Check out this interview with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel in The New Republic. As I have no doubt made clear I do not hold the mayor in high regard and this interview should give some idea why.
I have grave reservations about parleying an unquestionable skill as a Democratic Party fundraiser into riches and power.
Update
Apparently, it’s not just right-wingers and centrists who have problems with the mayor. digby remarks:
Please let this be his last job in politics. Then he can go back to Wall Street where he belongs.
I feel so much better know that I know I’m not alone. Now if we can only persuade the voters of Chicago…
Wow, what a putz. Back in high school we would have stuffed him in a dumpster and welded it shut.
Having read that, can you believe that he would have advanced at all without being a great fund-raiser? I can’t. His skills are simply not those of a politician. My interpretation is that he’s received a series of sinecures for being a good soldier.
His shtick may play well before a group of highly partisan Democratic activist bankers but here in Chicago he sounds like he’s from Mars.
Hmmm. Did you beat the murder rap by being a juvenile defendant, ice?
Seems to me Rahm was attempting a momentum play a la Obama. But he chose a stint in actual governing – ahem, such as it is – got exposed, and the bloom is off.
As I’ve written before there are political jobs and there are political jobs. Mayor of Chicago is playing the Bigs.
I don’t think he’s covered himself in glory here. It’s possible I could be surprised but I can’t help but wonder if he’ll bail. To help the Democratic presidential candidate get elected, of course.
We never welded the lid shut on anyone. Never had to go that far.