Upon reading The Plan newly elected Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and former Clinton Aide Bruce Reed's book about politics and policy what strikes me is that it is purely a political tract.
He attacks two main figures in the second chapter George Lakoff and Thomas Frank. He claims that both of them preach the politics of avoidance and chicanery to liberal audiences. And while they are right to a certain extent, that politics is not a shell game and that we need the right balance between policy and political gamesmanship, I think Mayor Emanuel’s thoughts about Washington are far more revealing. He constantly refers to corruption and people in Washington who are out for money and power as if they are evil and ruining this country. (One quote has it that “When politicians in Washington care more about holding onto power than about what to do with it, they invite a culture of corruption that raids taxpayers’ pockets…”) but I beg to differ. The Mayor himself walked through the revolving door, leaving the Clinton White house to make millions on Wall Street not to mention pocketing a hefty sum from Fannie Mae along the way. For someone with a background in ballet and communications I have a hard time believing they hired him for his pirouettes or jumps.
That is not to say that I have a problem with any of it, in fact I admire the Mayor’s ability to sacrifice his own financial well being to serve the country and then work to secure his family’s future later, but my point is that people in glass houses should not go searching for stones. The Mayor is a remarkably capable politico. Another choice quote from the book, “When we began working together (Emanuel and Reed) in the Clinton White House, we came from different tribes-one of us a Hack, the other a wonk. (We’re not telling which.)” I think it is safe to say when the Mayor is involved it’s easy to figure out who the Hack is.
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