Rahm Emanuel: Mayor of Chicago?

[DukeNukeEm]

"But if Mayor Daley doesn't [run for reelection], one day I would like to run for mayor of the city of Chicago," Emanuel said. "That's always been an aspiration of mine even when I was in the House of Representatives."

 

LINK

 

I'd vote for him.

[BigSqwert]

From one total douche to another.

[HuskyCaucasian]

I wouldnt mind seeing a republican mayor... yea, you heard me say it.

[GoSox05]

Both suck.

[southsider2k5]

Daley or Emanuel? Is death an option?

[NorthSideSox72]

Daley has overseen a Chicago government that is highly corrupt. But that said, I think people here are ignoring two huge things.

 

1. The city gov't in Chicago was just as corrupt, probably more so, before Daley.

 

2. Corrupt or not, Daley has been a highly effective mayor, and helped Chicago go through a 20 year renaissance as a city that few other US cities have ever seen. He's been very, very good for the city, overall.

 

[Balta1701]

2. Corrupt or not, Daley has been a highly effective mayor, and helped Chicago go through a 20 year renaissance as a city that few other US cities have ever seen. He's been very, very good for the city, overall.

Which is why everyone sort of ignores the corruption.

[lostfan]

http://www.theonion.com/articles/city-of-c...t-progra,17140/

[Heads22]

It took Blago to make Chicago corruption seem cute in comparison.

[southsider2k5]

Daley has overseen a Chicago government that is highly corrupt. But that said, I think people here are ignoring two huge things.

 

1. The city gov't in Chicago was just as corrupt, probably more so, before Daley.

 

2. Corrupt or not, Daley has been a highly effective mayor, and helped Chicago go through a 20 year renaissance as a city that few other US cities have ever seen. He's been very, very good for the city, overall.

 

Yeah, it was the legacy his dad left...

 

Its also very questionable if Daley would have been half of the Mayor that he was if he didn't have his machine in place, and a part of that is corruption.

[Texsox]

Yeah, it was the legacy his dad left...

 

Its also very questionable if Daley would have been half of the Mayor that he was if he didn't have his machine in place, and a part of that is corruption.

 

The machine and the man is one.

[CanOfCorn]

Daley has overseen a Chicago government that is highly corrupt. But that said, I think people here are ignoring two huge things.

 

1. The city gov't in Chicago was just as corrupt, probably more so, before Daley.

 

2. Corrupt or not, Daley has been a highly effective mayor, and helped Chicago go through a 20 year renaissance as a city that few other US cities have ever seen. He's been very, very good for the city, overall.

 

The city of Chicago has been corrupt...well...for a very long time. The last "non-corrupt" mayor was probably Bilandic and he barely made it out of his term. Byrne was trying...but didn't get anywhere...and then the fun began.

[farmteam]

Which is why everyone sort of ignores the corruption.

 

This. I understand all the arguments in principle, but often I'm tempted to like a corrupt government that gets stuff done more than a less-corrupt one that gets nothing done.

[Y2HH]

It's debatable how good Daley was for Chicago.

 

While the city is pretty -- it's crime rate has never been so high -- including a skyrocketing murder rate.

 

So while in one regard he succeeded, in another, he failed on a massive scale.

[NorthSideSox72]

It's debatable how good Daley was for Chicago.

 

While the city is pretty -- it's crime rate has never been so high -- including a skyrocketing murder rate.

 

So while in one regard he succeeded, in another, he failed on a massive scale.

Not even close. The crime rates even this year, are well below what they were in the 70's and 80's. Look at the homicides per year for Chicago. Its gone back up a bit in the past couple years, due to the same factors you see everywhere right now (economy), but we are still well below where we were at one time.

 

And what Daley has done for the city isn't really about crime anyway, or about beautification. Its about bringing business and jobs to the city, which he has excelled at.

 

[Y2HH]

Not even close. The crime rates even this year, are well below what they were in the 70's and 80's. Look at the homicides per year for Chicago. Its gone back up a bit in the past couple years, due to the same factors you see everywhere right now (economy), but we are still well below where we were at one time.

 

And what Daley has done for the city isn't really about crime anyway, or about beautification. Its about bringing business and jobs to the city, which he has excelled at.

 

While true, in comparison, the murder rate had dropped to an all time low around 2004 -- and has risen precipitously since. But you have to keep in mind that the murder rate has fallen everywhere (US wide), so those numbers aren't quite reflective of where we were and where we are.

 

We WERE behind New York and LA. Both cities with larger populations, no less.

 

We are now #1.

 

As for him bringing jobs -- too bad they ended up being temporary. His tax break for Boeing was nice, too. And to be fair, while these types of deals create jobs, there are many hidden costs in doing so.

 

If we were so well off, we wouldn't be selling off City assets. While these gains seem huge now, they're short sighted and small minded.

Edited April 27, 2010 by Y2HH

[Balta1701]

We WERE behind New York and LA. Both cities with larger populations, no less.

Just a note...wait until we wind up seeing the end result of what the housing bust does to L.A.

[Y2HH]

Just a note...wait until we wind up seeing the end result of what the housing bust does to L.A.

 

That's the scary part -- I tend to think that most of Chicago is more civilized than LA is. I point to the riots in the 90's for example.

 

How in the world we have a higher murder rate than they do is just unacceptable.

[NorthSideSox72]

While true, in comparison, the murder rate had dropped to an all time low around 2004 -- and has risen precipitously since. But you have to keep in mind that the murder rate has fallen everywhere (US wide), so those numbers aren't quite reflective of where we were and where we are.

 

We WERE behind New York and LA. Both cities with larger populations, no less.

 

We are now #1.

 

As for him bringing jobs -- too bad they ended up being temporary. His tax break for Boeing was nice, too.

Temporary? You really don't seem to have much historical perspective here. Chicago was a broken down, declining steel city, with major urban flight problems, as recently as the early 80's. In the 20 years after that, Chicago rose to the level of being a major global business center, to the point where many global publications called it one of the world's great cities.

 

I realize it fits your narrative nicely to think that Daley's Chicago is some sort of disaster, but that is just not remotely the case. Daley's Chicago is corrupt, just as Chicago has been corrupt since forever. But that doesn't change the fact that Daley's Chicago has been a huge success that saw a 20 year renaissance that rivaled any that any city in the US has seen in modern times. That's isn't entirely Daley, but he helped a lot.

 

[Y2HH]

Temporary? You really don't seem to have much historical perspective here. Chicago was a broken down, declining steel city, with major urban flight problems, as recently as the early 80's. In the 20 years after that, Chicago rose to the level of being a major global business center, to the point where many global publications called it one of the world's great cities.

 

I realize it fits your narrative nicely to think that Daley's Chicago is some sort of disaster, but that is just not remotely the case. Daley's Chicago is corrupt, just as Chicago has been corrupt since forever. But that doesn't change the fact that Daley's Chicago has been a huge success that saw a 20 year renaissance that rivaled any that any city in the US has seen in modern times. That's isn't entirely Daley, but he helped a lot.

 

No, you see, I didn't say that Chicago was a disaster under Daley.

 

You created that and attempted to apply it to me.

 

Now allow me to retort.

 

I said, from the start, that while Daley did many good things for this City, he's also done some VERY bad things. Ignoring corruption just because we've always been corrupt -- also unacceptable to me.

 

So is the ever rising crime rate, which is about to get a whole lost worse.

[NorthSideSox72]

No, you see, I didn't say that Chicago was a disaster under Daley.

 

You created that and attempted to apply it to me.

 

Now allow me to retort.

 

I said, from the start, that while Daley did many good things for this City, he's also done some VERY bad things. Ignoring corruption just because we've always been corrupt -- also unacceptable to me.

 

So is the ever rising crime rate, which is about to get a whole lost worse.

I don't think the crime rate is about to get a whole lot worse. I'd guess its near a level at this point.

 

Interesting related topic - have you seen the recent debate about what to do about the rising crime (which I agree is a serious problem)? You've got some state reps wanting to bring in the National Guard. Then Daley wants more gun laws. I think they're both stupid ideas that will only cause more problems.

 

[LittleHurt05]

The whole Chicago public school system is still a gigantic mess, and it doesn't seem as Daley has helped it very much. He has helped lower the urban flight, but it still is a problem due to the lack of quality education in the city.

[Balta1701]

The whole Chicago public school system is still a gigantic mess, and it doesn't seem as Daley has helped it very much. He has helped lower the urban flight, but it still is a problem due to the lack of quality education in the city.

Unfortunately...this is a problem in basically every urban area. There just isn't the money in those systems to fix them.

[Balta1701]

That's the scary part -- I tend to think that most of Chicago is more civilized than LA is. I point to the riots in the 90's for example.

 

How in the world we have a higher murder rate than they do is just unacceptable.

Civilized? That's an odd way to put it.

[Y2HH]

Civilized? That's an odd way to put it.

 

It is. But I don't think civilized people pillage, loot and riot. LA seems to have one every decade or so...just cuz.