What the media won't tell you about O'Bama

I really like Sen. O'Bama. I met him in late 2003 when he was running in the Illinois primaries for Senator. A lot of the hysteria you are reading is just that. Even this latest bru-ha-ha about his clergyman is a deep reach for "the dirt" that the media is so desparate to get on any candidate for President.

But there's one thing, ONE THING, the media routinely fails to tell us about O'Bama. It's no deep dark secret. It's not particularly dirty or nefarious. It's just that it doesn't fit into the media's LIB paradigm.

You see, the LIB media wants us to think that Barak O'Bama (By now, you'll note I've changed the spelling of his name.) is a strong, brilliant, young man who has pulled himself up by the bootstraps to earn contention for the Democratic Party nomination for President. They want you to think he's an "underdog" fighting his way against Hillary Rodham's mighty political organization.

Just a week ago, I heard a Sunday morning pundit describe Hillary Rodham's campaign committee as "the most powerful political machine in the United States". That my friends, is simply untrue. It is this untruth that is repeatedly told by the LIB media that leads me to believe that they are intentionally omitting one facet of the O'Bama campaign that explains how he got so far.

So what is this deep dark secret the LIB media refuses to tell us? I suppose I could just tell you, but I'd rather tease you a little more. And besides, I think the explanation will make my case more obvious to the casual reader.

You see, I grew up in the Chicago Metropolitan area. My family still lives there. My wife's family still lives there. Therefore, it's not unusual for us to visit the family in Chicago. We found ourselves in Chicago during Christmas 2007.

We met my brother in Millers Pub on Wabash for beers and lunch that Monday afternoon (Christmas Eve). I was amazed at how empty Chicago had become. The roads were normally more congested, even on holiday weekends (if not more so), but today, the city seemed strangely quiet and deserted, even in the shopping districts where you would normally see a lot of crazed last-minute shoppers.

We're eating and drinking as we normally do and I couldn't help but notice what the table next door was talking about; going to Iowa and campaigning for O'Bama. Somebody's brother and sister were already in Iowa and he was going to join them after Christmas. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. Davenport, IA is only about 3 hours drive from Chicago.

We went to a Greek restaraunt in Greektown that night. Same deal! At a nearby table, they're talking about going to Iowa to campaign for O'Bama.

Christmas day, we went to eat in Chinatown. Sure enough! At the table next door, they're speaking Chinese and every other sentence they're saying "O'Bama" and "Iowa".

By the time Christmas was over, it was apparent to me that a good portion of the City of Chicago had emptied out and gone to Iowa to campaign for Barak O'Bama. What does that tell you?

It tells me that a pundit who claims Hillary Rodham has "the most powerful political machine in the United States" is either an ignoramus or they are deliberately censoring a fact that should otherwise be obvious to everyone. You see! The most powerful political machine in the United States is the Cook County Democratic Party (aka CCDP) and has been for several decades.

THAT my friends is what the media won't tell you about O'Bama! He is backed by the Daley Machine and has been so from the very beginning. Because of Iowa's close proximity to Chicago, the CCDP was able to put far more boots on the ground than Hillary Rodham could ever have hoped. With those campaign workers, O'Bama scored an early and crucial victory which propelled him instantly into the national limelight.

Geraldine Ferraro knows this. The whole media knows this. Ya gotta wonder why they won't make more out of it. Why won't Hillary's campaign address this remarkable advantage?

Well... I can only speculate, but I think a lot of this has to do with WINNING IN NOVEMBER. If Hillary Rodham gets the Democratic nomination, the last thing she'll want is a CCDP that is unenthusiastic about campaigning for her. Illinois is a crucial state in any election and just carrying the City of Chicago is never enough to win the 26 electoral votes. A Democratic candidate has to win the City overwhelmingly as well as the subarbs and downstate. That doesn't happen unless the CCDP is fired up and enthusiastic.

Nobody is going to mess with the CCDP! Not Hillary, not the LIB media, and not anyone who wants a Democrat in the White House come January 2009.

Yet it's no dirty little secret. Mayor Daley endorsed Sen. O'Bama early in the campaign. The local Chicago newstations noted that this was somewhat of a break from the past, but everybody in Chicago assumed the obvious: O'Bama is part and parcel of the Daley political apparatus. Nothing unusual there.

Yet in the national media establishment, they are PRETENDING to scratch their heads, wondering how a freshman Senator has managed to contend for the nomination against Hillary Rodham. They say: He's such a great orator. He's got tremendous appeal. His message and policies resonate with the voters. ect. ect.

Well maybe so but at the end of the day Barak O'Bama is just another power politician with political machine backing. All this talk about "change" and "hope" is great, but before you set your expectations too high, I suggest you look at the City of Chicago and its political history. Should I wake up one day in January 2009 and find President O'Bama leading our nation, I fully expect politics-as-usual to remain the status quo.