When Rupert Murdoch bought the Chicago Sun-Times in 1984, Mike Royko, my hero, switched teams. He hated Murdoch, and said that "No self respecting fish would be wrapped in a Murdoch paper." Over 25 years ago, Mike had pegged Murdoch for exactly what he turned out to be; a guy not interested in quality journalism, but rather political power.

After a decade and a half at the Sun-Times, the paper generally considered to be the liberal Democratic rag in town, Mike walked out the door.....and in the door of the Chicago Tribune.

The Trib has always been the choice of the Republicans in Chicago, yes we have some of those. When Royko joined the paper, and began running his columns 4 days a week, it seemed odd at first. It was like watching Ernie Banks play first base for the White Sox.

When Belushi took the role of Ernie Souchak in Continental Divide, it was clear to anyone living here that he was playing Royko. I thought the movie was okay, as feel-good fish-out-of-water love stories go, but I found it a bit of a stretch to pair him with Blair Brown. No offense to Royko, but he looked a lot like Capt. Merrill Steubing, and Blair Brown looked like..well, Blair Brown.

Royko didn't think Belushi was the right choice of actors to play him, even though they were friends. Royko thought perhaps Redford or Selleck would have been better choices. I still say they should have picked Gavin McCloud.

Anyway, whenever election time rolled around, I always tuned in to NBC Channel 5 in Chicago, because they'd always get Royko to do commentary as the votes would start rolling in.

One of my favorite election night moments was in April 1983, when Royko and Dick Kay (local news dweeb) began arguing about exit polls and election night forecasts. Kay (real name Dick Snodgrass) was getting ready to announce that NBC was going to project Harold Washington as the new mayor, with ...whatever....60% of the votes counted (or so.)

Royko, who had been urging people to lie whenever asked by pollsters how they were going to vote, and also to lie to exit pollsters, suggested that Kay and NBC were being premature.

His question to Dick Kay, and one that I find myself continuously asking on election nights, ..."Why are you projecting the winner? We're counting votes. We'll have an answer in 2 hours. What's the rush?"

And Kay said something like....homina homina homina....

1983 had seen a very racially charged campaign waged by Republican Bernie Epton, whose campaign slogan was "Vote for Epton: Before it's too late." I'm not kidding.

You think Obama's facing racism? He's got nothing on what Washington faced 25 years ago. In the Dem primary, Washington had won with 37% of the vote, to incumbent mayor Jane Byrne's 33%, and 30% for a newcomer named Richard M. Daley. Washington took something like 99.999932% of the black vote, while Byrne and Daley split the white vote. Very racial election, maybe the most racial election I've ever seen, including the Dem primary.

Republican Epton was seen as a guy who stood no chance against the vaunted "Chicago Democratic Machine." Royko knew better, and on election night, he proved it again.

Washington won with 51.7% of the vote to Epton's 47%. Epton won 81% of Chicago's white vote, and 3% of Chicago's black vote, which meant that the Democratic community organizers, who'd registered 100,000 new voters, had made the difference and swung the election to Harold Washington. I'm often tempted to bring this up when fray know-nothings talk about Obama being the hand-chosen pick of the "Chicago Democratic Machine", but I think I'd rather let people wallow in that ignorance, than point out with pride that Chicago is as racist as any other big city.

The Chicago Democratic Machine died in December 1976. It's still a Dem city of course, but there is no resemblance to The Machine that the old man built, which was covered extensively in Royko's Boss.

And the Tribune is still Chicago's Republican paper.

And, the Chicago Tribune has endorsed Democrat Barack Obama for president. It's the first time in history that the Trib has endorsed a Democrat.

I was telling friends early in the Dem primaries that one regret I have is that Mike Royko didn't live long enough to see what we all saw. I would have loved to have been able to read Mike's take on the heavyweight match-up between Senator Clinton and Senator Obama.

I'm regretting Mike's absence again. He should have lived long enough to see the 2008 election, and he should have lived long enough to see the Tribune, the paper to which he'd fled rather than toil for Murdoch, endorse their very first Democrat for president.

Anybody wanting to know whether Obama has the guts to take on his own party doesn't know anything about him. They should study up on his first State Senate race, where he outmaneuvred both the Democrats and Republicans -- a case study in organization and preparation, with a large measure of ruthlessness.

Mike's pro-gun essence might have compelled him to advocate for McCain. I'm sure you recall his insistence that he should have the right to mount a recoilless rifle on his Ford Bronco (bought to contend with the city's refusal to plow snow clogged streets) to clear the way of the mindless boobs he encountered in his daily commute.

He also appreciated the endless supply of political cartoons (Palin?) for grist for his mill.

You're right, though, that he would have been appalled at the destruction of consistency in the Trib's editorial positions.

I liked Mike Royko too.

Jack

John McCain is already employing spiritual mediums to conjure up Michael Bilandic who will cause massive blizzards to simultaneously strike Virginia, Colorado, North Carolina, and Florida on November 4th - limiting Democratic turnout. Meanwhile, the Palins have been secretly deploying an army of snowmobilers to transport Joe Sixpax to the polls.

I miss Royko. The last time I was up that way, I went to the Billy Goat and raised a cheeseburger in his honor.

Anybody who still doubts Obama's guts on anything.....

His US Senate race was a laugh riot in one regard, with enough Republican stumbling and bumbling to fill several good books on how not to run an election. But it was also insight into Obama.

Friggin' Jack Ryan had a camera guy tail Obama 24/7 for weeks, hoping to catch Mr. Smooth in a real fuck up.

Obama didn't fuck up. Stayed calm and cool, and went about his business until the camera guy went home. Then of course came the story that Jack Ryan and his former wife, Seven of Nine, had gone to Paris for a little group sex and leather zipper-masks. Friggin' pervert Republicans! Next thing you know, Obama's running against Alan Keyes.

Surreal man, and that includes the fact that Keyes got 29% of the vote.

That election is where, I think, Obama first learned the skill of knowing when to be quiet while the opponent commits political suicide. He's not forgotten that lesson.

Remember when he got mugged in the foyer of his new high-rise condo? laughing out loud just recalling those columns....man he was pissed off.

Those Ford Bronco columns were historic.

I don't think his pro-gun position would have caused him to advocate for Top Gun.

He would have hammered Obama, no doubt, about some of his nebulous goals. He would have needed plenty of details on how Barack expects to achieve such lofty aspirations. But he also would have said plenty about McCain's headless-chicken campaign strategy, and I can only imagine what Royko would have written about the Governor of Alaska.

I think Royko would have been an Obama backer, but not a bot, like the rest of us.

The 1979 blizzard, which Byrne used to beat incumbent Bilandic, is one of the legends of Chicago politics that will never die.

Every cycle, it gets mentioned.

"Don't make the same mistake Bilandic made!!!"

As for the Billy Goat, .... just imagine sitting there, the third man in this conversation.

Studs is 96. Hopefully, he'll be able to pass along the story of the 2008 election to Royko, next time he sees him.

Hopefully not too soon.

Interesting times. But if we (and you know who I mean) relax and make this close enough to steal, they will. Now is not the time to spend patting ourselves on the back. We've got to crush them. The Republicans have two percent in their pocket.

I love the closing paragraph of the article.

We are proud to add Barack Obama's name to Lincoln's in the list of people the Tribune has endorsed for president of the United States.

I keep waiting for someone to say.."Well of course they endorsed Obama, he's from Chicago."

One needs only to read the article to which I linked to understand that it isn't hometown pride, but a carefully arrived at endorsement.

They don't slam McCain, they just say what a lot of us have been saying,....at this point in time, Obama's the right guy for the job.

Like George Will said, he has the temperament the country needs.

Hopefully, he'll win, although I'm not counting any chickens, that's for sure. Besides 2 pts in the pocket, Republicans know how to play the game, and Rove ain't going to just roll over and die.

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They kept their wits while others were losing theirs..To be a man, my son.
A

Wow. Denver too. Not so much surprising as encouraging, although with Rep ownership it's right there with the Trib. (Sam Zell's recent arrival makes me less sure of where the Trib is leaning these days, but I digress...)

You inspired me to look it up, and cut it,...

IF

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,

Or being hated, don't give way to hating,

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;

If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,

And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

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1996 right after the special Taste of Chicago they had for the delegates at Navy Pier (where I was interviewed by David Broder, when I really wanted to talk to Royko, who I had loved for years.

Our State Party Executive Director took us there, and I have followed the tradition by introducing new friends to it every year when I go.

Ironic that the Sun-Times building has morphed into a Trump Tower.

Have to tell you that I read your note about the Arab thing. I had been busy playing in San Diego, and didn't catch that.

Your post read like you were saying it, so sorry I missed the sarcasm.

I did go out to the Point. Nice views. Never saw a military cemetary before. so thanks for that advice. Couldn't find that restaurant, sadly--so it must be closed.

Loved La Jolla. beautiful city. We got to have the fog come in and roll over us on Thursday. That was actually very cool. Great waves. Surfers love it there, though the water is cooold. Loved 5th avenue downtown at night. Pretty Hopping.

To what4bob--ate at Panda Inn. pretty yummy, thanks for the suggestion.