David Axelrod is largely - and rightly - credited with successfully crafting Barack Obama's campaign message machine and using it to great effect during the campaign.But before he elected a president, Axelrod advised campaigns for a host of politicians including Chicago's mayor Richard Daley. In fact, he considers himself an expert in "urban politics" - which translated means big city Democratic machine politics. It is important to note that Republicans have their own "machines" - mostly in the south where "courthouse politics" employs many of the same patronage, kickback, and even "pay to play" schemes you routinely find in Democratic-run big cities. No party has a corner on corruption - which made the Democrat's "outrage" in 2006 at the "Republican culture of corruption" so laughable.But Axelrod just elected Mr. Clean as president. And it is important to get a handle on what a man who will be a close advisor to President...(Read Full Post)