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jdm's avatar

Some years ago I read something by someone familiar with the "Chicago Way" of doing things. That person (perhaps even our host?) said that of all the things Obama did as president, the worst was bringing the Chicago Way of governing to Washington DC. In reading the opening paragraphs of this post, I was struck with how well it described the federal government today.

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NNTX's avatar

Didn't see your comment before I posted. Totally agree with your comment re BHO

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jdm's avatar

Confirmation is good ;-)

Which gives me the opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thanks to Jeff for running such an interesting and civil place.

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Melinda Romanoff's avatar

The first group that tries to re-establish the City News Bureau, I’ll back ‘em to the best of my ability. The hell with today’s “But I’ll lose muh access!” Guild mantra. Now they’re just PR for The Machine.

Oh, and Merry Christmas to you and yours!

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NNTX's avatar

Barack learned from the Chicago machine and exported it to the Federal gov't, with help from the slimy but clever Axlerod.

Another point in your story is the danger for the public when spouses are both in powerful connected positions--whether gov't, media, law, etc.

Not being connected in Chicago means I can't help directly. Seems like many of the best (or wealthy, such as Ken Griffin) are fleeing as Pritzker and the like ruin the state

As Dan Bongino says, when it is "bad enough" things might change.

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Chicago527's avatar

I heard about the Chicago Way while growing up in So Cal in the 60’s-70’s but didn’t believe it was real. Having lived outside Chicago for over 20 years now I can attest it is very real. The true Obama story is one of deepest corruption and evil. It truly is the Chicago Way. Unfortunately that way extends all the way to the Capital in Springfield. You really see what True Blue Democrats are really all about when you live here.

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Scott Garl's avatar

Your Chicago takes always leave me breathless. It all seems impossible but it's not. Yep, they would have jailed trump. Just the billions Elon has reaped from investors piling into TSLA via the election relief trade should send a message. Gov licks their chops at sabotaging space x. every way they can. Too bad you bunch of covid, government types, 400 bil of opposition is staring you right in the face.

Merry Christmas!

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John Fisher's avatar

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Jeff!

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Bills's avatar

I have been following Steve’s plight for about two years on trade talk. I can’t believe he is still

In jail for contempt. The political connected get all the breaks. I look at Blago he pissed the wrong people off and got thrown in jail. The reporters in Chicago are to afraid to do any real reporting.

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Earl Camembert's avatar

There are no reporters in Chicago, at least in the MSM. There are just stenographers.

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Donald Wolfe's avatar

Agreed, but let's not turn Blago into a saint. He is not the sharpest knife in the drawer. He was a "climber" married into a political family who stepped on all the wrong people on the way up who kicked him good and hard on the way down.

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Jeffrey Carter's avatar

AGREE

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Mitch Weiner's avatar

Don't even get me started with my experience with CTU 🤣 given that my medical staffing agency was one of only five approved to provide nurses for the Chicago Public Schools and what was necessary to get that approved. Bottom line is my Government Contracts Officer, who had served in the military in that capacity for 24 years and the private sector for 18 years, told me it was hands down the most convoluted process he's ever heard of much less seen.

Cook County Sheriff's Office has been notorious for more than half a century for having to pay kickbacks to get and keep jobs.

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Bills's avatar

Also Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.

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LEONARD TEIFELD's avatar

Jeff actually it’s a lot worse than you state here

I would take mayor Daley 2 anytime

Rudy should be appointed special prosecutor to investigate CHICAGO

BTW MY EX NEIGHBOR WAS A FBI agent he told me the largest fbi contingent is around Schaumburg and he worked there

He told me he was trying to get a mission in Afghanistan because it’s safer there than in Chicago trying to catch political criminals

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Danimal28's avatar

Great piece, Jeff, and my Minneapolis has become Chicago north as are most large cities. Fundamentally corrupt. All of them. I live 40 miles out of town and work outside of our Twin Shitties.

Derek Chauvin's 'trial' taught the world how corrupt everyone in large cities are.

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Jeffrey Carter's avatar

Right. You can't get a fair trial in certain states now. Corporate law in Delaware, NYC, Chicago and the broader state of Illinois.....

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Earl Camembert's avatar

Jeff, I hope you are keeping on top of the fecal cyclone that is the Chicago Teachers Union’s attempt to oust Pedro Martinez as school CEO, because he won’t allow the city on a $300M payday loan to cover the union’s “A Mercedes in every garage” contract demand.

Martinez is fighting legally and so far has been successful at keeping his job. I’m not a lawyer, but there’s online speculation that the discovery process will uncover all sorts of “interesting” things.

If there was a U.S. district attorney who wanted to make his/her bones, they would have a field day investigating and prosecuting the CTU and the mayor. These SOBs all belong in the federal pen.

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Mitch Weiner's avatar

I'm going back to your previous post and sharing there, because I believe it's more appropriate, though it's appropriate for both, the single greatest article I have ever read relating to your two most recent posts and I vehemently urge everybody to read it because it is the best assessment of the Democrats I have ever read.

Yes, it reads almost like a short story and yes, you will be glad you read it.

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Tom Smith's avatar

This article is terrible and reads like something John Cass? Kass? ghosted. What a garbage title. How about playing offense instead of giving Chicago clowns intimidating credibility?

Uihlein funds both Wirepoints and Proft. Proft and Wirepoints are a major demoralizing problem and huge resistance to positive change. Proft is all agitation and no productive solutions! Wirepoints comments are a demoralizing theme park full of folks encouraging each other to move out. Proft has an uncanny knack for getting financed, with an impressive portfolio of failures, and injecting himself in all Illinois conservative politics. He'll never admit that he's central to Illinois Republican political decay and doesn't like to mention that he lives in Florida! Let's be honest, any well financed political operative that can't get one over a Chicago mayor with a 15% approval rating, at best, is a complete failure.

Nobody is going to do a darn thing if they keep tuning into folks that frame the situation as hopeless, and that's the goal of Uihlein and proft. It's funny and really suspect you branded William J. Kelly as a crank and don't even mention Greg Bishop.

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Jeffrey Carter's avatar

John Kass.....great writer. The only writer at the Tribune that had the guts to write what was true. Garbage title.....a critique from someone who probably would put us all in a gulag. Dan grew up in Chicago, lived there forever. Went to college in Illinois. He is an exile in Florida. He'd have stayed in Illinois if it politicians were merely average. Wirepoints Mark Glennon and Ted D are uncovering all kinds of things and worthy of support. There are lots of people who support them. Illinois Policy too! John Tillman has done some great stuff there.

The situation in Chicago and Illinois isn't being "framed". It sucks. I left myself. I had a choice when my building was purchased. Buy a new place in Chicago, or leave. Given the path Chicago was on, the choice was easy. I left in 2020.

The Republican Party in Illinois has been fangless. You should be glad Proft and the fellas are doing things to expose how bad it is

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Tom Smith's avatar

So, let me get this straight... you don't live here and you're taking input about Chicago politics from Proft, who doesn't live here either?? Proft runs the Republican party in Illinois. He's the reason it's fangless.

It is being framed. I live here. I personally watched the newest crop of radicals and commies bash both parties during the DNC protests. Trump stickers and a few neutral posters are popping up in Wicker Park. Some crony pulled the fire alarm to save Johnson's ass the other day from an angry mob in City Hall.

There's a rhetorical ruse Proft, Kass, and others in their orbit have restlessly employed. It's called argumentum ad baculum - a futile effort vs. an omnipotent force. Can you think of one instance where Proft or Wirepoints calls the CTU or Pritzker weak and easily defeatable? Johnson has a 15% rating. The numbers are there. All we need to do is mobilize, and that's where Proft and Wireponts stand in the way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzcuA6d6FvY

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Dan E's avatar

Back to the subject of this post: https://cookcountyrecord.com/stories/667177828-appeals-court-cook-divorce-judges-can-t-hold-ex-husbands-hostage-to-force-families-to-pay-divorce-bills. Maybe not immediate relief for Mr. Fan Andy, but this should help spring him.

Keep Hope Alive (TM)

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