The Czar finds himself in the Crossroads State today, but no matter—your mail finds him wherever. The Retired Spook wants to add one more thing to his observations on the 2008 election: Your Czarosity; As I recall, the NYT endorsed … Continue reading →
There is unusually good news—seemingly—in the hell of Illinois politics. As you may recall, there were three leading Democrats competing for the 2014 gubernatorial election. Pat Quinn is the current governor of Illinois, and polls seem to indicate that Illinois … Continue reading →
Well, the governor’s race in Illinois just got interesting yesterday, for those of you who wonder why anyone would bother to live here. The interest arises from a glimpse into the Chicago Political Machine. Illinois is a nutty state politically, … Continue reading →
ScottO, whom you would recognize immediately as the awesome and intrepid @gscottoliver on Twitter if you were one of the 800 few followers of us on Twitter, strolled over to our table at the Leaping Peacock, carefully stepping over the … Continue reading →
The Czar has always had a less-than-scientific interest in the Chicago Cubs, and has watched their ups and downs over the decades. You know, there was a time when the Cubs were basically the Yankees—you just knew they would make … Continue reading →
Not all the news is bad, you know. Just as conservatives bemoan the potential loss of many of their social arguments, they are decisively and quickly winning one of their most popular: legalized firearms. A couple of Supreme Court victories … Continue reading →
And so Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is living large, now that he has bested the Chicago Teachers’ Union. Right? Well, not quite. Although the backlash against the teachers has been intense, the first major test of his ability to restore … Continue reading →
The Czar cannot promise that all aspects of Chicago Public School (CPS) politics will be very interesting, but today’s CPS strike is intensely fascinating if largely inside baseball. Here is our assessment. Never let a crisis go to waste, even … Continue reading →
Neither the Czar nor the Mandarin have commented at all about the Rod Blagojevich trial, and that is because contrary to local news in the greater Chicago area, most people in Illinois don’t give a crap about a guy that … Continue reading →
JS wrote the other day with a couple of simple questions regarding Chicago’s upcoming mayoral race. As you know by now, Rahm Emanuel will be leaving his position as White House Chief of Staff to run for mayor. It was … Continue reading →
You know, Mandarin lives outside Chicago, too. But keep writing your Czar with your ideas about Chicago’s mayoral situation. Okay, you want the Czar’s thoughts on Mayor Richard M. Daley’s lame-duckacy, eh? Here it is: Chicago, for all its faults … Continue reading →
The Mandarin and the Czar wonder what would happen if the City of Chicago had won the 2016 Olympics? One week before the opening ceremonies, the CTA would announce a funding crisis and cut all bus and train routes to … Continue reading →
The United States Supreme Court agreed yesterday to hear the case of McDonald vs. Chicago. This case seeks to overturn Chicago’s 27 year-old ban on handgun ownership. Of course gun rights advocates are elated that the SCOTUS is going to … Continue reading →
The Czar has long followed Chicago politics, which few outsiders actually get. But let us take a look at the latest in Illinois politics (terribly influenced by the Chicago corruption machine) and see what the latest is. Nationally, Senator Roland … Continue reading →
An update to this post. A day after nonsense allegations that racism is the reason openly self-confessed corrupt Senator Roland Burris enjoys single digit approval ratings, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has suddenly backed off his demand for a special election … Continue reading →
With the triumphant downfall of Governor Rod Blagojevich, in which most of Springfield allegedly threw shoes at his toppled statue, most national attention has finally slipped away from Illinois. Major outlets have concluded that, at last, things are quiet in … Continue reading →
