To coin a phrase, Chicago is hardly a change machine

Mayor John Hickenlooper doesn't talk like a Chicago politician, though he'll open the Democratic National Convention here Monday night, to be followed on stage by several young Chicago politicians who are the ...

[Mr Howell]

I wonder how Denver's escort services are going to fare during this week of change.

[LArry White]

That is awesome, there must be something in the schools to teach all these Illinois politicians about how to be corrupt.

[Dave]

Obama's cut from the same cloth as these crooks. He was taught the Chitcago way and how the machine works just like the rest of 'em. Guess whats going to happen to all the federal investigations going on with all the politicians here? they will all go away as soon as Obama gets elected. Keep pounding these crooks Kass, lets not get fooled and let the united states turn into Chitcago under Obama's rule.

[Bill Dwyer]

John, forget about connecting Obama to "Quarters" Boyle.

Give us the real scoop on how Tom Keane nurtured a young Obama after hearing about the gifted young black kid from Kansas and how Vito Marzullo paid for his Harvard law degree.

When you're done, you can start working on the real story of how Hinky Dink McKenna introduced Obama's parents to each other.

[Two-faced John]

Could you write a more boring article?

Hey Kass, how about an article, or 10, about retiring Mayor Nick Blase, and his upcoming trial, or is that a little too close to home for you?

Hypocrite.

[Comic Book Guy]

My, my, my... All of the sudden, Chicago so-called Democrats are getting a little defensive when confronted by the utter corruption that is Chicago politics. That's what happens when you have one-party state in Chicago/Cook County. Time to put an end to that. Where are you U.S> Attorney Fitzgerald. Time to put these criminals away.-

[Pat]

What is this Kass man's real beef?

I remember a few months ago a thin investigation trying to link Obama to the supposed graft machine in Chicago and that crap went no where but to the Faux disinformation station and this Kass guy looked the fool after the interview that disclosed nothing new.

I do not live in Chicago but I am involved in politics in my area and from what I see the politicians in Cook county are no more corrupt than they are in the county where I live now, nor any more corrupt than any in the counties where I have lived. Cook county politicians are bold, but they are no more dirty than any others.

On the plus, Chicago is clean. Chicago is a city that one wants to visit. Chicago has enough going on to attract its area suburbanites. I shudder to think what would happen if there was no Mayor Daley; would Chicago go the way of Cleveland, Detroit, St. Louis, Washington D.C,, etc. Most of our major cities are crappy places that most folk try to avoid, but Chicago
(as long as they can keep the gangbangers out of the downtown and tourist areas) is really not that bad and I give kudos to Mayor Daley and his machine.

[Augustus]

What does it tell you that all Kass writes are Obama bashing columns. We all know he is republican, yet we haven't seen one column defending McCain. Why is that? Are you saying that a presidential candidate can never come out of the Chicagoland area. I'll make sure to tell my younger brothers that they can never become president because they are from Chicago. The fact that Obama will be the first president in over 200 years that isn't white means that is change, like it or not. But then again Kass sees nothing significant about Obama's campaign and what it does for minorities, and you realize now that over the years, all the tough columns about the working class Chicagoan's who have had tough times, never a column about the black or hispanic community issues.

[Sean]

Yawn.

[Whatadummies]

The change we belive in ...A Ugandan children's choir traveling across the United States to raise money for a school and orphanage in their country got a rude welcome to Chicago Sunday afternoon when someone broke into one of their tour vans outside a West Side church and stole two laptops, video equipment and the choir director's passport.

The SIFA African Children's Choir, 20 boys and girls from southeastern Uganda, has visited 22 states since April and hadn't run into any problems until just before their concert at City of Refuge Ministries church, 1444 S. Keeler Ave.

Tour coordinator Carrie Harless said the group's two white vans were left unattended—doors locked and alarms activated—for only about two minutes. The lock was popped off one of the vans around 4 p.m. as the children were about to perform.

[Bob N]

The yellow haze that hangs over Denver along I25 will become increasingly nasty after all the gas that is emitted over the subject of change. Change you can believe in and gas that you can believe in too.

[Uncle Ron]

Maybe Bush will unleash the whole FBI to investigate Obama and dumbocratic machine.That would be change>the only change Obama wants to make is to get rid of Fitzgerald and continue the machine.Only change Obama can make with his experience is to change his tighty whiteys

[Sick Puppy]

Bill Dwyer wrote:

John, forget about connecting Obama to "Quarters" Boyle.
Give us the real scoop on how Tom Keane nurtured a young Obama after hearing about the gifted young black kid from Kansas and how Vito Marzullo paid for his Harvard law degree.
When you're done, you can start working on the real story of how Hinky Dink McKenna introduced Obama's parents to each other.

Well put. Kass combines the contorting flexibility of a Cirque du Soleil performer with a full-on yogi master.

People - brace yourselves for a weeklong Kass hissy fit when the national media doesn't pick up on John's favorite themes - Obambi, Obama as machine creature, Hopium, Obama set to move St. Fitzgerald out of the Northern District, ad nauseum.

We can only hope that the high altitude will cause John "the Unroyko" Kass to nap through his deadlines.

[RCS]

Augustus wrote:

The fact that Obama will be the first president in over 200 years that isn't white means that is change, like it or not.

There you go again. Playing the race card.

Black or white, he is unqualified to be President. Like it or not.

BTW, don't be too suprised if BO doesn't win.

[Sick Puppy]

Uncle Ron wrote:

Maybe Bush will unleash the whole FBI to investigate Obama and dumbocratic machine.That would be change>the only change Obama wants to make is to get rid of Fitzgerald and continue the machine.Only change Obama can make with his experience is to change his tighty whiteys

You'd fit right in today's Justice Department, Uncle Ron. You'd also fit right in with Stalin's political machine.

How about if the FBI focused on - oh I don't know - catching Osama bin Laden.

Your comment is so juvenile I probably should have ignored it, but you sadly represent so many Wingnuts who want to criminalize being a Democrat.

Maybe you haven't noticed, but Bush has turned the Justice Department into a collection of political enforcers and hack party operatives that had to pledge loyalty to the Preznit for their jobs. They took the unprecedented step of firing multiple US Attorneys for lack of zeal in trumped up corruption cases against Dems. Even John Kass has acknowledged this fact.

They would have fired St. Fitzgerald too if they could have - but since he "prosecuted" Scotter Libby it would have looked too clumsy even for this gang.

[Sick Puppy]

RCS wrote:

<quoted text>
There you go again. Playing the race card.
Black or white, he is unqualified to be President. Like it or not.
BTW, don't be too suprised if BO doesn't win.

Nicely done RCS - accuse anyone who even mentions race as "playing the race card." Question - how does one disuss this inarguable historic fact without being insulted?

You realize that by endlessly repeating "playing the race card" you are going to strip that expression of any and all meaning.

[Dave]

Kass hates change. That's why he writes the same column each week.

[Reader]

"Nepotitis is not just incurable, it's all but invincible.
" -Carol Marin. Chicago Sun Times.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/marin/1116348,CS...

[RCS]

Sick Puppy wrote:

<quoted text>
Nicely done RCS - accuse anyone who even mentions race as "playing the race card." Question - how does one disuss this inarguable historic fact without being insulted?
You realize that by endlessly repeating "playing the race card" you are going to strip that expression of any and all meaning.

Did you forget that the BO played the race card? The poster did not mention why he thought BO was qualified, but simply the fact that BO could be the the 1st black. Well no kidding.

BO is unqualified to be President. Look at the mess he never addressed in IL. I'll give you two
examples

1. Todd Stroger
2. Rod Blagovich

[RCS]

Sick Puppy wrote:

<quoted text>
- Obambi, Obama as machine creature, Hopium, Obama set to move St. Fitzgerald out of the Northern District, ad nauseum.

Please tell us how he's not a machine democrat?