Bill Daley changes his mind about wanting to be a politician

By Richard K. Barry

This is really quite interesting. Big time Democratic backroom boy Bill Daley has decided that he'd rather not put himself in harms way as a candidate for elected office, potentially as governor of Illinois. The interesting part is that he actually admits the fact, if not exactly in those words.

The exact words were these:

“One of the things I always thought in my career that I wanted to do, I thought I would be able to have that opportunity, I hoped, would be to run for office. And even though you’re around it for a long time, you really don’t get a sense of the enormity of it until you get into it,” Daley told the Tribune.

“But the last six weeks or so have been really tough on me, struggling with this. Is this really me? Is this really what I want to spend my next five to nine years doing? And is this the best thing for me to do at this stage of my life?” he said. “I’ve come to the conclusion that this isn’t the best thing for me.”

Last June, Daley formed an exploratory committee to run for governor, a typical first step. Through his comments and other activities, it was clear he was going to run for the Democratic nomination against unpopular incumbent Pat Quinn. And then he wasn't.

Daley didn't say he was stepping down to spend more time with his family. He isn't claiming health reasons. He hasn't found God (who may or may not be lost). He just decided that he was wrong about wanting to be a politician.

That kind of thing doesn't happen that often. It's a certain kind of life, being a politician, both in the running and in the governing, and it's not for everyone. Bill Daley has been in the game long enough to know what it's like to be in front of the cameras and he decided against it.

There's no shame in knowing yourself, and kudos to him for that.