Is Rahm Emanuel going to run for President? He just announced he’s not seeking re-election in Chicago as mayor. Is it the Michael McDonald cover-up case that just started? There is a chance his name will be dragged through the mud. Or is it time for him to make his move for President?
He’s 58, still young by my estimation but definitely the right age to consider a Presidential run if that’s on your to do list. He’s deeply connected with Barack Obama, which is quite popular right now, after serving as Obama’s White House Chief of Staff, traditionally considered the highest-ranking non-elected employee of the executive branch.
Rahm also was a major mover and shaker in getting Obamacare passed in Congress. For this reason alone I like him. It seems to me that he could be the President to get America a single-payer healthcare system.
He’s a corporate democrat, I personally like Bernie Sanders better because he’s all in. I don’t think the Democratic Party can push Rahm any farther to the left but it could be that’s what Rahm wants to do anyway. The polls show America is going in that direction and Rahm is a very sharp and calculating man. He would be a very aggressive and serious contender.
In a revealing incident from when Rahm was Chief of Staff under President Obama, he walked up naked to New York Congressman Eric Massa, sitting on a bench in the congressional gym showers, and poked him in the chest asking why he wasn’t voting in favor of a budget to support Obamacare. Massa went on radio to complain about the incident, called Rahm “son of the devils spawn”, and resigned. He was replaced with another congressman that voted in favor of the budget and the rest is history.
So, Rahm can get it done but is he the man for the job? He’s surely going to publicize that he is the reason that Amazon is moving its new headquarters to Chicago (if it does). In my estimation, since I live near Chicago, he’s been more favorable to the affluent that to the poor even though he’s thrown a few bones to the poor. For me, he’s still a corporate democrat and Bernie is still the man to run!
Great article. Well stated.