Chicago Daily Observer

Did you, for example, ever know a single fact about Joe Biden’s health care plan? Anything at all? But let me guess, you know Barack Obama’s bowling score. We are choosing a president, the next leader of the free world. We are not buying soap, and we are not choosing a court clerk with primarily administrative duties.

What’s more, the news media cut candidates like Joe Biden out of the process even before they got started. Just to be clear: I’m not talking about my husband. I’m referring to other worthy Democratic contenders. Few people even had the chance to find out about Joe Biden’s health care plan before he was literally forced from the race by the news blackout that depressed his poll numbers, which in turn depressed his fund-raising.

And it’s not as if people didn’t want this information. In focus groups that I attended or followed after ... Read More...

In a rebuke to the Chicago Park District, a judge Friday afternoon handed a partial victory to a citizens’ group that has been fighting the district’s deal with Latin School of Chicago to build a soccer field in Lincoln Park.

Cook County Circuit Court Judge Dorothy Kirie Kinnaird ruled that construction of the $2-million field, which is mostly complete, will be allowed to finish by the scheduled May 26 opening. But the judge put at lest a temporary halt to work on the field’s lighting, bleachers and scoreboard, and said that once work is complete, Latin will have to stand in line with any other group that wants to use the facility at about 1800 N. Cannon Drive — at least for now.

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My guess is that the American Catholic Church would see a resurgence beyond imagining if it welcomed women and the married into the priesthood. No one expected that Pope Benedict XVI on his recent visit to the United States would announce that he was overturning the centuries-long church tradition that closed the Catholic priesthood to women and married men. But some of the faithful can’t be blamed for hoping that the change will come in their lifetimes.

I hope that the pope has returned to the Vatican with some lasting impressions of the American Catholic Church: its tremendous vitality despite the disturbing loss of clergy over the last several decades, and the yearning of the laity for an even more invigorated church that an upsurge in the number of priests would bring to it.

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In the last several days in the “Illinois Review,” Chris Robling, a friend of mine for many years, has given an invaluable insight into the historical background of the institution that John Kass has aptly named “the Combine.” I urge you to read its two-parts. I quarrel with nothing he has written but would supply this addendum.

The “Combine” had its start in baby steps with the Richard B. Ogilvie administrations both as Cook county president and as governor of Illinois. Prior to that time, young people particularly worked in politics for awhile, took state jobs and then drifted off to the private sector. Think back and see if you can identify any ex-staffers of Bill Stratton who played important roles in politics of government following the Stratton terms-or staffers of Otto Kerner (don’t mention Ted Isaacs: he went to jail with Kerner) or Sam Shapiro. It was a time ... Read More...

PARIS—There is nothing like the view from abroad to spot all the nonsense and bulljive coursing through the presidential campaign. Nonsense such as trying to project a general election winner from the results of a primary.

Does anyone really believe that the Democrat, Barack Obama in particular, would lose states such as New York, Massachusetts or California because Hillary Clinton carried them substantially—or conversely that Clinton would lose Illinois because Obama wiped her out there?

Does anyone expect a Democrat to win Alabama, even though Obama carried it handily? Conversely, Clinton carried Tennessee by a landslide, but neither of them is likely to win it against John McCain.

So it goes in perhaps three quarters of the states, although there are prospects for either to put new states into play. Clinton might be able to pull off Arkansas, while Obama could turn Iowa, New Mexico, Colorado or Nevada from ... Read More...

For decades, the Cook County hospital system has been crippled by politics—doctors, administrators, funding and programs have long needed the approval of political overseers before becoming part of the structure.

But in a matter of weeks, the troubled health care operation will be taken over by a group of nine outsiders, described by many as independent and non-political.

Campaign finance records show that the 20 candidates to fill those nine slots have contributed more than $200,000 to various Illinois politicians in the last nine years. Of that, they’ve delivered more than $25,000 to Cook County officials—half donated to campaign committees supporting County Board President Todd Stroger and various members of the County Board.

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Another setback for the sport of kings as labor and management quarrel in Cicero A sit down strike delayed the start of live thoroughbred racing at Hawthorne Park Race Course earlier this afternoon (Friday, April 25th). Jockeys staged the work stoppage in order to dramatize their demand to receive a higher percentage of racing purses from the track owners.

The scheduled 3:00 p.m. start of the first race was delayed for almost
ninety minutes. Racetrack spectators observed that the temporary shutdown seemed
to be timed to coincide with the closing weekend of the Spring Thoroughbred
Meet at Hawthorne. On Monday, April 28th, racing will conclude at Hawthorne
and the next series of thoroughbred dates will be held at Arlington Park Race
Track beginning on May 2nd.

According to some sources, a tactical decision was made to stage the strike
at Hawthorne on a slow ... Read More...