Last week’s surprise announcement that Mayor Richard M. Daley (aka “Hizzoner”) would be stepping down has thrown Chicago politics into a tailspin. The cocktail party game du jour is speculating over who’s going to run – and with exploratory committees popping up left and right, it’s likely to be an ugly fight. As a recovering Chicagoan, I find the contest a fascinating contrast in narcissism and masochism (who really wants to inherit a $655 million budget shortfall, after all?)
Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, and Rep. Luis Gutierrez have all but thrown their hats in the ring, and many more are certain to follow. The name on everyone’s lips, though, is that of White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel.
