* Former Ald. Freddrenna Lyle has been hired by the Chicago City Council’s Black Caucus to handle legal duties for the remap. Her top priority is making sure African-Americans retain their 20 black-majority districts, despite the Census results which claimed a massive black population loss…

Chicago lost 182,000 black residents in the 2010 U.S. Census, in part because of the demolition of CHA high-rises. But Lyle argued that African-Americans, for the most part, remain in “compact, single-race neighborhoods.”

Chicago’s Hispanic population, which grew by 25,000 residents, is “more spread out,” the former alderman said.

“As opposed to having 19 wards with 80 or 90 percent black population, you may have some wards that have 65, 70 or 80 percent. But we’re going into the process anticipating that we will retain the same number of African-American wards,” Lyle said.

Noting that Chicago lost nearly 53,000 white residents, Lyle said, “If there is to be an increase in Latino wards, it should come at the expense of wards represented by white aldermen.”

Needless to say, that’s not gonna be easy. The General Assembly’s map makers were able to compensate for the black population loss by spreading districts far into the suburbs. The city council can’t do that.

* Meanwhile, a Galesburg reporter believes that Republican Congressman Bobby Schilling, elected with strong tea party support, is moving to the center, and for good reason…

Rep. Bobby Schilling, R-Colona, is taking flak from the left and right of the political spectrum for his support of the agreement to raise the debt ceiling. […]

He does appear to be attempting to move closer to the center since his election campaign, when he ran on a platform that earned him the support of the Tea Party. Schilling will run in a district with redrawn boundaries in 2012 that is likely to be more favorable to Democrats and a number of potentially strong Democratic candidates are planning to run against him.

The debt-ceiling agreement Schilling supported in the House includes $1.2 trillion in cutbacks over the next decade but also would establish a bipartisan commission to decide on a further $1.6 trillion in cuts. A failure to reach agreement on where to cut spending will trigger automatic cuts to defense and entitlement programs, which Schilling opposes.

“The big thing that I don’t want to see happen is the cuts to Medicare and to the DOD (Department of Defense), which helps us defend our country,” he said.

* I’m gonna disagree with this…

Hultgren and likely GOP primary opponent, 8th District Rep. Joe Walsh (the two were recently mapped into the same congressional district by Democratic cartographers) were two of the 66 GOP members who bucked the party line over this issue this week. Such a stance could cost them both, literally, in campaign help from top brass, including Chief Deputy Whip Peter Roskam, of Wheaton. Right now, Hultgren - about $200,000 behind in cash on hand compared to Walsh - needs that financial help more.

I doubt the House Republicans will abandon one of their incumbent members in a general election next year. They didn’t support Walsh last year, but he’s now one of them, and he’s, simply put, a body who will vote for Boehner for Speaker. As far as the primary goes, since both voted against the debt ceiling bill, that pretty much cancels out the issue.

* Andrew Sullivan makes an interesting point…

A New Jersey politician resigns for Weiner-esque reasons. I notice, in contrast, that congressman Joe Walsh, who has been sued by his ex-wife for $117,437 in child support, is still happily in office. The tea party has backed him to the hilt, as has the GOP. The New Jersey pol is even single!

It is a strange country where someone unmarried sending consensual sexting pictures to another adult is forced to resign, while a man who is alleged to have abandoned his children is secure.

* Hultgren was recently asked about Walsh’s troubles…

No comment.

* And here’s a different sort of fundraising appeal. If Daily Kos readers contribute $2,000 to Democrat Ilya Sheyman’s congressional campaign, they’ll be eligible to win a guitar signed by the group Green Day.

* Roundup…

* Redistricting Journal: Dems, GOP fighting to a draw

* Suburban reps play key roles in debt ceiling storm

* VIDEO: Vice President Biden, I’m not a terrorist

* 17th District hopefuls split on debt ceiling question

* Lawmakers Learn to Juggle Family, Office Duty

* The Tea Party is bigger than the South

* Hurckes to resign from Oak Lawn village board

* GOP hopefuls lining up to replace state Rep. Ron Stephens

* John Cabello announces state representative candidacy

* Bost announces candidacy