Last week, The Nation came out with its annual list of the Most Progressive individuals across the U.S. and Chicago’s own Ald. Joe Moore (49th Ward) made the list. Here’s what the magazine had to say about 2008’s Most Valuable Local Official:
In a city that has been rocked by corruption scandals of the ugliest sort, Chicago Alderman Joe Moore stands out as an example of the sort of steadfast and effective grassroots progressive who has fought the powerbrokers again and again and frequently prevailed. Moore refuses to be constrained by the supposed limits of local government. He has gotten the Chicago city council to oppose the war, defend civil liberties and take on chain-stores that batter local businesses.
When we caught up with Moore this afternoon he seemed a bit humbled by the accolades. Looking back at 2008, he said he was particularly proud of his efforts to help elect Barack Obama as President of the United States. During the election season, Moore organized roughly 400 people from his Rogers Park ward to knock on thousands of doors in surrounding states and make phone calls in support of the hometown candidate.
“We sent folks to Wisconsin, to Indiana. Iowa became our adoptive state during the general election. On Saturdays we’d fill up buses and sent people [across state lines]. And we ran phone banks out of the 49th Ward political office each night,” Moore told us.
But the election was just the beginning Moore tells us: “It’s like what Harold Washington used to tell progressives who would ask him to do this or that. He’d say, ‘Build the political will that enables me to do that.’”
“That’s what we need to do in 2009,” Moore said. “We as progressives need to build on a political base that can help push through a more progressive agenda.”
chilaborpol (not verified) on Tue, 01/06/2009 - 22:09
First of all, congratulations to Alderman Moore for the much deserved recognition. Secondly, I agree with the Alderman's call to continue building the Progressive Movement so that we see the type of change that we all worked so hard for. A perfect first issue for us to speak-out on is this episode about Obama's trial balloon on tax cuts as part of the economic stimulus package. I don't see why Obama is negotiating with the Republicans and Blue Dog Dems even before he gets to the table. This is a classic negotiating mistake. I see Rahm's fingerprints allover this manuever. We are going to have to watch Obama closely to make sure that Rahm doesn't exert undo influence on policy matters. Rahm's first instinct is to always move to the center. It was Progressive activists that elected Obama not Rahm's centrist friends. As a matter of fact, Rahmbo didn't even endorse Obama in the primary.