Tom Geoghagen Does What No Other Democrats Seem Able To Do-- He Explains What The Employee Free Choice Act Really Is

Yesterday I got to hear author and congressional candidate Tom Geoghegan speak live. Robert Greenwald and the folks at BraveNewFilms hosted a blogger get-together for the progressive candidate running in Illinois' 5th CD. I knew he was already a good candidate from his writing and from trusted friends in Chicago; that's why we endorsed him and added him to our ActBlue page. But seeing him live... it's like the difference from hearing a band's recorded songs and seeing a live concert.

Now, don't get me wrong; Tom isn't some kind of charismatic superstar like Mick Jagger or Billy Jo Armstrong or Barack Obama. He kind of intellectual and professorial and rumpled. This being Hollywood and all, a fabulous Oscar nominee came running up and said we needed to fix him up before we filmed him. OK, OK... it is kind of show-biz, in a very sick and unfortunate way. And I got Digby to straighten his tie and stuff like that while Robert got him to take off the tweedy sports jacket and John Amato made him feel at home. But all that's the surface stuff-- on which elections may ride; what floored everyone about Tom was what he had to say. His analysis of the state of the nation is so radical that I don't think I've ever heard anyone running for office even bring up the topics he talked about. Well... Bernie Sanders, Alan Grayson, and Donna Edwards do. Tom was talking about how the banksters' systemic usury has undermined our entire economic system.

Katha Pollitt called him "the next Paul Wellstone" in The Nation and Thomas Frank wrote that he's a "true reformer" in the Wall Street Journal. This morning Don Rose endorsed his candidacy in the Chicago Sun-Times. Rose lays open the seamy underbelly of Chicago ward politics-- the politics that brought this district 3 extremely corrupt congressmen in a row: Dan Rostenkowski, Rod Blagojevich and, worst of all, Rahm Emanuel. It's something you rarely read about in Chicago. And Rose tore apart the other top candidates:

The district's power emanates from the most odiously connected elements of the Machine, lodged in the western wards and suburbs, where the line between crime and politics is often diffuse.

The big boss is state Sen. Jim DeLeo, indicted in the "Greylord" court bribery scandal, who got a hung jury in his trial then pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor.

Then comes 36th Ward alderman/committeeman William J.P. Banks, sometimes accused of ties to the old First Ward-- a euphemism. He chairs the powerful City Council Zoning Committee.

William's brother, lawyer Sam Banks, often represents mobsters. Sam's name popped up in the "Family Secrets" trial as a go-between alleged to have carried payoffs to crooked cops. Of course, no one ever saw money change hands.

Sam's son James is a successful zoning lawyer, whose triumphs may be due in part to appearing before his Uncle Bill's committee.

Another fortunate zoning lawyer is candidate John "All in the Family" Fritchey, Sam's son-in-law, who just happens to have the support of most of the west-end committeemen-- though he shudders at the thought of being known as the "Machine Candidate."

State Rep. Fritchey, who also is 32nd Ward committeeman, is one of three leading candidates, along with state Rep. Sara Feigenholtz. A sliver of her district is in the 5th. She is permitted to vote a liberal/feminist line in accord with her constituency, but otherwise requires surgical removal from House Speaker Mike Madigan.

Feigenholtz disappears when key reform votes come up, such as the bill to permit recall of public officials. (Fritchey voted "no.")

The third leading candidate is County Commissioner Mike Quigley, known as a genuine reformer on the County Board. His campaign seems to be based on being more against Board President Todd Stroger than anyone on the planet-- or at least any of the 14 candidates running.

He would be a very good choice except for two factors:

1) We really need to keep him on the County Board.

2) There is a remarkable progressive running with a record of words and deeds that puts him head and shoulders above the rest.

...As a resident, my vote goes to labor lawyer Tom Geoghegan, author of several important books. His law partner is former Ald. Leon M. Despres, a father of progressive reform in Chicago, which speaks volumes in itself.

Recently Geoghegan (pronounced gae-gun) won a huge class-action suit against Advocate Health Care that will, according to the Sun-Times, "result in free or reduced-price care for low-income patients at Advocate hospitals."

That's typical of his successful fights for poor and working people-- translating the ideas of his books into tangible action. His record and economic ideas might just resonate in the working-class parts of the district.

But then, he may be overqualified for Congress.

Last weekend Northside DFA hosted a candidates forum and you can watch all the opening statements here. This morning state Rep. Sara Feigenholtz sent out an e-mail pimping a hit piece on the machine candidate, John Fritchey, who was endorsed by a gaggle of Rahm Emanuel's in-the-pocket unions, like the shameful AFSCME which always asks "How high?" when he tells them to jump. At some point BraveNewFilms will have a full video up of the talk they had with Tom. They just sent me over a clip of John Amato asking Tom the real skinny on the Employee Free Choice Act. I wonder how many of the other candidates could even differentiate between the anti-union media spin and what the bill is really all about.



Please consider donating to Tom's campaign. What we need in Congress are people with big ideas and leadership abilities, not just dependable votes (aka- rubber stamps).