The [Wednesday] Papers

"Democratic Rep. Luis Gutierrez, who has served in Congress since 1993, was poised to run and win again in the Chicago-centered 4th Congressional District - until, suddenly, he wasn't," the Tribune says in an endorsement editorial.

"In late November, at the start of the brief window in which primary candidates file to run, Gutierrez announced his retirement and his preferred successor: Jesus 'Chuy' Garcia, a Cook County Board member and former candidate for Chicago mayor.

"Here was a do-si-do in the Chicago political style: Pick your guy while making it tough for other would-be candidates who'd have to scramble to file. Meanwhile, should Garcia win, Mayor Rahm Emanuel no longer would need to worry about Garcia challenging him in 2019.

"These insider handoffs rob voters of choices, or attempt to. It's not a good look for Gutierrez or Garcia."

You know who else this isn't a good look for? The Tribune editorial page!

Why? Because just before (rightly) excoriating Gutierrez and Garcia, they endorsed Dan Lipinski, who was bequeathed his seat by his father in an even more odorous maneuver than the one by Luis and Chuy.

"In 2004, Lipinski's father ran for renomination in the Democratic primary," Wikipedia recalls. "After easily winning the nomination, the elder Lipinski announced his retirement. As the Democratic committeeman for Chicago's 23rd Ward - which is virtually coextensive with the Chicago portion of the 3rd - he was able to persuade the state Democratic Party to select his son to replace him on the ballot. The move was somewhat controversial; not only had the younger Lipinski not lived regularly in Illinois since 1989 and never run for elected office before, but it allowed him to sidestep the Democratic primary - the real contest in this heavily Democratic district."

Stick around long enough - and vote Republican half the time while pretending to be a Democrat - and the Tribune will forget all about how you got there in the first place.

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"Lipinski and his district have been a good fit for a long time, and we like his thoughtful, independent approach. Lipinski is endorsed."

A good fit indeed, if by good fit one means fitting well with the traditional style of politics done there.

"In the eight years since he opened a lobbying practice, former U.S. Rep. Bill Lipinski's one-man firm has been paid $4 million by clients with issues before the U.S. House transportation committee on which his son, U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski, D-Illinois, serves, records show," the BGA reported in 2016.

"The younger Lipinski is the senior Illinois representative on the 59-member committee that decides federal funding and policy crucial to transportation agencies and private companies such as railroads."

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As far as Chuy's race goes, the second he put his arm around Gutierrez is the second he lost me - though I was far less impressed with his 2105 mayoral campaign than some others; to me, Chuy managing to get into a runoff showed just how vulnerable Rahm Emanuel was - and probably never will be again.

So I actually agree with the Trib on this:

"While Gutierrez was playing succession politics with Garcia, other candidates jumped into the race, though most faded. The best still standing is Sol A. Flores, executive director of La Casa Norte, a nonprofit group in Humboldt Park. She built it into an 80-employee organization that delivers housing and social services to homeless families and victims of domestic abuse. It currently is building a community center that includes a federally funded health care center . . . We like Flores' background and enthusiasm. Flores is endorsed. Mark Wayne Lorch of Riverside is unopposed on the Republican side."

Note: I don't vote in primaries; I don't believe journalists should take part in party activities, like choosing a nominee. But that doesn't mean I don't have preferences.

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New on today's Beachwood . . .

Archer Bunker On Gun Control
Case closed!

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On This Day In . . .

2017: Aldermen want a piece of Rahm's bait-and-switch property tax rebate slush fund.

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2014: Exclusive! Inside Rahm's offer to Jimmy Fallon.

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2014: Northwestern is a university, dammit, not a place for inquiry!

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2013: So Jesse Jr. and Sandi Jackson are sitting at the kitchen table one night . . .

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2012: BREAKING: "Rahm Aide Calls The Policies Of Obama's Education Secretary A Failure."

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ChicagoTube

We're all Costanza.

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BeachBook

There's A Persistent Hum In This Canadian City And No One Knows Why.

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TweetWood
A sampling.

Alcohol + longevity = clickbait | Observational study ≠ cause-and-effect headlines. But did that stop a slew of news outlets from hyping up their headlines on this unpublished cohort study? https://t.co/yk9rp9d9qa pic.twitter.com/RAt4fzQaPb

— HealthNewsReview.org (@HealthNewsRevu) February 21, 2018

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CNN wrongly reports that a new blood test can "help detect concussion"https://t.co/6T3wngki7K pic.twitter.com/B3E5ivRXhg

— HealthNewsReview.org (@HealthNewsRevu) February 21, 2018

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IMDb Can Still List Actors' Ages After Court Rules California Censorship Law Unconstitutional https://t.co/LXBy1YXJGU

— Beachwood Reporter (@BeachwoodReport) February 21, 2018

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20 days ago ... pic.twitter.com/llLxMpscvF

— Beachwood Reporter (@BeachwoodReport) February 21, 2018

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This is the investigative article that won @ionacraig a Polk Award today. Dangerous to report, it revealed that a SEAL Team 6 raid Trump called "highly successful" had killed well over a dozen women and children and was botched. https://t.co/VzY7FxFAyV

— Peter Maass (@maassp) February 20, 2018

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SeinfeldChicago: Elaine's first article for the Reader gets Editor Nazi fired; Madigan fires Newman for sexually aggressive delivery of campaign mailers; Jerry's gig at UChicago shouted down by students who mistake him for Dane Cook; George & Kramer collude in dibs scheme.

— Beachwood Reporter (@BeachwoodReport) February 20, 2018

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The Beachwood Tronc Line: Out of this hole.

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