If life were fair, Chicago would be either a separate state, or in Wisconsin.
Actually, it is the “Collar Counties” and suburban Cook County, that hold the counterbalance, such as it is, to Chicago city politics.
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Actually that isn't as true as it used to be.
I grew up in Palatine. NW suburban Cook was reliably Republican - right-wing even. Birchers were known to be involved, at least peripherally, in GOP politics. Phil Crane was our Congressman for 30 years.
Now the area's represented by Democrat Melissa Bean, and the execreble Rita Mullins has been mayor of Palatine forever. She's ostensibly a Republican, but she's a gun-grabbing nanny-stater.
Sad, sad, sad.
Hank