Chicago Tribune reporter John Kass is an old school journalist. He’s one among a cadre of Windy City reporters, most from the Sun Times and the Tribune, who routinely expose the hooligans and shenanigans of the Chicago Political Machine.

Kass says the national MSM ignored the political environment that gave birth to Barack Obama.

While Kass calls Obama “a Chicago political guy,” he knows the Machine is multi-layered. While the hub is Chicago, spokes extend throughout Cook County, and reach deep inside the state capital at Springfield.

Because the MSM ignored the Machine from which Obama emerged, the electorate didn’t realize that voting for Obama meant endorsing politics the Chicago way. Consequently, those outside Illinois knew little about the Machine, how it cleans up its messes, and how the clean-ups can impact individual lives. For example: (more…)

Machine politics in Chicago is an uncoordinated criminal enterprise.  It works more like the traditional Chinese Triad than the Sicilian La Costa Nostra. There’s room for criminal entrepreneurs. The rollout from Chicago Alderman Isaac “Ike” Carothers plea deal, covered in Big Journalism here, is a case study in how the Machine oils its gears.

Ike wore a mic for the Feds, specifically for the office of U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald.  The first rollup of Ike’s crooked connections began February 2.

A 51-year-old businessman from Naperville was formally charged Tuesday with offering bribes to Chicago Ald. Ike Carothers. Carothers, who pleaded guilty to fraud charges Monday and promptly tendered his resignation, said in his plea deal that the businessman, Wafeek “Wally” Aiyash, paid him $40,000 in bribes in exchange for help on developments in Carothers’ 29th ward. Aiyash’s attorney would not comment.

But Aiyash was charged in what is called a criminal information, rather than an indictment, which usually means the defendant will plead guilty. In previous court documents, Aiyash was accused of offering $100,000 in cash bribes to Carothers if he would help secure concessions contracts at O’Hare and Midway airports. (more…)