The Tribune summarizes its examination on Sunday of the CHA’s vaunted Plan for Transformation thusly: “Thousands of families displaced. Hundreds of millions of dollars spent. Years behind schedule. What went wrong with Chicago’s grand experiment.”
To which I can only say: Duh.
The Tribune used nearly 4,300 words to detail what many of us have been arguing for years - that the critics were right from the beginning, that the Plan for Transformation is a failure, and that it was always about slum clearance, PR, and developers, not about housing policy or the city’s neediest residents.
That’s not to say the Trib’s 4,300 words are wasted; in fact, it’s a fine story. It’s just that the paper is a little late proclaiming one of the biggest feathers in the mayor’s cap a grand experiment gone wrong. Let’s take a closer look.
As long as I’m reading the New York Times Op-Ed page (”Caveney’s Dish“), David Brooks outlines an indisputable fact about where Barack Obama gets most of his funding from despite the campaign’s efforts to tell you otherwise: from rich people.
“As in other recent campaigns, lawyers account for the biggest chunk of Democratic donations. They have donated about $18 million to Obama, compared with about $5 million to John McCain, according to data released on June 2 and available at OpenSecrets.org,” Brooks writes.
“People who work at securities and investment companies have given Obama about $8 million, compared with $4.5 for McCain. People who work in communications and electronics have given Obama about $10 million, compared with $2 million for McCain. Professors and other people who work in education have given Obama roughly $7 million, compared with $700,000 for McCain.
“Real estate professionals have given Obama $5 million, compared with $4 million for McCain. Medical professionals have given Obama $7 million, compared with $3 million for McCain. Commercial bankers have given Obama $1.6 million, compared with $1.2 million for McCain. Hedge fund and private equity managers have given Obama about $1.6 million, compared with $850,000 for McCain.”
Hedging on Hope!
“When you break it out by individual companies, you find that employees of Goldman Sachs gave more to Obama than workers of any other employer. The Goldman Sachs geniuses are followed by employees of the University of California, UBS, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, National Amusements, Lehman Brothers, Harvard and Google. At many of these workplaces, Obama has a three- or four-to-one fund-raising advantage over McCain.”
Cynics might suggest these are “insiders” and “special interests.”
“When he is swept up in rhetorical fervor, Obama occasionally says that his campaign is 90 percent funded by small donors. He has indeed had great success with small donors, but only about 45 percent of his money comes from donations of $200 or less.”
By small, he means short. Most of his donors really aren’t very tall.
“Over the past few years, people from Goldman Sachs have assumed control over large parts of the federal government. Over the next few they might just take over the whole darn thing.”
Fight over Children’s Museum Far from Over City Council vote only Round One in a 15 Round Fight
CHICAGO - While expressing disappointment over the City Council’s decision to provide over $539 million in taxpayer subsidies for a children’s museum in Grant Park, opponent’s of the move say the fight is far from over. In addition to the current lawsuit against the city and several more that are planned, Save Grant Park says they will continue grassroots efforts to block construction of the Children’s Museum at Allstate Place.
“Former Gov. James R. Thompson doesn’t get it and never will. Why should George Ryan remain in prison? Bob Dylan answered the question decades ago in his song, ‘The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll,’” Mark P. Bloedel of Oak Park writes in a letter to the Sun-Times today.
As Bloedel - via Dylan - goes on to explain, “George Ryan must finish his sentence because the ladder of law must have no top and no bottom.”
* I think everyone’s missing the point about Mayor Richard M. Daley speaking at Northwestern’s commencement. Does NU president Henry Bienen believe that Daley is a good role model for ethical public service?
Please visit, and then return here for more political blogging throughout the weekend, after I duck out for some coffee that sadly won’t be from Dunkin’ Donuts.
“‘I don’t think we should preclude an attack on Iran if it’s necessary,’ Ald. Bernie Stone (50th) grumbled to John Mearsheimer, a University of Chicago political science professor,” the Tribunereports.
“‘When would it be necessary?’ asked Mearsheimer, an expert on international security policy.
“‘That I don’t know,’ said Stone, an expert on zoning policy.”
“We’ve always taken up issues besides collecting the garbage,” said Ald. Freddrenna Lyle (6th).
The Sun-Times reported in a brief last week that Todd Stroger is holding a $125-a-person fundraiser this Thursday at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. I’m going to totally steal the list of names on Stroger’s fundraising committee from the S-T’s fine Cook County reporter, Steve Patterson, so we can start pointing fingers for Stroger’s coming re-election campaign and possible victory. The comments are mine.
* Former county assessor Tom Hynes. Still making up for running against Harold Washington; will also look for payback when his son, Tom, runs for whatever he runs for next.
* Investment banker John Rogers. Also a big Obama benefactor.
* Emil Jones, natch.
* Michael Madigan. Will call in favors when Lisa runs for governor
* Alds. Carrie Austin, Bill Banks, Anthony Beale, Howard Brookins, Walter Burnett, Willie Cochran, Toni Foulkes, Leslie Hairston, Michelle Harris, Lona Lane, Freddrenna Lyle, Toni Preckwinkle, Gene Schulter, Latasha Thomas, and JoAnn Thompson. Every one of them should be punished at the ballot box for putting personal loyalties and myopic political calculation above the public interest.
Our little corner of the world is a less joyous place today than when the weekend started. The Spindle is dead.
* “Grassroots activism lost to corporate America [Friday] night when the 50-foot Berwyn ‘Spindle,’ an eight-car kabob, was dismantled under cover of darkness. Cermak Plaza’s pop icon was taken down with a crane to make room for a proposed Walgreens.”
* “Artist Says He Was ‘Heartbroken’ To Learn of Demolition.”
Especially if the bull is U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald.
Carol Marin will lead a panel on today’s bombshell - and we’re still absorbing yesterday’s bombshell! - from the Tony Rezko trial on Chicago Tonight tonight.
Division Street is NBC5’s blog about Chicago news and politics from the perspective of Steve Rhodes, a 20-year veteran of the newspaper and magazine world and more recently, the proprietor of the Chicago news and culture review, The Beachwood Reporter.
The Tribune summarizes its examination on Sunday of the CHA’s vaunted Plan for Transformation thusly: “Thousands of families displaced. Hundreds of millions of dollars spent. Years behind schedule. What went wrong with Chicago’s grand experiment.”
As long as I’m reading the New York Times Op-Ed page (”
Just released by 
Including:
“‘I don’t think we should preclude an attack on Iran if it’s necessary,’ Ald. Bernie Stone (50th) grumbled to John Mearsheimer, a University of Chicago political science professor,” the Tribune 
The Sun-Times reported in a brief last week that Todd Stroger is holding a $125-a-person fundraiser this Thursday at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. I’m going to totally steal the list of names on Stroger’s fundraising committee from the S-T’s fine Cook County reporter, Steve Patterson, so we can start pointing fingers for Stroger’s coming re-election campaign and possible victory. The comments are mine.
Our little corner of the world is a less joyous place today than when the weekend started. 
If you mess with the bull, you get the horns.
