Thread: IL: Rep. Gutierrez gives support to Daley

http://www.suntimes.com/news/elections/ ... 07.article

Rep. Gutierrez gives support to Daley
February 12, 2007

BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter

Nine months after portraying Mayor Daley as besieged by corruption and preoccupied with the Olympics at the expense of public schools, U. S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) today endorsed the mayor for re-election to a sixth term.

Gutierrez had flirted with running for mayor but decided against challenging Daley. Also taking a pass after considering a challenge was U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.).

Gutierrez made no effort to hide his frequent run-ins with the mayor and his disdain for the Daley-created Hispanic Democratic Organization, which is at the center of a city hiring scandal. But Gutierrez said Daley invited him to breakfast on a Saturday about a month ago at which the two men hashed out their differences and discussed issues that unite them, including immigration reform and what he termed the "crisis" in black and Latino communities caused by having so few high school students continue on to college.

They also talked about the Olympics, Gutierrez said, with Daley assuring him that no public money would be spent on the games and that the organizing group Chicago 2016 would broadened to include Hispanic representation.

Today, Gutierrez cited Daley's passion for improving Chicago's public schools and his successful effort to reduce violent crime but, beyond that, said one issue won him over.

"Mayor Daley's support for the immigrant community has always been unwavering," the congressman said. "Not every city is fortunate enough to have a leader who understands that immigrants are the beating heart of our nation's cities."

Daley said he shares Gutierrez's commitment to "fair and compassionate reform" of a "broken" immigration system.

And the mayor said he has put together an advisory committee of officials from the Board of Education and the Chicago City Colleges to confront the crisis caused by "the low number of Hispanic students, especially young men, who are going on to higher education."

Gutierrez's endorsement marks a stunning turnaround from the blistering critique of the mayor's tenure he delivered to the City Club last spring. It also marked yet another twist in a complex political relationship.

Eighteen years ago, Gutierrez was Daley's most prominent Hispanic supporter. Since then, he and HDOl have been on opposite sides in aldermanic, legislative and county board races. Gutierrez also angered Daley by twice taking sides against the mayor's brother.

The first time, Bill Daley was marshaling support for the North American Free Trade Agreement, and Gutierrez was opposing NAFTA.

The second time, Gutierrez blindsided the Daleys by endorsing Sen. Bill Bradley (D-N.J.) for president in 2000. Bill Daley ended up running the campaign for Vice President Al Gore and becoming the field general for Gore's historic Florida recount.

On Monday, Gutierrez credited Daley with taking "aggressive steps to deal with" City Hall corruption. And the congressman argued that HDO is "no longer a viable political entity" in Chicago and that the group's tactics were a mistake from the start.

"Remember, in '93, I voted against NAFTA," Gutierrez said. "Obviously, the mayor was for NAFTA. His brother was organizing NAFTA. The next thing I realized, the commissioner of Human Services was drafting Ray Frias to run against me . . . I remember going to meetings to discuss NAFTA in my district, and it would be full a bunch of hacks from HDO. It smothered political debate. It didn't foster it."

Ahhh....nothing like the Mayor Daley Original! Interrupted by the cast metal sewer covers of "Jane M. Byrne"during the 80's, the fearless Mayor Daley has once again given meaning to "windy city" politics.

And no, it's not the breeze caressing the skyscrapers from Lakeshore Drive, but rather the propensity of Chicago Politicians to fill the city with "HOT AIR".

McCormick Plaza, Soldier Field, Wentworth and Cermak salute you oh Noble Mayor! For what fruition does the pearl of wisdom dribbling from the Mayor's jowls bring the humble peasants of the "Windy City"?

Oh, Mayor Daley, did you forget to include the territory of Castle Cabrini Green? No fear, for it is a bygone memory! An oversight, to be sure!

"Mayor Daley's support for the immigrant community has always been unwavering," the congressman said. "Not every city is fortunate enough to have a leader who understands that immigrants are the beating heart of our nation's cities."

Oh, hearts are beating alright, with outrage and I don't believe its the hearts of immigrants.

Its to bad we can never determine if they are speaking of legal or illegal immigrants, But I am begining to think they are speaking of illegal when they say immigrant or migrant, and legal when they say American Hispanics/Latino's, I not sure but it does seem like a pattern here.