Voters don't actually care about democracy

Plus: How to test your water for lead [View this email in your browser]( [READER Logo]( Daily Reader | July 9, 2024 Hello, faithful readers! Welcome to part two in my epic series “Things you can learn about national politics by studying the stupid stuff we do in Chicago.” If you recall, in last week’s segment, we learned that voters really don’t care about coherence in a candidate—a welcome relief to the Biden campaign, whose candidate has none. My proof? Chicagoans elected two mayors named Daley even though voters had only a vague notion of what either Daley was babbling about. This was a reality summed up by a mayoral press aide from way back when, who chastised City Hall reporters for reporting what the first Mayor Daley said—as opposed to what he meant. In today’s lesson, we’ll learn that voters don’t really care about democracy. This is great news for the Trump campaign as he’s proposing to eliminate it. And it’s bad news for Biden, who was hoping voters might overlook his incoherence on the grounds that it’s not as bad as Trump’s fascism. Good luck with that, Dems. The voters' love for democracy is clearly exaggerated. Oh, sure. Voters want democracy for themselves. But they don’t necessarily want it for their opponents. Witness MAGA’s efforts in 2020 to throw out thousands of votes from Detroit, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and other swing-state cities where lots of Black people live. MAGA’s logic being: it’s hard to lose if you don’t count the votes of people who voted against you. It’s a tactic I’m sure Trump will try again in November—only this time there’s a chance the MAGA Supreme Court justices will cook up some excuse to let him get away with it. We should be outraged that so many people are hostile to democracy. But, again, if you look at Chicago you’ll realize it’s normal to at least be indifferent. For years no one complained as Mayors Daley and Rahm operated without oversight—with no checks or balances—while picking their aldermanic flunkies to chair council committees. Well, Mick Dumke complained. [And me](. And maybe Alderperson Scott Waguespack. But that’s pretty much it. Most of the rest of Chicago—including the city’s civic, cultural, editorial, and corporate chieftains—cheered on Daley and Rahm on the grounds that we need a dictator to get things done. So if Chicago is any indication, running on a pro-democracy platform is a waste of time. Especially if you want someone other than me, Mick, and Scott to vote for you. You know, all this talk of the Daleys is making me nostalgic. Say what you will about either Mayor Daley but they never tried to stage a coup to keep their victorious opponents from taking office. Of course—they never had to. Well, that’s all the time I have for today’s political lesson, folks. Stay tuned for a future installment, when I explain MAGA’s adoration for Trump by detailing Chicago’s love for gangsters. [Logo with text: The Ben Joravsky Show. Features man wearing a cap and headphones, and Chicago flag stars.]( 🎙 [Listen to The Ben Joravsky Show]( 🎙 ◈ Godwin by [Joseph O’Neill]( a satirical novel about the search for the next great soccer player. ◈ Miles MacClure on [testing for lead in your water](. ◈ Ben Joravsky (from 2023) on [City Council committees](. ◈ Preservationist and former aldermanic candidate [Andrew Schneider]( is democracy on the ballot? ◈ Political analyst and journalist [Monroe Anderson]( stay with Biden? ◈ Communications consultant [Julie Lynn]( the fallacy of the abortion referendum. [The Damen Silos face the Canalport Riverwalk in Bridgeport.]( [How to test your water for lead]( If you’re concerned about lead levels in your water or want to reduce lead levels in your water, there are a variety of ways to ensure your household has access to clean drinking water. by [Miles MacClure]( | [Read more]( → [Swiss group L’Eclair spin pop’s past into funk’s future]( Wed 7/10 at Sleeping Village by [Leor Galil]( | [Read more]( → [Ain’t Misbehavin’ hits its stride at Drury Lane]( The songbook of the legendary Fats Waller soars in E. Faye Butler’s stellar production. by [Jack Helbig]( | [Read more]( → [a man and woman hugging in front of trees]( [Star-cross’d lovers by daylight]( Midsommer Flight’s outdoor Romeo and Juliet streamlines the tragedy without losing its passionate heart. by [Kerry Reid]( | [Read more]( → In just a few weeks, we’ll be announcing a big, exciting new project: a beautiful, limited-edition coffee table book showcasing the first 50 years of the Chicago Reader. We’ll be offering readers a chance to order advance copies, to help fund the initial print run. You’ll also have an opportunity to pick up some very cool limited rewards and exclusives for the true Reader fan! [SIGN UP NOW TO GET THE FIRST LOOK!]( Get the latest issue of the Chicago Reader Thursday, July 4, 2024 [READ ONLINE: VOL. 53, NO. 22]( [VIEW/DOWNLOAD ISSUE (PDF)]( [Donate to the Chicago Reader.]( [Facebook icon]( [Instagram icon]( [Twitter icon]( [LinkedIn icon]( [YouTube icon]( [Website icon]( [Logo] You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from the Chicago Reader. Want fewer emails from us? [Click here to choose what you want us to send you](. Or, [unsubscribe from all Reader emails](. We’ll miss you! [Sign up for emails from the Chicago Reader]( | [Forward this e-mail to a friend]( © 2024 Chicago Reader. All rights reserved. Chicago Reader, 2930 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 102, Chicago, IL 60616