April 19, 2010
updated
First time around Rahm Emanuel said he wasn’t interested in becoming mayor. But like his boss, his answers evolve. Looked for the initial post and can’t find it.
Charlie Rose Rose Show (PBS)
[Transcript of full exchange at end of post]
As for Emanuel’s present job:
Rose: How long do you think you’ll be in this job?
Emanuel: Well, as long as the President wants me to be.
Rose: Really? So if the President wants you for eight — four years or eight years, you’re there?
Emanuel: Well, I was being generous there a minute ago.
The future:
Emanuel: I hope Mayor Daley seeks reelection. I will work and support him if he seeks reelection. But if Mayor Daley doesn’t, one day I would like to run for mayor of the city of Chicago. That’s always been an aspiration of mine even when I was in the House of Representatives.
[...]
Right now, I’m a chief of staff — I’m in the Cabinet, president put the chief of staff in the Cabinet, but one day I want to run again for office. Again, I want to repeat, because the mayor’s a dear friend of mine, and I support him, I hope he seeks re-election, as you know … but if he doesn’t at some point, that will be something I’ll do.
Emanuel still has cash on hand amounting to $1.175M
The selective bio included:
Emanuel was a chief fundraiser for the mayor’s first election campaign in 1989 and later served as an aide to Daley. He was a White House staffer during the Clinton administration and after a brief career investment banking, was elected to Congress in 2002.
Nothing about his close associations with Tony Rezko and Gov Blagojevich. Or of how Emanuel took over Blago’s seat in the House after he and barry got Rod elected governor. And no mention of his Board of Directors stint with Freddie Mac. Perhaps they’re not aware, since the most transparent WH in history blocked FOIA requests to review the board minutes and correspondence during Emanuel’s time as a director.
TRANSCRIPT FOLLOWS
Charlie Rose: How long do you think you’ll be in this job?
Rahm Emanuel: Well, as long as the President wants me to be.
Charlie Rose: Really? So if the President wants you for eight — four years or eight years, you’re there?
Rahm Emanuel: Well, I was being generous there a minute ago.
[laughter]
Charlie Rose: Is there any other job in government you’d like to have?
Rahm Emanuel: In government?
Charlie Rose: In government.
Rahm Emanuel: Yeah.
Charlie Rose: What?
Rahm Emanuel: Well, I mean, it’s no secret –
Charlie Rose: That you want to be speaker of the house.
Rahm Emanuel: Well, that’s over. No, I would one day — first of all, let me say it this way, I hope Mayor Daley seeks reelection. I will work and support him if he seeks reelection. But if Mayor Daley doesn’t, one day I would like to run for mayor of the City of Chicago. That’s always been an aspiration of mine even when I was in the House of Representatives.
Charlie Rose: Mayor of Chicago.
Rahm Emanuel: Yeah, fact I said the one thing if you ask me what I miss, I miss the contact with constituents. You know, I miss being in the — when you were running the office, that touch with people. I used to do as you know I developed this thing called Congress on Your Corner where I used to stand in the grocery stores with a table of constituent service, and just greet people. And you learned a lot. And one of the best pieces of legislation I introduced was the Elderly Justice Act, came from a lady who talked to me at a grocery store about what happened to her father in a nursing home, and the way I found out that the law on the books was no real federal bill that dealt with seniors. And that’s a — you know, not all stories are like that. I helped a small business get a loan that expanded a tubing company. I miss that. I mean, I love what I’m doing. I find great passion in it because I work for a great president with a breadth of issues that has — if you’re in public policy at a period of time in history that’s important, one day I’ll go back to elected office and say I’ve enjoyed it, I enjoyed that process.
Charlie Rose: So rather than being a member of the Cabinet, if you left the chief of staff job you’d more likely want to go –
[talking simultaneously]
Rahm Emanuel: One day I’ll — I mean, you asked me if I was thinking of it that term, I mean, right now I’m a Chief of Staff — I’m in the Cabinet, President put the Chief of Staff in the Cabinet, but one day I want to run again for office and if I get a — but again I want to repeat because the Mayor’s a dear friend of mine, and I support him, I hope he seeks reelection as you know, Charlie, you’ve been out to Chicago, he’s done a fabulous job, and one day I would like to — but if he doesn’t at some point that will be something I’ll do.
