This thread strikes me as taking some strange turns. There should be no question that Chicago has a long history of machine-style politics. In this case machine politics means a tight control over the election process through a hierarchical system of ward bosses and precinct captains. Some would place its origins back in the Lager Riots of the 1850's, but virtually every historian would agree that its modern form under the Cook County Democratic Party began with Anton Cermak in 1931.
It's a sad irony that Cermak is remembered mostly for taking a bullet from Zangara in Miami, while his great role in shaping modern Chicago politics is overlooked.
Hint: Dead people in Cook County somehow managed to come back to life in order to vote for JFK. You're smart kids who can figure it out.
Boston was pretty good in ressurecting the dead too.
