We’re going to review the facts. … Well, we’re going to look at all the facts. … Well, we’re going to look at all the facts in this case. … We are going to be looking. No, we are going to be looking at the facts. That’s all I can say.

— Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley
“$100 million question elicits 10-cent answer...”
July 1999 Chicago Tribune

Why It’s Moronic

One of the pleasures of being a Chicagoan is witnessing the oratory antics of Mayor Richard M. Daley. He’s the guy who, during summer heatwaves, holds press conferences to remind the public not to do things like “lift weights in the sun” or “wear fur coats.” Seriously, the guy is not known for his intellect.

Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass has scored countless aces simply by publishing verbatim mayoral quotes, all the while keeping Daley in political check. (Some people’s judgment gets clouded simply because Daley plants a lot of greenery. Yes, the City of Big Shoulders is beautiful, but there’s a lot o’ nasty business behind the scenes.)

Rumor always has been that Daley’s in bed with mobsters, and in 1999, he found himself in trouble for allegedly having awarded an organized-crime family city contracts worth $100 million. When asked several questions about the scandal during a press conference, the mayor’s lack of verbal prowess (aka his low “Clinton Quotient”) was obvious.

I really wish someone really ballsy would come along. If you were in the same situation, wouldn’t your instinct be to say, “I answered your damn question; please shut up?” Why don’t politicos stop being so politically correct and start voicing some real thought? (Is that too much to ask?)

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