One less rival for Rahm in mayoral race

[Freddie Stubbs]

Source: The Hill

Cook County (Ill.) Sheriff Tom Dart announced Wednesday he will not run for mayor of Chicago, becoming the fourth high-profile politician to decline to run.

All four announcements stand to benefit President Obama's former Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, who left the White House earlier this month to seek the office of mayor, which is being vacated by six-term Mayor Richard Daley (D).

The sheriff said that he could not balance running for mayor and raising his family, saying "I just just couldn't do both."

Dart's decision comes after Reps. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) and Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) all chose to stay out of the race. The announcements are a sign the field is clearing for Emanuel to become the front-runner in the race.

Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/126075-fourth-potential-contender-declines-run-for-chicago-mayor

[polichick]

1. Has the question about Rahm's residency been answered - has he been...

...cleared to run?

[Hassin Bin Sober]

4. How can that even be an issue? He was my local congressman who took a job in D.C.

He still owns a home here.

I'm not a big fan of the guy but this seems like a silly issue.

[polichick]

7. Wasn't it a technicality - that he had to reside in Chicago for some time...

...prior to the election? Owning a home there wasn't the same. That's how I recall the situation.

[KamaAina]

17. Apparently he had to have a home that he could occupy

but he rented his out, so that he had no place in Chicago he could use as even a part-time residencwe while he was in DC.

[No Elephants]

20. He hasn't been a Congressman for a good while. He may still legally be a Chicago resident but

it's not a silly issue. Having a home somewhere is not dispositive, either. Many people have homes in more than one jurisdiction.

Question is, at some point, did his D. C. home become his primary residence?

My guess is no-- His primary residence is still in Chicago, but I'm only guessing. Even if you and I are guessing right, doesn't mean raising the question is silly. It's a valid question. It's usually pretty easy to resolve, too.


The residency question was raised when Romney ran in Massachusetts for Governor after (according to him) "saving the Olympics" in Utah. IMO, Massachusetts was wrong to clear that smarmy turd, but that's another topic.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

2. Looks like it's Rahm.

[joeybee12]

3. I'm sure they were all "asked" to leave the race nicely...

Good luck with rahm the idiot, Chicago!

[Hassin Bin Sober]

5. Probably more of the same.

I don't know how it can get any worse than Daley. Rahm will probably continue to sell off the commons and treat the citizens as fine-bots.

Of course, we all know the five most dangerous words: It can't get any worse.

[armodem08]

15. Or: So what? It's not me. n/t.

[nc4bo]

6. Well alrighty then...

Like someone sneaking a silent but deadly in a crowded room. The room sure cleared out quick!

[madrchsod]

8. it`s looking like daley and madigan have given rahm the key to the kingdom

so goes chicago so goes the state of illinois

[Hassin Bin Sober]

9. Was there any doubt when Rahm conveniently floated his trial balloon?

[madrchsod]

12. i was hoping but yes, there was`t any doubt he`d be blessed

[JAbuchan08]

10. Did he find a horse head in his bed? n/t

[No Elephants]

21. So what if he did? Rahm find a horse's ass in his bed first thing every morning.

Never seems to make him back off from anything.

[alcibiades_mystery]

11. "Dart's decision comes after Reps. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) and Jesse Jackson"

Look at all the DUers above getting snowed by this laughable story.

Dart didn't have a fucking prayer in a million of being elected. It would be a little like Bernie Kerik running for Mayor of New York while he was running Rikers. Wasn't gonna happen.

Quiggley was Rahm's handpicked successor for the 5th District. He's been in Congress less than two years. Not a chance he would run either as a matter of personal loyalty or prospects for winning.

Guitierrez is my Congressman for the 4th District. I haven't even seen his name mentioned as a mayoral possibility, and I would have noticed, as I've met the man a number of times. In any case, his prospects for winning a city-wide race would be dismal for a number of reasons. The guy likes his job. I could see him making a Senate run perhaps in 10 years if he has state party backing, but he wasn't even on radar for mayor.

Jesse Jackson Jr.? After the Blago catastrophe? Come on. That's ridiculous.

So, basically what this writer has done is very simple: he's strung together a bunch of people who were never running, and tacked that on the Dart, who had no chance of winning, and the insinuation is that it's all very dirty, etc. This is total bullshit. Sad to see DUers so easily manipulated by the media on this.

[murielm99]

13. Finally, we hear from a Chicagoan who understands it.

But he does have to have Daley and Madigan's blessings, too. Madigan is probably one of the most powerful Democrats in the country. And no one outside of Illinois knows his name.

[Stellar]

16. Why do you assume that Dart didn't have a chance?

I was one of the many willing and waiting to vote for him. In fact he was the top guy on my radar as mayor. There's no way I will vote for Rahm. There's got to be some other Democrat running for mayor. :evilfrown:

[murielm99]

19. I talked to my daughter today.

She was listening to the lawyer who founded her law firm. He knows everyone and a lot about politics in Chicago.

He thinks Rahm has national recognition, but not enough recognition in Chicago. He does not have the support of women and African Americans. He was a Congressman for a short time, and not all of his district was in Chicago. He also wonders what the Chicago Irish think about Rahm? What has he done for them, and other groups in Chicago? Many people will want to know what he has done for them in the past. Someone else here spoke about the well-oiled machine? What oil has Rahm provided?

I asked her who these people were going to vote for. A republican? Of course not.

I think we need to wait and listen. This may not be over.

[alcibiades_mystery]

22. I'm not sure you're responding to me

Since I didn't say anything about Rahm's prospects.

[murielm99]

26. You are right. I responded to the wrong person.

Sorry.

[AngryAmish]

23. Rahm ain't Irish

The mayor is supposed to be Irish.

[Freddie Stubbs]

24. Neither was Harold Washington

[AngryAmish]

25. A lucky aberration for us, but the mayor is supposed to be Irish.

[Freddie Stubbs]

27. Chicago is changing. Less that 1/3 of the population is non-Hispanic White

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

14. It's nice to see a well-oiled machine.

Not unique to Chicago, but that city seems to have perfected the concept.

:hi:

[tularetom]

18. Who fucking cares? He's out of the White House

He is no longer our problem.

The sooner he becomes mayor of Chicago the sooner he'll be indicted for pulling some kind of illegal shit.

[RandomKoolzip]

28. Shouldn't that read "one FEWER rival?"