For many years now, Chicago has been frequented by a bunch of clowns. And this is not a political commentary — I am referring to real clowns with painted faces, ridiculous costumes and flamboyant behavior.We used to have a lot of them whenever the big top came to town. But since Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey shut down several years ago over controversies about elephants and big cats, we have had to settle for the likes of the world-famous Cirque du Soleil, which has managed to have great success without the need …