Do you think you could simultaneously A) attend a Christmas pageant for one of your children and B) answer a question if a reporter from a major Chicago newspaper asked one of you? If you're Rahm Emanuel, the answer is an enthusiastic "no" - but he might have more on his mind than your average pageant-goer at this time of year. more ›

Howard Dean proved candidates could use the internet to raise funds and get people talking ... if not to come and vote for you. But a Wall Street Journal article published today focuses on how the internet is pulling money in for smaller, local campaigns. Daniel Biss, a 30-year-old math professor running for the Illinois state legislature, almost surpassed John Edwards as one of the top money-raisers on ActBlue, a Democratic fundraising website. Of course,... more ›

Yesterday, we focused on the presidential candidates that made their way to the YearlyKos Convention at McCormick Place. But the event wasn't just Democratic hopefuls trying to connect with bloggers and grassroots activists from around the nation. The annual event was also an opportunity for progressives around the country to get out from behind their laptops for a few days and talk to each other, sharing tactics, experiences, pitfalls, strategies and ideas, networking with other... more ›

Tomorrow is the kick-off the YearlyKos, DailyKos's annual "unconventional" convention for grassroots Internet political activists, or "Netroots" community. This year's party will be hosted in Chicago, at the illustrious McCormick Place. more ›

While the rest of the city was preparing to get sauced this past weekend, and the media was running after Conrad Black, DNC Chairman Howard Dean made a trip to Chicago for a series of fund raisers last week. And Ald. Ricardo Munoz (22nd) took the opportunity to make some connections, working the Howard Dean crowd for volunteers. He also went ahead and filed the paperwork to form a congressional campaign committee. He also held... more ›

"Old St. Mary's" via mattsabo17. more ›

After a brief jaunt out west, Chicagoist is back at the homestead, making camp here on the prairie that is sweet home Chicago. But just because we took a long weekend doesn't mean that our elected officials did. Here's a look back at what's been newsworthy so far this week: Illinois junior senator Barack Obama has a huge lead — in MySpace friends! Outpacing Hillary Clinton's "friends" by some 20,000, he's clearly in the lead,... more ›

The other day we regaled you with a quick overview of the sideshow that is the aldermanic race in the 50th Ward. It seems that besides talking a lot of smack about each other, there is a bit of a war going on on the internets, and everyone wants to blog about why you should vote for them. Greg Brewer has a video weblog that has been running on YouTube for a while now, and... more ›

As fall settles in and another calendar page gets turned, thoughts turn from bbq's and vacations to holidays and the realization that '06 is coming to an end. With all that going on, with change in the air, we wonder what is it that made that makes the -ists ponder? Phillyist is concerned that the war on Trans fats could affect it's beloved cheese steak sandwiches, something for which we should all be concerned.... more ›

We absolutely love it when crazy rich people run for president for no other reason than they are rich and crazy. If you're like us and you're sick and tired of regular rich people running for prez, then you'll be happy to hear we have a new crazy dude running for president right here in Chicago! It's not really whether Gold Coast millionaire John H. Cox would be a great candidate that makes this a... more ›

Sometimes Chicagoist likes to venture out to the burbs and remind ourselves that politics outside the city limits is just as exciting as it is the Land of Daley. more ›

The Chicago Tribune released a poll on Saturday showing Governor Rod Blagojevich's approval ratings at a bottom-scraping 35% among 1,200 voters polled across Illinois. The poll results, conducted between May 5-10, came only days after the Governor's proposed campaign finance reform took a dive in the General Assembly. And on same day as the poll release, Saturday, news came that Attorney General Lisa Madigan served Alderman Dick Mell (33rd) and the governor's office with subpoenas for a grand jury investigation. Mell confirmed the report, but the governor's office would neither confirm or deny the report. more ›

Blogs are no longer hip or cool. By virtue of who's using them now, they are common tools of the political trade, and if you don't have a blog, there's probably something wrong with you. Case in point, three new blogs operated by Illinois political personalities, Sen. Barack Obama, CTA Chair Carole Brown, and Cook County Board Member (and Board President candidate) Tony Peraica. Blogs derive their power in two ways, first to disseminate information... more ›

That's all everyone seems to be talking about in Chicago news today (here too). He's the shining young star of the Democratic Party this election cycle with the looks of Denzel, the speaking style of Martin, and the cutest and most supportive family this side of the Cleavers. And man, he’s getting news coverage – but mostly from Chicago media. more ›

, and all three will discuss it. Then they'll talk about policits in general, which will definitely end in a round of high-fives and a version of Cumbaya. The event is free. more ›

Ex-President Bill Clinton kicked off the book tour for his new book, "My Life", yesterday at BookExpo America, the annual booksellers convention. Of his 900 page (!) tome, Clinton says, "I don't settle a lot of scores in this book," which causes us to wonder, then why would a political personality write a book at all? more ›