After all he passed up Dorothy Brown.
It took me a bit to stop laughing. I pointed out in comments Meeks called her a loser (and since apologized), but the larger thing is that no one of any import in Illinois is going to endorse someone against Daley unless someone like Jackson Jr. ran.
Frankly, I’m more annoyed when Costello gets endorsed, but I’m alone on that for the most part. I’ve never believed in the purity notion that someone cannot have anything to do with someone under investigation in a political party. In Illinois there wouldn’t be much of a political party on either side.
The caterwauling over this and the Stroger endorsement kind of crack me up. I’m not a fan of Todd or his father, but endorsing a member of your party is hardly earth shattering behavior. I find the Giannoulis endorsement the dumbest move, but then again Alexi won and the first signs are promising.
We have people who are pure in who they back and we call them Greens, Constitution Law Party Members and Libertarians. Good for them.
Arch,
Can you direct me to the coverage of Obama’s endorsement of his party’s candidate fore Governor in 2006?
OK, his party, his mayor. But how do you rationalize his behavior in the 2006 Dem primary vis-a-vis carpetbagger Duckworth ($upport) and reformer Claypool (nada)?
Well, seeing how the Daley does not endorse candidates and yet did so for Obama, I would think Obama endorsing Daley is only fitting.
An edorsement by Daley is rare and he can deliver alot of support to who is endorsed. And the big money in Chicago. Candidates from all over wish for his endorsement and what he can do to help.
I would think if Obama did not thank daley by endorsing him it would be a slap in the face.
Obama punted on endorsing someone in the Cook County President primary, which was the politically intelligent thing to do. Why would he risk alienating Stroger, pre-stroke? Even if Claypool had won, Stroger would remain a powerful figure, assuming he didn’t have the stroke (which happened only a few days before the election). Had he endorsed Stroger over Claypool, it would have looked as sleezy as some would have you believe that endorsing Toddler over Periaca is. It’s a tough choice to make, and he had already pissed off some of the state establishment by endorsing Giannolias over whoever Madigan wanted.
As far as Duckworth went, he jumped on the bandwagon, and tried to help her. Obama wasn’t the only one who thought she had a better chance of victory than Cegelis, with the support she got from Durbin and Rahm.
What’s Obama do if Daley gets indicted? That would have given me pause on endorsement.
===But how do you rationalize his behavior in the 2006 Dem primary vis-a-vis carpetbagger Duckworth ($upport) and reformer Claypool (nada)?
I was disappointed about his actions with Claypool as was Zorn. I don’t think he’s perfect.
On Duckworth I agreed with him and in the effort to not reopen old wounds with many friends on the other side of that race, that’s all I’m going to say.
I think Claypool and Giannoulis were both mistakes (though Alexi could prove me wrong). I can see the political logic in both, but I still think he was wrong.