Reply #37: i will answer ONE point-

[mopinko]

because i know the answer. although i find it hard to believe that you know enough about chicago politics to understand about the aldermanic race you question. obama chose to back incumbent alderman dorothy tillman. she was a great alderman, who served under harold washington, chicago's first black mayor (20 years ago). she is black. she has always been outspoken. she is pillar of the black political community. for barack to not support her would have been a scandal.
i will add that "union backed" in this case mostly means seiu, a pretty untested political force that earned some props in a couple of wards. no one had any basis to know that they would succeed. just sayin'

and re the house, people who don't live in chicago thought the $300K was something. people who live here, know the area, know the market, knew all along that there was no there there.