Rahm and a divided city.

I've been thinking more and more lately about social solidarity, and how social faultlines affect a place.

Even if Rahm is re-elected, a good 30-40% of the electorate will hate him rabidly, and he'll preside over a divided city.

I wonder how much of that hatred will seep out into everyday life, in the way people think about the downtown and the more privileged areas.

It can't be pleasant, and I certainly don't think it's going away.

Rahm really doesn't care what other people think, but I do think that people will continue to turn their backs to him and refuse him handshakes the rest of his time in office, if he's somehow re-elected.

Through all the stuff that the Garcia campaign is publicizing, people who disliked Rahm have come to hate him even more, and will respond even more harshly to similar actions in the future, even if they're the same level of magnitude as his prior term in office.