
<p>We have seen a lot of performance politics in recent years. ; Once the milieu of overzealous grassroots activists – then referred to as “street theater” – has now been appropriated by top leaders of the Democratic Party. ; We have seen the TikTok shadow boxing by Democrat members of Congress to show their toughness. What they showed was silliness.  ;More recently, several members of Congress have called on foot soldiers to disobey Trump orders. ; That is just ridiculous. ; And then there are those sing-a-thons by officeholders who are literally tone deaf.</p>



<p>The latest example performance politics is Illinois’ billionaire Governor J.B. Pritzker. ; In an effort to mock claims that Chicago is a safe city—and not in need of federal assistance in rooting out criminals – Pritzker took to Instagram. Wearing an ill-fitting bullet proof flak vest (apparently, they do not come in XXXL sizes), Illinois’ chief executive stood downtown on the edge of the Chicago River – in one of the downtown’s least trafficked locations. ; He feigned that he was “reporting” from “war torn Chicago”</p>



<p>Talking into a microphone, Pritzker said. “As you can see, there’s utter mayhem and chaos on the ground. ; It is quite disturbing. ; It is a challenge to survive in the City of Chicago.” ; (<strong>That</strong> is true.)  ;As you can see from the photo atop this commentary, even if there were mayhem and chaos, Pritzker’s girth would have prevented us from seeing it.</p>



<p>Pritzker concluded with, “&#8230; but there is no Hellscape that I’d rather live in.” ; ; Unfortunately, there are thousands of people who no longer live in Chicago’s Hellscape because they are dead – victims of the Windy City’s high crime rate.</p>



<p>Pritzker may have thought he was being cute and humorous, but he was trumped by reality. ; (No, not that one). ; Just a few blocks away – on State Street, “that great street” in broad daylight in front of the iconic Chicago Theater in the heart of the Loop &#8212; shots rang out, leaving two young people dead and others wounded. ; That brought the number of Chicago murder victims in 2025 to more than 350 (more than seven per week) – and counting.</p>



<p>Pritzker is not only on the wrong side of law and order, but he is also proving to be a political buffoon. ; He presides over a state that is going broke &#8230; has an unbearable tax load &#8230; from which folks and businesses are fleeing &#8230; and the crown jewel city is a failing metropolis. ; And he is considering a run for President? ; America can do better than that. ; Hell &#8230; even the Democratic Party can do better than that.</p>



<p>So, there ‘tis.</p>

Illinois Governor stars in “Theater of the Absurd”
