Every now and then you might hear Chicagoans grumble about the lack of national coverage their city receives. We're the third largest metropolis in the country, but sometimes appear to lag behind Boston or San Fransisco in terms of national political relevance. Not for long, reports today's Politico:

Barack Obama’s decision last week to shift vital Democratic National Committee political operations from Washington to his hometown makes it all but official: Chicago is the new capital of the Democratic Party.

Home to Obama, his 33,000 square foot Michigan Avenue campaign headquarters, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel, and one of the nation’s most influential Democratic mayors, Richard M. Daley, Chicago once again seems to be at the center of the political universe.

The article goes on to point out that Obama's inner circle of advisers "is loaded with Chicago-based talent." On the flip side, others have wondered whether the increased focus comes with some liabilities for Obama, considering the current state of Democratic politics in Chicago and Springfield.

But the press attention Chicago is receiving now could be just the beginning. What happens when Obama is elected? Check out Laura Washington's Sun-Times column yesterday, in which she ponders how a "Midwest White House" could effect Hyde Park.