I hope Rahm Emanuel does run for mayor of Chicago, though I pity the Windy City.
I just want Emanuel out of the White House.
He was a horrible choice to begin with. And he’s been a miserable failure at his job. If he doesn’t run for mayor, Obama should fire him anyway.
Obama came in with a mandate to create jobs, and Obama’s popularity swelled in his first six weeks in office.
But Emanuel urged caution on the all-important stimulus package. Whereas Christine Romer, who just left as head of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, argued for a $1.2 trillion package and Paul Krugman argued for $1.5 trillion, Emanuel insisted on a number south of one trillion.
Obama sided with him, and as a result, we’ve get massive unemployment, the Dems are in trouble, and the President’s feet are caked with quicksand.
Nor did Emanuel press Obama to get tough with Wall Street.
And Emanuel and Obama sold out the left on universal health care.
Emanuel, a DLC Dem, has had it in for progressives from the start. His intemperate name-calling, not only against the champions of single payer but also against the UAW, showed his true colors.
So, please, go run for mayor, where you can do only limited damage.
If you liked this story by Matthew Rothschild, the editor of The Progressive magazine, check out his article “Obama Comes Out Swinging.”
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