I don't think anyone would confuse Mayor Daley (the current, not his dad) with a progressive but he is practical. Daley's dad was notorious for screwing non-white people; the current Daley wisely worries more about political power than about white power. Anyway I was pleased to see this quote in today's SUN TIMES...reporters were asking the Mayor about the gay marriages in San Francisco:

A devout Catholic, Daley scoffed at the suggestion that gay marriage would somehow undermine the institution of marriage between a man and a woman.

"Marriage has been undermined by divorce, so don't tell me about marriage. You're not going to lecture me about marriage. People should look at their own life and look in their own mirror. Marriage has been undermined for a number of years if you look at the facts and figures on it. Don't blame the gay and lesbian, transgender and transsexual community. Please don't blame them for it," he said.

Yes indeed AND he managed to give props not only to Gay & Lesbian but also to trans. You go Richie. If an extremely pragmatic politician is on board, this bodes well for the future.