November 27, 2024
CTU GETS CLOBBERED, LOSING 6 OF 9 CHICAGO SCHOOL BOARD RACES
One proverb proclaims that “Blessed are those who expect nothing, for they shall not be disappointed.” The obverse would be, especially as applied to Chicago Public Schools (CPS), that “Cursed are those who expect something” – like “quality” education – “for they shall most certainly be disappointed.” No one can argue with the lofty and Utopian goals of the Chicago Teachers Union. Everyone wants good education for their kids, right? It’s its outright arrogance that pisses people off. The union, without question, always expects something – like higher pay, smaller classrooms, more time off, no accountability (audits, anyone?) – and they are never disappointed. The CTU, where Mayor Brandon Johnson was once an operative/organizer, will always deliver for their dues-paying members – like their new contract. Except on Nov. 5. Whereas the CTU expects the mayor and CPS bureaucracy to be obsequious and compliant, voters thought otherwise. Instead of electing CPS-endorsed toadies to the newly-created Chicago School Board (CSB), and after $1.7 million of CTU “messaging,” Chicago voters DID NOT deliver. In what was supposed to be a CTU slam-dunk in ten of ten district contests the CTU candidates won just 4 of 10. This column prides itself on its expertise on number-crunching, and the 2024 numbers bode-ill for the CTU in 2026 – and, by extension, Johnson in 2027. Chicago’s population is 2,746,388 and the registered voters (RVs) are 1,498,873 with a November turnout of 1,018,350, which was 67.9 percent. As set forth in the chart, 807,907 Chicagoans voted in the CSB races, which is 54 percent of the RVs. The cumulative city vote for all 10 CTU candidates was 334,622, which is 22.3 percent of the RVs and 32.8 percent of the turnout. That, for CTU, was pathetic. Full Article...
November 20, 2024
HARRIS UNDERPERFORMS BIDEN IN CHICAGO BY 172,311 VOTES
Chicago has turned red by 15,520 votes. That’s meaningless if not ludicrous in a city of 2,746,388. Donald Trump got a dismal 15.5 percent in 2020 but upped that to 20.6 percent in 2024. What is meaningful is that the city’s Democratic presidential vote dropped by 175,311 from Biden-Harris to Harris-Walz – 944,735 to 769,424. Chicago is turning opaque. Chicago’s turnout plunged by 160,653, with 62 percent of the 1,498,873 registered voters casting a ballot. In an election where “democracy” was under threat, Trump was deemed Hitler, tyranny was imminent and Trump voters were “garbage,” it must be a relief to Chicagoans that only 202,954 of their brethren live in a dumpster. It is a concern, however, to the Democratic establishment that the Harris-Walz vote was just 28 percent of the city’s population and just 51.3 percent of the registered voters. And also that the Republican vote (20.5 percent) combined with the ex-Biden, anti-Harris non-voters, who are implacably anti-Trump, was more than 40 percent on Nov. 5. The Never-Harris types are miserable with the quality of their lives and the trajectory of this city. The popular vote at last count was 76,537,938-73,922,071 or 50-48.3 percent. Trump carried 31 states and Harris only 19 plus D.C. In 2020 the vote was 81,268,867-74,216,747, which means Trump’s 2020 base turned out while the Biden/anti-Trump base withered by a stunning 7.4 million. That was evident in both Chicago and the Cook County suburbs, where Harris won 644,190-373,096 (62.5 percent) in a 1,053,347 turnout compared to Biden’s 781,238-377,036 win with 66.9 percent in a 1,188,017 turnout. What happened is that 137,000 of the former Biden base just refused to vote. Full Article...
November 13, 2024
NO ARTICLE THIS WEEK
November 6, 2024
NO ARTICLE THIS WEEK
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