Late this week, after ordinary voters had put behind them the issues of the primary election, members of the watchdog group VIADUCT were winding up conferences with experts in the fields of psychology, mythology, anthropology, and political science–part of a far-reaching effort to plumb the meaning of the controversial preelection remark made by State’s Attorney Richard M. Daley.
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“You want a white mare to sit down with everybody.” This, obviously, would be a reference to the white mare that appears throughout Indo-European mythology and history. In one documented 12th-century Irish ritual, the king would perform bizarre acts with a white mare, and conclude by eating it. The mare represented the raw, untamed force of the goddess. Daley may have meant this reference sarcastically, to wit: You want a dangerous, untamed white mare to sit down with you; don’t be naive, the world is unsafe, and I, Rich, will lead the city to safe ground. Daley’s erudition in the history of his ancestral land can be surmised from his antipathy toward Russian literature. Last week some voters received a large postcard from him that said, “To some people, CRIME AND PUNISHMENT is a Russian novel. . . To Rich Daley, it’s a mission.” If Daley doesn’t like Dostoyevski, he may well prefer Cambrensis (the writer who recorded the above ritual in 1185).
“You want a watt mayor to sit down with everybody.” VIADUCT thought it quite likely that Daley was contrasting himself with acting mayor Eugene Sawyer, boasting of his vibrant, electric personality. One member, however, thought that he was emphasizing his support for Commonwealth Edison.
At press time, VIADUCT was examining what Eugene Sawyer’s campaign manager, Reynard Rochon, meant when he said “the sheets are finally off” Daley strategist David Axelrod. Three VIADUCT members were overheard under a bridge, one insisting that Rochon was referring to an unreported protest earlier that week in which demonstrators released sheep in Daley’s campaign headquarters, a symbolic accusation that Daley harbored plans to fleece the taxpayers.
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photo/Marc PoKempner.
