Eighty years after the reign of Al Capone, Chicago is still the epicenter of political corruption. Now, we find out that Rahm Emanuel and the Daley brothers are playing musical chairs with the Mayor's Office and the Oval Office. Rahm is gunning for the slot as top political boss in America since Boss Tweed. Now exposed and potentially vulnerable to a media attack for carving up the nation's highest offices like they were slices of a huge political pie, Rahm could become the center of a scandal in the closing weeks of his campaign to become Mayor of his beloved hometown.
Rahm Emanuel and the Daley brothers are playing a high stakes game of musical chairs.
The only thing we don’t know is where Richard Daley will eventually land. Rahm will become the powerful mayor of Chicago, while Bill Daley will become Obama’s Chief of Staff. You can bet your bottom dollar that Richard will do well, very well -- probably moving to some lucrative and lofty position in the financial industry (hint: think banking, maybe Richard will become the new CEO of Bank of America after Wikileaks turns their stock into the financial equivalent of Drano.)
Bill Daley was Secretary of Commerce for Bill Clinton, when Rahm was Senior Advisor to the President and in position to manage the president’s major appointments. While at Commerce, Daley championed NAFTA. Since then, Daley has been a stalwart supporter of big budget corporate power.
When Rahm Emanuel is elected Mayor of Chicago, he will be the most powerful political boss since Boss Tweed with the ability to call the shots in Chicago, influence corporate and economic legislation as well as to control the flow of paperwork to the inbox in the Oval Office.
If Carol Moseley-Braun, Gerry Chico and Patricia Van Pelt-Watkins do not bring this appalling series of deals to the attention of the voters – then they are not tough enough to be Mayor of Chicago.
The one who hits Rahm first with the toughest attack ads will capture the biggest wave of political momentum.