Chicago Daily Observer

Fr. Michael Pfleger has reappeared on the national ABC program “Good Morning America” as some type of spokesman on race who is also against gun violence being touted as having “spent the last 30 years cleaning up his impoverished south side Chicago parish, fighting the presence of poverty, drugs, gangs and gun violence..” despite the dismal reality of the St. Sabina’s neighborhood floundering in a sea of prosperity in Chicago. Mixing partisan politics with religion has been combustible combination in Chicago for generations. The media practice of using a religious persona to somehow add legitimacy to a political cause is a failure, and in many cases obsolete.

David Axelrod is on the Board of Fr. Pfleger’s fundraising organization “Raising the Roof” at St. Sabina’s parish. Fr. Pfleger is on the Board of David Axelrod’s organization attempting to appropriate Chicago Park District property for a private charity. Fr. Pfleger is ... Read More...

At 8PM on WLS AM 890 this evening, “Shootout” with host Tom Roeser, chair of the editorial board of the Chicago Daily Observer welcomes Robert Creamer, political activist and husband of Rep. Jan Schakowsky.

Opposing Mr. Creamer will be John Powers, president of the Chicago Daily Observer.

Perhaps a White House press release is not national news, but the previous story about a troop draw down in Iraq has not been picked up by the media.

President Bush said Monday: 30,000 surge troops will be coming home by July.

So to iterate, and format for syndication, here’s Prime Minister Brown and President Bush from their recent press conference on pulling out troops from Iraq.

***

Q Are you prepared to see British troop withdrawn from Iraq while you’re still in office, or are you concerned about the symbolic significance of that?

PRIME MINISTER BROWN: Can I just say that in Iraq there is a job to be done and we will continue to do the job, and there’s going to be no artificial timetable. And the reason is that we are making progress—making progress in the Iraqis themselves being trained up to run the ... Read More...

Margaret Ramirez and Rex Hupke at the Tribune have weighed in on the working of the Catholic Church, claiming Fr. Pfleger’s:

“latest transgression: talking about the wrong thing, in the wrong place, with a preaching style—honed in the back pews of black churches—that some Catholics found unsettling.”

Never mind shouting racist rants, appearing as a crazed vaudevillian in public and defying the Cardinal, Hupke and Ramirez tell us that the real problem was that Fr. Pfleger was a very mild “unsettling”.

As you may have noted from the below post, Brian Wesbury contributes an insightful column on economics for the Chicago Daily Observer on a weekly basis, and is also one of the top columninsts at the Wall Street Journal.

We have been publishing Brian’s Monday Morning Outlook for a few months now, which Brian provides via First Trust, in Lisle Illinois. In his analysis, Brian offers a degree of experience and detail unmatched in business and economic journalism making him popular with viewers of CNBC, readers of the Wall Street Journal (and of course cdobs.com). Please welcome another leader in the field to The Chicago Daily Observer.

Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Eric Zorn hypnotically tells us that Rita Rezko did not assist Barack Obama in buying his Kenwood Mansion in exchange for Sen. Obama’s continued support of her husband Tony Rezko.

Seems odd that the Rezkos would go to all the trouble they did on this transaction as some kind of coincidence but Zorn tells us it is just an “ordinary real estate story” when one of the great Chicago political manipulators gives you a walk through on your house.

Does Eric Zorn actually believe that Sen. Obama thought Tony Rezko was good judge of real estate, after coming off 15 flopped “affordable” housing projects between Rezmar and Obama’s law firm? We suspect that Sen. Obama may have got some very specialized handling from the Rezkos, in exchange for continued immediate access to a US Senator and presidential candidate, only interrupted by Tony Rezko’s indictment.

“I must now to address the one who says, ‘don’t hold me responsible for what my ancestors did.’ But you have enjoyed the benefits of what your ancestors did! And unless you are ready to give up the benefits — Throw away your 401 fund! [sic] Throw away your trust fund! Throw away all the money that been put away in the company you walked into ‘cause your daddy and your granddaddy and your great granddaddy —
Unless you are willing to give up the benefits, then you must be responsible for what was done in your generation! ‘Cause you are the beneficiary of this insurance policy! expose white entitlement. And supremacy, wherever it raises its head. I said before, I really don’t want to make this political, because you know I’m really very unpolitical. . . .

She wasn’t the only one crying, there was a whole lot ... Read More...

In the Jesuit “America” magazine blog, Tom Beaudoin tells us that Fr. Pfleger (and Rev Wrights) “sermons in question were written and performed for a “local,” not “global,” audience. They are performances—of defiance, passion, exhortation, meditation”. Not racist, sacreligious, hateful, spiteful, menacing or any of 100 other accurate condemnations, rather a lively discussion, appropriate to context.

Fr. Pfleger plays the victim on St. Sabina’s website (though he certainly was the assailant) stating
“Hate me if you will. Hate my imperfect presentation. Hate my imperfect dramatization. Hate my imperfect articulation. I have never presumed to be anything but imperfect, but I pray I can still beat the drum of justice, even if sometimes I am off beat”, which is an odd way of apologizing by accusing anyone who might question Fr. Pfleger’s bizzare buffoonery of “hate”. Beating up on a recently rather hapless Park Ridge woman from the ... Read More...

The Sun-Times headline on their web site Obama index page (there is no Clinton or McCain index, by the way) has Sen Obama’s resounding defeat in Puerto Rico titled

Then, clicking through gets us to a more measured headline

Which upon further reading, “showed Clinton with 261,916 votes, or 68 percent, to Obama’s 120,929, or 32 percent” which is a massive defeat, in a State where some predicted Obama to win.

There were probably 100 ways to read the Clinton landslide in Puerto Rico. The Sun-Times took a partisan viewpoint, threw out the 99 obvious ways of looking at the results, and chose the one which fits their one-sided political leaning.

We offer a full round of applause to such a throwback to a more deliberate time when journalists and editors ... Read More...

The Chicago Daily Observer welcomes the candidacy of Antoine Members, the Republican Candidate for US Congress in the 1st District.

Members, currently a Cook County Sheriff’s Deputy, favors School Choice, Simplified Taxes and Medical Savings Accounts.

Members will appear with Frank Avila Jr. on Political Shootout with Tom Roeser, Sunday Evening at 8PM on WLS-AM 890.

Firing a warning shot across the deck of the entire media, Sen. Barack Obama warned the press against covering subjects which he does not like. Stating “If they think that they’re going to try to make Michelle an issue in this campaign, they should be careful”, Sen. Obama made clear that he does not want his full time campaigning wife scrutinized, as his political opponents could benefit from this scrutiny.

(Isn’t Obama supposed to be the Web 2.0 candidate? How dare his opponents have the audacity to use YouTube to highlight controversial points that the mainstream media have neglected to cover.)

So we are faced with an editorial decision. Should we let Sen. Obama dictate what he wants covered during this campaign, or report as if there is a free and independent press in this country?

The answer is a simple one. The First Amendment guarantees the Freedom of the ... Read More...

Despite a $1.15 Billion rise in Chicago retail sales, the Tribune tells us we are in a recession, with directions like:

“It’s a bruising climate. It may not be an economic recession, but there is a shopping recession.”

“You can see the recession starting to occur.”

A round of applause to the comments on the Trib story, 1/2 of which noted that a sales tax increase in Cook County does not help sales, while others corrected that a rise in sales does not indicate a recession.

Vallas.

Paul Vallas, superintendent of the Recovery School District of New Orleans and former reform superintendent of the Chicago public schools, will be the guest this Sunday on my WLS-AM (890) program (8 to 9 p.m.). He ran for the Democratic nomination for governor of Illinois in 2002, losing narrowly to Rod Blagojevich. Since then, he was CEO of the School District of Philadelphia, presiding over the nation’s largest experiment in privatized management of schools, turning over the management of 40 schools to for-profits, nonprofits and universities, winning national acclaim. Regarded as one of the finest public administrators in the nation, he left Philadelphia when his contract was completed and went to work in New Orleans where today he reports directly to the governor, now Bobby Jindal. His contract will be up in 2008. He was also budget director for the city of Chicago and director of budgetary ... Read More...

The Commerce Department reported economic growth of .6% in the US for the last quarter. A growing economy by definition, is not in a recession, yet we read:

The Chicago Tribune hopes one still comes along Slow economy: Not a recession yet

The Balitimore Sun tells us to ignore the facts and cherish the feelings of the media with It still feels like a recession

The London Times is just wrong US growth stalls for second consecutive quarter

The AP is downright defiant of the facts not blinking at their own wrong predictions over the last 6 months in Economy grows by only 0.6 percent in first quarter

CBS Marketwatch wants to redefine recession to justify their gloom US could have recession without drop in GDP

With this type of irresponsible and inaccurate reporting, is it any wonder that ... Read More...

After 20 years of Sen. Obama being a parishoner, receiving baptism, marriage, and the baptism of his children from Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Sen. Obama is reacting to Rev. Wright’s views expressed over the last week:

CNN Obama ‘outraged’ by Wright’s remarks

LA Times Barack Obama cuts bait with Jeremiah Wright

ABC News Obama Condemns Wright’s Defense

Washington Times Obama on “appalling” Wright: “I mean it”

Bloomberg Obama Calls Wright’s `Ridiculous’ Statements Offensive, Wrong

New York Times Op-Ed Columnist The Pastor Casts a Shadow

Fox News Obama: I Am ‘Outraged’ and ‘Angered’ By Wright’s Comments

Our Chicago Daily Observer editorial board wonders what else might take 20 years to get such a reaction from the Senator. Perhaps after another 20 years, Sen. Obama might note that the public schools in his neighborhood are terrible, the ... Read More...

From Manya Brachear:

“The Tribune’s April 21 edition described the church as “built over the site in Jerusalem where Jesus is said to be buried.”

“I told him I might open it up to readers.”

The stealth saga of Richard Caro vs. Rod Blagojevich in Cook County Court continued yesterday, with the Governor requesting a payment in exchange for his compliance with a court ordered injunction.

Rod Blagojevich and the other defendants in the Constitutional case concerning JCAR compliance filed a notice of appeal requesting a stay of the preliminary injunction or alternatively a $14 Million bond as a condition to keep the injunction in place.

Judge James Epstein rejected both appeals, and retained jurisdiction to hold Defendants in contempt if
the injunction is violated. Judge Epstien also rejected defendant’s argument that they can’t identify the payments that have been enjoined. Defendants were given till Monday April 28 to seek a stay of the preliminary injunction
pending the appeal.

At 2pm Wednesday, April 23, 2008, Judge James Epstein is set to hear a motion requesting compliance with the Preliminary Injunction against Governor Blagojevich issued last week.

The Healthcare and Family Services Defendants have yet to take the
necessary steps to comply with the injunction previously issued. Judge Epstein will consider a contempt action to compel compliance with his previous order.

On April 15, Judge James Epstein issued a preliminary injunction immediately enjoining Governor Blagojevich and Illinois Healthcare and Family Services from continuing the expanded FamilyCare program.

The Chicago Tribune and the AP’s Martin Crutsinger note a survey result that executives think “turmoil in credit and housing markets will be the most significant threat to growth this year”and that “the next biggest threats to the economy now as the possibility the government will impose higher taxes or raise protectionist barriers to foreign competition.”

Since Crutsinger did not identify who would be raising taxes and trade barriers to cause a recession, Rush Limbaugh did the research for the incumbent media noting:

What party is out there promising to raise taxes? Doesn't matter. Both Hillary and Obama are promising to raise taxes, and when you listen to Obama tell us why, it's not about raising revenue. The whole purpose of the tax code is to raise revenue, to fund government services, blah, blah, blah. We all know this. But not with Obama. To him, the tax code is ... Read More...

The Chicago Tribune skipped Party identification for Will County Executive Larry Walsh. Walsh served as Democratic State Senator from Joliet till 2004, when he was elected Will County Executive.

Walsh was arrested for DUI and ticketed for improper lane usage late Thursday.

Tribune story is linked.

The Sun-Times notes Walsh is a Democrat in their version of the story.

A hearty congratulations to our colleagues over at the Chicago Tribune who 25 minutes ago published the fact that Governor Blagojevich has suffered a “thwart” in Cook County Court.

After a mere 7 months of unreported court proceedings the Trib found the space this evening to note that our governor was in a fairly messy court case that drug the Comptroller, Attorney General, the Secretary of State, a Republican Gubernatorial Candidate from 2006 through Cook and Sangamon County Courts systems.

Constitutional and day to day operational issues were at stake in the case, so it was imperative to the Tribune to not cover the story whatsoever until after Judge Epstein made a ruling.

Courageously, the Tribune was able to refrain from mentioning the lead plantiff in the case, Richard Caro, and a co-plantiff Ron Gidwitz, as to avoid any important facts which might identify involvement in the case.

No word ... Read More...

The Chicago Tribune and the Archdiocese of Chicago presented a truly enlightening session with Cardinal Francis George and the Tribune’s Manya Brachear via a Blog format.

As The Chicago Daily Observer is a publication that is (an occasionally harsh) critic of the Tribune and more than an interested bystander within the Archdiocese of Chicago, it is refreshing to see both institutions addressing the public in such an innovative format, in the story “You asked the Cardinal answered”.

John Tillman, CEO of the Illinois Policy Institute will be interviewed on the Don and Roma show Monday Morning at 7:10AM

John will be discussing the recent tax hikes by the City of Chicago, and Cook County.

Be sure to tune in tonight, Sunday February 24 to AM-890 at 8PM for Tom Roeser’s shootout.

Tonight’s guests are Sandi Jackson, alderman for the 7th ward in Chicago and wife of US-Rep Jesse Jackson Jr; and our own John Powers, President of the Chicago Daily Observer. Topics include economic development, taxation, zoning, and city politics.

You call-in’s to 1–312-591–8900 are welcome.

The Wall Street Journal ran a blurb from a Harvard economist at the American Institute of Architects (AIA) yesterday projecting

“As the country braces for a possible recession in 2008, there will likely be an easing in demand for design services”

Yet, the actual press release from the AIA stated

“After a fall rebound from a summer slowdown, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) recorded another healthy score in December”

and

“The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the December ABI rating was 55.4, up a fraction from the 55.3 mark in November (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings), and inquiries for new projects was 58.1.”

So despite the increase in demand, and uptick over previous months, there will likely be an easing in demand. With analysis like that, one could reach pretty much any conclusion, even without being a Harvard economist.

At the peril of veering from constant criticism of the Chicago Media, our editors have found reasons to cheer on our local publications on a variety of issues.

Here are 5 top examples of good reporting that made it through to publication, and even had follow-ups in some cases.

1) The CTA is in financial trouble. We not only know about it from 1st hand experience, all of the major media outlets carried stories about financial problems in our mass transit systems, an even considered a variety of proposals (including-gasp-higher fares) to fix the issue. Abstenteeism, lack of riders, muddy minded management, poorly planned capital projects all received at least a scrutinizing glance.

2) TIF District Mania. Ben Joravsky at the Chicago Reader has been accused of being obsessed with TIF districts: good for Ben. In Ben Joravsky and the Chicago Reader there is finally some oversight ... Read More...

With 2008 being the Chinese Year of the Rat, it seems fitting to gnaw through the Chicken-Wire Curtain built by the Chicago Media and break out stories that have been either ignored or suppressed by the major newspapers and broadcast outlets. Here are the top picks of the Chicago Daily Observer Editors for Most Underreported Stories of 2007

1) Richard Caro vs. Rod Blagojevich. As you might guess from our coverage, this one is a layup. The major media (save Dennis Byrne) has completely ignored this important constitutional case pitting Lawyer Richard Caro, Businessman Ron Gidwitz, and Attorney General Lisa Madigan against Governor Rod Blagojevich in Cook County Court, hashing out the powers of the Illinois Executive, with good deal of Chicago Style political intrigue being played out via the courts system.

2) Major changes at Chicago’s Airports. Given Chicago’s long history as the transportation hub of the United States, ... Read More...

John Tillman, Chairman & CEO of the Illinois Policy Institute, a group that makes frequent editorial contributions to the Chicago Daily Observer, will be a guest on WLS-890 tomorrow Wednesday, November 1 at 9AM.

Tillman will speak about the CTA and Illinois Budget with radio host, Jerry Agar.

John Powers, President of The Chicago Daily Observer will be the guest on Bruno Behrend’s Extreme Wisdom Radio Show Wednesday at 11 in the morning.

Be sure to catch the Chicago Daily Observer on the air at 1220AM on your radio, Wednesday October 31.

Topics will include Immigration, Education, and Local Media Coverage.