Though we don't have a lot of respect for people who switch parties as political opportunists, this might be a very good sense of timing on the part of Vallas:

• Paul Vallas, the former Chicago Public Schools chief and unsuccessful Democratic governor candidate, said Wednesday he’s exploring a run for Cook County Board president as a Republican and is counting on his new political party to help him raise money. “I really believe that it’s almost impossible to run as an independent or as a reform candidate through the Democratic Party,” Vallas said. “At the end of the day, if you’re going to be a reform candidate, particularly in Cook County…it becomes more realistic and more practical to run as a Republican.”

And in the midst of the Toddler's monumental tax increase stacked on top of the Blago tax increase combined with the City tax increase, it becomes almost possible that a taxpayer revolt could vault a known player like Vallas into the top spot and create some "coat tails" for other Republicans to garner support. Toddler looks beatable in 2010.