THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE CONFIRMS WHAT TWITCHY READERS HAVE LONG KNOWN.

A month ago, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, a woman who takes no cr@p off anyone, correctly described Chicago's mayor Lori Lightfoot a "derelict mayor."  The mayor eschewed profanity, preferring to refer to the press secretary as a Karen.

More recently, the mayor has been an indefatigable source of fun for Twitchy's writers, for instance, getting angry with a reporter for asking about city officials failing to prosecute looters after the first round of wilding; then Jim Treacher of Pajamas Media had a Clapback of the Vanities moment while more traditional members of the press had reason to be dismayed with her performance; then she sought Federal assistance in enforcing gun laws (news flash: any crook worth his lawyer knows how to get around Chicago's existing laws); and the latest round of wilding began not 24 hours after the mayor decided shutting down a beach party was Necessary for Public Health.  I wonder if the Log Cabin Republicans saw a recruiting opportunity in that bit of quarantine theater.

That might be passed off as the populist insurgency alternative media having some fun with such a tempting target.  The editorial board of Chicago's Tribune can't be so easily dismissed. "Not good enough. Not even close."  No kidding.

So you can listen to the words of the politicians. You can look at the conflicting data. And you can sweep aside both and assess the situation outright: chaos. Lawlessness. A city forced to raise its drawbridges to protect residents and businesses. Perception is reality in Chicago, and the perception is that this is not a safe city — anywhere. The long-term damage of that reputation is incalculable.

Tribune columnist John Kass, who has been facing down the cancel culture himself, interviews Paul Vallas, who has been involved in Chicago and national Democratic politics for years.

“I don’t think she likes criticism,” Vallas said of the mayor. “And I don’t think she knows what she’s doing quite frankly. … She’s always looking for a scapegoat. There’s got to be a scapegoat. And you know that she doesn’t like tough questions.”

Vallas said Lightfoot was unprepared for the mass looting downtown a few days ago. And most people would agree, including many Chicago aldermen. She was woefully unprepared. What happened downtown on Monday morning was a repeat of what happened a couple of months ago when looting erupted during the George Floyd protests.

Vallas has been quite active on the public policy front, writing op-eds for newspapers and posting on social media. His latest was titled, “The city burns, the mayor goes to a ribbon cutting.”

Rookie politicians making rookie mistakes. The damage to Chicago as a place to live or to do business well might be long-lasting.