Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
You know, I keep waiting for an engaging takedown of Obama as Chicago politician–something comprehensive and well-researched yet clear and easy for the political novice to understand–and this ain’t it. And I can’t figure out whether it goes to prove Obama’s point, that for all the questionable-to-outright-offensive alliances he’s made he’s played it so he’s not “entangled” in any way that’s really going to hurt him, or just whether no one’s gone for the throat yet.
I am glad, in credit to Bob Secter and John McCormick, that they mentioned some Democrats might like his proven ability to work the local machine, even if they might be loath to admit it. Historically-minded Democrats will recall that the most effective Democratic president of the post-war years–and I mean effective in a totally value-neutral way–was machine man Lyndon Johnson. There are benefits to electing someone who had to build power rather than having it thrust upon them. It’s a perceptive and important point.
