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Mayor Richard Daley today launched his final push in office for state and federal gun-control measures and vowed to continue those efforts "as a private citizen as well." He proposed four new state criminal laws aimed at reducing gun violence and vowed to battle bills that would bar cities and villages from enacting gun-control measures and allow citizens to carry concealed weapons. "We are ready for this fight," Daley said, after noting his long history of anti-gun violence efforts during nearly 22 years in office.

Congressman told FBI he asked for -- and got -- free home upgrades ### Convicted political fixer Tony Rezko gave U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez free upgrades on a riverfront town house after the congressman asked for them, Gutierrez told the FBI, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned. Gutierrez's comments to federal agents in a previously undisclosed 2008 interview contradict what the congressman told the Sun-Times in 2006 about the purchase. "I walked in with my wife -- as any other consumer could have -- and purchased the unit at the listed price, with no considerations," the Northwest Side congressman said then,...

Chicago-style politics is infamous for kickbacks, dead people voting, and thuggery. Alas, it is not just a relic of the past. In fact, witness recent stories of Chicago city workers being hired or promoted based on how well they got voters to the polls and not how well they did their official jobs, children getting admitted to prestigious city schools based on political connections, and the granting of city contracts. Unfortunately, I know first hand more than I would like about Chicago politics. A decade ago, I was working at the University of Chicago Law School as an Olin Fellow,...

Members from the Mayors Against Illegal Guns coalition gathered in New York this morning to advocate for a simple solution to cutting down on gun violence: just adhere to the existing laws already on the books. The group, lead by Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and Mayor Michael Bloomberg, released a press statement this morning calling for the government to crack down on background check loopholes. They are pushing for a stricter enforcement of the 1968 gun law that prohibits people with a history of drug abuse, criminal activity, or mental illness, from buying guns.

Since his party's November shellacking, President Obama has worked hard to show America that he is not anti-business, notably by picking General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt and Chicago banker Bill Daley for prominent posts in his administration. But their selection does not mean Obama is "pro-business," at least as the term is commonly understood. The president is no champion of open markets and free competition. His idea of being friendly to business means more government subsidies and corporate-government cooperation, both of which are mother's milk to Immelt and Daley. Obama joined Immelt on Friday at a GE plant in Schenectady,...

Earlier this month, President Obama announced William Daley (brother of Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and former executive at JP Morgan Chase) as his new chief of staff, replacing Chicago mayoral candidate Rahm Emanuel. Less well known is the fact that Mr. Daley was a member of the board of trustees for Third Way, which bills itself as an "influential think-tank that creates and advances moderate policy and political ideas." Therefore, last week's release by Third Way of a domestic policy memo outlining a plan for "Fixing Foreclosure-gate" may well be a trial balloon for the Obama administration's next set of...

As President Barack Obama knighted Chicago's William Daley as his new chief of staff — and kept the Daley machine in control of the executive branch of our federal government — I couldn't help thinking of the good old days. Back when I would fondly recount the legend of Obama of Chicago. Not the political spin that Obama was some kind of reformer promising a different, cleaner kind of politics. But the true mythic history, Obama as a thin, silky creature of the Daleys, eagerly trotting behind them along the Chicago Way: And lo, the Daley women found the infant...

Reporting from Washington — President Obama has recast his White House team for the second half of his term, giving top jobs to a pair of Clinton-era veterans in a signal to business leaders and independent voters that he is resolved to steer a more centrist course after two years of intense partisan clashes. Obama announced Thursday that he was installing William Daley as chief of staff, entrusting the White House operation and perhaps the future of his presidency to a former Commerce secretary who has warned that pressing a liberal agenda risks scaring away an all-important bloc of moderate...

What Bill Daley has in common with Rahm Emanuel is that they're both legendary background sources to reporters. He was, in particular, a great source to the late Robert Novak, who outed Daley in his memoir (page 451) as the anonymous Midwestern Democratic source of an incendiary remark on Michael Dukakis's failed attempt to keep Jesse Jackson's profile low at the 1988 Democratic convention. "For those of us who watched television, what they saw looked like a black party," Daley told Novak. "William Daley was no racist," Novak assured his readers, but the comment is at least a reminder that his...

  It looks like the "Chicago Way" will continue with William Daley taking the White House Chief of Staff position formerly held by Rahm Emanuel. Daley is a particularly poor choice because he represents the nexus of big government, big business and the left-wing activist groups they enable and bankroll.Daley is not a "centrist," nor is he "pro business," except when he is getting a piece of the action. Daley has carried the title of "Midwest Chairman" of JPMorgan Chase but he is not a banker or a businessman. He is a broker of influence. That is why JPMorgan...

NBC News and Politico are reporting that Bill Daley, brother of Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, former Commerce Secretary under Bill Clinton and long-time executive at Wall Street’s JP Morgan Chase will join the Obama Administration as White House Chief of Staff.

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Lack of gun registry 'annoying,' Daley says Police say mayor's plan should be up and running 'in the coming weeks' By John Byrne and Hal Dardick, Tribune reporters 10:17 PM CST, December 8, 2010 Mayor Richard Daley on Wednesday said that it's "annoying" that the Chicago Police Department has yet to set up a database to let police officers and firefighters know how many firearms are registered in each home in the city. The registry was a key piece of Daley's new gun control platform after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the city's handgun ban in June. The mayor said...

Chicago’s precarious financial situation is well-documented. The last few years have seen our elected leaders (the mayor and the aldermen) raise taxes, sell-off public assets, institute furlough days, make some spending cuts here and there, and deplete the city’s long-term reserves. Despite these measures, which hindsight has now shown to be nothing more than short-term fixes, and in the case of the selling of the parking meters a really horrible deal, Chicago’s financial house is still in disarray.

On September 23rd, 2010, Jose Hernandez became the fifteenth city building inspector to be convicted of taking payoffs in what’s been termed operation crooked code. Yet, according to Bill McCaffrey, spokesperson for the buildings department, Hernandez continues to draw a paycheck. Worst of all, McCaffrey says this occurs because Hernandez was able to manipulate a mandate put in place by the Human Resources Board.This board has had its own history of corruption; the latest involved a Reverend, Lucious Hall, who was taking money to look the other way on cases involving city workers with clout. This rule allows anyone facing...

In 2010, the citizens of Illinois should send to the Capitol a senator who will bring expertise and independence. The candidate who fits that bill is Mark Kirk. Today the Tribune endorses Kirk, a Republican, for the U.S. Senate seat that Roland Burris soon vacates. To understand our verdict, watch Giannoulias and Kirk's appearance before us this week. You'll find the video at chicagotribune.com/senate. Judge each man's depth and preparedness for the job. Judge knowledge and scope. Judge accomplishment. Judge which candidate has a proven record of thoughtful independence — of bucking his party when the good of this nation...

Mayor Richard Daley today called for an end to a high-profile federal education program that was the brainchild of the Obama administration and his own former Chicago Public Schools chief. The mayor also said Chicago school officials should have been more involved with Illinois' failed bid to qualify for the money in the Race to the Top program. "We should end it. We should end it," Daley said of the program, in which states vie for funding by promising various reforms. "They are just political slogans."

So why hasn't "Queen Oprah" made any inspiring comments about Obama over the last two years? Why hasn't the MSM done a story on how Oprah Has Made Obama A SUCCESS STORY? And now Oprah is gonna have her own network? Will Obama work for her as a "TELEPROMPTER SCRIPTER" when he loses or gets IMPEACHED? Nice Going OPRAH! Not everything you touch turns to Gold!

Daley might retire with extra $1.5MSeptember 8, 2010 The size of Mayor Daley’s annual pension will ultimately depend on a number of questions only the mayor can answer, including which public pension plan he files under and when he files. But aside from those pension checks, the mayor could reap a retirement windfall of nearly $1.5 million. As of June 30, the mayor had $1,479,823 left in his campaign fund. And under state law, he can claim that as income as long as he pays taxes on it. In the late 1990s, state law was changed to prohibit politicians from...

It was supposed to have ended differently. The conclusion to Daley’s administration was supposed to have been triumphant victory lap. As events unfolded, however, it was not the thrill of victory, but the agony of defeat that filled the newspapers. I can remember so clearly the shocking report that Chicago’s bid to host the 2016 Summer Games had been summarily rejected by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) which was assembled in Copenhagen. President Barack H. Obama, who had confidently predicted that he would be in attendance at the Chicago Olympiad during his second term, had flown to Denmark to boost...