Jesse Jackson Jr. isn't endorsing Howard Brookins for State Attorney

This story from Clout City is really the first time that I heard they were friends Congressman Jesse Jr. and Alderman Brookins. Well I'm sure that when Brookins was just starting out in politics he can count on the Congressman to give him some support. Apparently though there were lifelong friends perhaps until now.
Not to turn this into a soap opera but if you can't depend on your friend for support, especially if we're talking about two guys who for the moment are on two sides of the fence at the moment then this is going to be hard, yes? At some point it wouldn't surprise me if they were at each other's throats. If they aren't then I'm glad too because politics is a competitive game and at times it can be a horserace. If you're serious about winning you have to strategize.

So we see two strategies. Jesse Jr. seems to be about reform. There have been op-eds and stories about the congressman expressing his issues of sorts with Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and lately Cook County Board President Todd Stroger. They have both propose tax increases where Daley was successful in pushing his thru while Stroger is still struggling to get his thru.

So what's at play between Jackson's decision to not back his buddy here...

The alderman is now fighting five others for the Democratic nomination for Cook County state's attorney, but he'll have to campaign without the endorsement of Jackson. Brookins says his old friend told him recently that he'll be supporting another candidate, most likely Cook County commissioner Larry Suffredin, because the congressman refuses to back anyone allied with Cook County Board president Todd Stroger or commissioner William Beavers. Beavers is now running against Jackson's wife, alderman Sandi Jackson, for Democratic committeeman of the Seventh Ward.

"I'm kind of at a loss as to exactly why this is happening," Brookins said. "He asked me if Todd Stroger and Bill Beavers were supporting me. I said, 'I'm reaching out to everyone'"--including Suffredin and 38th Ward alderman Tom Allen, another state's attorney candidate. "He said, 'Well, I can't endorse you, then.'"

I suppose that makes sense if you seek to oppose the prevailing machine and then turn around and seem like reformers. Unfortunately Brookins have to stand alone in his 6 way race for Cook County State's Attorney.

Hey lets look at Alderman Brookins POV. It makes sense to reach out to everybody in the prevailing machine. The result being that he might chip away at the margins or at least add more people into his campaign who may very well help him win. At the same time sometimes going it alone is better, if not for rather "Romantic" reasons of standing by your convictions that being that according to his statement to the Trib's editorial board...

"People don't have confidence in this system," said Chicago Ald. Howard Brookins Jr. (21st), one of two African-Americans on the Feb. 5 Democratic ballot for state's attorney. "I don't believe that there's nothing that could have been done. I do believe that there are people in the office, current and present, that could have said something about Burge."

Anyway, let's see what may come out of this. Might Jesse Jr. be thinking about being the rising black star of Chicago politics. Might brother Brookins be an ally of the Congressman should he even run for Mayor of Chicago. Well the future will be here soon enough!