Best of the Fray

Re: Royko rolls over and smiles

Schmutzie — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 16:56:10 GMT

A nice thought Savory.

Mike was way too young.

Studs lived a good long life.

And if there is a Billy Goat in heaven, you know who's elbow to elbow at the counter now.

Re: Royko rolls over and smiles

Savory Goodness — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 02:38:20 GMT

Mike and Studs are having a beer tonight. God rest them.

wow

Days — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 02:00:14 GMT

thanks

Re: Royko rolls over and smiles

JackD — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 02:06:33 GMT

Mike wasn't pro-gun. My comment, like his column, was ironic.

Re: Royko rolls over and smiles

Issywise — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 21:23:33 GMT

It just amazes me how little Americans attend to voting as a nonpartisan practice. If an abuse serves their preferred candidate or team, it is OK and anybody whining about it is........well, just a whiner.

The Economist Magazine ranks nations by the democracy of their elections each year. The US came in 19th in the last ranking I saw. 19th.

We need national standards, laws that invite voter participation and take out any opportunity for candidates or parties to manipulate the process.

What do you think the chances are that we'll get them, now that we've graduated into having our political parties voiding votes by the million?

Re: Royko rolls over and smiles

Schmutzie — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 21:02:01 GMT

I was being somewhat tongue-in-cheek.

Mike used to say that he wanted to mount a bazooka on his car for tricky traffic situations. He said that if his neighbor was granted the right to own a handgun, then he should be allowed to mount a machine gun by his bed because his eyesight wasn't good. I think jackd was talking about these things when suggesting Mike may have leaned toward McCain.

Royko would never be called a gun-lover, but he also took a pragmatic view....

"Strict gun laws are about as effective as strict drug laws....It pains me to say this but the NRA seems to be right: The cities and states that have the toughest gun laws have the most murder and mayhem."

Between his marches in late 60s Selma and getting mugged in the doorway of his condo in late 80s Chicago, I think he got a little more symapthetic to the issue of gun ownership. I think he revisited the 2nd Amendment quite a few times in his columns. Worth a google anyway.

Re: Royko rolls over and smiles

Savory Goodness — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 20:39:20 GMT

I note two references earlier to Mike Royko's pro-gun posture. Granted, I have only been to Chicago a couple times, but I have read as much Royko as I could find. The piece which sticks in my mind was his column immediately after Bobby Kennedy was shot (How about Gun as our Symbol? 06/06/1968) which is decidedly not pro-gun. Any references to articles I have not read on this subject?

I loved Mike Royko so much that I would have had extra helpings of Czernina for breakfast with him anytime, if he had only asked.

Re: Royko rolls over and smiles

Schmutzie — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 20:18:12 GMT

Kneejerk response from me. Recent Pavlovian conditioning has caused me to assume anyone troubled by the mechanics of the Dem primaries was and is an angry Senator Clinton supporter. My bad.

Axelrod's the goods.

McCain's campaign reminds me off a drunk walking down a hotel hallway, trying one door after another, looking for his room.

sigh

biteoftheweek — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 20:00:27 GMT

speaking of situational ethics...

Re: Royko rolls over and smiles

Issywise — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 19:48:57 GMT

"May I assume you're a disgruntled Hillary Clinton supporter?" No you may not. I was offended by the whole kitten coboodle of them voiding votes to enforce party committee preferences for who should vote when. Obama was one of a crowd who should have stood up and said, "Wait a minute here...what'd you say we were about to do?"

I don't know the who and how of it, but he's run a hell of a campaign--clearly the superior race run.

It seems to me that the better campaigner has reliably won in recent decades. Even in 1980, when Carter had so much going against him because of things out of political control, Reagan ran the better race. This year, if Obama wins, much rationalization will be made for McCain's loss based on the "atmosphere" being so bad for a Republican, but I ain't buying it. It won't be George W. Bush who lost.

Obama ignoring all the baiting and encouragements by his own side to strike higher or more aggressive notes allowed him to reassure voters at a time when the one thing they for sure needed was reassurance. Obama's purposeful and disciplined cool juxtaposed against McCain's excitability has brought us to where we are today---and that is better campaigning, pure and simple.

Re: Don't know if you have seen this

Schmutzie — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 16:29:45 GMT

Hadn't seen it, thank you very much.

Always fun to see stuff from Mike's healthier years, (although his ciggies got me looking at my Marlboros on the desk in disgust....that's next. He was puffing away.)

Dude loved himself some softball.

Notice how he pronounced Chicago? That's the proper way. Chi-CAW-go

Known people who've lived here their whole lives who insist on calling it Chi-KAHHH-go. Shiver..

"Sam....get another round here!!"

(Notice the sign over the door to The Goat? sheesh...shameless, that's what Sianis is.)

Re: Royko rolls over and smiles

Schmutzie — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 16:23:08 GMT

Mike was a very tough guy to play gotcha with. As you noted, he'd sit quietly, and take the punches thrown at him, but they'd always bounce off because he wasn't a fake. He didn't put on airs. Same guy, all the time.

He never got tripped up by "That's not what you said before..." type attacks, because he didn't change his opinions with the prevailing wind.

And his ability to fire back was a thing to behold. I've known many talented lawyers in my life, but very few of them would compare to Royko in terms of debating skill.

Not sure what you meant by the last part about Obama acting as an accomplice in the rigged primary eletion. May I assume you're a disgruntled Hillary Clinton supporter? Not really the point of the post, but I'd say if Royko had been observing the primaries, he'd have focused on McAuliffe and Solis-Doyle's imcompetent campaigning, and additionally Royko would have marveled at the skill displayed by long time (up until 2007, behind-the-scenes) Chicago political strategist....David Axelrod.

Obama won the Democratic nomination, he didn't steal it. The reason he won, besides being the better candidate, is because of great strategy.

If Obama wins the White House, it will be because he's the better candidate, and it will also be because of David Axelrod.

Don't know if you have seen this

biteoftheweek — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:44:44 GMT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpuXfcx0pRU

Re: Royko rolls over and smiles

Issywise — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 13:57:35 GMT

The first time I heard of Royko was when a column he wrote about Chicago politics appeared on the front page of my city's paper. I'm sure the editors of our city's paper thought they were educating us readers on how rough Chicago politics were. I was astounded to read Royko name a sitting member of the city council (whatever they are called) who Royko said "never spoke in public because he saved his breath for the back room where he says "where is mine?"

The editors on my city's paper got more than they expected: I sat there wondering why journalism at home wasn't like it apparently was in Chicago. I mean journalism is supposed to be about telling the truth. I had just forgot to expect it.

The next time I ran across Royko was on a televised national talk show where he was one of four panelists brought on to discuss Chicago politics. The TV type moderator thought to discredit Royko at the beginning of the show and heighten interest by reading some of his choicer lines--they very seemed radical. Royko sat relaxed and quiet during that attack and during the first few minutes of typical bland mastication done by the other panelists. Then the moderator, having established the expected tenor of the conversation, turned back to Royko and said something like, "So why are you so wild in your accusations?"

What followed was five minutes of the most masterly TV I've ever seen. Royko recited the fact--legal facts, relevant to the question: how many elected officials incited and convicted, how many judges convicted and disbarred; the general particulars of the various scandals then occupying Chicago's attention.

The moderator went catatonic and the other panelists figuratively ran for cover. They were going to pretend that Chicago was part of the Beaver Cleaver America we all like to pretend we live in and Royko was being unkind enough to deal with reality. For the rest of the hour, Royko said little but sat there accepting apologies from the others for their cowardly avoidance of truth.

DEAL WITH REALITY. There it is: that's what made the man great. If we dealt with reality, we'd fault Obama for his acting as an accomplice in the cancellation of millions of primary votes this Spring. Instead we're pouring our hopes and dreams into the vessel of his candidacy and closing our eyes to all that obstructs that gratifying activity.

I think Royko had one thing we all do not: He saw us as we really are, not as we pretend to be, and was still hopeful. It was a rare gift God gave him. We have to self-delude to believe.

You know

biteoftheweek — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 05:33:54 GMT

For 150 years the Trib was the hated and reviled "gentile" newsrag, while the Deseret news was the beloved mouthpiece of the mormon church.

Sadly, about a decade ago the Church was finally able to buy the Trib.

Fucking Tragedy.