There are a lot of reasons to keep Rahm Emanuel away from positions of public trust. Last night I mentioned in passing his hatred and disdain for progressives and progressive policy. Today Blue America signed onto this statement from a national coalition of progressive groups urging Biden to not nominate him ambassador to Japan:
We are appalled at the reported plans to nominate Rahm Emanuel as ambassador to Japan. If the news reports are accurate, President Biden is on the verge of making a serious error. Emanuel's abysmal record as mayor of Chicago disqualifies him to represent the United States in a foreign capital. Our organizations will make sure that every senator hears, loud and clear, from constituents who will insist that this unwise nomination be rejected.
Back in March, we publicly warned against such a nomination of Emanuel. The deep concerns that we expressed at that time will now be greatly amplified:
Top diplomatic posts should only go to individuals with ethics, integrity and diplomatic skills. Emanuel possesses none of those qualifications... Whether in federal or municipal office, he has been known for his abrasive, arrogant style of wielding power.
Emanuel’s disgraceful behavior as mayor of Chicago cannot be erased or ignored. At a time when the Democratic Party leadership has joined with most Americans in asserting that Black lives matter, it would be a travesty to elevate to an ambassadorship someone who has epitomized the attitude that Black lives do not matter. After being elected mayor of Chicago in 2011, Emanuel presided over a scandal-plagued administration that included the closing of 49 public schools, many in Black neighborhoods. As he faced a re-election campaign, for 13 months Emanuel’s administration suppressed a horrific dashcam video showing the death of Laquan McDonald, an African-American teenager who had been shot 16 times by a Chicago police officer as he walked away from the officer. . . Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted: “Rahm Emanuel helped cover up the murder of Laquan McDonald. Covering up a murder is disqualifying for public leadership.”
National NAACP President Derrick Johnson said: “As the former mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel has shown us that he is not a principled leader or person. His time in public service proved to be burdened with preventable scandal and abandonment of Chicago’s most vulnerable community.”
I asked some current congressional candidates how they feel about Emanuel being singled out for this honor by Biden. How do you know you want to see Washington state progressive Jason Call elected to Congress? Here's how he feels-- and is willing to say publicly-- about Emanuel: "I’ve said often that Rahm Emanuel is probably the worst contemporary Democratic politician. Almost a wonder twin to Andrew Cuomo, he has a massive ego, exercises power through vindictive fear, and has a callous indifference to human needs. He has such an abysmal public service career that his appointment to a prestigious position makes one wonder who he has the goods on. This a wholly undeserved failing upwards for someone whose name utterance should be followed by tossing salt over one’s shoulder."
Shahid Buttar is likely to run for the San Francisco seat held by Pelosi. He's not a Rahm Emanuel booster either.Today, he told me that "From his time raising money for Bill Clinton, to his service as a Member of Congress, advising the Obama administration, and then his two terms as the Mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel has left a trail of failure across several layers of our government. His appointment as an Ambassador reflects our country’s disinterest in diplomacy, as well as bipartisan institutional corruption. Beyond playing a key role in infamously shifting to the Democratic Party to the conservative right in the 90s, Emanuel also helped cover up the police murder of 17 year-old Laquan McDonald for over a year until a court ordered the release of dash cam footage showing that McDonald was shot in the back while walking away from officers who falsely claimed he had threatened them. Emanuel’s “service” has weakened every jurisdiction he has ever worked in, and his appointment as Ambassador to a major ally reflects a bipartisan culture in Washington that continues to reward failure and corruption."