Oak Park, Ill.--The 2008 presidential campaign is a good example of the significant role that political parties now play in our elections.  Although political parties are not mentioned in the U. S. Constitution, these "factions," as Madison called them in "The Federalist Papers," are now poised to purge those within their ranks that have challenged the ruling elites. 

        To an outsider, the party front-runners present themselves as a study in ironic contrasts.  Besides being the first time in U. S. history that two senators will face each other in a presidential election, all of the candidates have a unique position in their parties. 

        On the one hand, Senator Obama, the Democratic front-runner, seems to be the choice of the left-leaning base, but not that of the Clinton elites who may control the party through their "super" delegates at the convention.  Here the bottom wants to reshape the top.

        On the other hand, Senator McCain, the presumed Republican front-runner, is not a favorite of the party's conservative base, but is the choice of the party's wealthy business elite.  Here the top wants to reshape the bottom.

        This strange alignment will have implications for events that come before and after the November election.  For one, both Senators Obama and McCain share a common objective in regard to illegal immigration.  This means that elements in both political parties will try again to pass an amnesty bill.

        Putting this aside, Senator Obama's campaign to become president is causing strains in the Democratic Party.  Some of these strains are obvious.  His rival, Senator Clinton, will tell us about the obvious ones. 

        Other strains in the party are not so obvious and go to fundamental questions about the structure and ideology of the party.  These fundamental strains will lead to a purge once the November election is over.

        Nationally, many voters who prefer the Democratic candidate only see the surface of the party and not what lies below.  Like an iceberg, what is below the surface is the real danger that the Democrats pose to the nation.  It is also this underlying structure that the Obama candidacy threatens.

        At first, Senator Obama's rhetoric sounded typical in calling for a change in the office of president, the typical "hate Bush" speech with a bit of "hope" thrown in for spice.  Then, the rhetoric gradually shifted to touch upon changing the "old guard" of the Democratic Party and even referred to Bill and Hillary Clinton as being past their prime. 

        These new ideas mean new structures and new people in positions of power.  In short, Senator Obama is proposing his own purge in the party, even if he doesn't come out and say so.

        Some observers of the Obama campaign remark that although the senator uses "hope" and "change" in his speeches, the speeches really have no content.  Others note that the senator is the best person they have heard in their lifetime who can give a speech and say nothing. 

        All this has the consequence of bringing people to the Democratic Party who have no business being there--people who believe in their delusions that the Democrats will actually do what candidate Obama says.  The core of the party wants nothing to do with this.  Instead, they just want to be back in power. That's why Senator Obama and his followers have worn out their welcome and have to be purged.

        We should bear in mind that Senator Obama is a product of Chicago's Democratic politics.  From that point of view he should know better than to talk about hope and real change.  The change that Senator Obama talks about is a change that goes to the heart of the Democratic Party and won't be allowed to happen by the old guard. 

        The Republican Party has its problems, too, but for the past 50 years the Democratic Party has gained and kept power by managing minorities.  Senator Obama is a threat to that system where minorities are supposed to stay on the plantation and hacienda, in the rice paddies, and the gay bars.  Minorities may advance but not on their own.  They need the Democrats to solve their problems and push them along.

        Political life in Chicago teaches us that although the Democrats talk about social justice, equality, civil rights, and quality education and health care, this is just a mask for their real interest.  That interest is keeping the party and its officials in control.  The Clintons know this and play the power game very well. Mayor Daley of Chicago is their ally, regardless of his stated support for Illinois Senator Obama. 

        If the Democrats want to keep doing business as usual, then they will select Senator Clinton as the party's standard bearer.  The fact that she is a woman is irrelevant.  They are not moving up a member of a minority group here, because everyone knows that with Hillary Clinton we are really getting a third term for President Bill Clinton.

        When Senator Clinton wins the party's nomination, and if she is elected president, then she will have to purge the party of the Obama faction.  Like Trotsky, Senator Obama may have to go into exile; if not literally then at least figuratively.  He may follow in the footsteps of Senator Carol Mosley Braun and be sent to New Zealand. 

        If by some chance Senator Obama wins the nomination and the presidency, then not only will his socialists purge "cleanse" the party of the old guard, but the country as well.  Thus will begin the little reign of political terror the Democrats work behind the scenes--a gift from Chicago to the nation.