Claypool for senator? Top Democrats may be thinking just that
John KassApril 8, 2010
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Chicago media darling Forrest Claypool took time out from another adoring session with reporters the other day to answer a question.Just when will Claypool allow his buddies in the Obama White House to persuade the toxic Alexi Giannoulias to drop out and draft Claypool for a run against Republican Mark Kirk for the U.S. Senate seat in Illinois?
"Excuse me?" Claypool asked, as if he hadn't thought of it. "I have no interest in running for the Senate. I'm running to be the next Cook County assessor."
Claypool, the liberal Democrat, is indeed campaigning as an independent for assessor against Democratic Party warhorse Joe Berrios, D-Madigan.
"I'm not considering the Senate," he told me.
But he must have considered it, at least fleetingly, even as he's trying to gather 25,000 petition signatures to get himself on the November ballot.
And so have Democrats and Republicans who want to look past the latest sound bite and the next Claypool suck-up session. I'm sure President Barack Obama and his City Hall guys have thought of it.
Because it's their job to look into the future and see what Illinois could be like in 2012, when Obama runs for re-election. And right now, it doesn't look so pretty.
Pure speculation usually earns columnists a hard crack on the back of the head, and judging from some e-mails that could have been written with red crayon, I'm certainly deserving.
And while I've been as wrong as the next guy on a lot of things, I wasn't wrong about George Ryan or Rod Blagojevich.
And Claypool as a Senate candidate is something to think about. It's pure speculation, sure, but is that a crime?
He's got the media loving him. Editorial boards just get wiggly at his approach.
He's been called a reformer and campaigns as such. But then Claypool also was chief of staff for Mayor Richard Daley when so many kinky deals went down, when the Hired Trucks ran free and the wrought-iron fence was installed. And Claypool has never been called on it.
As long as he beat up another Daley creature, namely Cook County Board President Todd Stroger — and left the Daleys alone — the Chicago media was quite happy devouring reform from Claypool's hand.
My problem has never been with Claypool, but with his chroniclers who ignore his City Hall liabilities while clopping along behind Sir Forrest, banging their coconuts together, troubadours singing songs of his bravery against the Terrible Todd.
Actually, he's a pleasant fellow, never personally associated with scandal, and he should be considered in a pool that includes a few others, such as Cook County Sherriff Tom Dart and Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez, as possible mayoral candidates when Daley is done.
But the immediate issues are the November elections that will set the stage for the Chicago mayoral race and the 2012 campaigns. And in solid blue Illinois, the Democrats are in trouble on the top of their ticket. Obama doesn't need problems in his home state while seeking a second term.
Gov. Pat Quinn, an earnest and likable guy, has through his political weakness and timidity firmly earned the designation as Gov. Jell-O. The state's fiscal implosion has put State Sen. Bill Brady, the Bloomington Republican conservative, within reach of the governor's mansion.
So Quinn and the Democrats will go negative as negative can be in their campaign ads. That's a given. But it sure doesn't jibe with Quinn's quivering-but-decent image.
Meanwhile, Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias — the Democratic nominee for the Senate seat now held by the ridiculous Sen. Tombstone Burris — is damaged goods.
Actually, Giannoulias is worse than damaged goods. At least you can sell damaged goods at a discount.
But the Giannoulias family is on the verge of having their troubled Broadway Bank taken over by federal regulators.
On Wednesday, Berrios' puppetmaster, Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Lisa's Daddy, gave Giannoulias a verbal kick to the political private parts.
"I'm glad I don't have any deposits there," said Madigan, the Illinois Democratic Party chairman, referring to Broadway Bank.
Giannoulias' tenure there as a loan officer is continually under media fire, most recently in Tribune stories for giving millions in loans to Chicago Outfit types. That association sticks and festers.
And when you put Gov. Jell-O and Giannoulias' Outfit problems alongside the federal corruption trial of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich scheduled for June, there are real problems for the Democrats.
There's that Blagojevich connection with convicted influence peddler Tony Rezko, who will testify. Rezko was Obama's real estate fairy. Rezko also has connections to Broadway Bank.
During the last election, the national Republicans foolishly focused on Obama's relationship with terrorist William Ayers. That didn't sell. But corruption sells.
So it seemed to me a natural. Claypool is bathed in media love for a few weeks, in the papers and on TV; perhaps he can show up another six or seven times on WTTWs "Chicago Tonight" to explain how great he is, and then Giannoulias withdraws and Claypool is visited, perhaps in a dream, by Barack.
"That's not going to happen," Claypool assured me. "I'm campaigning for assessor."
I believe him. But a lot is going to happen between now and November. And that's what makes politics in Illinois so much fun.
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Unless there is a major screw up, which would have to be murder on the part of the Republican's I have already decided after 30 years of voting Democratic and dividing my votes between the Republicans and whatever 3rd party is on the IL ticket this election I will be voting ENTIRELY Republican.. I haven't heard a DEMOCRAT tell that can tell those who are working their butts off just how or what they will do for them.. except RAISE TAXES on them.. and I have had enough of that.. they even tax our kids for buying a candy bar now.. how low can they go? However, not 1 Democrat has cut a dime from their budget or the states either.. they can go scratch my backside before I EVER vote for another Democrat.. They are suppose to be for the working class?? MY FOOT.. They are for whoever they can buy using the tax dollars of the working class that's who they are..
IndependentvoterJoliet (04/08/2010, 10:45 PM )
Re; Bill Brady:
When you're dealing with a world class a-hole you've got to let the public know that Bill Brady is a world class a-hole. He doesn't believe you own your own body. He thinks the government does.
PillBox (04/08/2010, 9:35 PM )
Alexi is dead meat. I am a Democrat and will NOT for him. Not all that crazy about Kirk, but I am leaning that way. As for Claypool, I would like him as Assessor. Anyone would be better than Berrios. As for Governor Jello, not in a million years am I voting for him. Brady hmm not sure about him. At least Cellini's guy did not get in as the Republican nominee. Having known Rod in a long time, his trial will be a lot of fun.
chicago_mike (04/08/2010, 8:28 PM )
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Friday, April 9, 2010
Forrest Claypool as a Senate candidate: Speculation, but Democrats need help
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