California Lawmaker Learns About the Chicago Way

John Kass of the Chicago Tribune explains how the Chicago Way has taken over national politics:

It's painfully clear that Republicans don't know much about the Chicago Way, where citizens, even Republicans, are expected to take what big government gives them. If the political boss suggests that you purchase some expensive wrought-iron fence to decorate your corporate headquarters, and the guy selling insurance to the wrought-iron boys is the boss' little brother, you write the check.

Otherwise, government inspectors may arrive, demanding to know why your thing-a-ma-bob isn't coupled with the whoosy-whatsits, in the manner of the prescribed flibber-mcjibbits, as outlined in the appendix of the municipal code. Then you've got real problems.

No one knows this better than Emanuel, who was elected to Congress with the help of a gigantic illegal patronage army, run by City Hall's Water Department boss Don Tomczak, who is now in prison for taking bribes. Emanuel said he didn't know that Tomczak's tough guys were working his district. But I insisted on calling him U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Tomczak) anyway.

The national media -- and the Republicans -- weren't all that interested in Chicago politics when Obama was campaigning. The pundits were too busy smoking their Hopium. National Republicans made one little commercial about the Chicago machine, but Mayor Daley said there wasn't any machine, and that was that.

You'll want to read the whole thing.