Is Rahm Emanuel to Barack Obama what Dick Cheney was to George W. Bush?
By Mary Kate Cary, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
They may not look alike, but Rahm Emanuel and Dick Cheney have a lot in common.
Both were born in the Midwest (Emanuel in Chicago and Cheney in Lincoln, Neb.). Both are one of three children. (One of Emanuel's brothers is the inspiration for attack-dog super-agent Ari Gold on HBO's Entourage; Cheney's brother is the inspiration for the character Johnny Drama on the same show. Just kidding.) Both had interesting pursuits before they went into politics (Emanuel won a scholarship to the Joffrey Ballet but turned it down to attend Sarah Lawrence College; Cheney dropped out of Yale and worked as a lineman for the county before attending the University of Wyoming). Both have master's degrees. Both were elected to Congress and quickly rose to leadership positions (Emanuel as head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Cheney as House Republican Whip). And both became White House chief of staff at relatively young ages.
And, it seems, both seem to have a knack for rubbing their political opponents the wrong way. As he was leaving office, Vice President Cheney told Fox News's Chris Wallace that he still has no regrets about the 2004 incident in which he told Sen. Pat Leahy to "go (bleep) yourself" after Leahy lambasted him about Halliburton on the Senate floor. And it's now Washington legend—perhaps apocryphal—that Rahm Emanuel sent a 2½-pound rotten fish to a pollster who had displeased him. Cheney's abrasiveness isn't surprising coming from a former halfback from the county high school, but the theory goes that Emanuel's aggressiveness stems from his years of ballet lessons—you'd better be tough if you want to survive on the streets of Chicago as a ballet dancer. Sort of like Johnny Cash singing to the inmates about "A Boy Named Sue."
The Daily Beast's John Batchelor quotes a lot of anonymous House Republicans who are already bristling at Emanuel's take-no-prisoners style. (There were plenty of House Democrats who complained about Cheney; unlike the Republicans, they'd do it on the record.) If Emanuel starts spending time in "undisclosed locations," we'll know he has, in fact, become the next Dick Cheney.
And if a 2½-pound rotten fish arrives on my desk, I'll let you know.
- Read more by Mary Kate Cary.
- Read more from the Thomas Jefferson Street blog.
- Read more about Rahm Emanuel.
Tags: Barack Obama | George W. Bush | Dick Cheney | Rahm Emanuel
Tools: 
Share
|
| Comments (22) | Print
Reader Comments
bush began simulations solutions
llc during trading assessment
MI
As a small Michigan business owner, I like to stick to the local guys for supplies when necessary. For years, I have been getting my abrasive belts, wheels and supplies from Econaway Abrasives. They have information on their website with full pricing and order forms. I believe the URL is http://www.econaway.com. They are in West Michigan, and provide a full spectrum of abrasive supplies for residential or industrial needs.
Rahm and getting beat up for being a dancer
"...you'd better be tough if you want to survive on the streets of Chicago as a ballet dancer."
Uh huh.
According to Wikipedia, he and his family moved to Wilmette, IL before he entered junior high school. Wilmette has now a median family income of $150,000. It's in the top 50 nationwide among communities of 10K population and more. Furthermore, his father was a pediatrician.
Somehow, I doubt diminutive Rahm has ever been in danger of getting his tough little *ss kicked "on the streets of Chicago." Unless it was 7 year olds doing the threatening.
I CAN believe that having his mother "encourage" (some web sites say "forced") him to be a ballet dancer probably screwed him right the h*ll up. It would have done that to me.
advertisement
