What a Strange Idea...

So, the Republican Party here in Cook County has put up a cash reward for anyone who will provide information leading to the indictment and conviction of our current mayor, Richard M. Daley.

I can't help but wonder why.

Yes, city government is wildly corrupt.  We know this.  Hell, that's part of our charm.  Chicagoans have come to expect this.  Recognizing the political machine and not questioning it is just what we do.  And I'm certain that our mayor is as corrupt as I am gay.  *Uvon snaps his fingers with a flourish to make his point*

The only real difference between right now and just about any other time in the city's history is that the Feds are investigating now, and every week, it seems, another couple high-ranking city officials get indicted for something.  It is frequently the top story in both our newspapers.  But I can't find anyone who really cares.  I think the reason it's news is because people are surprised that everyone's making such a fuss over it.  One of the unofficial city mottos is, "Anywhere else, and it would be illegal.  But this is Chicago."  Another is, "If you can't be famous, be infamous!"  We're the city that gave you Al Capone, kids.  And there's a reason why they will never attempt to clean the Chicago River.

To give you an idea of how widespread the corruption is, one of the first departments to "go down" during this investigation was the Water Sanitation Department.  Meaning that I bathe in corruption on a daily basis.  And it doesn't really bother me.  What concerns me, however, is that the corruption is so widespread and interpolated into the City Works that to remove it, or attempt to remove it, might just cripple or kill the city itself.

The GOP reward is interesting, though.  I mean, Chicago is a HUGE Democratic stronghold.  Chicago is the reason Illinois is a blue state.  There are probably people who have information and won't turn it over, just to spite the GOP.  Some of our Dems are that die-hard. 

Does the GOP think they have a real chance of winning the mayorship, or turning the city over, if Daley is ousted in shame?  Could they be that naïve?  We're one of the bluest cities you can find.  Even if, through some miracle of God, a Republican amused us enough to win the mayoral election, we'd still be a major liberal stronghold...a Republican mayor would just be one of those odd little trinkets we'd show off from time to time.

Has this ever happened before?  Has a political party ever publicly offered a reward to anyone who provided information leading to the indictment of an elected official?  It just amazes me what the GOP can think up sometimes.