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* Mike Royko, February 22, 1983…
Meanwhile, don’t get hysterical. As I wrote four years ago, if we survived Bilandic, we can survive Jane Byrne.
And if we survived Jane, we easily can survive Harold Washington.
Who knows, we might even wind up liking him.
* Meanwhile, worst take ever…
Editorial: Mayor-elect Johnson found a place in his acceptance speech for God. But not Barack Obama.https://t.co/dwJU4MABqc
— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) April 5, 2023
Many of the replies are hilarious. And it takes longer to read them than the editorial, which is just about as goofy as the headline.
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Apr 6, 23 @ 8:58 am
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It’s a great column, and thanks for sharing it, Rich.
I doubt Kass has the self-awareness to read this and realize how he would never be in Royko’s league.
Comment by OneMan Thursday, Apr 6, 23 @ 9:15 am
He didn’t mention me either and, by golly, I am tired of Springfield always getting short shrift from Chicago.
Comment by Nick Name Thursday, Apr 6, 23 @ 9:18 am
Cancelling my Tribune subscription was one of the best moves I have ever made. (lowering my BP) I even have blocked their emails that offered reduced rates on subscribing for home delivery or email.
Comment by DEE Thursday, Apr 6, 23 @ 9:21 am
I can picture Mike Royko shaking his head somewhere…
Comment by Lincoln Lad Thursday, Apr 6, 23 @ 9:22 am
Great Royko article on Mayor Washington. If Johnson messes up, he can be voted out like any failed leader, like Royko said or implied. That happened to the former governor, who was too radical.
Vallas mocked Obama, so sour Vallas supporters or whoever can take a seat and be quiet on this. Also, how many who’d attack Johnson over something as trivial as this are Obama supporters themselves rather than just looking for an excuse to attack Johnson?
Comment by Grandson of Man Thursday, Apr 6, 23 @ 9:27 am
What did Royko ever end up thinking about Harold? I doubt he loved Vyrdolyak’s antics.
Comment by Arsenal Thursday, Apr 6, 23 @ 9:34 am
Royko started at the Chicago Daily News…an evening newspaper till it folded. Then left the Chicago Sun-Times when it was bought by Rupert Murdoch.
RIP….Slats Grobnik.
Kass has never been nor will ever be a Royko.
Comment by Jerry Thursday, Apr 6, 23 @ 9:36 am
From the editorial “The omission was telling”
Brandon also didn’t mention his siblings by name. Clearly there must be strife among them. /S
Comment by Jocko Thursday, Apr 6, 23 @ 9:38 am
I desperately miss both Mike and Harold- and I hadn’t remembered that he got his law degree from Northwestern. Royko’s advice is as solid now as it was then- your staff is your legacy- choose well.
Comment by West Sider Thursday, Apr 6, 23 @ 9:39 am
I’d note that Chicago had a AAA bond rating under Harold Washington.
Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Apr 6, 23 @ 9:39 am
===The city isn’t going to slide into the river. The sun will come up today and tomorrow, and your real estate values won’t collapse. History shows that real estate values in a town like Chicago go up and up, over the long haul, no matter who is mayor.===
Good quote from Royko here. I’d add that there are so many structures and institutions in Chicago besides City government that determine the future. Give Johnson a chance, and everyone stop the fear mongering that the City is now in decline.
Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Thursday, Apr 6, 23 @ 9:51 am
Did they let Katrina back to write this editorial? It’s that bad.
Comment by Keyrock Thursday, Apr 6, 23 @ 10:00 am
Royko’s talent was immense. The difference between Royko and the other guy…one was a writer while the other guy panders to his readers.
Comment by Rudy’s teeth Thursday, Apr 6, 23 @ 10:11 am
-I’d note that Chicago had a AAA bond rating under Harold Washington.-
Probably the most single important fact on why someone can’t compare Chicago in 1980’s to today. Mayor Johnson has much more limited options..
Comment by Steve Thursday, Apr 6, 23 @ 10:13 am
==Did they let Katrina back to write this editorial? It’s that bad.==
There have been a good number of them like that since Chris Jones took the role of chair of the editorial board. They have also had more than a few where you were left wondering if the editorial board even reads the reporting in their own paper.
Comment by Anon324 Thursday, Apr 6, 23 @ 10:14 am
===Mayor Johnson has much more limited options===
Harold bit the bullet and raised property taxes.
Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Apr 6, 23 @ 10:15 am
Cuts and tax increases are likely inevitable in the next four years, no matter who was going to be mayor, and if there’s a thingy about “fibbing” to voters, any of the 9, including Lightfoot, who said no tax increases, well, that’s not a reality any had with governing.
Thanks for sharing, Rich.
The reality of these days we all are living “unprecedented times” is so cliche now, the reality is not unlike “stories and plots”
You can whittle down any book, movie, story… to one of 22 or so lines. There’s never a “new”, even “Star Wars” is just a spaghetti western… just in space.
Politics is the learning from past politics to either avoid or make better past decision and predicaments, while having a vision towards tomorrow.
What this Royko work does, it’s one of those wake up calls that no matter how “extreme” others want to make, especially for those *wanting* division, learning from the past, the observations of their real time now… learn.
There’s 28 committee chairs awaiting Johnson to be sworn in.
There were 29 that Washington had to deal with and work with or around, but work all the same.
Royko understood that the calm in a dust up is the real, and the swirling storm wasn’t how the days and weeks were, especially to people and their everyday lives.
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Apr 6, 23 @ 10:39 am
===Mayor Johnson has much more limited options===
>> Harold bit the bullet and raised property taxes.
Brandon Johnson’s #1 governing problem if you ask me. It worked against Vallas but now going forward, hoo boy. He really boxed himself in rhetorically.
Comment by ZC Thursday, Apr 6, 23 @ 10:48 am
====Who knows, we might even wind up liking him.====
I was one of those that ended up liking him. I didn’t mind Balandic even though he wasn’t the greatest. I couldn’t stand Jane Byrne and I helped out Daley in that three way race. But I definitely came around and thought Harold was doing a good job. Some of his early supporters were a problem but he did a good job of being his own person and also caring about the whole city. The Council Wars were embarrassing and didn’t accomplish anything. I think Harold could have won another term if he had lived.
Comment by Been There Thursday, Apr 6, 23 @ 11:02 am
===It worked against Vallas but now going forward, hoo boy. He really boxed himself in rhetorically.===
Not if it’s sold on budgetary wants of his constituencies.
“My budget prioritizes things that long have been underfunded, and while some cuts are going to hurt or limit, what this budget does is maximize the enhanced revenues needed, while also prioritizing policies that Chicagoans want from city government”
Some things aren’t that hard if you bite the bullet while also leaning in to changing the culture and policies with a new administration.
If you *THINK* simple then the big and the great are never doable.
Plus, I’d *STRONGLY* suggest a stellar IGA group stationed in Springfield and an even better group tasked with aldermanic relations and outreach.
But, that’s all me. All the above.
I’ll watch what does happen.
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Apr 6, 23 @ 11:05 am
===Harold bit the bullet and raised property taxes.===
There are ways to make the property tax situation in Chicago a bit more equitable without technically raising the millage. We would be fooling ourselves if people ran for office were the only ones that had challenges with claiming inappropriate exemptions.
Comment by Candy Dogood Thursday, Apr 6, 23 @ 11:06 am
The Trib is just nutty on this. Obama did not endorse him. The Obama acolytes are in the power play set so why would Brandon want to acknowledge them. oh the panic that set in when Washington won the primary. many Democrats drifted to Epton. Not Rich Daley. Kass is not just drifting he’s speeding down river from where Royko was. the Royko family was in favor of Kass taking the column. What happened to him? Probably his brother and 9/11, he’s in awe of his brother and his conservative national security politics. and that bleeds over to color everything. the good news is the Vallas loss means Kass is not moving back into an apartment in the City. And Vallas will be moving out of that teeny space near my ballpark.
Comment by Amalia Thursday, Apr 6, 23 @ 11:26 am
Classic Royko. I read him every day in the Chicago Daily News from the time I was a kid.
As this column and Rich point out, as lot of his stuff is actually timeless. Take any column, change a few names, and you could run it today. I can almost imagine what he would have said about the current ComEd mess.
Rich, thanks for the trip down memory lane. You forget how great a researcher and writer Royko was.
Comment by RNUG Thursday, Apr 6, 23 @ 11:26 am
In defense of the Tribune’s embarrassing editorial, they had to throw something together quickly, after killing the “Vallas Victorious”editorial they spent much more time and effort on.
Comment by HCMcB Thursday, Apr 6, 23 @ 11:33 am
===after killing the “Vallas Victorious”editorial they spent much more time and effort on===
Lotta that going around https://twitter.com/civilian_ben/status/1643459944392294400
Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Apr 6, 23 @ 11:36 am
-Harold bit the bullet and raised property taxes.-
Also, Mayor Johnson has to deal with remote corporate workers who may be difficult to tax.
Comment by Steve Thursday, Apr 6, 23 @ 12:10 pm
===has to deal with remote corporate workers who may be difficult to tax===
Slow down, Speed Racer
You think there’s 60/30 and a signature for those type of taxes?
You think there’s 26 in the City Council?
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Apr 6, 23 @ 12:14 pm
That Tribune editorial is truly egregious. I didn’t vote for Johnson, but he’s my mayor now. Certainly not a job I’d want, but I also think I have to wait until he’s in office before I critique how he’s doing.
Comment by Garfield Ridge Guy Thursday, Apr 6, 23 @ 12:51 pm
==History shows that real estate values in a town like Chicago go up and up, over the long haul, no matter who is mayor.==
Got that right. South Loop /West Loop / downtown real estate values have almost quadrupled since that editorial was written 40 years ago.
Comment by low level Thursday, Apr 6, 23 @ 1:08 pm
That Tribune line made me shout a banned word out loud upon reading this.
Tribune Editorial Board just continuing their hot streak of printing hot garbage.
Comment by Commissar Gritty Thursday, Apr 6, 23 @ 2:02 pm