Egypt's Kind of Town, Chicago Is

There's been a lot of international pressure on Egypt to allow international observers at this fall's Parliamentary elections, in part because of a fair number of cell phone videos last time around that showed pre-marked ballots being stuffed en masse into the ballot boxes. While the Egyptians may balk at international observers (except perhaps in selected [by the government] precincts), there may be a source of observers even the Mubarak campaign could love. I refer to the great American city of Chicago, City of the Big Shoulders, home of Polish sausage, deep dish pizza, and a Democratic political machine known (perhaps unfairly) as a true Jeffersonian democracy: one man one vote, at least; no voter discrimination, even against the dead, etc. Now I shouldn't evoke an outmoded stereotype, especially since our current President is a Chicago man, but then, just when you think the stereotypes are dead, we find this in today's Chicago Sun-Times:

The last name of Green Party gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney is misspelled as "Whitey" on electronic-voting machines in nearly two dozen wards -- about half in predominantly African-American areas -- and election officials said Wednesday the problem cannot be corrected by Election Day.

That's right: in 23 wards, half of them African-American, the Green Party candidate is listed (admittedly, on the review screen), as "Rich Whitey."

Oh, sure, it's the review screen, and sure, the odds of a Green Party candidate being elected governor of Illinois are, um, slim. And it could be a typo, though it hasn't been reported from downstate (AKA "little Dixie") so far.

Ah, Chicago. Mubarak's kind of town.

At least if they overlook the "Hog butcher to the world" part.