When Mayor Daley announced that he was resigning, it made Washington liberals very happy.  It should have also put a smile on Republican Presidential candidates too.

Let me explain.

For most of his career, Daley has been a pretty effective mayor for the city of Big Shoulders.  He was able to pick up the pieces after the Harold Washington debacle and move the city past the racial political war that typified Washington’s epic battles against the City Counsel.

For a decade or so, he made Chicago work again.  He made peace with the business community, he worked hard on beautifying the city, and found ways to reach out to every different neighborhood in a way that brought the city together.  He transformed his father’s political machine, making it more acceptable for the modern era.

But Daley was dogged by federal corruption investigations that ultimately took out many of his closest allies.  He refused to back the police force when cops were charged with police brutality and racism (even when the cops were black).   That led to the shooting gallery that is currently Chicago.

He pushed liberal (and ineffective) causes like gun control, making a name for himself, but taking away freedom from citizens who wanted to protect themselves from the bad guys.  Read more...