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SEIFFE:  A Waning Preference For Democrats?

Monday, October 30, 2006

By Ralf Seiffe

People use political parties to help them figure out which way to cast their vote just like they use brand names to choose what beer to drink. A candidate’s party affiliation is usually a reliable way to transmit a lot of information about his view of the world, his governing philosophy and his likely stand on current or future issues.  Like a product’s brand name, a party label says “trust me” to voters who often do not take the time to meet a candidate or understand the issues.  And, like a brand name, voters develop a preference for one political party or the other just like they do for Coke rather than Pepsi, McDonalds rather than Wendy’s or the White Sox rather than the Cubs.  

Overcoming these preferences is a tough task, especially when they involve Chicagoan’s taste for Democrats.  Around White Sox Park, Carl Segvich, the Republican Candidate for the 11th  District’s seat at the County Board has stepped up to a doubly hard task. Not only must he convince his neighbors that it’s time to break the life-long preference for Democrats, he must also convince them to give up on Chicago’s gold standard of political brand names--Daley.  In this race, it is John Daley, the Mayor’s brother. 

In a normal year, no challenger would take on these two profound political tasks. But this is not a normal year and Segvich believes he can leverage the voter’s anger and ask them to break the Democrat habit.  Segvich has challenged Daley because he believes the long-time incumbent no longer reflects the District’s values and that the Daley name no longer deserves the automatic choice in the voting booth that an honored “brand name” merits on a store’s shelf.  

Intellectually, Segvich is absolutely right.  Cook County is out of control by almost any measure and John Daley is a big part of the problem.  The county has a $3 billion annual budget and it’s out of whack by $400 million. Why? Ask John Daley, the Board’s finance chairman.  The County Hospital is dysfunctional?  Do you wonder why the County Hospital is dysfunctional?  Ask John Daley why it’s run by managerial incompetents whose only qualification is clout.  Concerned about corruption in hiring and promotions at other county operations?  No need to ask Commissioner Daley because the FBI already is, according to testimony in the Robert Sorich conviction and by the massive raids the Feds have conducted on county offices.  Tony Rezko?  As the U.S. Attorney says “Stay Tuned."  

Daley’s mis-match with the working people of the 11th District goes well beyond the personal fiefdom the machine commissioners have made at the county board.  Segvich points out that Daley is a secular progressive whose views conflict with the traditional values the vast majority of district residents honor.  Evidence includes Daley working with other commissioners to make Cook County a sanctuary for illegal aliens, just like his brother Rich has made Chicago a sanctuary city. The challenger also points to Daley’s other “progressive” positions--gay marriage, abortion, and affirmative action--that don’t make sense to the district’s conservative Democrat voters.  

© 2006 Ralf Seiffe

Ralf Seiffe advises business start-ups and product launches from Chicago, Illinois and is a political analyst and columnist for the Illinois Leader and Illinois Review.

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