The Race is On

Tom Dart dropped out.

That's likely because of the presence of Rahm Emanuel.

Ya see, we can only have one white guy running.

Gery Chico doesn't count as white, he's Hispanic.

That's why Gutierrez isn't running.

We can only have one Hispanic running.

Carol Mosley Braun has opened a campaign office.

She hasn't tossed her hat in the ring yet, but she will. Just getting the signatures together.

That might be a problem.

Carol's black.

We already have a black candidate.

Danny Davis.

We can only have one black candidate.

Neil Steinberg's column in today's Sun-Times approaches the issue, and even skirts the stupidity of it all, but he pulls up short.

I'm one of the people who wrote weeks ago that the 2011 Chicago mayoral race is going to break down to simple racial politics, and that's exactly what is happeneing.

I'm one of the people who was tsk tsk tsking the blatant racism shown by "Chicago area African American political leaders" who gathered to select a consensus candidate from the black community.

Steinberg stifles a yawn while pointing out that the white powers-that-were-and-are in Chicago have been gathering to select white candidates for ages. Neil points out that the main difference between then and now is that the white guys didn't self-identify as such.

That's correct. And, additionally, those white guys wouldn't have dreamed of self-identifying as white guys in a fucking press release.

Part of the problem back in 1983, as I've said before, was that the media went along for the racial ride. They didn't point out the shame of Bernie Epton getting the white votes, and Harold Washington getting the black votes. They just read the numbers according to race, and then gave the weather and sports.

No shame at all.

Steinberg goes on to opine that Mosley Braun isn't long for the race, because she doesn't have the same appeal within the black community as Danny Davis.

After some more dancing around, Steinberg concludes that Rahm will be the next Mayor of Chicago because, well he doesn't come right out and say it, the white powers-that-were-and-are have chosen Emanuel.

This whole business makes me want to puke.

Our city is at a serious crossroad. Actually a T-intersection because straight ahead is not an option. We need a mayor who is going to attack the city's budget problems, the city's infrastructure problems, the crisis within city's public schools, the about-to-revolt Chicago police and firefighters, and the painful reality that their predecessor has left a mountain of shit on the big desk at 121 N. LaSalle and a trail of debt stretching to the horizon.

I don't give a flying fuck what color our next mayor is.

I wish my fellow Chicagoans didn't give a fuck either.

If only our local media, and I'm looking at you today Neil Steinberg, would stop treating the race issue as if it's THE issue, maybe just maybe the voters would start paying attention to that brick wall we're heading for.