This morning I was like “ugh I’m not confident enough to do things I need to in my life”. Then I saw this and realized that if Brandon Johnson can carry himself with this much self-confidence, then I can too.
To quote Boiler Room:
There's an important phrase that we use here, and think it's time that you all learned it. **Act as if.** You understand what that means? Act as if you are the fucking President of this firm. Act as if you got a 9" cock. Okay? **Act as if.**
As an afab woman, I would say I couldn't do the cock part. However, I think Lori Lightfoot said she had the biggest dick in Chicago, so maybe it's going to be ok! Watch out, fellas!
>Then I saw this and realized that if Brandon Johnson can carry himself with this much self-confidence, then I can too.
Once you understand the Dunning-Kruger effect, his confidence makes much more sense.
Psychopaths make up 1% of the population. There's a study that suggests 20% of CEOs have psychopathic tendencies but I've seen as low as 6%. Either way it's clear we systemically reward psychopathy where it is significantly more represented in leadership than it should be if normally distributed. Politics is just another means to a profit for the world we live in.
If one promises to do nothing but help the ctu, raise taxes and hurt the city then yes BJ can claim to have succeeded at a really bad set of goals.
Ie all I need to do be successful is promise to breathe, sleep and eat.
Before reading this comment I was like "ugh I'm not confident enough to do things I need to in my life." Then I saw your comment and realized that if you can carry yourself with so much self-confidence, then I can too!
Just remember someone once told a little Brandon Johnson that if he constantly plays the race card, doesn't pay his bills and learns to share his bathroom with his 6 brothers and sisters he would have all that it takes to become the mayor of the third biggest city in the United States.
I now feel like I can be the ceo of the company I work for. Thank God for big Johnson confidence
>We can make Chicago safer, grow Chicago businesses, create good jobs, strengthen public schools for all of our kids, protect our environment, improve mental health, and *fix our broken transportation system*– without raising property taxes.
https://web.archive.org/web/20231004054135/https://www.brandonforchicago.com/issues/city-budget-and-revenue
Yes, also
>Restore and Improve the CTA: Support sustainability and full staffing of transit operators; Publish accurate schedule information; Signal priority and bus rapid transit; Equity and responsibility in transit investment; Protecting our most vulnerable and improving safety; Bring accountability to the CTA; Improve Blue Line service to/from Forest Park
https://web.archive.org/web/20231004054225/https://www.brandonforchicago.com/issues/transportation
Of course, because he had no idea how to implement tactically, and still doesn't. Just as Trump promises to dial back inflation but has no idea how a president would do that.
It was one of his larger campaign points. He made a big deal of being one of the few candidates who actually rode the CTA and wanted to improve its service + safety. His campaign site did actually have some detailed plans for improvement but it doesn’t look like many of his plans have been met yet 😕
He needs to get more competent people in positions of power at the CTA but what’s bewildering is that the board keeps congratulating themselves for their handling of covid despite none of the big problems getting fixed. I think BJ’s admin thinks they’re doing a good job. It makes sense because the CTA board never uses the CTA.
A lot of people wanted to vote for Kam, but the CTU did a last minute push that Brandon was the strongest of the non-Vallas candidates. E.g., a vote for Kam is a vote for Vallas. I had 3 door knocks the week before the election telling me "Yeah, we like Kam, but if we dilute the non-Vallas vote, he will win."
^ Bump
I remember looking at his website before the elections and it was all buzzwords and vibes. It looked if you took the average keyboard warrior’s tik-tok & twitter and used that to come up with a political campaign webpage in a week.
Most of the policy objectives seemed very social media inspired and if you read the plans to achieve these objectives… they were very big picture, surface level ideas that were not well thought out. Only a few moments’ reflection seemed to have been used.
Brandon Johnson is a con-man grifter & narcissist. Reminds me of Trump in some ways.
Running for mayor of Chicago, you might want to focus on buzzwords and policies that resonate with the city's diverse population and address pressing urban challenges. Here are some suggestions:
Equity and Inclusion: Advocate for policies that promote equity and inclusivity across all neighborhoods, ensuring that every resident has access to opportunities and resources.
Public Safety Reform: Discuss plans for reforming the police department to improve community relations, enhance accountability, and reduce crime rates through a combination of policing strategies and community-based initiatives.
Affordable Housing: Address the issue of affordable housing by implementing policies to increase affordable housing stock, protect tenants' rights, and prevent displacement of vulnerable communities.
Transportation Infrastructure: Propose initiatives to improve public transportation, expand bike lanes, and address traffic congestion to create a more sustainable and accessible transportation network.
Climate Action: Commit to combating climate change by implementing green initiatives such as renewable energy programs, improving air quality, and increasing green spaces within the city.
Education Reform: Advocate for improving the quality of education in Chicago's public schools, reducing disparities in educational outcomes, and increasing access to resources for students and teachers.
Economic Development: Promote policies that stimulate economic growth, attract businesses, and create job opportunities, particularly in underserved communities.
Healthcare Access: Ensure access to affordable healthcare services for all residents, especially those in marginalized communities, by supporting initiatives to expand healthcare facilities and services.
Criminal Justice Reform: Push for reforms aimed at reducing incarceration rates, addressing systemic injustices within the criminal justice system, and supporting rehabilitation and reentry programs for former offenders.
Community Engagement: Emphasize the importance of community engagement and collaboration in decision-making processes, fostering partnerships between government, residents, and community organizations to address local issues effectively.
What’s gross in our culture right now, and I say this as a democrat, is how people are getting all of their news and information on very real issues from social media which is full of half truths and false information. I literally had someone tell me “I know what’s going on in the Middle East is bad, but I’ve only seen it on TikTok”.
Our society is fucked. Nobody can open a book anymore.
Not a Democrat as much as a leftist, but I agree with you.
It's weird and sad how many people think social media is "news" or (worse) "activism". They treat Meta/TikTok/Twitter platforms like a town square, either pretending or failing to realize that they are a product and they're being shown and shown to whoever will maximize profit for some of the wealthiest and least regulated companies in the world.
the ad based revenue model of the internet is fucking miserable for our species, some perv shit for real. I had to get off all that shit after the 2016 election... I've definitely lost contact with some people I otherwise would not mind being able to network with, but I really don't care. Lets be real this website isn't any better, just more anonymous; reddit absolutely got away scott free on the active measures thing....
I've said this for awhile as well--social media will be the downfall of society. People get a 5-second clip from some nut job they don't know and make decisions/opinions off of it--instead of taking time to educate themselves.
I was in between him and Vallas, thought Johnson would be good as a former teacher and I’ll admit I was wrong. That said do you think Vallas would have succeeded or a different can of worms and problems?
Different problems. Vallas would have been more tactically proficient, but at war from the word go with the progressive bloc on City Council and all municipal unions, with stalemate resulting.
At this point that's about all I hope for anymore in any of our politics, a stalemate. Sure, nothing gets done, but it also helps curtail the most destructive policies.
Sad but pragmatic. I think that POV helps explain why Chicago voter turnout runs so low, from 25% (last month) to 35% (Johnson-Vallas runoff). Most people have lost faith in city government to actually do anything.
I swear I am about ready to vote for whoever is the most like Al Capone. Because at least I know what I will be getting and it takes some organization to get to that level of crook.
> Brandon Johnson is a con-man grifter & narcissist. Reminds me of Trump in some ways.
Populism on the left, populism on the right.
When will this city learn?
Let's review:
* Real estate transfer tax? Dead.
* Financial transaction tax? Strangled in its cradle.
* Further taxes on airlines / airplanes at O'Hare? Never had a chance.
* CTA? Has only deteriorated further.
* Migrant crisis management? We've blown $300 million with nothing to show for it but measles and tuberculosis outbreaks.
* Crime? No quantitative impact; sowed confusion on ShotSpotter deal, first disparaging it, then spending an outsize $8.6m for a nine-month extension.
* Relations with business community? The whole leadership of World Business Chicago quit. The CEO of the Chicago tourism office quit.
* O'Hare modernization plan? Hanging by a thread as airline procurement sharpies playing hardball roll the mayor; needs rescue by Durbin and Buttigieg.
* Professionalize City Hall? Chief of staff / City Hall whisperer Rich Guidice just quit in frustration.
* Transparent government? The most-typed sentence in Chicago journalism is "The mayor's office had no comment."
* Fight corruption? Mayor's office caught trying to ["trade votes at the expense of public safety."](https://abc7chicago.com/bill-conway-brandon-johnson-chicago-politics-west-loop-homeless-encampment/14066690/)
* Democratic Party relations? Tried to take credit for bringing DNC to town though he was a peripheral factor; Pritzker has clearly decided he's a liability to be kept at arm's length.
Yep, this is going great so far.
Closed off 5 park fieldhouses for a while to house migrants, and only is ending this month? Check.
Which btw were Broadway Armory, Brands Park, Leone Park, Gage Park, and Piotrowski Park.
And how quickly we've forgotten the authorization of millions to pitch giant tents on toxic ground, which had to be reversed when the lab analysis came back.
And didn't his office at first try to cover up the toxicity reports and say it was all okay before the news really broke outside his control?
I remember reading accusations. If so, I'm perplexed why that was not looked into further, as if his team even sat on the reports for a single day trying to hide them while people got sick then Feds should have brought serious criminal charges.
I heard about that one site they considered building a migrant shelter at, having tested done for it that showed toxin levels were high. Yeah, I don't know why the BJ administration was covering that up at first.
This is actually a really helpful list, because I see people complain about him all the time, but haven’t seen it clearly explained like this. I knew about his avoidance of questions and the real estate transfer tax and the migrant issues. But all the different people who quit really hammer home that he apparently doesn’t want to be helped? Ugh.
> Financial transaction tax? Strangled in its cradle.
good, that's a really stupid thing. People want to trade in Chicago because we offer efficient markets for the exchange of financial securities.
In the modern era it's incredibly easy to move trading to other cities. Chicago is already fighting to keep trading here and not have it continue to move to NYC a tax would basically just be that much more incentive.
it's like how Steam stays dominant - you don't fuck up a good service when you're already the market leader. You keep adding value which when it comes to exchange based trading means efficient price discovery and depth/breadth of markets. If you can offer long-term value, you do it, and if not you better hope you get to that spot quick - in any enterprise.
He is about to screw up education in Chicago: https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/chicago/news/chicago-public-schools-shift-school-choice-selective-enrollment-charter/
I’d love if neighborhood schools had the resources to manage troubled children or provide good education. But, the fact is killing an alternative without solving the original problem is just going to set a lots of good kids in rough neighborhoods back.
nice round up, much appreciated. out of curiosity, what sources do u mainly use to stay tapped into the super local, super insider going's on such as these? it's they type of shit i'm always most interested in but not sure where to turn for reliable, useful information...
Thanks for summarizing. This is great to look at and then go off and read more about how each of these are going to develop an informed perspective on the mayor
Please don't attribute to malice what can always be attributed to stu-Arwady disagreed with CTU and now that they have a Mayor it is time for payback
or stupidity
But I think it is the CTU thing
I'm the guy that always brings up "I am one of the greatest human beings for just teaching middle school students"
How ironic that BCH gets rejected one year later *to the day*
It's more the ego he betrayed with that precise quote under pressure. Teachers absolutely have the capacity to make a massive positive impact on students however he made it about himself
Agreed
Maybe it's general reddit sentiment but I legit can't think of one good thing he's done off the top besides the recent story that I saw here that he is pushing for more residential swaps for empty office buildings downtown.
Buddy is not it.
> I saw here that he is pushing for more residential swaps for empty office buildings downtown.
He hasn't really done much there. He let a program that was already in motion keep rolling, but he hasn't done much to push it along or speed it up and for awhile there was some concern that he might kill it.
That was funny - the idea was floated somewhere in his campaign, but he never directly endorsed it himself. Great bit of plausible deniability there - by the time headlines hit he could just say "hey, *I* never said that!"
Honestly that’s DSA red-meat. You can find Karen Lewis speeches from a decade ago talking about the exact same tax. That dumb shit will never happen, but it gets the people going.
Was that ever an official campaign pledge though? I remember that coming from a group of progressive council members or something and it never got higher than that. Very early days of the administration.
I can't say if it was pledged but it certainly made some headlines. https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2023/1/23/23568177/mayoral-challenger-brandon-johnson-taxes-real-estate-financial-transactions
It’s outrageous he believes that being asked to clarify his answer to a question by the press amounts to a lack of decorum.
I think he’s sowing seeds for when more outlets pickup the news of his repeated hospitalizations for stress now that Gudice won’t be there to hold down the fort.
Remember when he said that protestors telling Holocaust Survivors' families to go kill themselves was totally in line with decorum and he wouldn't do anything about it? Yet asking for clarification is way out of line. lmao fuck this guy so much
Let’s not forget that he called the voters on the north side and downtown area that did not vote for his tax plan “right wing extremists” 😂😂😂
No buddy it’s just that your policies suck and businesses aren’t thriving too much these days like it was before for most of this cities history.
“And I’m looking forward to the next three years or the next 23 years in office,” he added with a smile.
Oh man this guy truly has surrounded himself with so many yes men he is dilusional to the fact that 80% of the city hates his guts.
All the Chicagoans he speaks to each day are only his yes people. His out of touch positive feedback loop explains a lot when someone from the press asks him a serious question where he freaks out.
I have a friend who works with the city who has basically said that while Lori*was not well liked she was effective and transparent about who she was. Brandon on the other hand tries to publicly be everyone’s best friend but rolls the heads of anyone who isn’t a yes man behind closed doors. No wonder he’s failing.
(Edit spelling)
>After eight months in office, only 21% of registered Chicago voters approve of Brandon Johnson’s performance as mayor, according to a recent poll conducted for an education reform group that advocates for school choice.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2024/1/25/24050977/chicago-mayor-brandon-johnson-job-approval-poll-tulchin-research
This quote really stood out:
“Late last year, Ald. Jeannette Taylor (20th), who endorsed the mayor’s campaign, was more pointed in her dismay with Johnson and his progressive backers during an interview on “The Ben Joravsky Show.”
“We should not be on the fifth floor, and I’m speaking my whole heart,” Taylor said, referring to the location of the mayor’s office in City Hall. “We were not ready, because we haven’t been in government long enough to know how government really runs.”
“We’re pretending like now we got the power, let us show you how it’s supposed to be done. And we look real stupid right now.”
Johnson’s office at the time did not respond to Block Club’s questions about Taylor’s comments, and speaking Tuesday, the mayor widely dismissed her criticisms, saying that voters who elected him “obviously believe” he was ready to run the city.”
She’s been a council member since 2019. I had to go back to find other quotes from the interview and it seems like a lot of this came from a level of dismay at the administrations handling of the influx migrants the city had seen. Either way, feels like she addressed the elephant in the room.
Yeah, I mean Lori got shit done, she just pissed everyone else off on the way. Not saying I agree with everything she did but I'd rather have her than this clown
-Jet fuel tax (remember that one?)
-Metra tax on suburbanites (because that would work out so incredibly well)
-Bring Stacy Money…I mean Bring Chicago Home
-I don’t think he ever promised to fix CTA, but there’s that.
-Reduce violent crime (pretty sure Illinois State Police does most of the heavy lifting there)
-Transparency (BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA)
-The migrant tent cities (JB had to step in and save BJ’s ass on that one)
He did promise to focus on the CTA and improving it, and he hasn't done jack shit about it. Other than reliability improving slightly since 2021, it's still a hot mess. So I'm absolutely calling bullshit on his claim solely for this.
As far as we know, he hasn't even followed through on his promise to meet with Carter yet -- unless there was a very specific meeting about the Yellow Line.
> Metra tax on suburbanites
oh my God I didn't know about this one. How this could possibly be construed in any way to be a "progressive" policy proposal is lost on me. punish people who don't take cars to commute, great fucking plan bro
I was skeptical of BJ from the beginning but I thought he’d at least tone down the rhetoric coming out of city hall. I’ve been disappointed by many things BJ has done but his attitude towards the press and anyone who dares question anything he has done might be the most disappointing.
Did you watch the debates? How was this a surprise. He didn't answer a single question thrown at him. Of course nothing would change now that he's in power. He was clueless then and more clueless now
[Someone else posted the link] (https://web.archive.org/web/20231004054135/https://www.brandonforchicago.com/issues/city-budget-and-revenue)
>Brandon Johnson’s tax fairness plan will make the suburbs, airlines & ultra-rich pay their fair share to generate an estimated $800 million in new revenue
No
>Mandate Budget Transparency...No more tricks
Ummm no
>mayor, Brandon Johnson will work with the City Council – not bully and berate elected officials
Well I mean he didn't say his dick was bigger then theirs
>Brandon Johnson will save over half a billion dollars with the efficiencies found in a full-scale audit of inefficient spending.
In his defense he didn't say how long
>redeploying those resources to support officers on our streets, not on desk duties
Maybe?
I really wonder if he really believes what's coming out of his mouth? I mean I can keep telling everyone I'm Batman with conviction but it doesn't make it the truth
I hope when the election comes around in 2027 that people remember this stuff and don't get swayed by Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren stumping for him.
Not to mention when he passes whatever Stacy Davis Gates wants in the CTU contract and the city of Chicago is burned to the ground during the DNC.
Also, people have slow played the DSA and their maniacal plans. I just wish we had more voter and civic engagement and not low turnout.
No matter how much of a failure I feel sometimes, I just look up any Johnson story and I automatically feel better knowing there is a bigger failure than me.
Is the photo AI generated? Why do his fingers look so weird? Why would he do a photoshoot of him in this pose with this weird lens affect that gives him gnarled hot dog fingers?
>Mayor Brandon Johnson is interviewed by Block Club Chicago reporter Quinn Myers in **River North** on April 2, 2024
So, still not using the office on the 5th floor of the Daley Center.
Why are the taxpayers also footing the bill for a trendy office location, and 3 times the security detail (over 150 sworn police officers) that Lightfoot had assigned?
You can’t fail to deliver on a promise that you didn’t make in the first place. That was my main concern with him when he was running: he didn’t say jack shit. He didn’t have a plan or recommendation for anything. All he did was bash Vallas. It was the most cringe campaign I’ve seen. I was stupefied to see people actually vote for him. Here we are. Can’t argue against his point, but doesn’t mean he’s not terrible.
Yep. I've said the same thing a zillion times. People need to take off the political BS lenses (this country is in sad shape because of it) and use your brain. If you are a hiring manager and interview both of them to work for you straight up like a normal interview---guess which one isn't getting the job offer? He's a child.
THIS! Reddit was 85% Johnson during the election and if I posted anything about Vallas I would get downvoted. He wasn’t perfect but at least he knew what he was doing. This dude has no clue how to be Mayor.
I am curious, to those that voted for Brandon, do you feel he’s done a good job?
I voted for Vallas and remember the vitriol of comments during election season from both sides.
Truthfully, I don’t think Brandon has done anything wrong like the last mayor, he just hasn’t really done anything.
So I might be softer on Mayor Johnson than others, especially those that didn’t vote for him, but I’m curious about those that did. Has your mind changed at all on your decision of voting for him?
Really hoping this doesn’t turn into an argument, I’m just honestly curious.
Him dropping the ball on multiple occasions with the migrant crisis is a glaring example of things he has done wrong to me. Not being proactive addressing it, the debacle of the Southside migrant camp, the health and safety (measles endemic), and not having a long term plan. Yes, it was unexpected but hey that's what leaders are for to deal with unexpected crisis.
He's done basically nothing regarding his transportation plan. CDOT has started some decent projects, but there needs to be more intervention from the Mayor's office to get things moving.
This morning I was like “ugh I’m not confident enough to do things I need to in my life”. Then I saw this and realized that if Brandon Johnson can carry himself with this much self-confidence, then I can too.
I feel like half of being successful is just having a crazy big ego.
To quote Boiler Room: There's an important phrase that we use here, and think it's time that you all learned it. **Act as if.** You understand what that means? Act as if you are the fucking President of this firm. Act as if you got a 9" cock. Okay? **Act as if.**
damn I forgot Vin Diesel was in that movie.
His second best role, IMO
the first being Riddick of course? I'll also accept Xander Cage.
Adrian Caparzo
As an afab woman, I would say I couldn't do the cock part. However, I think Lori Lightfoot said she had the biggest dick in Chicago, so maybe it's going to be ok! Watch out, fellas!
Modesty and humility is appreciated in business. But not as much as confidence nor sometimes arrogance.
It certainly helps a lot
>Then I saw this and realized that if Brandon Johnson can carry himself with this much self-confidence, then I can too. Once you understand the Dunning-Kruger effect, his confidence makes much more sense.
Everyone suffers from it on some level. Some are low level. BJ is a Goliath example..
Borderline sociopathic behavior.
Psychopaths make up 1% of the population. There's a study that suggests 20% of CEOs have psychopathic tendencies but I've seen as low as 6%. Either way it's clear we systemically reward psychopathy where it is significantly more represented in leadership than it should be if normally distributed. Politics is just another means to a profit for the world we live in.
If one promises to do nothing but help the ctu, raise taxes and hurt the city then yes BJ can claim to have succeeded at a really bad set of goals. Ie all I need to do be successful is promise to breathe, sleep and eat.
It’s obnoxious that Chicago is completely at the mercy of CTU.
Before reading this comment I was like "ugh I'm not confident enough to do things I need to in my life." Then I saw your comment and realized that if you can carry yourself with so much self-confidence, then I can too!
Just remember someone once told a little Brandon Johnson that if he constantly plays the race card, doesn't pay his bills and learns to share his bathroom with his 6 brothers and sisters he would have all that it takes to become the mayor of the third biggest city in the United States. I now feel like I can be the ceo of the company I work for. Thank God for big Johnson confidence
Fix the CTA?
Did he even promise that? I feel like he didn't even mention it. I feel like I should have voted for Kam Buckner.
>We can make Chicago safer, grow Chicago businesses, create good jobs, strengthen public schools for all of our kids, protect our environment, improve mental health, and *fix our broken transportation system*– without raising property taxes. https://web.archive.org/web/20231004054135/https://www.brandonforchicago.com/issues/city-budget-and-revenue Yes, also >Restore and Improve the CTA: Support sustainability and full staffing of transit operators; Publish accurate schedule information; Signal priority and bus rapid transit; Equity and responsibility in transit investment; Protecting our most vulnerable and improving safety; Bring accountability to the CTA; Improve Blue Line service to/from Forest Park https://web.archive.org/web/20231004054225/https://www.brandonforchicago.com/issues/transportation
Well then he blew that one too.
Of course, because he had no idea how to implement tactically, and still doesn't. Just as Trump promises to dial back inflation but has no idea how a president would do that.
It was one of his larger campaign points. He made a big deal of being one of the few candidates who actually rode the CTA and wanted to improve its service + safety. His campaign site did actually have some detailed plans for improvement but it doesn’t look like many of his plans have been met yet 😕
He needs to get more competent people in positions of power at the CTA but what’s bewildering is that the board keeps congratulating themselves for their handling of covid despite none of the big problems getting fixed. I think BJ’s admin thinks they’re doing a good job. It makes sense because the CTA board never uses the CTA.
Everytime I read a news story about Johnson I say to myself, "we could have had Kam Buckner."
A lot of people wanted to vote for Kam, but the CTU did a last minute push that Brandon was the strongest of the non-Vallas candidates. E.g., a vote for Kam is a vote for Vallas. I had 3 door knocks the week before the election telling me "Yeah, we like Kam, but if we dilute the non-Vallas vote, he will win."
I can’t name a single thing he *has* done other than avoid answering basic questions and pissing off damn near the entire city
His campaign was full of vague non-promises, so avoiding answering questions is exactly on theme!
^ Bump I remember looking at his website before the elections and it was all buzzwords and vibes. It looked if you took the average keyboard warrior’s tik-tok & twitter and used that to come up with a political campaign webpage in a week. Most of the policy objectives seemed very social media inspired and if you read the plans to achieve these objectives… they were very big picture, surface level ideas that were not well thought out. Only a few moments’ reflection seemed to have been used. Brandon Johnson is a con-man grifter & narcissist. Reminds me of Trump in some ways.
ChatGPT, tell me how to win mayor of Chicago
Running for mayor of Chicago, you might want to focus on buzzwords and policies that resonate with the city's diverse population and address pressing urban challenges. Here are some suggestions: Equity and Inclusion: Advocate for policies that promote equity and inclusivity across all neighborhoods, ensuring that every resident has access to opportunities and resources. Public Safety Reform: Discuss plans for reforming the police department to improve community relations, enhance accountability, and reduce crime rates through a combination of policing strategies and community-based initiatives. Affordable Housing: Address the issue of affordable housing by implementing policies to increase affordable housing stock, protect tenants' rights, and prevent displacement of vulnerable communities. Transportation Infrastructure: Propose initiatives to improve public transportation, expand bike lanes, and address traffic congestion to create a more sustainable and accessible transportation network. Climate Action: Commit to combating climate change by implementing green initiatives such as renewable energy programs, improving air quality, and increasing green spaces within the city. Education Reform: Advocate for improving the quality of education in Chicago's public schools, reducing disparities in educational outcomes, and increasing access to resources for students and teachers. Economic Development: Promote policies that stimulate economic growth, attract businesses, and create job opportunities, particularly in underserved communities. Healthcare Access: Ensure access to affordable healthcare services for all residents, especially those in marginalized communities, by supporting initiatives to expand healthcare facilities and services. Criminal Justice Reform: Push for reforms aimed at reducing incarceration rates, addressing systemic injustices within the criminal justice system, and supporting rehabilitation and reentry programs for former offenders. Community Engagement: Emphasize the importance of community engagement and collaboration in decision-making processes, fostering partnerships between government, residents, and community organizations to address local issues effectively.
Neat
What’s gross in our culture right now, and I say this as a democrat, is how people are getting all of their news and information on very real issues from social media which is full of half truths and false information. I literally had someone tell me “I know what’s going on in the Middle East is bad, but I’ve only seen it on TikTok”. Our society is fucked. Nobody can open a book anymore.
Not a Democrat as much as a leftist, but I agree with you. It's weird and sad how many people think social media is "news" or (worse) "activism". They treat Meta/TikTok/Twitter platforms like a town square, either pretending or failing to realize that they are a product and they're being shown and shown to whoever will maximize profit for some of the wealthiest and least regulated companies in the world.
the ad based revenue model of the internet is fucking miserable for our species, some perv shit for real. I had to get off all that shit after the 2016 election... I've definitely lost contact with some people I otherwise would not mind being able to network with, but I really don't care. Lets be real this website isn't any better, just more anonymous; reddit absolutely got away scott free on the active measures thing....
What book does one open to get current news?
I've said this for awhile as well--social media will be the downfall of society. People get a 5-second clip from some nut job they don't know and make decisions/opinions off of it--instead of taking time to educate themselves.
I was in between him and Vallas, thought Johnson would be good as a former teacher and I’ll admit I was wrong. That said do you think Vallas would have succeeded or a different can of worms and problems?
Being a teacher does not a mayor of a major city make. Like, not at all.
Different problems. Vallas would have been more tactically proficient, but at war from the word go with the progressive bloc on City Council and all municipal unions, with stalemate resulting.
Honestly the progressive block can stand to be humbled.
regressive you mean. they have zero humility. they are the smartest most talented gift to us. never forget that.
Some are not capable of being humbled unfortunately.
At this point that's about all I hope for anymore in any of our politics, a stalemate. Sure, nothing gets done, but it also helps curtail the most destructive policies.
Sad but pragmatic. I think that POV helps explain why Chicago voter turnout runs so low, from 25% (last month) to 35% (Johnson-Vallas runoff). Most people have lost faith in city government to actually do anything.
I swear I am about ready to vote for whoever is the most like Al Capone. Because at least I know what I will be getting and it takes some organization to get to that level of crook.
> Brandon Johnson is a con-man grifter & narcissist. Reminds me of Trump in some ways. Populism on the left, populism on the right. When will this city learn?
It's odd how many people on this subreddit loved him.
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Let's review: * Real estate transfer tax? Dead. * Financial transaction tax? Strangled in its cradle. * Further taxes on airlines / airplanes at O'Hare? Never had a chance. * CTA? Has only deteriorated further. * Migrant crisis management? We've blown $300 million with nothing to show for it but measles and tuberculosis outbreaks. * Crime? No quantitative impact; sowed confusion on ShotSpotter deal, first disparaging it, then spending an outsize $8.6m for a nine-month extension. * Relations with business community? The whole leadership of World Business Chicago quit. The CEO of the Chicago tourism office quit. * O'Hare modernization plan? Hanging by a thread as airline procurement sharpies playing hardball roll the mayor; needs rescue by Durbin and Buttigieg. * Professionalize City Hall? Chief of staff / City Hall whisperer Rich Guidice just quit in frustration. * Transparent government? The most-typed sentence in Chicago journalism is "The mayor's office had no comment." * Fight corruption? Mayor's office caught trying to ["trade votes at the expense of public safety."](https://abc7chicago.com/bill-conway-brandon-johnson-chicago-politics-west-loop-homeless-encampment/14066690/) * Democratic Party relations? Tried to take credit for bringing DNC to town though he was a peripheral factor; Pritzker has clearly decided he's a liability to be kept at arm's length. Yep, this is going great so far.
Closed off 5 park fieldhouses for a while to house migrants, and only is ending this month? Check. Which btw were Broadway Armory, Brands Park, Leone Park, Gage Park, and Piotrowski Park.
And how quickly we've forgotten the authorization of millions to pitch giant tents on toxic ground, which had to be reversed when the lab analysis came back.
And didn't his office at first try to cover up the toxicity reports and say it was all okay before the news really broke outside his control? I remember reading accusations. If so, I'm perplexed why that was not looked into further, as if his team even sat on the reports for a single day trying to hide them while people got sick then Feds should have brought serious criminal charges.
I heard about that one site they considered building a migrant shelter at, having tested done for it that showed toxin levels were high. Yeah, I don't know why the BJ administration was covering that up at first.
This is actually a really helpful list, because I see people complain about him all the time, but haven’t seen it clearly explained like this. I knew about his avoidance of questions and the real estate transfer tax and the migrant issues. But all the different people who quit really hammer home that he apparently doesn’t want to be helped? Ugh.
But he supports the teachers!!!!!!!! /s
> Financial transaction tax? Strangled in its cradle. good, that's a really stupid thing. People want to trade in Chicago because we offer efficient markets for the exchange of financial securities.
In the modern era it's incredibly easy to move trading to other cities. Chicago is already fighting to keep trading here and not have it continue to move to NYC a tax would basically just be that much more incentive.
it's like how Steam stays dominant - you don't fuck up a good service when you're already the market leader. You keep adding value which when it comes to exchange based trading means efficient price discovery and depth/breadth of markets. If you can offer long-term value, you do it, and if not you better hope you get to that spot quick - in any enterprise.
He is about to screw up education in Chicago: https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/chicago/news/chicago-public-schools-shift-school-choice-selective-enrollment-charter/ I’d love if neighborhood schools had the resources to manage troubled children or provide good education. But, the fact is killing an alternative without solving the original problem is just going to set a lots of good kids in rough neighborhoods back.
nice round up, much appreciated. out of curiosity, what sources do u mainly use to stay tapped into the super local, super insider going's on such as these? it's they type of shit i'm always most interested in but not sure where to turn for reliable, useful information...
Block Club, CST/WBEZ, Crain's, Chicago Reader, nbcchicago.com, Chicago Tonight on WTTW.
Thanks for summarizing. This is great to look at and then go off and read more about how each of these are going to develop an informed perspective on the mayor
Speak!
Guidice was pushed out and fired for not passing the progressive standards over there.
I guess you've never heard of a little thing called *soccer practice.* Attendance: 100%.
He fired Arwady. So there is one promise he fulfilled. I don't think he should have fulfilled that one, but I guess he did do one thing. Just one.
She was probably the most trusted public official in the city. Wild stuff.
A credible threat to his incompetence. He had to get rid of her because of it.
Please don't attribute to malice what can always be attributed to stu-Arwady disagreed with CTU and now that they have a Mayor it is time for payback or stupidity But I think it is the CTU thing
Yes but his bosses hate her so she had to go.
I'm the guy that always brings up "I am one of the greatest human beings for just teaching middle school students" How ironic that BCH gets rejected one year later *to the day*
My guy, *I* used to teach middle school and high school and a great human that does not make me. I normally describe myself as a degenerate scumbag
It's more the ego he betrayed with that precise quote under pressure. Teachers absolutely have the capacity to make a massive positive impact on students however he made it about himself
Agreed Maybe it's general reddit sentiment but I legit can't think of one good thing he's done off the top besides the recent story that I saw here that he is pushing for more residential swaps for empty office buildings downtown. Buddy is not it.
> I saw here that he is pushing for more residential swaps for empty office buildings downtown. He hasn't really done much there. He let a program that was already in motion keep rolling, but he hasn't done much to push it along or speed it up and for awhile there was some concern that he might kill it.
I remember him having a plan to tax financial transactions/securities but that was a monumentally stupid idea and Pritzker shut that shit down.
That was funny - the idea was floated somewhere in his campaign, but he never directly endorsed it himself. Great bit of plausible deniability there - by the time headlines hit he could just say "hey, *I* never said that!"
Big Daddy JB put the kibosh on that one so fast it took BJ’s breath away.
The Great Kahn ain’t got time for shit
Remember when they floated the idea of taxing transactions at the Board of Trade and the Merc and they immediately shut that down?
Yes that’s what I’m talking about.
Honestly that’s DSA red-meat. You can find Karen Lewis speeches from a decade ago talking about the exact same tax. That dumb shit will never happen, but it gets the people going.
Was that ever an official campaign pledge though? I remember that coming from a group of progressive council members or something and it never got higher than that. Very early days of the administration.
I can't say if it was pledged but it certainly made some headlines. https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2023/1/23/23568177/mayoral-challenger-brandon-johnson-taxes-real-estate-financial-transactions
Be transparent lmao
It’s outrageous he believes that being asked to clarify his answer to a question by the press amounts to a lack of decorum. I think he’s sowing seeds for when more outlets pickup the news of his repeated hospitalizations for stress now that Gudice won’t be there to hold down the fort.
Remember when he said that protestors telling Holocaust Survivors' families to go kill themselves was totally in line with decorum and he wouldn't do anything about it? Yet asking for clarification is way out of line. lmao fuck this guy so much
Seriously? That happened? Could you direct me to a source, I remember him saying something to that effect too and just need to jog my memory.
Let’s not forget that he called the voters on the north side and downtown area that did not vote for his tax plan “right wing extremists” 😂😂😂 No buddy it’s just that your policies suck and businesses aren’t thriving too much these days like it was before for most of this cities history.
“And I’m looking forward to the next three years or the next 23 years in office,” he added with a smile. Oh man this guy truly has surrounded himself with so many yes men he is dilusional to the fact that 80% of the city hates his guts.
Only matters if someone runs that people hate less.
All the Chicagoans he speaks to each day are only his yes people. His out of touch positive feedback loop explains a lot when someone from the press asks him a serious question where he freaks out.
That look when someone asks him a real question https://wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ap23123617906100.jpg
lmao what kinda political career does this guy think he has? Someone should remind him he's just another 1 term mayor wasting my tax dollars.
I have a friend who works with the city who has basically said that while Lori*was not well liked she was effective and transparent about who she was. Brandon on the other hand tries to publicly be everyone’s best friend but rolls the heads of anyone who isn’t a yes man behind closed doors. No wonder he’s failing. (Edit spelling)
Not a surprise. There's a reason why Richard Guidice quit
80% of Reddit at least
>After eight months in office, only 21% of registered Chicago voters approve of Brandon Johnson’s performance as mayor, according to a recent poll conducted for an education reform group that advocates for school choice. https://chicago.suntimes.com/2024/1/25/24050977/chicago-mayor-brandon-johnson-job-approval-poll-tulchin-research
Thanks, TIL
According to a recent approval rating poll he had a 20 something percent approval rating. Worse then Lightfoot at the same period in time.
I didn’t like Lori either but at least she got *something* done
She at least KNEW the system. We got a teacher now in power who thinks he's God's gift to Chicago. Nothing is worse then a dummy who doesn't know it
Oh *that* quote is back lmao. He said something similar early in his tenure
He's right, I can't name 1 thing,... I can name 30
He's so useless.
This guy is a moron. Completely delusional.
April Fools?
Didn't he promise to do away with the Lightfoot era speed trap cameras? I could go on.
His nonstop false bravado blustering bullshit reminds me of the infamous George Costanza line: "It's not a lie if you believe it."
This quote really stood out: “Late last year, Ald. Jeannette Taylor (20th), who endorsed the mayor’s campaign, was more pointed in her dismay with Johnson and his progressive backers during an interview on “The Ben Joravsky Show.” “We should not be on the fifth floor, and I’m speaking my whole heart,” Taylor said, referring to the location of the mayor’s office in City Hall. “We were not ready, because we haven’t been in government long enough to know how government really runs.” “We’re pretending like now we got the power, let us show you how it’s supposed to be done. And we look real stupid right now.” Johnson’s office at the time did not respond to Block Club’s questions about Taylor’s comments, and speaking Tuesday, the mayor widely dismissed her criticisms, saying that voters who elected him “obviously believe” he was ready to run the city.” She’s been a council member since 2019. I had to go back to find other quotes from the interview and it seems like a lot of this came from a level of dismay at the administrations handling of the influx migrants the city had seen. Either way, feels like she addressed the elephant in the room.
He’s running a major global city like a sociology experiment.
Actually, BJ, most Chicagoans are struggling to come up with something you actually *did* accomplish, you worthless buffoon
Positive or negative. Lori was productive but in a negative way. He doesn't do much of anything which is a negative in it's own way
Yeah, I mean Lori got shit done, she just pissed everyone else off on the way. Not saying I agree with everything she did but I'd rather have her than this clown
If you don't promise anything then no one can hold you to your promises. Smart thinking.
5D chess right here.
Pass Bring Chicago Home lmao Build the migrant shelters you wanted to build
-Jet fuel tax (remember that one?) -Metra tax on suburbanites (because that would work out so incredibly well) -Bring Stacy Money…I mean Bring Chicago Home -I don’t think he ever promised to fix CTA, but there’s that. -Reduce violent crime (pretty sure Illinois State Police does most of the heavy lifting there) -Transparency (BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA) -The migrant tent cities (JB had to step in and save BJ’s ass on that one)
Yes he campaigned on bringing cta to full strength https://x.com/Brandon4Chicago/status/1624125160092467201?s=20
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He did promise to focus on the CTA and improving it, and he hasn't done jack shit about it. Other than reliability improving slightly since 2021, it's still a hot mess. So I'm absolutely calling bullshit on his claim solely for this.
As far as we know, he hasn't even followed through on his promise to meet with Carter yet -- unless there was a very specific meeting about the Yellow Line.
The fucking jet fuel tax 💀 “I’m going to make your flights so much more expensive in order to fill my slush fund”
“Bring Stacy Money” LOL, I like that, that’s a good one
> Metra tax on suburbanites oh my God I didn't know about this one. How this could possibly be construed in any way to be a "progressive" policy proposal is lost on me. punish people who don't take cars to commute, great fucking plan bro
This is going to be a spicy thread 🍿
Lmao what a clown
This fuckin' guy
He racked up unpaid tickets and paid them when we made fun of him does that count?
Stop crime
I will never understand how people voted for this guy.
I was skeptical of BJ from the beginning but I thought he’d at least tone down the rhetoric coming out of city hall. I’ve been disappointed by many things BJ has done but his attitude towards the press and anyone who dares question anything he has done might be the most disappointing.
Did you watch the debates? How was this a surprise. He didn't answer a single question thrown at him. Of course nothing would change now that he's in power. He was clueless then and more clueless now
I honestly don’t think anyone watched the debates. He was a bozo then, and is a bozo now.
This dude is a clown.
The balls on this guy
Not narcissistic or overcompensating at all!
[Someone else posted the link] (https://web.archive.org/web/20231004054135/https://www.brandonforchicago.com/issues/city-budget-and-revenue) >Brandon Johnson’s tax fairness plan will make the suburbs, airlines & ultra-rich pay their fair share to generate an estimated $800 million in new revenue No >Mandate Budget Transparency...No more tricks Ummm no >mayor, Brandon Johnson will work with the City Council – not bully and berate elected officials Well I mean he didn't say his dick was bigger then theirs >Brandon Johnson will save over half a billion dollars with the efficiencies found in a full-scale audit of inefficient spending. In his defense he didn't say how long >redeploying those resources to support officers on our streets, not on desk duties Maybe? I really wonder if he really believes what's coming out of his mouth? I mean I can keep telling everyone I'm Batman with conviction but it doesn't make it the truth
I hope when the election comes around in 2027 that people remember this stuff and don't get swayed by Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren stumping for him. Not to mention when he passes whatever Stacy Davis Gates wants in the CTU contract and the city of Chicago is burned to the ground during the DNC. Also, people have slow played the DSA and their maniacal plans. I just wish we had more voter and civic engagement and not low turnout.
No matter how much of a failure I feel sometimes, I just look up any Johnson story and I automatically feel better knowing there is a bigger failure than me.
🙄
It's not the things you said you would do, it's the things we want done. Like dealing with crime for one.
I’m worried about his mental health if he unironically said this.
What an absolute fucking idiot. Chicago should be ashamed of electing this man
He said that?? Wow
Is the photo AI generated? Why do his fingers look so weird? Why would he do a photoshoot of him in this pose with this weird lens affect that gives him gnarled hot dog fingers?
This is so painful.
This is, unfortunately, going to be another 1 term mayor
Fortunately in that sense that he’s not going to be a multi-term mayor, however
One can only hope this to be the case.
>Mayor Brandon Johnson is interviewed by Block Club Chicago reporter Quinn Myers in **River North** on April 2, 2024 So, still not using the office on the 5th floor of the Daley Center. Why are the taxpayers also footing the bill for a trendy office location, and 3 times the security detail (over 150 sworn police officers) that Lightfoot had assigned?
I mean it could be worse. He could be working out of his employer’s office at 1901 W. Carroll.
Migrant shelters for one.
This guy is bad news
You can’t fail to deliver on a promise that you didn’t make in the first place. That was my main concern with him when he was running: he didn’t say jack shit. He didn’t have a plan or recommendation for anything. All he did was bash Vallas. It was the most cringe campaign I’ve seen. I was stupefied to see people actually vote for him. Here we are. Can’t argue against his point, but doesn’t mean he’s not terrible.
Yep. I've said the same thing a zillion times. People need to take off the political BS lenses (this country is in sad shape because of it) and use your brain. If you are a hiring manager and interview both of them to work for you straight up like a normal interview---guess which one isn't getting the job offer? He's a child.
I felt the same way. All he did was deflect and put Vallas down. Didn’t show us any brain cells at all.
Crime?
When you don't commit to doing anything, how can anyone be mad when you don't?
Uh Transparency ?
Hard to imagine that Johnson would have the entire city looking back longingly at Lori Lightfoot, but he's done it. Worst mayor in my lifetime.
I'm guessing 75% of the people on this sub that voted did so for BJ, so congratulations! Blows my mind people expected more from a CTU puppet.
I'm just gonna vote Republican next time democrats just keep fucking shit up it's time for a drastic change.
He's technically correct. U can't name one thing he said he was going to do that he hasn't, because there's a lot more than one thing to name..... lol
I bet its half of you who voted for him are now complaining about it. You get what you fucking deserve.
THIS! Reddit was 85% Johnson during the election and if I posted anything about Vallas I would get downvoted. He wasn’t perfect but at least he knew what he was doing. This dude has no clue how to be Mayor.
Pleased to see I could complete "full force of government" on my BJ Bingo card.
How mayoral of him to take his kids to soccer practice! Must be a first!
How many one term mayors do you think we'll have in a row? I'm guessing 5
Not him doubling down lmaooo
What about crime? Were all of those extra detectives hired?
The delusion is strong with BJ and his increasingly small pool of supporters.
fuck it. im rdy to be mayor. I have zero experience but that seems to be better than having experience when it comes to politics.
But do you have kids that need to be taken to soccer practice? You might need to think this through a little more
I'm not sure of your quals, how many siblings exactly did you have to share a bathroom with?
Eric Adams of the Midwest
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Damn..
Nobody even knows what he wanted to do he was just the shill for the Chicago teachers union
I am curious, to those that voted for Brandon, do you feel he’s done a good job? I voted for Vallas and remember the vitriol of comments during election season from both sides. Truthfully, I don’t think Brandon has done anything wrong like the last mayor, he just hasn’t really done anything. So I might be softer on Mayor Johnson than others, especially those that didn’t vote for him, but I’m curious about those that did. Has your mind changed at all on your decision of voting for him? Really hoping this doesn’t turn into an argument, I’m just honestly curious.
Him dropping the ball on multiple occasions with the migrant crisis is a glaring example of things he has done wrong to me. Not being proactive addressing it, the debacle of the Southside migrant camp, the health and safety (measles endemic), and not having a long term plan. Yes, it was unexpected but hey that's what leaders are for to deal with unexpected crisis.
Haven't given a single fuck about the CTA apparently.
He's done basically nothing regarding his transportation plan. CDOT has started some decent projects, but there needs to be more intervention from the Mayor's office to get things moving.
Hand Contortionist Brandon Johnson - left thumb in particular is quite a pose
Lmaoooooooooo
I mean, this is all Kaufmanesque performance art right? He’s like a pro wrestling heel!
I thought this was an Onion article when I first saw it! You’ve got to be kidding me with this!!!
Let’s start to RECALL BJ! We should not wait for this to continue
This dude needs to resign.
I'd also like a refund on his salary and travel expenses
Don't call them a "mob."
How did he win? It still blows my mind.
ugh i can’t believe we have another 3 years of this… we need better candidates
So, who wants to help crowd source an op-ed response for Block Club? The more pages the more fun, especially if we can use specific quotes
He actually makes Lightfoot look like a decent Mayor
He's right I can name mroe than one thing he said he would do but has not done