Apparently, it is still not too early to discuss presidential politics in the future – and by future, I mean 2028. When it comes to Democrats, much speculation has centered on whether California Gov. Gavin Newsom will become the new standard-bearer for the party.
But what about former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel? According to a new Politico report, there are signs that he might be looking to throw his hat into the ring.
The report suggests that Emanuel is positioning himself for a potential presidential run after President Donald Trump’s final term ends. He seems to be trying to leverage his extensive political experience and strategic messaging to reframe Democratic priorities.
Fresh off his stint as former President Joe Biden’s ambassador to Japan, Emanuel has been anything but conspicuous, having secured a CNN contract and a Washington Post column. He has also embarked on a series of speaking engagements.
The author points out that Emanuel seems intent on shifting Democratic discourse away from culture war issues such as the transgender debate and to education policies. “I am done with the discussion of locker rooms, I am done with the discussion of bathrooms and we better start having a conversation about the classroom,” he said during a recent speech.
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The former Chicago mayor is trying to push the conversation more toward America’s failing education system, bringing up studies showing poor reading levels among eighth graders and linking domestic policy to America’s performance on the global stage. “We literally are a superpower, we’re facing off against China with 1.4 billion people and two-thirds of our children can’t read eighth grade level,” he said.
Other high-profile Democrats seem open to seeing where this Emanuel thing goes. David Axelrod, a former Obama administration official and bosom buddy of Emanuel’s asked, “Who has more relevant experience?”
Even Republican Rep. Tom Cole indicated that Emanuel might have a good chance of being the next individual to occupy the Oval Office, calling him “the best all-around player for the Democratic Party.”
However, not everyone is enthused about Emanuel’s potential candidacy. South Carolina Democrat Gilda Cobb-Hunter indicated that he is more of a relic of a bygone era. “His connection to Barack Obama is decades old. We’re in a different time,” she said.
If the former mayor is planning to seek the presidency, he will certainly have some obstacles to overcome. Given his long and storied career in politics, the former mayor might have some baggage that could make his prospects less than certain.
While serving as Chicago mayor, Emanuel made the dubious decision to lengthen the school day without giving much in the way of compensation. This, along with other issues, prompted teachers to go on a seven-day strike in 2012. The strike disrupted education for hundreds of thousands of students before an agreement was reached.
The former mayor also oversaw the closure of 50 government-run schools the following year. Most of these closures occurred in predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods. Critics accused him of engaging in racial discrimination, an accusation that was upheld in a 2018 court ruling.
Of course, we can’t forget how he handled the police shooting of a 17-year-old Black resident named Laquan McDonald in 2014. Former police officer Jason Van Dyke shot the youth 16 times while he was walking away.
Emanuel’s administration decided to delay releasing the dashcam footage showing the encounter for as long as possible. When the video was finally released in November 2015 due to a court order, it contradicted claims made by law enforcement about the shooting. This sparked a huge backlash with many residents accusing the mayor of trying to cover up the shooting. A crowd of hundreds marched through the streets calling for Emanuel to be impeached.
Van Dyke was later convicted of murder. The city paid out a $5 million settlement to the victim’s family. Needless to say, Emanuel’s approval among Black residents went straight into the toilet.
These are only a few of the scandals that dogged Emanuel’s tenure as mayor. As you can imagine, it will be quite difficult to win the votes of Black Americans – especially when many have abandoned the Democratic Party. This posed a real problem for Vice President Kamala Harris who lost historic levels of Black support despite being a Black woman.
Of course, there is the possibility that Emanuel could overcome these issues. With the media covering for him, it isn’t beyond the scope of possibility that his past won’t catch up with him. But in an age when legacy media no longer has a stranglehold on the media environment, it won’t be easy to gloss over Emanuel’s political past.
If Democrats want to lose again, it would be hard for them to do better than Rahm Emanuel. But perhaps by the time the 2028 campaign rolls around, they will have finally grown sick of getting shellacked.
