By Steve Rhodes

“The white mayor/wet mayor controversy in 1989 should have been a warning to us all,” John Kass writes today.
“Speaking to white voters on the Southwest Side, then-mayoral candidate Daley reportedly said, ‘You want a white mayor that can sit down with anybody.’
“Naturally, Daley blamed the media. His mouthpieces argued that reporters misunderstood what he said.
“He didn’t say ‘white mayor,’ argued the Daley guys. Instead, he said ‘wet mayor,’ as in, ‘You want a wet mayor that can sit down with anybody.’

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Posted on May 26, 2010

By Steve Rhodes

In a curious turn of events, it is now Rick Bayless who owes Lynn Sweet an apology.
Last night on Chicago Tonight, Bayless accused Sweet – though he didn’t mention her by name – of simply making up her since-corrected story of Bayless’s tweeting about the White House state dinner he recently prepared.
Unless there is evidence to the contrary, it appears that Sweet simply made a mistake. It happens.

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Posted on May 25, 2010

By Steve Rhodes

The view from San Jose:
“It is never pretty, being swept out of a playoff series. And there were broom scars all over the Sharks here Sunday,” Mark Purdy writes for the Mercury News.
“As recently as a week ago, there was legitimate talk of a Stanley Cup finals being played in San Jose for the first time in city and franchise history. But after the Sharks so impressively won eight of their first 11 playoff games and advanced to the Western Conference finals, they never managed another victory.
“Intellectually, of course, the Sharks knew it was possible for the Blackhawks to win four straight. But the prospect had seemed so remote until it actually took place.”

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Posted on May 24, 2010

By Natasha Julius

We’re still hoping we won’t have to publish this report for another six years or so. But just in case . . .
Market Update
You know, in about 12 to 15 years people are going to realize this whole complex mess could’ve been avoided if we’d just trusted the righteous God of Free Market Economics like our forefathers intended.

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Posted on May 22, 2010

By Steve Rhodes

As I was thinking about how to write-up today’s column about the latest goofiness from our mayor, my mind drifted back to last night’s episode of Real Housewives of New York City.
Stay with me on this.
The “housewives” finally realized last night that castmate Kelly Bensimon is stone-cold crazy.
Now, I’ve never thought that Richard M. Daley was crazy. Just venal.
And when I first read about his “joke” – or whatever it was – about putting a rifle up Reader reporter Mick Dumke’s butt yesterday and pulling the trigger, well, I just figured it was Daley being Daley. You know, an asshole.

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Posted on May 21, 2010

By Steve Rhodes

Due to some nitwit at Speakeasy, we’ve had an e-mail disaster here at Beachwood HQ. I’ll be spending much of my day trying to restore order and plotting revenge. The Beachwood will return on Friday, unless apprehended.
The [Wednesday] Papers
“It makes me wonder if any politician or elected official can get a fair trial,” Betty Loren-Maltese writes in a post called “Fair Trial For Blago?” on her new blog.
“What type of peers of Blago’s will sit on the jury? Will the system find a suitable cross-section of Illinois politicians who can understand how things are done in this state and judge Blago fairly according to those standards?”
In other words, a jury of Blago’s political peers would never convict him! Priceless.

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Posted on May 20, 2010

By Steve Rhodes

“It makes me wonder if any politician or elected official can get a fair trial,” Betty Loren-Maltese writes in a post called “Fair Trial For Blago?” on her new blog.
“What type of peers of Blago’s will sit on the jury? Will the system find a suitable cross-section of Illinois politicians who can understand how things are done in this state and judge Blago fairly according to those standards?”
In other words, a jury of Blago’s political peers would never convict him! Priceless.

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Posted on May 19, 2010

By Steve Rhodes

“In another development Monday, prosecutors disclosed that onetime Blagojevich adviser Tony Rezko had begun cooperating with the government in July 2008 – the month after Rezko was convicted on charges he used his influence in Blagojevich’s administration to benefit himself and his associates,” the Sun-Times reports.
And yet, numerous reports over the last few weeks have stated that Rezko will not be called as a witness at Blagojevich’s trial. Why not?
The media isn’t saying.

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Posted on May 18, 2010

By Steve Rhodes

1. So, um, the Hawks cheated . . .
2. Dio in Chicago. The world is full of kings and queens, who blind your eyes and steal your dreams.
3. Reporting Palin. Please don’t user her gender, her accent or her leather jacket against her.

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Posted on May 17, 2010

By Natasha Julius

Lest you should feel offended by any portion of the following report, we’d like to point out that the entire premise is incorrect.
Market Update
Despite assurances that the hemorrhaging has been stopped, global markets remained deeply skeptical that the damage won’t continue to worsen. So in other words, duh.

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Posted on May 15, 2010