The Chicago Way is under way…again. This week, a Chicago mayoral candidate and opponent of Rahm Emanuel, a successful businessman named Tom Hanson, was removed from the ballot. Why? Because the City of Chicago lost his Statement of Economic Interest. According to Hanson, who previously ran against Rahm Emanuel for Congress, he even has the Chicago Board of Elections’ receipt of filing. Regardless, a hearing on Monday determined that he cannot be reinstated. (Are you laughing in absurd amazement yet?) Did the mainstream media even say “boo” about this? No. Not one word. Not one peep.

In all but 20 minutes, Hanson’s 14,000 signatures were tossed in the trash can. What was the Chicago Board of Election’s response to Hanson’s argument that “they were the ones who lost” his Statement of Economic Interest? Their response was and I quote: “Tough luck.”

Hanson is no slouch. He is the head of Hanson Commercial Real Estate in Chicago, which has developed more than $550,000,000 in commercial properties. He is also on the board of directors for a number of not-for-profit foundations that help struggling inner city schools and kids. He is planning to file an appeal. But with Hanson knocked off the ballot due to the Chicago Board of Elections’ error (yes, I just said that), it’s more good news for Rahm.

President Obama’s former Chief of Staff is, of course, running for Mayor of Chicago and, thanks to the media, he’s doing great in the polls at 32% - more than the other contenders. Although this has the makings of a run-off, Emanuel all but has the mayoral crown and scepter. But a funny thing happened on the way to his mayoral coronation: a pesky little legal challenge to determine whether or not he fulfills the residency requirements to even run for the office and, for weeks, the mainstream media have been crying, “Foul!”

Moreover, the other problem is that Chicago media really do not want to ask Emanuel any tough questions and they don’t want him to have to answer any. In fact, the only people the media are attacking are the people who have challenged Emanuel’s petitions or who have gathered signatures for other Chicago candidates.

The Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune have named this trumped-up scandal, “Petition-Gate” with front-page stories every day to avoid asking Emanuel the questions that need to be asked. Chicago reporters have crafted a “circus sideshow” motif against the objectors. The Tribune calls them “fringe City Hall characters seeking a public stage.” Practically every Chicago alderman in City Hall is a fringe character seeking a public stage, so it is interesting that Tribune is framing the story this way. Chicago alderman have been faring at about a 20% criminal conviction rate since 1971 and the media spends their time mocking what Rahm’s petition-objectors are wearing to the hearing?

We’ve seen the same media treatment of members of the Tea Party Movement: Mock the messenger and you can undermine the message. Regardless of the cast of characters at the hearing and their status as non-lawyers, some of them have made excellent points this week. Moreover, it is their right as citizens to object and challenge Rahm Emanuel’s petitions. Even if they are wearing sweat pants.

However, most Chicago reporters, in their elitism, have used this “side show” of their own making to dismiss the residency challenge to Emanuel from the onset. They have even cited a Teamster’s Union survey that says that 60% of Chicago voters think the residency challenge is “ridiculous and unfair.” A Teamsters’ Union survey? Is that supposed to be the Chicago standard of fairness?

Rahm, in concert with the Chicago media, is lapping it up. For the first time in his life, the thug-politician is playing the victim card. His ad campaign asks: Should Rahm Emanuel be allowed to run? All of a sudden Chicago Democrats are crying foul against petition challenges when both Barack Obama and Rahm Emanuel have used them to undermine their opponents.  President Obama forced his then-rival for Illinois state senate Alice Palmer (who had endorsed Obama as her successor) off the ballot in 1995. Emanuel challenged his sole opponent in the 2004 Democrat primary, Mark A. Fredrickson, off the ballot claiming he started gathering signatures too early. Emanuel’s challenge failed. Hypocrisy aside, you can now hear Rahm "Dead Fish" Emanuel whining from practically every street corner in Chicago looking for the sympathy vote.

The problem for the Chicago media is that this legal challenge to Rahm is Election Law 101. If he were anyone other than Rahm Emanuel, he would already have been knocked off the ballot. It is a simple fact that he rented out his Chicago residence thus forfeiting his status as an official Chicago resident for the past year. As proof of his Chicago residency, Emanuel is claiming he paid Chicago property taxes. Yet, he has also paid Michigan property taxes.

Rahm’s renters, the Halperins, have also been maligned by the Chicago media when they refused to vacate the Ravenswood home they had leased from him. When Emanuel resigned his lease through June 2011, he once again showed he had no intention to come back to Chicago and be a resident for this current mayoral election cycle, which is what is required under the law. Now, Emanuel claims to live in a West Loop condo – though his spokesperson has admitted – he’s never there.

This is a Chicago bait and switch if there ever has been one. If the Chicago Way is in effect, Rahmbo will still be on the ballot come February. If the rule of law is upheld, then the Chicago Board of Elections will be saying, “tough luck” to Emanuel…just like they did to Tom Hanson. Regardless of the Chicago media’s whining and complaining.

Conservative satirist and commentator William J. Kelly is also a contributor to Breitbart.com and edits the Tea Party Reports for the Washington Times Communities. He is a native from Chicago's Southside.

Email questions to him at williamjkellyrebuild@gmail.com.

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