N06, Bobbie Steele beaten like a crack baby in foster care

Sun-Times (Fran Spielman):

The complex political deal calls for [Alderman William] Beavers, powerful chairman of the City Council's Budget Committee, to replace John Stroger as county commissioner and for Todd Stroger to replace his father as president of the board, where he would have no vote. Until the election, John Stroger would remain in office. If Beavers wins the seat, he would resign as 7th Ward alderman on the condition that Mayor Daley appoint his daughter to replace him....

Beavers, 71, has long made known his desire to retire and install his daughter--now his chief of staff--as his successor.

The Capitol Fax Blog has a round-up of commentary from the Sun-Times, Trib and Mary Mitchell.

County Commissioner Bobbie Steele is a hack who cares little government efficiency and providing quality services. She’ll play the race card to get Black voters to toe-the-line even when reform would improve services for those same Black voters.

But Steele is getting treated unfairly by Ald. William Beavers and the rest of the Stroger machine. Beavers is attacking Steele for being too ambitious and jockeying to become County Board President.

Let’s look at this through the prism of insiders and outsiders. Beavers and Ald. Todd Stroger, the insiders, have been privately jockeying to advance their careers behind the scenes while piously pledging all sorts of bullshit and lies about hoping John Stroger will return to his duties as County Board President.

Beavers and Todd Stroger could do this because they controlled the information about John Stroger’s health. And they were the ones who declared what was and wasn’t appropriate. “Silly Bobbie, our jockeying for power is appropriate; your jockeying for power proves you are not ‘the one’.”

Any claims that the South Side Black Democrats would have treated the Westside Blacks any better if Westsiders behaved with more reverence for the Stroger family is bullshit. Bill Beavers and Todd Stroger were going to take care of themselves, their blood family and then their political organizations. There never was going to be any crumbs for the Westsiders under the Beavers/T. Stroger plan.

In some ways Bobbie Steele, the outsider, is the perfect person to play the chump for the Westside. Steele lacks intellect or political savvy making it easy for the Beavers/T. Stroger team to put her on the defensive.

Beavers and T. Stroger may have beaten Steele like a crack baby in foster care, but the Beavers/Stroger couldn’t treat Ald. Ed Smith or Congressman Danny Davis like they have treated Steele. Smith and Davis avoided the trap by being astute enough to see the game was stacked in favor of the Southsiders—at least at this point.

But if Beavers fails to deliver the Democratic committeeman votes he claims to have (but probably doesn’t) look for a Westsider to emerge as the candidate to replace John Stroger on the ballot. And when a Westsider emerges as a serious candidate, it won’t be Bobbie Steele.