Chicago

[Miles]

The GOP regularly attacks progressive portions of America like Massachusetts, New York, Chicago, and California in order to divide the public. When the last time you heard a Democratic politician say disparaging things about Alabama?

Bev Purdue - “Folks are saying what in the world is going on with North Carolina, we look like Mississippi.”

Where is Alabama in your quote?

Do you not consider Mississippi a conservative portion of America? Gallup has it as among the most conservative states, and it was disparaged by an outgoing Democrat governor just a few months ago.

And, of course, such disparaging jabs can come from the Republicans as well.

[Spanish Moss]

Black.

[All Along The Watchtower]

Not as bad as Bloomfield Hills, MI style politics.

[dead0man]

Now, as much as I am inclined to think of the GOP as ignorant fools, there are a lot easier ways for them to imply anti-black racism than by using "Chicago style politics", a phrase which has for DECADES implied a degree of lace curtain corruption and machinery that harkens back to the days of Tammany Hall.  It clearly implies a degree of corruption, not some racial code bullsh*t they could pull out of their asses using a multitude of other sayings.
The implications of "Chicago governance" has been around a lot longer than Obama has been president.  And while yes, Republicans do misuse the term for anything Democrats do now days, assuming it's a racist code phrase for "blacks" is ridiculous.  Even if used by Republicans.

You are correct, but don't expect the race baiters to understand.

[後援会]

You are correct, but don't expect the race baiters to understand.

Isn't there like some kind of American fairy tale that warns against their kind of constant appeals? Something to do with a kid who gets eaten by a wolf or something.

[dead0man]

Actually it's Greek and about 2000 years older than America, but it is very popular here.

[Associate Justice PiT]

Black.

. . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . .  .. . .  .
You guys are aware that the Chicago machine is ran by an oligarchy of rich old Irish guys, right?

Yes. The OP asked what the GOP meant using the term "Chicago-style politics".

Now, as much as I am inclined to think of the GOP as ignorant fools, there are a lot easier ways for them to imply anti-black racism than by using "Chicago style politics", a phrase which has for DECADES implied a degree of lace curtain corruption and machinery that harkens back to the days of Tammany Hall.  It clearly implies a degree of corruption, not some racial code bullsh*t they could pull out of their asses using a multitude of other sayings.
The implications of "Chicago governance" has been around a lot longer than Obama has been president.  And while yes, Republicans do misuse the term for anything Democrats do now days, assuming it's a racist code phrase for "blacks" is ridiculous.  Even if used by Republicans.

     Considering that the poster boy of Chicago-style politics was Richard J. Daley, the racism claim is pretty funny. I can just imagine the strategy meeting:

"All right, we need to get people riled up over the negros. Suggestions?"
"Let's start complaining about some white guy's political machine!"
"Brilliant! To the water cooler."

     I guess everything is racist if you're a Democrat.

[dead0man]

I'm pretty sure saying something isn't racist after a Dem said it was racist is itself racist.

[Badger]

You never hear them say Bobby Jindal is engaging in Louisiana style politics.

Well, considering Jindal's claim to fame is brand new ethics laws everywhere to clean sh**t up...yeah.

Chicago is just a city in America where governance has often been corrupt. FFS, look at Roland Burris (who replaced Obama). And of course, Blagojevich and then that Republican governor who was just corrupt. IL is well known for its corruption. And although Obama never really engaged in the mass corruption himself, he never really opposed it. Just something he tolerated and worked around on his path to the White House. Which is pretty telling, but not as entirely damning as some may think.

Burris was a nincompoop, but the two governors you mentioned weren't Chicago, but downstate and suburbs.

[Link]

You never hear them say Bobby Jindal is engaging in Louisiana style politics.

Well, considering Jindal's claim to fame is brand new ethics laws everywhere to clean sh**t up...yeah.

So basically the same thing Blagojevich ran on.

[Brittain33]

The GOP regularly attacks progressive portions of America like Massachusetts, New York, Chicago, and California in order to divide the public. When the last time you heard a Democratic politician say disparaging things about Alabama?

Bev Purdue - “Folks are saying what in the world is going on with North Carolina, we look like Mississippi.”

Where is Alabama in your quote?

Do you not consider Mississippi a conservative portion of America? Gallup has it as among the most conservative states, and it was disparaged by an outgoing Democrat governor just a few months ago.

And, of course, such disparaging jabs can come from the Republicans as well.

Yep, it's a thing where southern states like to say they're better than Mississippi, mostly because Mississippi tends to be 50th in the country (sometimes 48th or 49th) on measures of economic well-being health. Texans and Alabamans do it, too.

I remember Charles Rangel making a crack against Mississippi once after the Dems won Congress, which may well be informed by so many people in his district being a few generations removed from southern states that looked down on Mississippi (like Virginia and the Carolinas).

[muon2]

This thread strikes me as taking some strange turns. There should be no question that Chicago has a long history of machine-style politics. In this case machine politics means a tight control over the election process through a hierarchical system of ward bosses and precinct captains. Some would place its origins back in the Lager Riots of the 1850's, but virtually every historian would agree that its modern form under the Cook County Democratic Party began with Anton Cermak in 1931.

The connection of machine politics and corruption in Chicago also has a long history. A vote buying scandal led to the unseating of a US Senator from Chicago in 1912. Political machines historically run on patronage, but modern laws make a lot of patronage illegal. Federal investigations into Chicago politicians have been recurring with regularity over the last few decades: from the Greylord convictions of Cook County judges in the 80's to Blagojevich in the 2000's and many others with Cook County connections in between.

If someone wants to reference "Chicago-style politics" there are a wealth of instances of corruption to point at, and no need to tie it to to other claims such as racism.

[All Along The Watchtower]

^^Yet to claim Obama is a "Chicago-style politician" is disingenuous, at best. I think most Democrats would admit that Chicago does indeed have a long history of machine-style politics. But the constant smears of both the current administration and, worse, the nation's 3rd largest city with the implication that "nothing good can come out of Chicago" just grates on my nerves, particularly because many local and state Republican machines are equally as corrupt as the Chicago machine.

Something about throwing stones from glass houses.....

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Besides, the corrupt machine did a better job of running the city at the crucial point (1960s, early 1970s) than reformist municipal administrations in certain other cities.

[Torie]

Daley loved his city more than he loved anything else (he never left the mostly Irish white working class neighborhood in which he was born - Bridgeport adjacent to the now gone stockyards), and was pretty good at managing it, and keeping the amount of graft needed to grease the wheels within bounds. I was pleased to actually vote for him once. Chicago style politics is interesting because it is relatively non-ideological. It's a business. The Pubs had their own little micro machines at one time; indeed they were still alive in working class Cicero and Berwyn, which as late as the time I lived there, went Pub all the time. Now of course they are Hispanic - and don't.  

[Lincoln Republican]

Richard J. Daley + Barack H. Obama = Chicago Style Politics

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

This thread strikes me as taking some strange turns. There should be no question that Chicago has a long history of machine-style politics. In this case machine politics means a tight control over the election process through a hierarchical system of ward bosses and precinct captains. Some would place its origins back in the Lager Riots of the 1850's, but virtually every historian would agree that its modern form under the Cook County Democratic Party began with Anton Cermak in 1931.

It's a sad irony that Cermak is remembered mostly for taking a bullet from Zangara in Miami, while his great role in shaping modern Chicago politics is overlooked.

Hint: Dead people in Cook County somehow managed to come back to life in order to vote for JFK. You're smart kids who can figure it out.

Boston was pretty good in ressurecting the dead too.

[hawkeye59]

Richard J. Daley + Barack H. Obama = Chicago Style Politics

That's like saying Mitt Romney+Ted Kennedy=Massachusetts Style Politics. They are completely different people.

[RedPrometheus]

I have the strong impression that in cities where a certain party is dominant over a longer period of time there is a strong connection of politics, economics and civil society which of course can lead to corruption in some cases.

I observed this in my hometown, where we have the same party in power for 67 years that there are strong connections between office holders, business representatives and people coming from unions, social communities etc. Even organised crime plays a certain role in this. It works out fine though especially for the governing party and as long they deliver and don't abuse their power which is the case here and seems in Chicago I'm generally OK with it.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Daley loved his city more than he loved anything else (he never left the mostly Irish white working class neighborhood in which he was born - Bridgeport adjacent to the now gone stockyards), and was pretty good at managing it, and keeping the amount of graft needed to grease the wheels within bounds. I was pleased to actually vote for him once. Chicago style politics is interesting because it is relatively non-ideological. It's a business. The Pubs had their own little micro machines at one time; indeed they were still alive in working class Cicero and Berwyn, which as late as the time I lived there, went Pub all the time. Now of course they are Hispanic - and don't.  

That's why I referred to it as a brand.....