According to Laura Washington's latest article in the Sun-Times:"The LGBT establishment players and their cash helped fuel Rahm Emanuel’s Feb. 22 victory. And their vote surely spurred the election of James Cappleman in last week’s 46th Ward runoff election, adding a second openly gay alderman to the Chicago City Council."
Read all about it here.
The data don't necessarily support Ms Washington's conclusion. In the February election the gay candidates, collectively, ganered less than half the vote in the Lake View and Buena Park portions of the ward. The turnout in the Lake View precincts dropped the most for the runoff.
ReplyDeleteAt least Ms. Washington acknowledges that James won the election. I don't agree with her analysis since there were several out-spoken members of the LGBT community who (remember Gerald Farinas??) supported Molly.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone heard from Molly since the election? Last I heard, she had not conceded the election to James. Her last post on Facebook was somewhat cryptic - "More details as they arrive- stay tuned!
" Anyone have hear of these "details" ?
Wow, Gerald Farinas supported Molly?
ReplyDeleteI wonder why she didn't publicize that endorsement? I mean a gay man from Hawaii who worked for Alan Keyes might have brought in say...oh I dunno....negative 12 votes.
Lakeview Laura probably still is trying to process the fact that her various quasi predictions regarding the 46th race and the ever fascinating Helen Shiller didn't quite play out as she suggested.
The guy who keeps our streets "spotless" was clearly going nowhere by the Fall. The "frontrunner" Molly Phelan imploded in a barrage of negative ads in the final weeks. Shiller's henchmen and slackeys Kaplan and Trott worked feverishly for Molly and even with all that Cappleman still managed to "eke" out a victory with only an eleven point difference.
Shocking. Does not compute. Danger Will Robinson!
It's interesting that Washington essentially almost ignores the 46th race. After all according to her Shiller's supporters would be key to victory for either Cappleman or Phelan.
Didn't quite work out that way. Did it?
Laura Washington is about relevant today as Helen will be once James takes office. Hell, considering Helen's non-response to ward issues the past years, when was the last time she WAS relevant???
ReplyDeleteYea Laura James won the election because he is gay. Oh wait, or maybe it has to do with all the credentials he demonstrated over the past 5 or 6 years. You know, being part of the solution to difficult ward issues. Those same ward issues that your friend, THE ALDERMAN, would not even talk about or acknowledge existed. Laura, maybe if you took some time to speak to the ward residents once in a while, your writing would be a bit more relevant. As it stands, it is not.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I'm trying to take a positive and generous attitude and build bridges, if possible, with pundits and others with whom I may not have agreed prior to the election.
ReplyDeleteIn that spirit, I posted the following comment yesterday on Laura Washington's Sun-Times website regarding her election analysis. I think Laura often has a few good points, but needs a better editor and a fact-checker working with her. Washington often tends to easy stereotypes and generalizations that she ironically also rails against when applied to other voter groups.
It is damaging to the public good - and to one's credibility - to put forth sloppy facts and fantastical predictions, based on how a writer wants people to think and vote rather than based on reality.
I hope when the S-T does a fuller analysis of the Ward 46 aldermanic election, someone other than Washington writes the piece. She has clearly involved herself in the story by lobbying for particular candidates and issues, and has not proved able to be an objective journalist - kind of like Shiller holding the candidate forum before the election in which Shiller wrote all the questions, set all the rules, and harangued a particular candidate when she did not agree with answers to her questions. This turned the event into more something akin to a meeting of the former Soviet politburo, and it had little to do with an open, fair and democratic process. (I guess I may not be completely ready for bridge-building!)
Posted on the Sun-Times re: Laura Washington's column: 10:42 PM on April 10, 2011
"I enjoyed the thoughts of Laura Washington on recent elections - of Mayor Emanuel and of James Cappleman - and on other issues in the LGBT community.
I have to dispute Laura Washington's comment, perhaps inadvertant, that the 44th, 46th and 48th Wards are home to "most of the city's LGBT voters."
Washington's statement is factually inaccurate and makes no sense, demographically or otherwise.
Perhaps Washington meant that these ward are traditionally seen as having the highest concentration of LGBT voters, but they in no way contain "most" or a majority of these voters.
Don't forget, Laura, we are everywhere, not just where people notice us most. Anyway, I enjoyed Washington's insights."