There's a Familial Feeling in Chicago

CHICAGO — It is a navy blue T-shirt with white lettering. On the back it says, "We Kicked Your Father's Ass in 1968 . . . Wait 'til You See What We Do to YOU!"

On the front it says: "Chicago Police" and "Democratic National Convention--1996."

The first time Andrew Hoffman saw the shirt, he took its message personally. After all, his father, the late Abbie Hoffman, was roughed up and arrested by Chicago cops at the last convention here, and Andrew, 35, is running the counterculture's Festival of Life at this year's event.

"I felt really hurt at first and then I realized this was an opportunity--an opportunity to take the past and turn it into something to benefit the future." That is to say, Andrew created a version of the shirts and began selling them to conventioneers for $10 apiece.

His dad, who also had a gift for exploiting the very capitalistic values he raged against, would have been proud. Remember his bestseller, "Steal This Book"? Yes, concedes the soft-spoken Andrew, "I am proud to say, 'Like father, like son.' "

Talk about your family values.

From the host family of Daleys in City Hall to the Alioto clan from California to the Hoffmans, Haydens and Dellingers rallying in the parks, America's Democrats are showing that their family ties can be just as binding as Republicans'.

Michela Alioto, 27, of Napa is the third generation of her famous San Francisco family to carry the Democratic Party banner. The delegate is a candidate for Congress and, not coincidentally, the granddaughter of former San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto. Her credentials as an Alioto and as a loyal Democrat have been well-publicized here and back home by her brother and campaign advisor, Joe.

Even before the convention officially opened Monday, the father-son Jackson team--the Rev. Jesse and Congressman Jesse Jr.--were moving in tandem from TV studio to reception to caucus to delegation gala. "I'm awfully proud of that boy," the senior Jackson boasted to C-SPAN on Monday.

Onstage together at Sunday's "Return to Chicago 1968-1996" concert / convocation, Jesse Jackson entertained an audience of fiftysomethings and thirtysomethings with a monologue on the rising star of his son.

"We had a situation recently where I was heading for an important engagement and I received a call from the congressman here saying he had to stay in the House for a big vote and could I please fill in for him at a labor speech he was scheduled to give. Well, I told him, 'Yes, I suppose I could do that.'