I must admit I took a little satisfaction from Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s dismal showing in the Sun-Times poll released over the weekend. For once, it looks like my estimation of what’s going on at City Hall is shared by a majority of Chicagoans.
Actually, I think that some of the “Don’t know” vote could be quietly for Mayor Emanuel—they’re just too ashamed to admit it. I mean, it’s hard to openly cheer for a guy who’s so unpopular that he’s booed when his face pops up on the Jumbotron at Northwestern football games.
But back to Mayor Daley’s enduring popularity. I’ve come to the conclusion that something about the Daley name causes ordinary Chicagoans to lose their minds with giddiness. You could probably run a goat named Daley and he’d get 40 percent of the vote.
Of course, that would have pitted Emanuel against former mayoral aide Gery Chico, which would have been asking voters to choose between one Daley loyalist or another.
Apparently Emanuel’s strategy of cozying up to the United Neighborhood Organization—and signing off on new charter schools on the southwest and northwest sides—hasn’t left Latinos as impressed as he’d hoped.
For a mayor who’s in trouble, these are desperate times.
