By       CW's Political View

The end of a year is the traditional time to take a moment to step back from the daily news and to reflect on the events of the past year. To look with an intense 100% accurate retrospection at what happened and to appreciate why events unfolded the way they did.

This historic election year is perfect fodder for the political junkies like myself that don’t just read or listen to the news; we actually try, in our limited knowledge position, to understand the reason “why” such an event happened. Now add to that equitation the fact you are from Chicago and you have not only observed politics at it’s highest, you have a fond memory and you remember the stories, the jokes and the old wise tales about Chicago Politics. You remember a major network news anchor telling everyone nationally not to jump to any conclusions, “We haven’t heard from all the cemeteries in Chicago yet.” I had the great honor of attending a fine Catholic University, not in Chicago, so I believed the political stories about my town were only local. I found out I was wrong:

·        I was constantly reminded that “four legs in a voting booth” is a common sight in Chicago.

·        That “Chicago is the only city in the world that officially recognizes reincarnation.

That on every Election Day “the dead in Chicago officially get up and vote.”

The rest of the nation knew that Chicago stole John Kennedy the election of 1960 and the nation in general “just smiled” at how creative the old Mayor Daley and the Chicago Machine was. That was how the nation looked at Chicago Politics for decades. Everyone knew it was corrupt but they also knew it was only in Chicago so it didn’t make any difference to them, our style of politics was “harmless” to the rest of the country.

Since Illinois has turned solidly Democratic over the past decade, the “tricks” of the Democratic Party have not been needed or to be more exact, have not been as visible. They are still happening I am afraid; they are just more subtleabout it. For years one of the top five political leaders in this country used to use my office for his national fund-raising efforts. For this favor, my firm had the ability to ask for favors in return and we did and our requests were granted. That was the Chicago way.

All of this melancholy view of history is natural and expected as one grows slightly older and you hope, slightly wiser. However, this nation just elected a new President this year and the media has already declared this shooting star of Chicago Politics, the next coming of our political savior. I am not making any comment about our new President, instead I would like to comment on the people closely standing around our new political savior and the way of doing business the rest of the nation knows nothing about – The Chicago Way Of Doing Politics.

Our Governor is in big trouble these days, mostly for trying to “sell” the Senate seat that used to be Barack Obama’s. Hello America, this little episode is just a wake up call for anyone willing to say – Wake Up America – Welcome to Chicago Politics.

One of Barack Obama’s biggest political enemies during the past political campaign was Senator Hilary Clinton (yes, a Chicagoland gal herself, but she was a Chicagoland Republican so that really doesn’t count). She had the insider Washington Democratic base and she had at least three-quarters of the media doing her political hatchet work for her. She was in the perfect position because this was “her turn” and she was setup to win. The Republicans would put up a fight, but this was a democratic year and the democratic nominee would be the next President. Now comes the Chicago guy who knows how to speak and knows how to remain “cool” under fire. That is what America saw. What America did not see, the Chicago Democratic Party standing just off-camera pulling all the stings?

This brings us to today and today’s political news. With all the focus on our Governor and his troubles, maybe the rest of us, including the media and the American People can’t “smell” a Chicago political deal that appears to have been made right under everyone’s nose.

Obama and Hilary Clinton were virtually tied during the primaries. The media was split in their love-fest for both candidates. The election for the nomination could go either way. This was going to be very close.

Chicago Politics 101: There should be a class taught in every university in America on this subject matter. Think about what I am about to print and before you totally dismiss the concept remember, Chicago Politics have now gone national.

Out of nowhere, Caroline Kennedy announces she is now backing Obama. WHAT! The Clinton’s had used the Kennedy legacy as their own in their climb to the top. Caroline Kennedy, the one everyone likes, has come out for Obama. The media went nuts. The 75% of the media that favored Hilary Clinton suddenly and overnight swung overwhelmingly to Obama. This was Camelot revisited. This was a media event perfect for a generation on non-reporting reporters. Hilary Clinton lost her most trusted and needed ally, positive media coverage that was critical to her campaign. More important, the media now refused to examine any of Barack Obama’s political baggage from Chicago. Yes, there was some talk of Father Pflager, Rev. Wright, William Ayers, ACORN and Tony Resko but no in-depth reports of the Chicago Machine that was hosting this candidate up on their shoulders and not allowing anyone to look at his record or body of work. Looking back on the primary election season of 2008, the announcement by Caroline Kennedy sealed the nomination for Barack Obama.

But why would she do it, what was in it for Caroline? She was a women not deeply involved in politics. She didn’t even vote in most elections it has been shown. Caroline Kennedy has given money to the Clintons in the recent past. If she wanted to build a political power base on her own, she would have to go through a long primary race, a rough general election while having to show all her financial dealings just to get to an elected position that was high enough for her political heritage. Or, she could “make a deal – Chicago Style.” I don’t think this idea of her becoming a United States Senator ever entered her mind “UNTIL” the Obama people approached her with the offer. Support Obama and you will be named the next Senator from the State of New York. That appears to have been an offer to great for her to refuse.

I think that was the political offer that was made. You might say, you are nuts. Maybe, but think about this as a Chicago Political boss would. Obama had to win the nomination. In order to win the nomination, Obama needed Caroline Kennedy’s endorsement to give him the appearance of acceptance by the “old-school” Democratic leadership. Once Obama had the nomination, he then had to follow up on his deal with Kennedy, which meant dealing with Hilary Clinton in order to move her out of the Senate. If he put Clinton on the ticket with him as VP, the New York seat opened up and his deal with Kennedy was then complete. Problem here was simple. Putting Hilary into the VP’s chair could be very dangerous for a new President that understood Clinton’s own desire to be President. Therefore he had to not give her the VP nomination but to offer her the only position everyone knew she would accept – Secretary of State. In that position Obama already knows she will not be a team player, she will just run around the world for almost two years, grabbing every headline she can and preparing herself for running against Obama in four years. So why would he name her Secretary of State – because he had a Chicago deal he had to pay off. He named Hilary Secretary of State in order to give Caroline a Senate Seat. For his deal – he won the nomination and then he won the Election. He can deal with Hilary later, but for now he would be the President. All of this was possible because of a Chicago deal.

It has been stated that Caroline Kennedy is acting like the nomination is a given fact. She believes that because that was the deal that she had agreed to and the deal she expects to be honored. However, Chicago Politics has raised its head in a horrifying way as it relates to Caroline Kennedy. Caroline expected Obama’s people to come out firing on her behalf that was part of the deal. What she could not have been ready for was our own Governor of Illinois getting caught trying to sell Obama’s Senate seat. Now with the Federal investigators circling around the Obama team, they “can’t” come out and pressure everyone to get on board and support Kennedy. They have left Caroline Kennedy, a political rookie with a tremendous heritage but still a rookie, to go through this experience alone with the support of the President-Elect – the person critical to her having this nomination handed to her. The first crack in the Chicago Political National Machine (the Illinois Governor being caught doing what every other Governor for years has done – selling a Senator nomination) has put Caroline Kennedy in the public’s cross-hairs. If the nomination fails, you can expect her to be named shortly to the Ambassadorship to the country of her choice.

Wake Up America – Welcome to Chicago Politics… They have now gone national.