Now the stakes have been raised again for the mayor who couldn’t win reelection outright—even with his $30 million in donations and endorsements from two presidents.
It must have been a crushing blow for Mayor Rahm Emanuel to learn that comedian Trevor Noah will replace Jon Stewart as the new host of the late-night parody newscast “The Daily Show.” Especially, since it would have been the perfect fall-back-gig for Rahm, whose real talent is actually sarcasm. In another setting, Rahm would be wickedly-funny not just wicked.
Now the stakes have been raised again for the mayor who couldn’t win reelection outright—even with his $30 million in donations and endorsements from two presidents.
Promoting the Polar Plunge while playfully attempting to goad Jimmy Fallon, making appearances on Jimmy Kimmel and other programs, along with the made for Chicagoan’s CNN special on Rahm, all seem to have been a hedge on whether the City’s chief ballet dancer will continue to balance the good deeds he’s done for millionaires and billionaires, while closing public schools, mental health clinics and remapping aldermanic critics out of their wards.
The mayor has trained for years to step into the spotlight of a parody newscast. As far back as his days in the Clinton White house he’s berated journalists that didn’t spin the news his way and leaked stories to those who played his game. What other late night comedian would have favors he could call-in from say, Alison Mitchell, national editor at the New York Times?
Rahm has had plenty of experience developing good material over the years. It’s hard to understand what the Viacom Inc-owned network was thinking by letting all that nexus research money Rahm has spent digging up dirt on people to spin the news, slip through their fingers?
Surely Michele Ganeless, president of Comedy Central, must know how funny Rahm truly is? Who else has sent dead fish to a former colleague, called liberal activists “f—ing retarded” and, while naked, harangued a naked congressmen about healthcare in the gym?
Chicago Reader’s Ben Jovarsky has said this for Rahm—“he’s not afraid to let it all hang out.”
What a waste! This could be the type of stuff that sends late night comedy ratings through the roof and keeps exhausted Americans up another hour each night for sponsors.
Rahm’s a natural at digging up dirt on politicians—remember Chicago’s second African-American mayor Eugene Sawyer? His reelection bid inspired Rahm to start an opposition research firm just to stay in the game—he’s a natural.
Couldn’t you just imagine Ted Cruz sitting across the desk from Rahm on late night television? Jimmy Fallon would seem like just another classroom clown in Rahmbo’s shadow. The best part is that cable wouldn’t force Emanuel to contain his sarcasm or his four-letter vocabulary. He wouldn’t have to avoid questions about job cuts and privatization deals either.
Chicago’s mayor has trained for that late night spotlight. Few could argue that he wouldn’t get good at it—just ask Rahm himself.
But to bring in a South African newcomer like Trevor Noah to replace Jon Stewart, when they have big-gun-ballet-dancer Rahm Emanuel primed at the gate, leaves some of us scratching our heads in confusion.
Indeed, Rahm Emanuel will never be remembered as being good at heart, having never thrown the City’s peasants even a trinket. But in the right setting, Rahm’s small shoe size won’t matter a bit and being a nasty jerk to everyone could give us all a smile and help Chicago to remember him more fondly.