Just Due
I probably should put myself in a corner for a time-out, but I simply couldn't help chuckling at this bit of news. It seems that Rahm Emanuel's candidacy for Mayor of Chicago is being challenged on residency requirements.
Under Illinois' municipal code, a candidate must be a resident of the city for a year prior to the election. Emanuel was working as President Obama's White House chief of staff until he returned to Chicago last month to campaign for the Feb. 22 election.
Emanuel said he meets the standard because he owns a home here, has voted here and always intended to move back. Lawyer Burt Odelson said the fact that Emanuel rented out his home, instead of leaving it empty, means he's not a resident.
Okay, it's a bit of political nitpicking, but Chicago politics is supposed to be all about hardball, at least that's what White House supporters told us when some worried that Barack Obama might not be tough enough for his job. Besides, they said, he's got Rahm on staff and Rahm is a real tough guy, one who gets his way more often than not. And, to a great extent, this is probably true. After all, Obama and Emanuel did a pretty good job at slamming the door on liberals when they started screaming about a healthcare reform bill that didn't even include a public option. "Fucking retards" was the epithet, as I recall.
There's more to this story than just good old fashioned Chicago politics, however. When Mayor Daley announced he wouldn't be running for re-election, Emanuel jumped at the chance for another government job. His job at the White House was getting tedious, what with the Republicans and liberals both heaving verbal bombs in his direction. And besides, he was a Chicago boy who made his bones on the national scene. He deserved to be mayor. And that is the point.
Career politicians have a sense of entitlement, one that means when their term is up they are entitled to another cushy job, whether in the public or the private sector. That is their primary qualification. It has nothing to do with service, or with ability. Emanuel, I suspect, fully expected to coast into this new job as his due.
The problem is that there are other career politicians with the same idea and an electorate which will be as cranky in February as they were in November. Emanuel is carrying some pretty heavy baggage in the race, even if he overcomes the residency technicality raised in the lawsuit. Does this mean he can't win? Of course not, but it won't be a walk in the park.
At least I hope not.
Under Illinois' municipal code, a candidate must be a resident of the city for a year prior to the election. Emanuel was working as President Obama's White House chief of staff until he returned to Chicago last month to campaign for the Feb. 22 election.
Emanuel said he meets the standard because he owns a home here, has voted here and always intended to move back. Lawyer Burt Odelson said the fact that Emanuel rented out his home, instead of leaving it empty, means he's not a resident.
Okay, it's a bit of political nitpicking, but Chicago politics is supposed to be all about hardball, at least that's what White House supporters told us when some worried that Barack Obama might not be tough enough for his job. Besides, they said, he's got Rahm on staff and Rahm is a real tough guy, one who gets his way more often than not. And, to a great extent, this is probably true. After all, Obama and Emanuel did a pretty good job at slamming the door on liberals when they started screaming about a healthcare reform bill that didn't even include a public option. "Fucking retards" was the epithet, as I recall.
There's more to this story than just good old fashioned Chicago politics, however. When Mayor Daley announced he wouldn't be running for re-election, Emanuel jumped at the chance for another government job. His job at the White House was getting tedious, what with the Republicans and liberals both heaving verbal bombs in his direction. And besides, he was a Chicago boy who made his bones on the national scene. He deserved to be mayor. And that is the point.
Career politicians have a sense of entitlement, one that means when their term is up they are entitled to another cushy job, whether in the public or the private sector. That is their primary qualification. It has nothing to do with service, or with ability. Emanuel, I suspect, fully expected to coast into this new job as his due.
The problem is that there are other career politicians with the same idea and an electorate which will be as cranky in February as they were in November. Emanuel is carrying some pretty heavy baggage in the race, even if he overcomes the residency technicality raised in the lawsuit. Does this mean he can't win? Of course not, but it won't be a walk in the park.
At least I hope not.
Labels: Career Politicians, Rahm
posted by Diane at 3:24 AM
2 comments
