Rahm Emanuel is in Deep, Deep Trouble

[fleur-de-lisa]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/12/10/rahm-emanuel-is-running-out-of-options-and-time-in-chicago/?hpid=hp_hp-more-top-stories_rahm_fix_930am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory

More and more — despite his speech Wednesday— it appears resigning could indeed be what Emanuel will be forced to do in order to restore Chicagoans' faith in their government. (Already, an Illinois state lawmaker is starting the process to recall him.)

Thanks in part to a series of missteps by the mayor after the shooting, exacerbated by a longer-term failure to address more systemic problems with Chicago's police department, Emanuel appears to have lost much of the city's trust. His approval rating has hit a record low of 18 percent, and 51 percent of residents think he should resign, according to a new poll from the Illinois Observer.

For Emanuel, trust is the most critical element right now for him to take any meaningful action to help a wounded Chicago. And it's increasingly difficult to envision a scenario in which whatever Emanuel does isn't viewed as a political Hail Mary to save his career by understandably frustrated and suspicious Chicago residents.

President Obama's former chief of staff has a reputation for being a savvy political operator — a real tough guy who plays politics like chess. But in every new twist and turn of the McDonald shooting, Emanuel has appeared to act only after he was backed into a corner by political pressure.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

1. "...a series of misteps..."? They were not "misteps". nt

[fleur-de-lisa]

6. Agreed. eom

[yeoman6987]

29. I am shocked the GOP isn't using this situation to advance their nastiness

[jeff47]

173. They're holding off until after the nomination.

Shooting down one candidate now does not help them. It would allow Democrats to coalesce around another candidate before the convention.

[valerief]

32. Must be the new word for crimes. nt

[lewebley3]

40. Rahm is having trouble: but it will blow over: The Police did the Killing

After the investigation RHAM will very likely be cleared,
the police are the ones in trouble.

[Dont call me Shirley]

99. But the rampage he has done on the school system is a gaping bloody wound he can't fix now.

[lewebley3]

188. The School system is a different issue: Police crime is another issue

What you are trying to do without evidence is make
a political prosecution on Rahm: because you don't
like his school policies.


When someone is charge with anything: it should be on the
facts or evidence: not on a political bias.

Rahm was popularly elected, and the police did the killings
not Rahm.

[Dont call me Shirley]

210. They are different issues yes, but the privatization of all of it is the same issue.

http://inequality.org/steps-privatizing/

https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/134316NCJRS.pdf

https://www.ncjrs.gov/criminal_justice2000/vol_2/02c2.pdf

http://www.salon.com/2015/04/15/blood_money_killer_cops_how_privatization_is_funding_the_racist_logic_of_americas_police/

http://www.privatizationwatch.org/

http://www.progressillinois.com/posts/content/2015/07/29/chicago-city-council-roundup-dyett-civil-disobedience-stop-and-frisk-0

[BeanMusical]

112. And in the end he will be riding into the sunset...

And live happily ever after.

[hifiguy]

116. Anyone who is that much of a sheer asshole

will find a home in a hedge fund or on Wall Street with the rest of the lying, power-hungry sociopaths. He will fit right in.

[lewebley3]

184. NO:, but the police with be held accountable: and

the police will have to be cleaned out:
like the Ferguson, Cleveland, Texas, etc.

The Justice Department is slow but they are sweeping
and tuff if they find wrong doing.

Nothing has been charged on Rahm: If justice is important
at all, it is important for everyone.

[jeff47]

174. ...And he covered up the killing for over a year, to help his re-election.

One doesn't have to literally pull the trigger to do something wrong.

[lewebley3]

181. You have no evidence of a cover up: You just are attacking Rahm

What we do know :is that the police uniformly lied
to everyone about their story.

Chicago has an independent body that makes decisions
about police criminal activity: and like Obama, its
illegal for Rahm to interfere, or it would be smack
of the Major personally handing about justice with
out due process. (those were the days of J Daily)

What has been learned so far is that police have stem-mic
corruption.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

183. You think Rahm gives a shit about anything being illegal? Pfffft! nt

[lewebley3]

185. You don't know Rahm: I don't know what he thinks: but Facts matter

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

198. Yes, he does. That's why he has at least 3 cover-ups right now

McDonald

Homan Square
In response to Ackerman's exposés, the police department released a statement insisting that it "abides by all laws, rules, and guidelines" when interviewing suspects and witnesses at Homan Square. Emanuel echoed that language in an interview with a local news program a week later. But now, with the nation's eyes on Chicago, the scandal is primed to explode again.

http://m.motherjones.com/politics/2015/12/rahm-emanuel-chicago-police-homan-square-scandal

CPS no-bid scandal
The comments come on the same day the Tribune reported the mayor's office was more involved in the $20.5 million contract than previously disclosed and was fighting the release of public records that could shed more light on how the deal came to be.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-rahm-emanuel-school-contract-questions-20151012-story.html

He gives a shit. Do you know who doesn't give a shit?

The Obama admin. Rahm is Obama's mayor. A DOJ investigation of Rahm = A DOJ investigation of Wall Street

Rahm's one lucky mothereffer. Imagine, having POTUS stump for you. What city has ever had that, IDK??? Imaging, being the POTUS's mayor.

It's the Obama admin that doesn't give a shit.

[jeff47]

187. Emails Suggest Mayor’s Staff Knew About Laquan McDonald Video During His Re-Election Campaign

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2015/12/11/3731134/rahm-emanuel-emails-laquan-mcdonald/

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) likely knew that there was unreleased video evidence of Officer Jason Van Dyke killing 17-year-old Laquan McDonald within 50 days of the shooting, internal emails obtained by NBC Chicago indicate.

The emails show Emanuel staffers discussing the existence of dashcam video of the killing in early December of last year, as Emanuel’s re-election effort was entering the home stretch. The city sought to suppress the video for over a year before a judge forced Chicago to release it to the public last month. In the early weeks after the killing, police insisted McDonald had lunged at Van Dyke with a knife — something the video proves to be untrue.

(snip)

When the mayor watched the video is not the key question for those wondering if Emanuel either allowed or inspired a hush-up during an election. The rub is in when Emanuel became aware that the story his police department had told was incorrect, regardless of whether he’d seen the evidence of the lie with his own eyes. The prospect of documentary evidence confirming Emanuel’s team knew of evidence that contradicted the official story — especially given the rapid and unsought $5 million payout to McDonald’s relatives days after his re-election — could be far more damaging.

The story does say there isn't a "smoking gun" proving that Rham had seen the video. However, it would seem extremely unlikely that he would not at least hear a summary of the video, if not see it himself, before approving the $5M payout.

[lewebley3]

190. "Suggest" and this information may or may not be reliable

We need facts: not hostile political critic's of the major information:
all politicians have detractors.

[jeff47]

192. We have facts. You've chosen to pretend each of those facts lives in an isolated bubble.

Why'd Rham approve the $5M payoff?

If your claim is correct and he had no idea about the video, he was horrifically negligent handing out $5M.

If he did know about the video, he helped to cover up the crime and delay prosecution for a year, during which he barely won re-election....and African-Americans were a big part of his barely-winning coalition.

[lewebley3]

193. No, facts; your word is "payoff": We need an investigation

[jeff47]

194. What would you prefer to call $5M paid to the family without even filing a lawsuit?

We need an investigation

How convenient that Rham has set one up!! Why, I'm sure his investigation of himself will be as unbiased as Christie's investigation of himself.

Also, we have facts. The video existed. It was illegally kept from the public for over a year. Charges were not filed until the video was released. The family was paid $5M, before they even filed a lawsuit. That $5M included strings like not suing the city and not discussing the case.

All facts. All relevant. All make utterly no sense if Rham knew nothing.

[lewebley3]

200. Those pay (off) are happening in every city in American: Nothing Special

We don't know if Rham was set up, and you don't if there
have been any convenience for Rham. ( these are your accusations
nothing more).
Rahm is a smart man, he tends to get ahead of most things,
but he is not responsible for micromanaging the police and their
criminal activity himself.

If Rahm had any idea of about this problem he would not have been
caught tying to catch up on this problem.

Sorry, unless their evidence that Rahm has done anything he
should keep working to fix things

Stop shifting the blame: The policeman killed the young man,
and the police lied about what happened to everyone, they
are ones that need a trial

[jeff47]

202. No, they are only happening after a lawsuit was filed.

Pre-lawsuit was a new twist, demonstrating that the city knew just how bad this was.

We don't know if Rham was set up

Set up how? He approved the payoff.

and you don't if there
have been any convenience for Rham

Could you restate this in a coherent manner?

Rahm is a smart man, he tends to get ahead of most things,
but he is not responsible for micromanaging the police and their
criminal activity himself.

He approved the payoff. Does he regularly approve $5M payoffs without finding out what the payoff is for?

If Rahm had any idea of about this problem he would not have been
caught tying to catch up on this problem.

Yeah...it's not like he was facing a close election where this coming out would cause problems or anything.

Sorry, unless their evidence that Rahm has done anything he
should keep working to fix things

Again, Rham approved the payoff. Why'd he do that if he had no idea what was going on?

Stop shifting the blame: The policeman killed the young man,
and the police lied about what happened to everyone, they
are ones that need a trial

Because illegally holding the tape for a year is nothing. And Rham just signs whatever checks the police put in front of him, he couldn't have possibly known what he was approving.

[lewebley3]

208. He signs: but he is not legally able to inter-fer: The Police lied to him too!

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

195. Rahm blocked McCarthy's efforts to reform CPD in 2013

McCarthy asked the mayor to appoint a blue-ribbon panel of experts to recommend sweeping reforms to how the city investigates police misconduct and disciplines officers...the superintendent aimed to give the mayor justification to push for major changes to city laws and the police union contract, which was being renegotiated at that time, to make misconduct investigations more transparent.

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20151209/loop/feud-between-mccarthy-citys-lawyer-blocked-police-reform-sources-say

McCarthy has beans to spill. Unfortunately, the DOJ is interested in one thing: exonerating Obama's mayor.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

201. Rahm's hand picked pro-tobacco, pro-pulluter lawyer

Patton, from Kirkland & Ellis, did the the obstruction.

By choosing Patton to be the City attorney, Rahm showed where his true allegiance lies.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

209. A lot of people giving the ultra micro-manager Emanuel a pass

...I for one don't accept his hands off alibis.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

211. Well put.

Arrogance only gets you so far. Multimillions don't hurt, and having friends like Rauner make it even more vile.

[Enthusiast]

83. Precisely.

[WinkyDink]

177. In the sense of "Ooops! I didn't expect to get in Dutch!", they are.

[montanacowboy]

2. I hope this puts him out of commission forever

This asshole is bad news - remember what he called us "Retarded" yep, Retarded liberals

Hey Rahm - who is "retarded" now?

He fucked up the schools so bad in Chicago and now is a mouthpiece for the corrupt police department.

Go away and never come back.

[fleur-de-lisa]

10. I've always wondered why Obama put him on his staff . . .

granted they knew each other from PBO's Chicago days, but couldn't he see what a jerk and, in my opinion, false Democrat Emanuel was (and is)? I don't get it.

[sunnystarr]

19. Nice swipe at POTUS ....

It sure isn't Kansas anymore and Bernie supporters sure don't act like Dems.

[murielm99]

21. Hmmm...

tells you something about a lot of Bernie supporters, doesn't it?

[Plucketeer]

77. Yup

It's our inherent bullshit detectors that are being set off by Dem party luminaries and those they're trying to send to positions of power. Rahm's an ass - I doubt I could stand casual conversation with him - not that I'd ever seek to have such. I'll bet he had a BIG hand in developing the TPP & TIPP which would peg him pretty good as to just who's side he's really on.

[Enthusiast]

85. I never liked him from the start.

[Treant]

104. Alas, yes? <EM>

[AllyCat]

165. What does it say that he was on PBO's staff? Instead of hurling

"Non-Democrat" labels at Bernie supporters, how about addressing the issue? From the beginning, we knew PBO was a corporate man. And while he has done some great things, there have been some glaring gives to big business (TPP, mandatory private insurance, double down on testing in public schools-ESSA). He's not the progressive we needed, but has done more good than the alternative the oligarchs gave us in '08 and '12.

[roguevalley]

23. oh please. anyone who questions another persons loyalty to their party is a repiblican

Its possible to dismiss his third waywardness and ignorant swinishness without their loyalty being questioned. No one brought Obama into this but you. Now we have loyalty tests administered by you? I'm an FDR dem. Does that make me satan too?

[sunnystarr]

47. Looks like you didn't follow the thread ...

In your response you stated:

No one brought Obama into this but you.

If you actually read the posts you would have seen ....

fleur-de-lisa posted this:

I've always wondered why Obama put him on his staff . . .
granted they knew each other from PBO's Chicago days, but couldn't he see what a jerk and, in my opinion, false Democrat Emanuel was (and is)? I don't get it.

hifiguy responded to fleur-de-lisa:

Birds of a Turd Way feather
tend to stick together. Vultures ARE birds.

Then I responded to hifiguy ...

See how that works?

[hifiguy]

30. i voted for the President twice.

The first time with great hope and enthusiasm, the second time only because he wasn't Mittwit.

Dissatisfied customer here, and for many specific and easy-to-articulate reasons, none of which involve unicorns.

I feel free to criticize any and all politicians for rational policy reasons. I am a lifelong Democratic voter, not a fan-club member.

[Tipperary]

68. I agree with you. I have never been a fan club member

and Obama has been a huge disappointment to me, my friends, and my family. All of us voted for him. We are all sorry we did.

[Ned_Devine]

140. But I still really like him

I may have been let down by him, but I have no doubt that he is a very good and decent human being. I even think he's a darn good president who's been bamboozled not just by the GOP, but members of his own party. If Bernie wasn't running and Barack could run again, I'd vote for him.

[hopemountain]

157. as would i

[Thespian2]

142. I agree with you...

[randys1]

31. Good catch, while I despise Rahm, I am sick and tired of these attacks on Obama

[villager]

37. Why would Obama appoint a despicable chief of staff, with center-right policies?

It's a good question, along with other good questions about his corporate-friendly appointees, and whether that's what we were really voting for in '08....

[randys1]

46. Go somewhere else and bash President Obama, please.

[villager]

55. It's still a good question, despite your refusal to answer it. And in democracies, questions are ok.

Even questions about sitting Presidents.

[hifiguy]

57. You have no answer, I see, to a perfectly valid question.

[randys1]

69. I dont spend my time bashing Obama, sorry.

But then I understand the two party system.

[hifiguy]

73. Ahh, now I understand

Any criticism of any kind, however rational = bashing.



Like I said, I am a voter, not a fan-club member. There IS a very substantial difference.

[hifiguy]

109. Right was Yoda.

[malokvale77]

129. "I am a voter, not a fan-club member"

Ditto.

[Cha]

212. No, you're cluelessly, rudely trying to broadbrush with ignorant cheap pot shots.. and

it's really not as funny as you think it is.

[cwydro]

97. I didn't see any "bashing" here.

Simply questions.

We live in a democracy. We're allowed to question.

[cui bono]

127. It's our DUTY to question. n/t

[gregcrawford]

117. So I take it you're okay...

... with him appointing Goldman Sachs alumni, Summers and Geithner, doing diddly squat to rein in the despicable depreadtions of his Wall Street backers, and promoting a corporate coup d'etat in the form of the Trans-Pacific Partnership? I adored Obama when he was campaigning, and he has accomplished some good things, but I will NEVER forgive him for the TPP. That's final.

I am a Liberal down to my DNA, but "My Party right or wrong, my Party" don't cut it in a democracy. If someone - ANYONE - transgresses, they deserve to be called out for it.

[cui bono]

126. You've got an odd idea of what bashing is...

if you don't like criticism the internet is probably not a good place to be.

.

[LiberalArkie]

62. I think Obama owed a lot of favors to a lot of people. I think it is only the last

year or so have we seen Obama being Obama without the minders telling him what they want. He even seems a little more peaceful also.

[dmr]

100. This is my belief, too.

[Art_from_Ark]

101. You could be right

although that wouldn't explain his aligning with Republicans to push push push for TPA/TPP a few months ago.

[LiberalArkie]

102. I have thought for a long time that becoming a politician has to be a lot like

getting a loan from the mafia. No matter how many times you pay it back you are never really free.

[Art_from_Ark]

103. That's one think I like about Bernie

He doesn't seem to have any outstanding "mafia" loans.

[LiberalArkie]

107. Yea, he started almost the bottom and worked his way up. That is the way it used to be done.

It seems now that being a Senator is now the starting place.

When Bill Clinton first ran for US Rep against John Paul Hammerschmidt and barely lost was something in itself. But jumping in as Atty Gen was a surprise in Arkansas. That is usually done by someone being a Prosecuting Attorney first and before that a practicing attorney. So he had a big debt to make the jump he made. With only minor opposition in the primary and no opposition at all in the general election, Clinton was elected. He has always had interesting elections.

[Art_from_Ark]

108. The 1980 election against Frank White may have been a turning point

White rode in on Reagan's coattails, and the Democratic Party establishment blamed Clinton's loss on his being "too liberal". When he came back in '82, both he and (especially) Hillary had a more corporate look about them.

[LiberalArkie]

111. I think at some point he got some big money from the Stephens and the Tysons, I

just can't remember which election he went begging.

[Art_from_Ark]

114. He got Stephens and Tyson money for his 1992 presidential bid

I'm not sure about his gubernatorial campaigns.

Interesting that both (Jackson) Stephens and Tyson apparently threw their support behind Bob Dole in '96, claiming that Clinton's presidential policies were damaging to Arkansas industries.

[LiberalArkie]

115. Try this guy out.. I know he has part of Systematics down, just not all of it.

http://www.reddirtreport.com/red-dirt-grit/jackson-stephens-bcci-and-drug-money-laundering

[kath]

94. It's a VERY good question. People are judged by the company they keep, which is not at all

unreasonable.

[Scootaloo]

48. What you mean is that we don't act like republicans

because that's what your argument is, simply aping the eight years of republicans demanding that the (Republican) presidency be sacrosanct, above criticism, with all dissent voiced cast as "RINO," "disloyal,' "unamerican,' etc. Sadly a large number of Democrats seem to have taken the "if you can't beat 'e, join 'em" school of thought, and this is just one manifestation of that.

Obama's very much Third Way, in policy if not in signed-and-sealed membership to the actual group itself. Like it or not, Third Way is a political faction in our party. And like it or not, a sizable portion of the party's base isn't too enamored of that. So that means whether you like it or not, there are going to be criticism of the president and the Democratic Party, from actual Democratic voters, who get to have an opinion about the party and its figures.

And I'm afraid, sunnystar, that you don't get to declare people to not be democrats on basis of whether htey share your opinion or not.

[hifiguy]

60. Excellent. Well said.

[Enthusiast]

88. Huge +1!

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

66. Actually, the problem is non-Bernie supporters not acting like Dems.

If Rahm and the President acted like Dems, Bernie supporters would be behind them 100%.

As it is, we're behind the President when he acts like a Dem, and against him when he acts like a Republican.

[hifiguy]

71. All of this.

When it comes to horse turds like the Catfood Commission and the TPP we tend to get kind of grumpy.

[Enthusiast]

89. I'm getting pretty grumpy. nt

[AzDar]

82. ^ Dis right here.

[Jackilope]

78. Oooh, please tell me what makes a good Dem?

Are we at that point that even criticizing Third Way politics or DINO actions doesn't make one a "good Dem"?

Ever think that demanding our elected officials act like Democrats might make one a good Dem?

This is why we can't have nice things. Turd Way or no way.

[hifiguy]

91. One must be an unquestioning Belieber

and never question or doubt the Anointed Ones.

[Trajan]

79. So we must kiss every nominally conservative democrat's hairy ass

Or meet your wrath?

I'll take the wrath, please ...

Better yet, Ms. Sunny Person ... See ya never ... Gone

[rhett o rick]

123. An honest progressive will take swipes at who ever deserves it. It's on the conservatives that

engage in idol worship. Rahm has been an asshole forever. Why would Obama choose him? Do you have an answer?

[bobthedrummer]

203. +1 k&r n/t

[Marr]

124. Emanuel was his chief of staff. Sorry, but that says something.

[rhett o rick]

138. So what do you think it says? I think it says that he owed Rahm for helping him get elected. nm

[AlbertCat]

139. and Bernie supporters sure don't act like Dems.

Not when you make up things that aren't actually there.

Man, reading between the lines when there is only one line! Clever boots!




See I could come back with "So you support Rahm!". But you already know how to play.

[rhett o rick]

207. Close but not quite right. I don't like DINO's. Anyone can call themselves a Democrat.

It's another thing to expect them to adhere to Democratic values. Rahm is a shyster that calls himself a Democrat.

I can see how it would be easier to just go by the label and believe all Democrats are the same.

[lewebley3]

42. You are always attacking Dem party members: You need to attack the GOP

or are working for the GOP

[ornotna]

119. Don't you just hate it when that happens.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=889275

[malokvale77]

132. Oopsie, nice catch.

Some here are just too obvious.

[lewebley3]

186. The Dem's are the only ones standing between us and GOP

[ornotna]

196. Not true

There's you.

[lewebley3]

199. Yes, and I am a Dem supporting a very strong leader Hillary

[fleur-de-lisa]

50. I really like Obama (except for his excessive use of drones and a few other things)

but mostly I support him and was thrilled when a non-white guy won the presidency.

(And before anyone starts calling me names, I am an ardent Bernie supporter!)

[hifiguy]

67. I was more excited about voting for him in '08

than I had been for any candidate since I cast my first presidential vote for Jimmy Carter in 1976.

When he promptly appointed HRH and Geithner, one of the arsonists of the Wall Street meltdown, I realized I had been royally chumped. A lot of us did.

[kath]

154. Royally chumped is right.

[redwitch]

110. me too.

[ViseGrip]

72. ^^^this^^^

[sulphurdunn]

26. Obama put Emanuel on his staff

becasue Penny Pritzker wanted him there.

[Facility Inspector]

33. Penny brought Obama to the dance

don't bite the hand that feeds you.

[sulphurdunn]

39. Yep

[AZ Progressive]

51. Didn't know about Penny's role. So Obama had his own billionaire backing him.

Penny Pritzker is worth $2 billion and was Obama's finance chair in his 2008 campaign.

[Facility Inspector]

215. Dirty Chicago shit

yup.

[Volaris]

54. That depends on the Food being offered..

The Third-Way Narco-Capitalism that Wall Street offers up isn't Food, it's Poison.

[jwirr]

136. I have always assumed it was Chicago-Illinois politics. We

get you into the WH and you play ball.

[LuvLoogie]

153. President Obama called Rahm to be his COS, an offer Rahm couldn't refuse.

I remember a quote from years ago after a pretty good night electorally for Democrats across the country. A reporter had asked Rahm if he had any Presidential ambitions, and he demured saying "No. My carreer is in the House." I think the young Congressman was thinking Speaker.

Years later, Barack got elected. It was the perfect time for Rahm to begin coalescing his powerbase while Barack's agenda was being advanced with Dems in control of both the House and Senate. Barack had other ideas.

The President saw Nancy Pelosi as his ally and Rahm as potentially setting up roadblocks or conditions to passing the Presidents's agenda. He wanted Nancy to be able to work without a potential rival in the House. As a result, I think the Progressive caucus are a stronger group than the Blue Dogs. Had Rahm still been in the House, I think the Blue Dogs would have had a bigger influence on the legislative agenda during President Obama's administration. I think it would have been harder to get the ARRA and the ACA passed with Rahm still in the House.

[bvar22]

197. Rahm was Obama's PERFECT Consigliori.

Rahm.....The Gate Keeper!


None Shall Pass!!!!!....except those with lots of MONEY.

When Obama chose Rahm as CoS, I KNEW we had all been "had".
Hope & Change was nothing more than a campaign slogan that had little to do with his actual administration.

[roguevalley]

22. I don't see him as savvy, smart of a chess player. I see him as a short man syndrome, big mouth

SOB type. Someone should have beaten him to a pulp when he was younger.

[eggplant]

53. Right. Beause that always works.

[fasttense]

162. Yeah, some of our greatest serial murderers were beaten to a pulp

When they were younger. I don't think violence and abuse teaches anything but violence and abuse.

[cui bono]

125. He also told us to STFU.

.

[AllyCat]

146. Wish this would have put him out of commission BEFORE the election.

I donated to Garcia, but don't live there and couldn't vote for him.

[Pastiche423]

147. He called us FUCKING retards

I am so enjoying watching him squirm.

[hifiguy]

3. Good. Someone should throw this smarmy mfer an anchor.

I'll kick in a couple of bucks.

[Octafish]

4. Gee, hifiguy. What's obstruction of justice between friends?

Wait till Penny P hears about this.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

5. There is a reason why I voted twice against his Joe Pesci character wannabe crooked ass. Fuck

him and his cronies.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

9. A man on MSNBC before said he should resign and go work somwhere else. I agree, he...

...will be ok without being the mayor.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

11. The eternal cynic in me tells me he'll be able to ride this out. But I've

never understood why he has to drag the rest of us down with his corrupt ass. Go be a fucking hedge fund manager or some shit.

[Divernan]

86. He'd fit in perfectly at Eaglevale hedge fund.

[hifiguy]

14. The Mob can always use a good crooked chiseler.

with a smarmy shitbag personal style. Just a thought.

[merrily]

38. Come on. The Mob knows better than to embrace Rahm

Kiss* him, yes, embrace him, no.

*Il bacio della morte

[hifiguy]

49. Well, there IS that.

[Liberal_in_LA]

7. Kick

[bahrbearian]

8. He will be an aid in the New Clinton WH

Can't wait to see him on the campaign trail with Hillary.

[JDPriestly]

45. Yes. He is part of the Clinton/Obama in-crowd. He epitomizes the Democratic Party's in-crowd.

He could care less about working people, about the poor, about the rights of people who don't look like him. And that is why I support Bernie -- because he cares about other people.

The Democratic Party in-crowd which Rahm Emmanuel exemplifies is not the Democratic Party.

They have own positions of power and hang out with each other. They could care about the real Democratic Party -- which is the ordinary people that turn out at the polls on election day.

Rahm Emmanuel should resign.

But I have to say that many of us are to blame that the Rahm Emmanuels own our Democratic Party. We don't join the Democratic clubs in our neighborhoods. We don't want to go to meetings. We allow people like Rahm Emmanuel to take over the political leadership. And I have to criticize myself with this statement because I have been unable to attend meetings due to family issues this year.

But if you possibly can, join together and MEET with Democrats who live in your community. We need to take our Democratic Party back. You can't do that unless you are willing to work within the organization and become a leader yourself.

We can do better than the Rahm Emmanuels of this world. You are part of the solution.

[hifiguy]

52. If we have that misfortune, he will turn up in HRH's administration

as sure as eggs is eggs. A turd that bobs to the surface.

[rpannier]

106. Man has been an intregal part of two administrations that started with large congressional

majorities that evaporated within two years

Why in the hell would you want someone like that on her team
The man is toxic and he doesn't appear to be that bright

[KoKo]

180. ...! n/t

[Warren DeMontague]

35. Yeah, that's kinda weird

...isnt it

[mucifer]

134. There are daily protests downtown often in front of the mayor's office

Medical students did a "die in" in front of his office stating they don't want to continue working on the bodies of kids coming to the hospitals. This is on local Chicago news every day.

I really get tired of people blaming the protesters.

[MerryBlooms]

58. They're here, and have been for some time... there must be a lack of media coverage.

From September-

Protestors run Mayor Rahm Emanuel off the stage at public budget meeting
Posted at 11:12 pm on September 2, 2015 by Twitchy Staff | 165 Comments

On August 31, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel held his first public budget meeting in four years and was met with a very hostile crowd consisting of Black Lives Matter Chicago activists and some hunger strikers.

Emanuel took the stage for Round 2 of the budget meeting tonight, and things went even worse for the mayor. The Chicago Tribune’s Bill Ruthhart was there among the chaos.

Hey, look: It’s Black Lives Matter Chicago.

November-

http://chicago.suntimes.com/news-chicago/7/71/1134721/hundreds-protest-laquan-mcdonalds-deadly-shooting

December-

http://dailycaller.com/2015/12/09/black-lives-matter-protesters-shut-down-chicago-call-for-rahm-emanuel-resignation/

Just a few articles.

[mucifer]

135. There is no lack of media coverage in Chicago.

There might be nationally. Every day the protests are on the local news.

[MerryBlooms]

158. Yes, I meant nationally.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

15. he knee capped black voters by closing nearby schools

He apologized profusely during his re election campaign guaranteeing he learned his lesson. He lied.
I watched his whole speech yesterday. I can understand that he is under massive pressure, but he brought it on (all troubles) all by himself.

Worst of all is his close fiendship with our tea party governor.

[KG]

16. career shitbag.

[MohRokTah]

17. His problem lies in his tough politial operative abilities.

HE played the politics completely internally between the police department and the city council. He lost sight of the people themselves and it all came back on him fourfold.

He's got no other choice. It's over. If he doesn't resign, he'll be recalled.

[roguevalley]

24. he has no soul and he has no character. That is the root of his problems. No one with

either would bury a murder film. No one who lived in Chicago as long as him could do that and claim he didn't know about things. He knew. He just did the same as everyone else, colluded on murder.

[JDPriestly]

56. You know that video of Hillary in your signature line.

Something always bothered me about that, and I just figured out what it is.

Hillary is mimicking Obama's gesture of wiping off her shoulder. That is supposed to suggest that she is just wiping an insult or a hurt or something intended to insult or hurt off of her like a duck shaking water off its back. It's supposed to suggest that she is unaffected or unperturbed by the insults and accusations being thrown her way.

But her face and the rest of her body communicate anger. They communicate that she is not at all relaxed in the face of the nasty criticism of her. She looks stiff and angry.

And that is why that video does not communicate the calmness that the gesture Obama makes and that Hillary is imitating at all. To the contrary, it communicates a sense of angry arrogance. That is one of the traits that makes Hillary so unappealing as a candidate.

That video says a lot. Hillary has a temper problem. And that is not good. Not good for her as a candidate. Not good for America's future should she be elected. Her temper is riled when SHE is attacked or criticized.

In contrast, Bernie's temper is riled when he sees injustice.

That short video of her pretending to wipe something from her shoulder captures the precise problem with Hillary and the reason that her negatives are so high. She should not be running for president. She does not have the temperament or lack of ego that job requires.

[MohRokTah]

63. Yo need to take this to GDP and keep it out of GD. eom

[rhett o rick]

149. Wow. Why do you think you can tell others what to do? Rhetorical. nm

[MohRokTah]

163. GD SOP.

Of course, your Sanders supporting buddies who host in GD constantly ignore the SOP to help remote your candidate.

[hifiguy]

74. That condescending little gif has irritated the hell out of me, too.

Thanks for managing to put it into words so well. To me it reflects her attitude to all who don't kowtow t her, though in that one instance it was justified.

[jeff47]

176. Also, she's imitating Obama wiping off the shit she threw at him in 2008.

Which adds a layer of irony on top of that arrogance.

[MerryBlooms]

76. There's no IL legal mechanism for a mayoral recall...

There has been talk in the legislature of making it so, but man, that opens up a whole 'nother can of worms.

http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/illinois-democrat-proposes-bill-recall-chicago-mayor-emanuel

[Iggo]

171. "...IL legal..."

That made me laugh.

[MerryBlooms]

213. heh, I didn't even notice until you pointed it out.

[jeff47]

175. IL doesn't have a recall mechanism.

One has been introduced in the statehouse, but it isn't law yet. And it's not clear it could be retroactive.

[Baitball Blogger]

18. Restoring faith in goverment?

Is that a thing anymore?

[hughee99]

20. Did Chicagoans really have faith in their government before this?

I'm not saying he shouldn't resign, but I'd have to see who the next mayor is before I could say it would restore any faith.

[AngryAmish]

113. It isn't like everyone else isn't corrupt as hell either.

In Chicago everyone is bent.

[mucifer]

152. Our last mayor covered up police torture link below.

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2015/12/07/3727519/chicago-police-burge-scandal/

Beginning in 1972, Burge and other officers under him would routinely torture mostly black suspects in Chicago Police Area 2 in order to elicit confessions. More than 120 people in total have since accused him and his crew of “midnight detectives” of shocking, beating, or suffocating them into confessing, often to crimes they did not commit.


For decades, Burge was able to continue abusing suspects without scrutiny, largely because Chicago officials turned a blind eye. It wasn’t until 1990, after reports appeared in the alternative weekly Chicago Reader, that there became growing momentum for disciplinary action against him. Amnesty International called for an investigation, but Mayor Richard M. Daley, running for reelection in 1991, was reluctant. Though he knew about the torture during the 1980s from his time as state’s attorney, he continued to ignore calls for an investigation when he became mayor.

But there was no video of it back then so we shall see how the current mayor does.

[Phlem]

25. He's a POS, simple as that.

[deutsey]

27. Is he fucking retarded?

Sorry. Couldn't resist.

[reflection]

65. I would pay good money to see someone ask him this at a presser. n/t

[MisterP]

98. he was on Farrakhan's TV show: he feels justified no matter how many braincases his cops empty out

[randys1]

28. I tweeted the other day that his political career should be over, permanently

[bemildred]

34. Excellent news. nt

[Warren DeMontague]

36. That 5 million in hush money leaves a rather inconvenient paper trail.

[blackspade]

41. Caught up in his own political maneuvering.

So sad......not

[KamaAina]

43. "Already, an Illinois state lawmaker is starting the process to recall him."

So Illinois does have recall! Gov. Rauner (R-Left State Without Budget) should be next.

[mopinko]

144. no, it doesnt. this is a misstatement.

the lawmaker is proposing a bill to allow for a recall. we do not have it now. i gotta doubt this is constitutional.

[KamaAina]

148. So you're stuck with both of them?!

[mopinko]

179. actually, thanks to bloggo

we can impeach the governor. and i suppose this bill could stand, as that is the way it went down when they dumped him. passed a special bill just for him, then used it. so....

me, honestly, i dont lay this at rahm's feet. i doubt the cops kept him in the loop. i doubt they recognize his authority over them at.all.

[questionseverything]

206. rahm had seen the tape before the 5 million buck payout

and then fought the tape being released

if it was not for the foia requests winning in court that murdering cop would never have been charged

for anyone else this would be an obstruction of justice charge

[highprincipleswork]

44. Couldn't happen to a nice guy!

Sarcasm.

[Doitnow]

59. Couldn't happen to a more deserving person!!

[MADem]

61. I agree with this. About the only way he can get out of this mess is with support from some

leading lights within the community who can negotiate a path out of this situation.

He's going to have to do some horsetrading to regain some of that trust, and he will need some heavy hitters to help him.

If he comes out of this intact, he will owe people, and he'll have to be more accommodating.

If he doesn't come out of this, well, it will be an interesting time in Chicago, politically.

[notadmblnd]

64. Hopefully this has ruined it for him- if had any Presidential aspirations

Nt

[ViseGrip]

70. Missteps? He purposely hid the video until he could no longer.

He's been awful as a mayor, and now it's exposed that he's been corrupted. He must go.

[FlatBaroque]

75. I would not piss on Rahm

if his face was on fire.

[silvershadow]

80. Well. most of us knew what he was about so I am not surprised. Disappointed, but not surprised. nt

[DonCoquixote]

81. Shaedenfreude

I fully blame Rahm for making sure the promise of the Obama White house was shut. He was the imp whispering into Obama's ear, whose only regret was, in his own words, that he did not stop the president from taking on Health care. He is exactly the sort of "Democrat" that we need to outright throw out!

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/rahm-emanuel-begged-obama-not-to-push-health-care/

He then got his brother to help contain the benefits of what is let, a man who think people should die at 75:
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/10/why-i-hope-to-die-at-75/379329/

Why, afraid your insurance companies will not be able to pay a bonus if too many make it to 80?

May Rahm be driven from the party, and may the wounds be inflicted by healed.

[Truprogressive85]

84. He just needs to go

Any person who stands by Rahm is supporter of corruption and injustice

[kath]

90. He richly deserves every single bit of the "trouble" he is in. Should be prosecuted for obstruction

Of justice, withholding of evidence, conspiracy to subvert the course of justice, or whatever US/Illinois terms apply. Throw the book at the asshole!

[marmar]

92. End of his Boss Tweed ambitions

[RichVRichV]

93. Anyone counting on him to resign in disgrace or be recalled are probably spinning their wheels.

There's 3 ways machine politicians leave office in Illinois.

1) They retire because they've made sufficient money from payoffs.

2) They die. (natural causes or otherwise)

3) They get convicted of a crime and go to jail.


That's pretty much it in this state. Hopefully it'll be number 3 for Rahm. All we usually end up doing is replacing one crook with another.

[Dont call me Shirley]

95. His arrogance is stunning. Time to go.

[certainot]

96. if h was republican he would not be in trouble because all those

llinois and nearby rw talk radio stations would be defending him instead of attacking him.

[rpannier]

105. The Chicago Tribune will be very upset

The republikkan rag has been his apologist and pom-pom cheerleader

[truebluegreen]

118. Good. nt

[Spitfire of ATJ]

120. I can picture this egomaniac telling Hillary he's available to be her running mate.....

.....lucky her.

[Nevernose]

121. Rahm Emanuel is performing a new emotion: sadness

http://gawker.com/rahm-emanuel-is-performing-a-new-emotion-sadness-1747098721

[alcibiades_mystery]

122. Pssst...everybody

Rahm's not going to resign. He'll serve out his term as mayor.

Y'all are funny.

[DonCoquixote]

128. maybe but

he can kiss his hopes of higher office and more influence in the Clinton administration goodbye. Hillary will not ruin her already "sterling" rep by trying to wipe the oil off that bird's feathers.

Now, if Clinton helps him, it will be yet another sign that she really really really does not want our votes.

[jeff47]

178. She won't put him in the VP slot, but there's plenty of positions filled after an election.

She'll find a place for someone she has so much confidence in.

[libdem4life]

214. He knows where the "bodies" are buried...she's on his leash.

[Betty Karlson]

130. Hey Rahm! Karma is not just a b*tch:

she's a f-cking ret*rd too!

[JVS]

131. I expect that Hillary will choose him as VP before it comes to the matter of re-election or recall.

[morningfog]

151. That made me vomit a little. She still supports him.

[Divernan]

160. Birds of a feather. They are well matched.

[beltanefauve]

156. A VP slot

may not be the most strategic move Hillary could make. But I agree, he'll be kicked upstairs in some capacity. Maybe he'll get a plum assignment an an ambassador.

[HereSince1628]

166. Ambassadorships for politicians are pretty much dead-ends for a national career

So is being White House Chief of Staff which is why Emmanuel now exists as a local politician.

Running cabinet departments is mostly not step toward advancement in politics either. Typically, those departments are headed by people with executive experience and some knowledge in the department's portfolio. Mostly, the cabinet departments don't provide a lot of media exposure unless things go wrong.

This is one of the things that makes Clinton's campaign unlike others in my lifetime...which is to say, all the way back to Truman. I suppose one might argue that Sec State more regularly engages higher profile politics and that her tenure there was rather more political than engaged in development of nuts-and-bolts level policy.

Still, that's an uncommon path to the WH.

[DonCoquixote]

205. I would hope to god she is not that stupid

but usually when I make that hope, someone turns out that stupid. At this rate I fully expect a rahm/Schultz ticket by 2024

[Hotler]

133. Good cop, bad cop. ......

Hhhmmmmmmm!

[Blue Owl]

137. O Rahm O Rahm Emaneul...

Tis the season...

[zentrum]

141. He covered up.

He hires the Police Chief. He knew everything. He must be recalled unless he resigns.

[awoke_in_2003]

143. He's got a reputation

of being a thug.

[mopinko]

145. no, the lawmaker is not starting the process to recall him. no such

law on the books here. the guy is proposing one now. it aint gonna go anywhere. and i cant imagine it would be constitutional.

[Ken Burch]

150. I notice all the smug "Rahm won because he was inherently superior to his opponent" posts

(with their accompanying derisive laughing smilies, seem to have vanished.

Chuy Garcia would have been worse than this HOW, exactly?

[saltpoint]

155. When he left th White House, Rahm

told the press that it had been his dream all along to be the Mayor of Chicago.

Now he is.

IMO, he hasn't been a very good one. If his approval rating is at 18 percent, it looks like I'm not the only one who thinks so.

[Divernan]

159. Raging egomaniacs are incapable of admitting error, let alone resigning

It's just not in their psyche.

Unless they can nail him for a felony or worse level crime, they're stuck with him for the remainder of his term.

And remember, folks, egomaniacs are big on revenge - why I've heard of examples where they even keep revenge lists stretching back for decades. Their need for revenge further fuels their pursuit of power.

[Scuba]

161. /\_/\_This_/\_/\

[bullwinkle428]

167. Bingo. He's got the same narcissistic personality disorder thing going on

that Trump possesses. The revenge thing is spot-on as well.

[NorthCarolina]

164. Looks like it's a bad season to be a Third-Way DLC New Dem.

Perhaps Democrats across the country are finally waking up to the fact that they've been hoodwinked and doubled talked for the past 3 decades by this unscrupulous bunch.

[appal_jack]

168. Never liked him.

A pox on all corporatists of any Party.

Rahm-bo (along with Geithner, etc.) showed the problems and hypocrisy of the Obama administration early-on.

k&r,

-app

[ileus]

169. Barack won't let this happen...mark my word.

[SpankMe]

170. I'm not defending Rahm, here, but...

...it's no easy task to reform one of the most powerful and historically corrupt police departments in the US. Police can get pretty persnickety when anyone tries to rock their boat.

You can nail him for his complete mishandling of the McDonald case and for being an asshole in general.

But expecting him to clean up the Chicago PD is like demanding that a six year-old single-handedly build a shopping mall before she's seven - and then taking all her dolls away if she doesn't do it.

[d_legendary1]

172. Nothing's gonna happen to Rahm

If Krispy Kreme is still walking around and going to Cowboys games on the state credit card then Rahm ain't going no where.

[Roland99]

182. "No one could have imagined (this happening to him)"

except, oh, maybe all of us?

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

189. Remember how Obama's DOJ went after Wall Street

More Kabuki theater by the Obama administration. Rahm is Obama's mayor and friend, moreso than his relationships with Wall Street.

Nothing is going to stick to Rahm. Even if they investigated one of his other cover-ups, the CPS no-bid scandal. This admin wants to exonerate Rahm.

When you hate on Rahm, remember this

Rahm is Obama's mayor.

[arthritisR_US]

191. Good. That city needs someone who will serve the people

and not themselves and their cronies.

[ibegurpard]

204. Good riddance

Let's hope this ends his political career