Chicago Daily Observer

His father was a stern, law-and-order man whose 21-year tenure as Chicago mayor will forever be associated with the 1968 Democratic convention protests over the Vietnam War.

But his son, current Mayor Richard M. Daley, has a much more conciliatory view about that history than you might expect. In an interview with the Financial Times, he declared off-limits attempts to make political capital out of links between two of his constituents – Barack Obama and Bill Ayers, a former leader of the Weather Underground radical group that bombed the U.S. Capitol and other targets in the 1970s. Mr. Obama has declared that he and Mr. Ayers have a “friendly” relationship and served together on a foundation board. Mr. Ayers has become controversial again because, in a newspaper interview that happened to be published on 9/11, he declared not only that he didn’t regret setting bombs but that he and his ... Read More...

When it comes to politics in Chicago, Rev. Jeremiah A.Wright Jr. is a big fish in his small pond.

His parishioners at Trinity Church of Christ obviously revere him, and with their support he’s built a large and thriving South Side church whose 8,000 or so members include several influential black leaders—including, as we all know now, Sen. Barack Obama.

The very traits that have apparently thrown so many white people into a tizzy are what make Wright so popular with his flock.

They love his passion, his worldview, his sense of humor and his powerful and passionate delivery. They get a kick out of the ways in which he uses his mastery of the Bible, music and history to devastate his targets with zingers, wise cracks and mimicry. They embrace his liberation theology and they think he’s absolutely right when he says that America is hypocritical in its foreign ... Read More...

Bruno Behrend wants the Illinois Constitution to have some changes.

The conservative radio host is trying to gather support for a constitutional convention to make changes to the Illinois Constitution, last modified in 1970.

“If there is ever a year that we can get a ‘yes’ vote, it’s this year,” said Behrend, who is the co-founder of the Illinois Citizens Coalition, a group that advocates structural government reform. “What’s wrong with (Illinois politics) is everything.”

The Republican Challenger for U.S. Senate in Illinois is pushing for the passage for the Columbia Free Trade Agreement. Dr. Steve Sauerberg is running against Incumbent Dick Durbin in November. Speaking from the Embassy Suites in East Peoria Wednesday Sauerberg says the agreement would be a big benefit for the United States. He says without it, companies like Caterpillar, will continue to be unfairly taxed.