# What is "Chicago Politics"?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-chicago-politics/472248
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [November 11, 2008, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-chicago-politics/472248 "2008-11-11T21:30:33Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2008, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-chicago-politics/472248/1 "2008-11-11T21:30:33Z")
What’s supposed to be so bad (or something) about “Chicago Politics”?
-FrL-
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### Author:  [@Stormcrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stormcrow)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2008, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-chicago-politics/472248/2 "2008-11-11T21:43:47Z")
Others may have better and more detailed takes on this, but here’s my take.
Chicago politics is “machine politics” in the old Boss Tweed (who was from New York) tradition. The city is run by the Democrats, but that’s really neither here nor there. The key thing is that the city is run by a Mayor who really has managed it so that he has no opposition, and who utilizes questionable means to do so.
The political machine utilizes city workers, who do political campaign work on city time. This gives the incumbent a massive advantage. The city workers do the work, because its the only way to get promotions. The Mayor’s people mobilize the political workers, and this allows him to hold power over the aldermen, who are mostly rubber-stamp yes men at this point. The key part is hiring folks to work for the city based on political patronage rather than qualifications (“We don’t want nobody that nobody sent”).
You might say, “wait, wouldn’t someone sue them to make them stop?”
Yes they [would.](http://www.shakmanmonitor.com/) However, that hasn’t stopped anyone. Until recently, they bypassed the law by various means. More recently, the US Attorney has been prosecuting his way up the food chain, and its unclear at what point he’ll have to stop for want of people willing to sell the next guy out.
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2008, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-chicago-politics/472248/3 "2008-11-11T21:50:44Z")
When I die I want to be buried in Chicago so I can remain active in politics.
– Charles Rangel
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### Author:  [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2008, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-chicago-politics/472248/4 "2008-11-11T22:11:57Z")
Yeah but then this is the “City That Works”. Corrupt as hell but it is an oddly refined sort of corruption and at least under the Daley’s (current and his dad) somehow managed to grind along.
> [@](#):
>
> Chicago is a rustbelt town whose economic base was manufacturing, an activity that has all but run out of puff in the old industrial heartland of America. In the 1980s Chicago lost companies, jobs and people, and seemed destined to languish in gradual decline in much the same way as Cleveland, Detroit and Pittsburgh. But energetic government led by a mayor, Richard Daley, whose ambitions start and end in his home town, has turned the city round. Having greened the streets with flowers and trees, taken over Chicago’s intractable public housing and then set about reforming the school system, his administration has helped breathe new life into a moribund metropolis. He was re-elected in February for a sixth term, with 70% of the vote.
>
> SOURCE: [http://www.economist.com/specialreports/displaystory.cfm?story\_id=9070682](http://www.economist.com/specialreports/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9070682)
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### Author:  [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2008, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-chicago-politics/472248/5 "2008-11-11T22:55:29Z")
[Boss: Richard J. Daley of Chicago, by Mike Royko](http://www.amazon.com/Boss-Richard-J-Daley-Chicago/dp/0452261678)
Written after the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago, the one officially dubbed a “police riot.” That’s Chicago politics.
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### Author:  [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2008, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-chicago-politics/472248/6 "2008-11-11T23:17:36Z")
Chicago politics is when bulldozers show up at midnight to plow up the runway of an airport the mayor doesn’t like.
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2008, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-chicago-politics/472248/7 "2008-11-11T23:29:22Z")
Note that this sort of machine politics was common in many cities – New York, Philadelphia, Kansas City, even Albany, NY. Chicago’s machine just continued when the others faded away.
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### Author:  [@drhess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drhess)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2008, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-chicago-politics/472248/8 "2008-11-11T23:39:40Z")
People in poli sci (if they are people) often refer to moder versions as “machine style” to note that the features have changed. You can look up machine politics and get an idea however. Not just patronage, but also a tight voter turnout system and ward boss sytem. Often connected to local ethnic politics (e.g., Irish vs Italians), but not necessarily.
[Regarding the more violent mahince politics that sometimes relied on the mafia, the old joke is that when you press your hand into wet cement to leave your mark you feel another hand already down there.]
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### Author:  [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2008, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-chicago-politics/472248/9 "2008-11-11T23:40:30Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> Chicago’s machine just continued when the others faded away.
I don’t think the Albany machine is dead yet. It took a blow with the Soares victory, but I wouldn’t count Jennings out.
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2008, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-chicago-politics/472248/10 "2008-11-12T00:32:17Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#):
>
> I don’t think the Albany machine is dead yet. It took a blow with the Soares victory, but I wouldn’t count Jennings out.
Yes, but it really fell apart when Corning died. Whalen got away from machine politics and Jennings went further. The city is still heavily Democratic, but things like the reassessment scam\* are things of the past.
It’s like New York City – still heavily Democratic, but no more Tammany Hall to run thing.
\*New people move into the city. The local Democratic precinct leader would show up, be all friendly and then say, “I can’t believe what they did to your assessment.” The homeowners ask what he means, and he tells them they really jacked up their assessment and their taxes will be twice what they expected. After letting the news sink in, the precinct leader would say, “But don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.” And he did. The assessment would go back to what it had been, and the Democrats have some new friends.
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### Author:  [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2008, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-chicago-politics/472248/11 "2008-11-12T01:49:55Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#):
>
> Chicago politics is when bulldozers show up at midnight to plow up the runway of an airport the mayor doesn’t like.
Just looked that one up.
> [@](#):
>
> At a news conference, Mayor Daley did not explain why he had acted under cover of darkness, without notifying anyone in advance.
[Funny Stuff](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2906487.stm).
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### Author:  [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2008, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-chicago-politics/472248/12 "2008-11-12T03:39:19Z")
Elections: “Vote early and vote often.”
Honest corruption: “If you paid to get on the bus you don’t have to pay to get off.”
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### Author:  [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2008, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-chicago-politics/472248/13 "2008-11-12T04:06:39Z")
And yet, I think if people really weren’t happy with the way Chicago were run, I think Daley would have problems. Jane Byrne sure did. The fact is, the airport was a sham for most people. When Daley dug it up under cover of darkness, most people said “good riddance”. I don’t live there anymore, but it’s sure what I thought.
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### Author:  [@BrassyPhrase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrassyPhrase)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2008, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-chicago-politics/472248/14 "2008-11-12T04:07:56Z")
No one else posted this? From The Untouchables
Malone: You wanna know how you do it? Here’s how, they pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. That’s the Chicago way
From Imdb
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### Author:  [@liberty3701](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liberty3701)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2008, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-chicago-politics/472248/15 "2008-11-12T13:17:02Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> Note that this sort of machine politics was common in many cities – New York, Philadelphia, Kansas City, even Albany, NY. Chicago’s machine just continued when the others faded away.
You forgot [Jersey City](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=492164).
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### Author:  [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2008, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-chicago-politics/472248/16 "2008-11-12T16:27:52Z")
Also, one way that machine politicians assured that they were always reelected in the days of paper ballots was described by, I believe, Tip O’Neill:
A campaign worker is standing outside the polling station. He holds one ballot with the box of the preferred candidate already checked off. (He only needs to obtain one ballot to start off with, as you’ll see.) A voter comes up to him, and he gives the voter the premarked ballot. The voter goes inside the polling station, picks up a blank ballot, but turns in the premarked ballot. He gives the blank ballot to the campaign worker as proof that he turned in the premarked ballot. The campaign worker marks the blank ballot and gives it to the next voter.
Ed
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### Author:  [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2008, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-chicago-politics/472248/17 "2008-11-12T16:58:50Z")
> [@suranyi](#):
>
> Also, one way that machine politicians assured that they were always reelected in the days of paper ballots was described by, I believe, Tip O’Neill:
>
> A campaign worker is standing outside the polling station. He holds one ballot with the box of the preferred candidate already checked off. (He only needs to obtain one ballot to start off with, as you’ll see.) A voter comes up to him, and he gives the voter the premarked ballot. The voter goes inside the polling station, picks up a blank ballot, but turns in the premarked ballot. He gives the blank ballot to the campaign worker as proof that he turned in the premarked ballot. The campaign worker marks the blank ballot and gives it to the next voter.
>
> Ed
I´m missing the scam here. Couldn’t the guy going in just use the empty ballot he picks up instead? (and pick up two ballots so he’d still have a blank one for the campaign worker)
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### Author:  [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2008, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-chicago-politics/472248/18 "2008-11-12T18:20:05Z")
> [@WormTheRed](#):
>
> I´m missing the scam here. Couldn’t the guy going in just use the empty ballot he picks up instead? (and pick up two ballots so he’d still have a blank one for the campaign worker)
I believe the point is for the voter to prove he voted for the preferred candidate.
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2008, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-chicago-politics/472248/19 "2008-11-12T18:24:10Z")
> [@WormTheRed](#):
>
> I´m missing the scam here. Couldn’t the guy going in just use the empty ballot he picks up instead? (and pick up two ballots so he’d still have a blank one for the campaign worker)
Most polling stations control access to blank ballots. You can’t just pick up two of them.
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### Author:  [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2008, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-chicago-politics/472248/20 "2008-11-12T18:29:48Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#):
>
> Chicago politics is when bulldozers show up at midnight to plow up the runway of an airport the mayor doesn’t like.
So true.
OTOH, you can be sure that if the WTC had been here, we’d have the damn memorial finished already. Hell, we probably would have thrown a Cubs rally in it by 2002.
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