by Mark Silva
Rahm Emanuel's dream of being the mayor of Chicago is "just an ambition,'' the White House suggests, and not necessarily a sign that the chief of staff is leaving soon.
"Rahm very much enjoys the work that he does as chief of staff,'' Bill Burton, a White House spokesman, said aboard Air Force One en route home from California today.
The question involved Emanuel's comment on The Charlie Rose Show last night that he would like to run for mayor of Chicago -- but certainly will not so long as Mayor Richard Daley seeks reelection. The mayor, set to be Chicago's longest-seated, is up next year.
"He was talking about a scenario where if Mayor Daley doesn't run for reelection, but we all know that Mayor Daley is running for reelection,'' Burton said aboard the presidential aircraft on the way home from fundraisers for the Democratic Party in Los Angeles.
"It's something that many kids in Chicago dream of growing up to be a mayor, so it's one of the great jobs in American politics.'' Burton noted. "But it's just an ambition -- when I was a kid I wanted to be an astronaut. (Press Secretary Robert) Gibbs probably wants to ride in the Tour de France. That doesn't mean we're all leaving the White House to go and do...''
Does President Barack Obama think that the former congressman from Chicago would be a good mayor for the president's hometown?
"II think the president thinks that Rahm Emanuel is a great chief of staff and enjoys having him in that job right now,'' Burton said, allowing: "Maybe "enjoy" is the wrong word.''
White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, who said in an interview Monday that he wants to become Chicago mayor, has a war chest of nearly $1.2 million left over from his career in Congress, Federal Election Commission records show.
The balance in the fund named Friends of Rahm Emanuel was $1.175 million at the end of March, records show.
Jan Witold Baran, an attorney in Washington who is an expert in campaign finance laws, said nothing in federal law would prevent Emanuel from transferring the money to another political organization. And Illinois law also would allow the funds to be used for a local race such as mayor.
Baran said nearly $1.2 million "isn't chopped liver, but it isn't a lot of money for a high-profile political race, especially like mayor of Chicago or New York."
Even so, Emanuel has plenty of experience at fund-raising, having been in charge of the successful Democratic effort to recapture control of the House in 2006. Emanuel was known for screaming at donors to persuade them to give generously to his candidate. He also would threaten to tear up checks if he thought they weren't big enough.
-- Katherine Skiba and Andrew Wang contributed to this report.
Comments
In related news, Don Rickles announced the formation of a committee to explore his interest in running for Mayor of Las Vegas.
Posted by: milton friedman | April 20, 2010 5:18 PM
Maybe he should just wait and run for President in 2016.
Posted by: Mike_from_Chicago | April 20, 2010 6:32 PM
Chicago's loss would be America's gain.
Posted by: Terry | April 20, 2010 6:54 PM
Well, maybe The Little Ballet Dancer can destroy Chicago just like he is helping Obimbo do to the country. Of course, with sky-high taxes, ridiculous costs at McCormick Place, businesses fleeing the city and state, out-of-control deficits, alderman who are against business development unless it helps their own bank account development, perhaps the worst crime activity in the nation, failing schools, Daley and the Chicago Dems are doing a very nice job of destroying Chicago now.
Posted by: John D | April 20, 2010 11:27 PM
@#!!* #@&&#! #~**^#!!
Posted by: ornery | April 21, 2010 1:51 AM
Geez, I didn't think Chicago could get worse. Now why would a guy that made millions in banking in just two years want to be the purveyor of political schemes in Chicago? I'll call him the whore of Chicago:
Let's see he made $320,000 for sitting on the board of FREDDIE MAC for 14 whole months.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/obama/chi-rahm-emanuel-profit-26-mar26,0,5682373.story
The Freddie Mac money was a small piece of the $16 million he made in a three-year interlude as an investment banker a decade ago.
During his brief time on the board, the company hatched a plan to enhance its political muscle. That scheme, also reviewed by the board, led to a record $3.8 million fine from the Federal Election Commission for illegally using corporate resources to host fundraisers for politicians. Emanuel was the beneficiary of one of those parties after he left the board and ran in 2002 for a seat in Congress from the North Side of Chicago.
What a great guy and I'm sure that this qualifies him for public office. It also qualifies his boss and the other corrupt politicians to "fix" the banking industry. When are you going to WAKE UP! Just because he has a D after his name doesn't mean that you should support him. But, you have the stupidity to fall back on your Bush baloney.
Posted by: Free To Watch Liberals Tax and Spend | April 21, 2010 4:21 AM
I think he would make a much better mayor than his current position of chief of staff. He definitely fits the mold for the mayor of Chicago than what he does now.
Posted by: The Conservative One | April 21, 2010 4:58 AM
It would be great if Rahm becomes the mayor of Chicago,He is Perfect match. He has all the qualifications for Chicago strong-arm politics.
Posted by: m3 ds | April 21, 2010 5:28 AM
Richard Daley would overwhelmingly be elected for a record 7th term, if he decides to run. Emanuel would probably be elected if he ran (assuming Daley doesn't run). The Cubs will win the world series before a republican would ever be elected mayor of Chicago. The republicans have nobody to run against Daley or any other Democratic politician. No argument that Chicago isn't crooked but so also is DuPage County and republicans who infest it. Those crooks would never be elected outside of DuPage County and they very well know that.
Posted by: Doug R. | April 21, 2010 8:42 AM
Emanuel for Chicago mayor? Doesn't Chicago have a more than normal huge catholic population? Isn't there a good catholic boy who would like to be mayor of Chicago?
*
Those two BS "wars" belonging to Bush/Cheney and Obama are on the back burner for the media. Shame. The trillions from their BS "wars" could pay for health care, new energy plants and a new rail system for America. The world and China progress ahead while we continue to fight and spend and waste and die in BS "wars". Who is pulling the strings? Is China immune from the same threats that we and the other "coalition" nations face? No. They just know BS when they see or smell it. The threats in the BS "wars" are not real threats to us. It's more Vietnam nothing. And more Vietnam waste. And more Vietnam no real gain. The "wars" are a big con job on the poorer and poorer American public. What American "leaders" are finishing our doom while enlisting the banks, the Pentagon and illegal alien criminals to rip off the last of our wealth? This is the real story for the media and the real threat to Americans.
Posted by: Vivian | April 21, 2010 9:01 AM
Dead Fish will never be elected to another office again. Too many people have seen him for the thug and a liar he is.
Posted by: Crooks_In_DC | April 22, 2010 9:45 AM
Vivian you sound like a joy to live with my condolences to any man that has to listen to your idiotic drivel. UGH to him any of those "BS" wars would seem like a Caribbean vacation
Posted by: Libtard | April 23, 2010 11:22 PM
Blago and Spitzo, Part One
Okay, agreed, they’re both dirty and sleazy but there are different degrees of dirt and sleaze, as any washerwoman and political reporter knows. I refer to Blago and Spitzo who are not 2 long lost Marx brothers or the 4th and 5th stooges.
I refer to the latest duo of disgraced Democrat governors: Milorad R. “Rod” Blagojevich of Illinois and Eliot Laurence Spitzer of New York. Blagojevich, affectionately known as Blago, and Spitzer, not affectionately known by anyone, are both back in the news again.
You may recall Blago, he of the Donald Trump hairdo but darker and fuller, and his bride, the former Patricia Mell, both captured on reams of audio tape using language that would embarrass Joe Biden. The specifics of those tapes were sufficient for U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald to pull a raid on the home of the Illinois governor and his family in December, 2008.
Accused of stealing all but the kitchen sink, Blago was subsequently removed from office by the Illinois legislature and has been anything but the obsequious criminal ever since. He’s appeared on various television shows, including Letterman, always preaching the same story, that he was framed, yada, yada, yada, and that the truth will out come his trial which is scheduled to begin on June 3rd. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1645)
Posted by: Berlet98 | April 24, 2010 11:14 AM