing Madigan is just political suicide, especially if you're a state representative.

I want to be clear I'm not against Preckwinkle or disagreeing that she's a solid progressive. I just can't see her as being that different on the issues from Mendoza, and I really can't see her being more of an outsider.

Preckwinkle favors the progressive income tax and has been calling for a $15 minimum wage for some time.

I think you're off base here. Preckwinkle is considered to be more progressive than Mendoza.

Also, to circle back to the earlier point, it is very difficult to be considered a progressive if you're tied up with the machine. Ironically, Preckwinkle is probably the best example of it. Mendoza is more tied up than anyone else (save maybe Chico) - she got married at Ed Burke's house, for cryin out loud. We're not just talking about national political issues here. Locally, reform is part of the progressive platform.

[Mr. Illini]

A new Sun Times/We Ask America poll shows Preckwinkle narrowly leading the pack ahead of Daley with a large share of respondents still undecided.

However, in head to head match ups against Mendoza and Daley, Preckwinkle loses both.

https://www.scribd.com/document/398217562/Sun-Times-Chicago-Mayoral-Jan-2019-Draft

[Mr. Illini]

voted for Lightfoot

And Ameya?

[Mr. Illini]

Laura Ricketts backs Mendoza, to co-chair campaign despite brother's financial support of Daley

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-met-laura-ricketts-susana-mendoza-20190131-story.html

I don't get it. I really do not see the appeal of Mendoza.

[Mr. Illini]

Preckwrinkle will be the next mayor, her time as County Commissioner was a reformed effort that ended the Stroger corruption. She will root out corruption in Chicago.

I really want to think that, but why did she endorse Berrios? Why did she cuddle up to Burke?

[Mr. Illini]

The Sun Times endorses Lori Lightfoot

https://bit.ly/2TF5Asf

She still probably has no chance, but I love it anyway.

[Mr. Illini]

Republican mega-donor drops big money on Daley

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-met-ken-griffin-bill-dailey-donation-20190212-story.html

[Mr. Illini]

It doesn't matter in any meaningful way, obviously, but I'd interested in hearing why a lot of lefties appear to support Lori Lightningbolt over Amara.

I like Amara, but I don't want an expanded sales tax (regressive) or a city income tax.

Lightfoot, Enyia, and Preckwinkle are my top three, but Lightfoot aligns with me on essentially every issue.

[Mr. Illini]

Chicago Tribune endorses Daley.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-chicago-mayor-endorse-20190210-story.html

Just another year of getting it wrong. I'm sure they were disappointed Gary Johnson couldn't run for mayor.

[Mr. Illini]

Only a Daley can fix Chicago.

Idk what this means. The last Daley got us into the position we are now financially.

[Mr. Illini]

It doesn't matter in any meaningful way, obviously, but I'd interested in hearing why a lot of lefties appear to support Lori Lightningbolt over Amara.

I like Amara, but I don't want an expanded sales tax (regressive) or a city income tax.

Lightfoot, Enyia, and Preckwinkle are my top three, but Lightfoot aligns with me on essentially every issue.

What's going on in the Treasurer race? I'm not going to do so much as insinuate that I know anything of the dynamics of the contest or even what the position actually entails, but Pawar is lovely and I want to see him shine.

It is tough to gauge how it is going to shake out on election night given that polling is non-existent. Conyears-Ervin has gotten a lot of labor support. Pawar has the support of some labor and a lot of local progressive congresspeople - Chuy, Gutierrez, Quigley, etc. Pawar got the papers' endorsements as well if they mean anything.

Fingers crossed. Ameya could do so much good if he wins, but Chicagoans rarely make the right choice, so I won't be optimistic until I see he has won.

[Mr. Illini]

NBC Poll:

Preckwinkle 14%

Daley 13%

Mendoza 12%

Lightfoot 10%

Chico 9%

Enyia 7%

Undecided 19%

https://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/nbc-5-telemundo-chicago-mayor-race-poll-505857991.html

[Mr. Illini]

Good lord this is going down to the wire, what are the chances Lightfoot gets in?

It's Chicago, so we will probably end up with a Daley-Chico match up or some garbage like that

[Mr. Illini]

The firefighters union joined FOP in endorsing Ed Burke in the 14th, despite his pending extortion indictment.

You just can't make the stuff up.

https://scontent-ort2-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/52087561_347443129315490_2334158332731850752_n.jpg?_nc_cat=110&_nc_ht=scontent-ort2-2.xx&oh=59b8638984ee255eb9790fd31f376e38&oe=5CF613F0

[Mr. Illini]

Lightfoot picks up endorsements of Rep. Robin Kelly, David Orr, and Dick Simpson

https://abc7chicago.com/politics/lori-lighfoot-picks-up-endorsements-in-week-before-mayoral-election-/5147724/

I try not to get my hopes up, but it never works

[Mr. Illini]

I hope its a Preckwickle/Mendoza or Preckwickle/Lightfoot runoff.

How about hoping it's Lightfoot/Mendoza instead of having Preckwinkle in?

I'd rather the person that got married at Ed Burke's house be eliminated ASAP

[Mr. Illini]

Preckwinkle cuts ties with top aide after Facebook post comparing Lightfoot to nazis

https://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/toni-preckwinkle-top-aide-scott-cisek-nazi-facebook-post-506208851.html

[Mr. Illini]

Willie Wilson was endorsed by the Cook County GOP.

Still think he's not going to get the most Republican support, sjoyce?

Yes? the Cook County GOP is mostly run by cranks, not sure why you think they matter

My favorite thing about the endorsement being reported in the news is that many people were genuinely surprised to hear that a Cook County GOP exists.

[Mr. Illini]

Joyce volunteers were handing out literature to mass goers following this evening's service (which I found distasteful) and a lot of folks in the crowd were expressing support. Interesting, considering that I don't live on the far NW/SW sides, though I do know Joyce is a Catholic, which could be it.