Anatomy of a Chicago election – Feb, 2011

Thesis: In a calculated attempt to throw the election to Rahm Emanuel, Carol Moseley Braun was chosen to be the so-called “consensus Black candidate” for Mayor of Chicago.

Disclaimer: Since I wasn’t a fly on the wall (nor did I engage in illegal wiretapping), I couldn’t prove my thesis in a court of law. What I’m about to offer is my best attempt to deduce the realities behind this election.

As for the two leading Black candidates:

Danny Davis has been serving in the US House of Reps since 1997. James Meeks has been in the Illinois state senate for 8 years, his term ending in 2012.

Either of these two gentlemen would have had a better chance than Carol Moseley Braun – that is, if they had really been serious about running for Mayor in the first place. Which, I’m convinced, they weren’t. The biggest reason? Neither really wanted to give up their relatively safe positions only to be raked over the coals as mayor. They both, correctly I believe, see that Chicago is in such fiscally bad shape, nothing they would do could pluck this city from the jaws of disaster.

That’s how bad it is. So, you might ask, why would Rahm Emanuel want the job? Answer: To line his pockets before Chicago totally tanks.

Davis and Meeks aren’t stupid. They know Chicago is teetering on the brink of disaster and they don’t want a Black mayor to be the fall guy. They’re perfectly willing to wait for a Black to try to dethrone Rahm, while allowing him (as his reward for service to Obama) to line his pockets as the house of cards comes tumbling down. In that sense, they’re good Democrats trying to please their Commander in Chief.

That’s why they settled on Moseley Braun.

What about Carol?

CMB tried to act all indignant when challenged to produce her income tax records. She had to know well in advance that she would be challenged, along with the other candidates, to produce these documents. But she said, no – basically because she didn’t feel like it. But…the very next day, she produces them. Are we to believe that she hadn’t thought this out? That she didn’t think she’d be asked, though she had been in a previous election? She knew she’d be asked. And she intentionally gave a “flippant” answer [“Because I don’t want to”], knowing she would reverse herself almost immediately.

What people would walk away with, upon analyzing her forms: Carol, who wants to run this city, doesn’t have her own personal finances in order. In fact, one could call her situation a “train wreck.”

She also said she was committed to transparency in government and that her decision to release her tax forms was not a “flip flop.” Like anybody could believe either statement. Which is exactly the point. Nobody could believe those words, which is exactly why she said them. To sink her own candidacy. She doesn’t really want to be mayor.

As if that weren’t convincing enough, she falsely accused fellow candidate Watkins (whose campaign hadn’t gained much traction at all) in these words at a public candidate forum:

“Patricia, the reason you didn’t know where I was the last 20 years is because you were strung out on crack.”

The net effect of her antics is to undermine her credibility with Black voters. If enough of them stay home and don’t vote, Rahm Emanuel will emerge with enough votes (50% + 1) to win the election outright, without forcing a runoff. Of course, there's another possibility: If enough Blacks are disgusted with Carol, they'll vote for Rahm since they think that's what Obama wants.

In summary

Danny Davis and Reverend Meeks purposely participated in a scheme to back the weakest “major” Black candidate, complete with that candidate’s complicity, in order to throw the election to Rahm Emanuel. And they are confident that Emanuel not only won’t be able to save Chicago from (literally) decades of mismanagement, but he doesn’t even want to.

Patricia Van Pelt-Watkins for Mayor

I personally believe Watkins is sincere, though I was a bit crestfallen to see her campaign literature identify her as a Democrat. I’m sure her campaign thinks that was a wise move. Wiser, though, would have been to present her as an Independent since, before too long, Chicagoans will be so sick of the Democratic Party stranglehold on this city, they will be willing to embrace Independent candidates. However, in order for that to work, all 50 aldermanic incumbents will have to be challenged by a coordinated coalition of independents.

I’m also disappointed in Watkins not challenging Chicago’s rampant corruption by saying:

“If elected, I will use my training as a certified public accountant to get to the bottom of previously hidden fiscal chicanery. And I will call in auditors from the state and federal governments in order to finally clear the air of any and all financial mismanagement – legal as well as illegal.”

Watkins could have blasted Gideon’s trumpet on this issue, yet she chose not to. My best guess? Simply that she wants to live. [These boys play rough – believe it!]

Perhaps her current campaign is in preparation for a run against Mayor Emanuel in the next election. Maybe at that time, the media won’t be so obviously dismissive of her campaign by means, among others, of not even including her name on opinion polls. It’s been too obvious that all major media have bought into anointing Rahm, shamelessly I might add.

Steven Searle for US President in 2012

Founder of The Independent Contractors’ Party

“Whenever oddities or outright strangeness pops up in a campaign, look for underlying strategies” – Steve.