Monday, February 2, 2009

Rogues Rebels and Rubber Stamps or Gods Profits

Rogues, Rebels, and Rubber Stamps: The Politics of the Chicago City Council, 1863 to the Present

Author: Dick W Simpson

In Rogues, Rebels, and Rubber Stamps, Dick Simpson challenges and recasts current theories of Regime Politics as he chronicles the dramatic story of the civic wars in the Chicago City Council since the civil war. At the same time, the author provides a window into the broader struggle for democracy and justice.Simpson points out that through analyzing city council floor fights, battles at the ballot box, and street demonstrations, one can begin to see certain patterns of conflict emerge. These patterns demonstrate that before the Great Depression, fragmented city councils were dominant. The author also discusses how since the Democrats seized control of Chicago government after the Great Depression, Rubber Stamp City Councils have been predominant, although they have been punctuated by brief eras of council wars and chaos. This book is important for anyone wanting to understand the nature of these battles as a guideline for America's future, and is well suited for courses in urban politics, affairs and history.Rogues, Rebels, and Rubber Stamps received an Honorable Mention for the 2001 Society of Midland Authors Book Award for Adult Non-Fiction.

Booknews

This book focuses on the relationships between Chicago city mayors and city councils. It provides a quantitative analysis of 127 years of divided roll call votes, focusing on 15 different councils, evaluating the level of support a specific council had for its mayor. Simpson, who has taught political science for 30 years and served in a variety of political positions in the Chicago and Illinois government, argues that reforms are often introduced by outsiders and ridiculed by those in power, only, over time, to be elevated by media and political leaders to acceptance and even adoption. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)



Table of Contents:
List of Tables and Illustrationsxi
Prefacexiii
Prologue: The Clash in the Council1
Revising Regime Studies3
Studying the Chicago City Council7
Notes9
Part IDivided Councils
1Nineteenth-Century and Civil War Councils: 1833-187115
Mayor and Party Leaders in the Civil War City Council21
Civil War Clashes25
The Powers of Local Government40
The End of the War, 1863-186541
Notes43
2The Councils of the Gray Wolves, 1871-193146
The Birth of Chicago Machine Politics, 1871-190547
Edward Dunne's Council, 1905-190753
Fred Busse's Council, 1907-190863
Big Bill Thompson's Councils, 1915-1923 and 1927-193169
Fragmented City Councils79
Notes82
Part IIRubber Stamp Councils
3Kelly-Nash Machine Council, 1933-194789
The City Council, 1939-194095
The Chicago Machine103
Notes104
4Richard J. Daley's Rubber Stamp, 1955-1976107
Aldermanic Elections of 1955111
The Council of 1955113
Richard J. Daley's Last Years131
Participatory Versus Machine Politics150
Notes154
5Michael Bilandic's Interlude, 1976-1979159
The Bilandic Council168
The Silent Revolution177
Notes180
6Jane Byrne's Turmoil, 1979-1983183
The Byrne Council: Young Turks Come to Power186
Tearing Down the Daley Machine195
Growing Revolt in the African-American Community196
Notes199
Part IIICouncil Wars and Chaos
7Harold Washington's Council Wars, 1983-1987203
1983 Campaign204
Council Wars210
1987 Elections219
From Council Wars to Rubber Stamp220
The Brief Triumph of Progressive Politics221
Notes224
8Eugene Sawyer's Chaos, 1987-1989226
Sawyer's Selection226
The Sawyer City Council231
Chaotic Interlude240
Notes242
Part IVReturn to Mayoral Control
9Daley's Return, 1989-2003247
Democratic Primary249
General Election253
The New Daley Council253
The New Daley Machine287
Notes290
Part VHistory from the Council Chambers
10Changing Patterns in Mayor--Council Relations297
Roll Call Vote Analysis300
Types of Councils300
Ideal Types313
Studying Other Cities318
Notes319
11Democracy's Endless Struggle322
Enlarging Regime Studies324
Chicago's Story324
City Council Reform328
The Meaning for America329
Notes330
Postscript and Acknowledgments331
Index333

Read also Count Down Your Age or Walking One Another Home

God's Profits: Faith, Fraud, and the Republican Crusade for Values Voters

Author: Sarah Posner

The intersection of religion and politics is among the most hotly debated.



No comments:

Post a Comment