Pelosi 3.19

Not, that's not a book, chapter and verse of some twisted new age Bible, but a reminder of a day when Democrats found gas prices intolerable.

However, if gas prices rise nearly $1.50 more and a Democrat is in the White House, all is well.

Obama Thwarts #Occupy, Moves G-8 Summit to Camp David

Take that, Rahm Emanuel:

The White House abruptly announced Monday that it had scuttled plans to hold the upcoming G-8 economic summit in Chicago, and would instead host world leaders at the presidential retreat at Camp David in Maryland.

It was an unusually late location change for a large and highly scripted international summit and came with little explanation from the White House. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel — the former White House chief of staff who personally lobbied President Barack Obama to hold the summit in Chicago — was informed only hours before the official announcement.

White House national security spokesman Tommy Vietor simply said that Camp David, the rustic retreat in the mountains of Maryland, was a setting that would allow for more intimate discussions among the G-8 leaders. He said security and the possibility of protests were not factors in the decision, noting that Obama would still host the NATO summit in his hometown of Chicago from May 20-21.

The Occupy morons had some big plans for this summit, and chances are Chicago would have been a battleground not unlike the Dem convention in 1968. By moving to Camp David he ensures a completely sterile, secure environment where not an Occumoron can be found.

Just the usual political morons.

Chicago Melts Down Financially While Seeking Ways to Make it Worse

We'll just call it Greece on Lake Michigan:

As Mayor Rahm Emanuel prepares to present his first budget next month, Chicago Inspector General Joseph Ferguson is tossing out dozens of ways to raise more money and cut the size of city government.

Many of them are politically poisonous: a city income tax, tolls on Lake Shore Drive, higher ambulance fees. Others could conceivably gain traction: making garbage pickup more efficient, cutting layers of management and making all city employees work 40 hours a week.

Each of the 63 ideas, Ferguson says, is pointed toward highlighting the desperate plight of city finances in the coming years and the need for action to head off a financial meltdown.

More efficient is good. Cutting layers of management is good. Making city employees earn their salaries is good.

More taxes and tolls are bad. They'll only make things worse and they won't raise the amount of money promised. They never do.

Oh, and you might want to reconsider letting Wal-Mart build in Chicago. They'll bring in a ton of sales tax revenue, not to mention the jobs they'll provide.

Rahm Emanuel Places His Fiscal Hopes for Chicago on a Casino

This is a fiscal plan?

Mayor Rahm Emanuel says he and Gov. Pat Quinn should be able to work out their differences over legislation that would clear the way for a casino in Chicago, among other places.

As WBBM Newsradio Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports, the mayor says the funds that would be generated from the casino are desperately needed.

“This is an investment we need to make in our own city’s future. We have an opportunity now with the Chicago casino, which the city of Chicago residents favor,” Emanuel said, “and I told you, I wasn’t like an enthusiast about it, but I cannot continue to have Hammond, Indiana, get $20 million a month while our infrastructure is crumbling.”

Maybe if Chicago had allowed Wal-Mart to build in their city they would have had a lot more tax revenue coming in and wouldn't need to tax people who are bad at math by building a casino.

Hope and Change in Chicago

Looks like new mayor Rahm Emanuel still has some work to do in Chicago:

Crime in downtown Chicago has gotten so out of control, Major League Baseball is taking precautions.

Fraternal Order of Police spokesman Pat Camden joined WLS Radio's Don Wade and Roma Monday where he said "it's a crying shame."

"Unfortunately, we have a situation downtown that has occured to Major League Baseball is warning their teams about downtown Chicago," Camden said.

During a recent heat wave Rahm ordered the lakefront beaches shut down, reputedly because people were have heat-related illnesses. Well, of course, it didn't make much sense to close the coolest place in the area on a sweltering day. What was really going on was something like 2,000 gang members, possibly organized by various social networks like Twitter and Facebook, had gone to the lake to cause problems. Those mob-style attacks have continued around Chicago and that's what's causing the warning from Major League Baseball.

Political Headline of the Day

From Hot Air:

Great news: Chicago elects Rahm Emanuel mayor for life

Yep, he'll be there as long as he wants to be.

Rahm "Selected" Mayor by Illinois Supreme Court

Remember when the left went apoplectic over the Supreme Court ruling that threw out the illegal Florida recounts and effectively gave George Bush the win in 2000?  The cry was "Bush was selected, not elected!"

Well, using that logic, today the Illinois Supreme Court selected Rahm Emanuel as the new Mayor of Chicago:

Rahm Emanuel can run for mayor, the Illinois Supreme Court has ruled.

In a 7 to 0 decision, the court Thursday said an appellate court erred in taking Emanuel off the ballot earlier in the week.

The decision means Emanuel holds onto his position as the first name on the ballot in the Feb. 22 election. Emanuel has been leading in both the polls and fund-raising in the race that includes candidates Carol Moseley Braun, Gery Chico and Miguel del Valle. Patricia Van Pelt Watkins and William “Dock” Walls are also on the ballot.

ExJon on Twitter adds this:

Not to jump to conclusions, but I'm beginning to think Chicago's political machine has dubious ethics.

Um...yeah.

Rahmbo Saved by Illinois Supreme Court

Yesterday my headline said "Rahm Emanual Tossed of Chicago Mayoral Ballot...Temporarily". I explained it this way:

I say temporarily because I fully expect the Illinois Supreme Court to bend over and grab the ankles when the Chicago machine comes calling.

Well, here you go:

The Illinois Supreme Court has just issued a stay of the appeals court's order knocking Rahm Emanuel off the ballot and directing the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners to restore his name to the ballot.

This is a strong indication that the court will accept the case and, perhaps, of which way the justices are leaning.

They're leaning, alright, all the way down to grab the ankles.

Rahm Emmanuel Tossed Off Chicago Mayoral Ballot...Temporarily

I say temporarily because I fully expect the Illinois Supreme Court to bend over and grab the ankles when the Chicago machine comes calling:

Rahm Emanuel was thrown off the ballot for mayor of Chicago today by an appellate court panel, a stunning blow to the fund-raising leader in the race.

An appellate panel ruled 2-1 that Emanuel did not meet the residency standard to run for mayor.

Appellate judges Thomas Hoffman and Shelvin Louise Marie Hall ruled against Emanuel. Justice Bertina Lampkin voted in favor of keeping President Obama’s former chief of staff on the Feb. 22 ballot.

“It’s a surprise,” said Kevin Forde, the attorney who argued on Emanuel’s behalf.

Emanuel’s attorneys are expected to use Lampkin’s dissenting opinion to appeal the case to the Illinois Supreme Court.

In today’s ruling, Hoffman wrote: “We ... order that the candidate’s name be excluded (or if, necessary, be removed) from the ballot from Chicago’s Feb. 22, 2011.”

Hey, if a guy born in Kenya can be elected president surely Rahm can be elected mayor (just kidding, Birthers).

Who Are These Guys Anyway?

This headline on Drudge:

'Vinny Carwash', 'Tony Bagels', 'Johnny Pizza', 'Lumpy', 'The Bull', 'Meatball'...

I'm not sure but I think they're all part of Rahm Emanuel's campaign staff.

First Black President is Accused of Betraying His Race

Bill Clinton was dubbed "The First Black President", but now he's being accused of being disloyal to his race.  Not his actual race, but his pretend race:

The campaign to be the next mayor of Chicago continues to develop largely along racial lines. On Wednesday former Democratic Sen. Carol Moseley Braun said that former President Clinton betrayed minority communities by campaigning for former chief of staff to President Obama Rahm Emanuel.

“For him to come on the day following Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday to insert himself in the middle of a mayoral race,” Braun said in a statement, “is a betrayal of the people who were most loyal to him. It’s a mistake.”

“President Bill Clinton does not live or vote in Chicago,” said Braun. “He’s an outsider parachuting in to support another outsider.” Emanuel was an advisor to Clinton during his presidency.

At an event Wednesday, Braun elaborated to a local NBC affiliate.

“The African-American community if you remember when he was having Monica Lewinsky problems stuck by him,” she said, ”to stay out of it, that would have been the right move.”

Black Democrats are remarkably naïve. They actually believe that when Democrats are pandering to them they're being sincere.  Consequently, they're shocked when a major Democrat figure ignores them and supports the machine candidate like Rahm Emanuel in Chicago.  It happens over and over again and they never learn.

It's Black vs. White vs. Brown in Chicago

The Chicago Mayoral Race promises to be a "colorful" event as the racial politics of Democrats makes things interesting:

Danny K. Davis, a longtime United States representative, has dropped out of the race to become Chicago’s mayor, creating the situation that black leaders here had for months been clamoring for: a campaign that includes only one major African-American candidate.

Carol Moseley Braun, a former senator, became that candidate this weekend, as Mr. Davis announced his plans to step aside and to support Ms. Braun. The Rev. James T. Meeks, the pastor of a large South Side church, quit his campaign about a week ago.

Pressure to unite around one African-American candidate has been bubbling here for months, in part out of fear that the city’s black vote would be split — diminishing its influence and all but ensuring that a white candidate (like Rahm Emanuel, the former White House chief of staff) or a Latino candidate (like Gery Chico, a former board of education leader) might win on Feb. 22.

I wonder if black Chicago voters will vote for Braun in the same percentages they voted for Obama in 2008? That could give Emanuel some scary moments on election night.

Rahm Ruled Eligible For Chicago Ballot

Imagine that:

A victory for Rahm Emanuel Thursday. Chicago Election Commissioners decided to put his name on the ballot for Mayor of Chicago.

Immediately after the decision, an attorney for the opponents rushed to file an appeal.

For now though, Emanuel is celebrating his win. "Their decision affirms what I've said all along – the only reason I left this city was to serve President Obama and that I always intended to return", Emanuel said in a written statement.

It wasn't an easy victory for him. He had to sit through more than twelve hours of testimony against him as dozens of members of the public came out to testify before the commission about why they didn't think Emanuel should get the chance to run for mayor, why they didn't think he satisfied residency requirements of the city. Emanuel moved to Washington DC when he became White House Chief of Staff, although he kept a home in Chicago.

It was almost a circus-like atmosphere. Despite hours and hours of challenges, claims and accusations, Emanuel managed to appear to be listening intently to it all and even smiling at times. He never lost his cool, at least not as far as anyone could tell.

He didn't need to lose his cool - this thing was in the bag from the start. There's no way the Chicago machine was going to let some peon commissioner knock the anointed mayor off the ballot.

Rahm's Not Eligible to Be Mayor of Chicago

That won't stop the Dem machine from making sure he wins, but they'll have to pay off some judges along the way.

Former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel (D) may face as many as 19 other contenders in the race to succeed retiring Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley (D), according to candidate filings submitted Monday. But even before Emanuel contends with his rivals on the ballot, he’ll have to overcome another hurdle: a dispute over his residency.

Election law attorney Burt Odelson, who also has served as an adviser to several of Emanuel’s opponents in the race, is planning to file a legal challenge with the Chicago Board of Elections as early as tomorrow arguing that Emanuel does not meet Illinois’ residency requirement for candidates running for municipal office. In an interview with The Fix, Odelson said that he is representing a group of Chicago citizens and that no campaign is involved in the challenge.

Hot Air explains the problem:

According to Illinois’ municipal code, candidates have to be a resident of the state for a year prior to the election. Emanuel moved back to the state in October, a full seven months too late to qualify, if you follow the letter of the statute, so he should not be allowed to run. However, Emanuel does not plan to argue the letter of the law but the spirit. He claims that his intention was to remain a resident, since he voted an absentee ballot in Illinois, kept his vehicle registered there, and paid property taxes on the home he owns there.

Does anyone seriously believe that Rahm will be disqualified? It'll never happen. The machine is so entrenched in Chicago politics that any judge who tries to stand in the way is likely to find a horse's head in his bed or an equivalent warning.  Rahm will be the next mayor of Chicago - you can pretty much count on it.

Rahm's Big Adventure

Just based on these headlines Rahm Emanuel's run for Mayor of Chicago has gotten off to a rocky start:

Rahm's 'glad to be home' message -- filmed in Washington...

VIDEO: Blown Off by Commuters; Starts Campaign at Chicago Train Stop...

Tells media to 'back off'...

Experts: Emanuel 'not a legal resident of city'...

Even if Rahm never bothered to move from Washington there's no way he'd be disqualified based on residency. That doesn't happen to Democrats.

But if he should win, he's got his work cut out for him:

Nation's Most Dangerous Neighborhood Is In Chicago...

Political Quote of the Day

From outgoing White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel:

Obama, he said, is "the toughest leader any country could ask for, in the toughest times any president has ever faced."

Yeah, the War of 1812, Civil War, Great Depression, December 1941, 9/11...those were all a piece of cake compared to today.

Political Headline of the Day

Or perhaps the Religious Headline of the Day - from Campaign Spot:

Chicago Calls, 'O Come, O Come, Emanuel'

Rahm for Chicago Mayor

Back in June I wrote that Rahm Emanual, White House Chief of Staff, would probably leave the administration after the November elections.  There was no speculation at that time what he might do, but I think his next direction became clear today when Mayor Daley in Chicago announced that he will not seek reelection next Spring.  That's a job Rahm really wants and I expect he'll announce as soon as it's politically viable to do so.

Rahm Gone After November?

That's what the UK Telegraph is reporting:

Washington insiders say he will quit within six to eight months in frustration at their unwillingness to "bang heads together" to get policy pushed through.
Mr Emanuel, 50, enjoys a good working relationship with Mr Obama but they are understood to have reached an understanding that differences over style mean he will serve only half the full four-year term.

Friends say he is also worried about burnout and losing touch with his young family due to the pressure of one of most high profile jobs in US politics.

"I would bet he will go after the midterms," said a leading Democratic consultant in Washington. "Nobody thinks it's working but they can't get rid of him - that would look awful. He needs the right sort of job to go to but the consensus is he'll go."

Someone's gonna have to fall on their sword if things go as expected in November with big Republican gains. If Obama wants to have a chance at reelection in 2012 he will have to moderate his politics, and Rahm Emanuel is not the guy to lead that. I still don't think Obama has it in him to move to the center, but if he gets the right Chief of Staff he could at least give the appearance of moderation.

Golf is Okay, but Yachting's a No-No

Interesting complaint coming from the White House:

President Barack Obama's chief of staff says BP chief executive Tony Hayward has committed yet another in a "long line of PR gaffes" but attending a yacht race in England while the Gulf oil spill disaster continues.

Hayward faced a fresh avalanche of criticism as news circulated Saturday that he was at a yacht competition around the Isle of Wight.

White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel is mocking Hayward's infamous statement that he wishes the crisis were over so could have his life back.

Referring to the yachting, Emanuel tells ABC's "This Week," ''He's got his life back, as he would say."

Emanuel says the focus should stay on capping the leaking well and helping the people of the Gulf region.

Hmmm...

President Barack Obama hit the golf course Saturday with Vice President Joe Biden.

The White House pool report noted that Obama left at about 1 p.m. for the course at Andrews Air Force base, and his golfing parters included White House Trip Director Marvin Nicholson and photographer David Katz.

Nicholson and Katz, along with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, joined Obama for four hours of golf last weekend. The Republican National Committee released an ad soon afterward taking aim at Obama's golfing during the ongoing BP oil spill crisis in the Gulf of Mexico.