Since our president-elect comes from Chicago, it might help to learn a bit about Chicago politics.
Chicago is run by the Daley machine, and while it is nominally Democratic, it is more a deal making enterprise rather than a true Democratic philosophy of working for the common good.
Now, from
The Washington Independent comes a brief primer on the Daley machine, Chicago pols, and even David Axelrod, Daley's spinner for 20 years.
"Mayor Daley acts as though he's above ideology” in part because he has so much power he doesn't really need it. Yet for all his power ”and, believe me, he controls absolutely everything in Chicago, including the city's legislative body” Daley is primarily a deal maker. He'd rather win you over than roll you over, though he relishes the second option if the first one fails.
"That may explain why Daley seems to have a deep affinity for Republicans, especially President George W. Bush. In the aftermath of the 2004 presidential campaign, Daley sang in the Karl Rove chorus, assailing the national Democratic Party as a collection of "Washington elites" who lost the election because they "don't like faith-based organizations" or people "who might read the Bible or read the Koran."
"But I've always felt that Daley got along with Republicans because he knew they couldn't, or wouldn't, challenge his dominance in a Democratic town like Chicago. In contrast, his Democratic underlings” everyone from aldermen to congressmen” are constantly maneuvering to be well-positioned to replace him when he leaves office. After awhile, that sort of ceaseless plotting can make even the most powerful of politicians paranoid. In fact, I suspect Daley endorsed Obama for president to get him out of Chicago once and for all.
"William Daley has picked up his brother's affinity for Republicans. so much so that if young William had not been raised in the household of his father, the legendary Democratic Party chieftain, Mayor Richard J. Daley, I doubt he would even be a Democrat."
Don't forget Billy boy is on Obama's economic transition team.
The article continues: "Finally, there's Axelrod, the spin artist supreme. He's at his best on election night, when he parades before the cameras to explain why a loss for his candidate is really a victory, or a victory for the opposition is really a loss. For awhile I was starting to think his reputation was overrated” after all, how hard can it be to run the campaigns of an unbeatable mayor like Daley?
"But in retrospect, I've come to realize that it can't be easy making the Daley Machine look efficient and smart.
"Not to bore you with too many sordid details from my hometown. But consider the four years preceding Daley's 2007 run for reelection. His administration got nailed for awarding $100 million in affirmative-action contracts to a politically connected white-owned firm. His top City Hall aide went to prison for overseeing a hiring operation rigged to favor the well-connected over the well-qualified in tests and interviews. There was the Hired Truck scandal, in which his transportation, streets and sanitation departments doled out $40 million worth of contracts to private truck drivers who did little more than campaign for the Machine on Election Day. And some city employees got nailed for running a heroin operation out of his Water Department.
"Have I forgotten anything? Oh, yes, the Red Line and the Blue Line” two of the city's main train lines ”fell apart for lack of regular repairs."
Read the rest. It's not long, but edifying.
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