Dupage Policy Journal

Former Burr Ridge Mayor Mickey Straub said politicians are using the COVID-19 pandemic as a political hit job against President Trump.

“It’s quite simple. If Obama was president that wouldn’t be happening. This is turning into a political hit job,” Straub told Chicago City Wire. “The whole goal’s not public safety, it’s trying to defeat President Trump in November.”

Straub shared his thoughts the day after Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued an executive order ending in-school instruction on April 17. Illinois school systems were told previously to switch to remote learning.

Mickey Straub

“I’ve said time and time again, our decisions are hard ones, but they follow the science — and the science says our students can’t go back to their normal routine,” Pritzker posted on his Facebook page.

“This is America’s first brush with socialism. And so many governors are certainly overreaching. It’s OK to buy liquor, go to liquor store or get marijuana, but you can’t go to church,” Straub said. “They’re using this as an excuse I think to further their socialist agenda.”

Straub said he does understand that a public official has to look out for public safety first. They can’t take risks like an entrepreneur would. While he was mayor of Burr Ridge, he realized that he needed to err on the side of caution for the benefit of the public.

“But this is a clear example, I predicted it two months ago, it would turn into a political hit job,” he said. “Remember the former mayor of Chicago, who is Obama’s chief of staff, Rahm Emmanuel, credited with saying never let a good crisis go to waste.”

Straub calls himself a car guy, a conservative, a very Christian American and a Republican. He puts his God before country and his country before politics.

He doesn’t trust the media or Democrats.

“I’m out of politics, and this is one of the reasons why,” he said. “In politics, what is convincing is often believed over the truth.”

Straub said this is impeachment attempt number two.

“As I’ve learned, don’t let the facts get in the way of hysteria,” he said.

The United States is on track for fewer people dying of COVID-19 than flu last year, or in the same ballpark, Straub said.

He said as the left controls the media, they control the narrative and most of the news outlets.

“So they are going to produce panic, which they did,” he said.

The first thing Straub thought of was Orson Welles’ 1938 radio broadcast of “War of the Worlds.” The second thing that came to mind was visions of science fiction movies with legions of people dying in the streets.

“This is really sad and unfortunate that elected officials would resort to such hysteria rather than try to do what’s good for the people,” he said.

Straub ran for mayor of Burr Ridge primarily to get a bridge built and put the village on the map. He resigned halfway through his second term to get his dwindling software and publishing business back on track and to write a book. Before running for mayor, he completed a patriotic pilgrimage around the country, “50 Capitols in 50 Days,” also the title of his book.

“So I have a great love for this country and I ended up coming back from the trip and running for mayor,” he said.