From:  jeff.makos@tfn.com

Now that the smoke has cleared from Gore's selection of Joe Lieberman as VP,
let's look at the one main reason that this decision was not (and was never
going to be) a bad one: Gore campaign chair Bill Daley.

Those of us who are fortunate to live in the politics-obsessed city of
Chicago have know Bill Daley for years not only as the "smart Daley brother"
but also as the true brains behind current Mayor Richard M. Daley (son of
"Boss" Richard J. Daley).  Hey--all politics is local, and Bill's ability to
get his baby bro into power and keep him there, as a Democrat, is a
testament to his poitical skills.

Chicago is still one of the most segregated and (often secretly) racist
cities in the US--it's just like the US  itself--and Bill managed the very
tricky task of getting Rich elected after the sudden death of one of the
most beloved Mayors in the city's history: Mayor Harold Washington, an
African American reformer. Rich not only managed to carry the city's white
vote, but positioned himself as a reformer           and got the large
percentage of black and latino vots as well. In fact, the latino/hispanic
vote is a solid Daley block.

Now, the city's police is still corrupt, as is the transit system and the
fire department and most of City Hall. But, surprisingly less so, since Rich
Daley did NOT do what was expected--he didn't sell out immediately upon
election. He (basically) kept his word. He made good choices for his
administration. And his brother made him do it.

Bill Daley may look nice but he is a political animal no less than James
Carville--it's just that in Chicago,  you get things done quietly; the loose
cannon New Orleans Carville style just wouldn't work here. And as a
political animal, you can be sure that Daley had ALL the angles thought
about when he had Gore pick Lieberman. (Don't try to tell me that Warren
Christopher, Tipper or anybody else had as much influence as Daley.)

Daley applied some basic Chicago Democrat maxims to the VP:
1) The Jewish vote will always go Democrat unless you piss them off big time.
2) Fuck the racist vote: After Reagan, they will never come back to the Democratic party.
3) The average Democrats loves to vote for the "moral" candidate,
    especially if it can piss off Republicans.
4) "Moral" is just a helpful code word used to say "This is a Democrat who's
    smart enough to not fuck up the economy."
5) That if you can't run a good-time Saturday Night candidate (Clinton, Washington),
    run a steady low-key Sunday morning candidate (Lieberman, Rich Daley).
    They will still get the same big Democratic vote, because EVERYONE KNOWS
    THAT UNDER A DEMOCRAT THE BARS ARE ALWAYS GOING STAY OPEN.
    No Republican blue-noses here.
4) No matter how tough a rich Chicago Republican may talk,
    he or she is still a Republican wuss/asshole (see: Cheney).
5) The Democrats were ALWAYS going to get the John Kerry/antiwar/fuck
    Nixon/fuck Bush vote (in which category I would count myself, by the way).
    Better to pick a pro-choice Conservative.

Everybody seems to be forgetting that this is POLITICS! It ain't beanball!
Joe Lieberman and Bill Clinton are friends!
They are going to keep being friends!
They both know the game!

Hell, Clinton probably advised Gore to PICK Lieberman!
("Fuggit, Al. Ain't nobody gonna let you forget mah little blowjob. Hell, I
wish I could get another one! So don't worry about 'defending' me and mah
legacy. JUST WIN THE FUCKING ELECTION, big guy!)

Everybody knows that the economy is great. In this still sexually uptight
country, this election is always going to be about the BlowJob. Democrats on
the fence who would vote for a Clinton third-term except for the blowjob are
basically asking "Give me a reason not to vote against the blowjob."

So now, Daley has given them their answer: Lieberman.

I say Gore by 8 percentage points in November.

Cheers,
Jeff