Cook County Board Hijinx: Peraica vs. John Daley

-By Warner Todd Huston

Over at WBEZBlog, Tony Arnold posted his “soundbite of the day” featuring an insinuation, an angry reply, and a slam from today’s Cook County Board meeting.

Apparently, during a roll call vote, Commissioner Tony Peraica made some sort of veiled jab at Mayor Daley’s son who recently moved to Russia. I’m not sure what the heck Daley’s son has to do with anything — and Peraica said later that he regretted even saying it — but whatever Peraica meant it sure set John Daley (brother of Mayor Richard Daley) off about “attacking my nephew,” that’s for sure.

After Peraica said his line about the younger Daley’s move to Russia, John Daley started yelling back and that caused Board President Todd Stroger to shut off the mic, saying “You don’t know when to shut up,” to our erstwhile member of the Daley brood.

Still, later in the session, John Daley got his chance to throw out a jab at Peraica and in his blog post, Arnold expressed puzzlement over the comeback.

“I know if whenever the individual who made that statement is at a meeting – at a party – with my brother, if you stop quick, you would have to get a crane out of him.”

Get a crane out of him? What the…?

Arnold wants someone, anyone to tell him what the heck John Daley was talking about. Well, I think I can settle his question because, let’s face it, that “crane” comment is a bit of a puzzler.

Still, I think there is a simple explanation for it. John Daley is a DALEY. He’s from a family whose famous father said during the 1968 Democratic Convention riot that the Chicago police weren’t there to cause disorder, they were there to “preserve disorder.” He’s from a family whose current Mayor, John’s brother Richard, can’t express himself even with written comments before him.

Daleys are inherently flannel-mouthed, half-witted, stumble-bums when it comes to public speaking. Sure they know just which broken nosed “associate” of theirs to call when there is a problem, certainly they are experts at “getting things done” and wielding power. But oratory is not their bailiwick.

So, who knows what John Daley meant? No one. Including John Daley. But it sure is interesting public theater, eh?
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Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer, has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and is featured on many websites such as Andrew Breitbart’s BigGovernment.com, RightWingNews.com, CanadaFreePress.com, StoptheACLU.com, TheRealityCheck.org, RedState.com, Human Events Magazine, AmericanDailyReview.com, and the New Media Journal, among many, many others. Additionally, he has been a frequent guest on talk-radio programs to discuss his opinion editorials and current events and is currently the co-host of “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Conservatism” heard on BlogTalkRadio. Warner is also the editor of the Cook County Page for RedCounty.com.

He has also written for several history magazines and appears in the new book “Americans on Politics, Policy and Pop Culture” which can be purchased on amazon.com. He is also the owner and operator of PubliusForum.com. Feel free to contact him with any comments or questions : EMAIL Warner Todd Huston

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