What’s also notable is that Emmanuel’s rep is as an attack dog, someone who can really twist elbows and enforce discipline. He has proven to be none of the above – just another useless Democrat excusing failure and losing nerve and incapable of getting his own party to deliver on clear, unequivocal campaign promises.
Assuming Emmanuel wants to deliver on promises or even considers that a priority. LBJ, where are you? At least he knew how to ramrod bills through Congress. Sometimes he even did so based on principle, not just on sleazy political calculations as too many in both parties do now.
After LBJ got the Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed (something he did through adroit legislative maneuvering and the bully pulpit), he said, “there’s goes the South for a generation.” Yes, he could be a war-mongering SOB. But he wanted civil rights enacted, and damn the price. He took a stand, and didn’t change his actions on it based on what the polls were saying or on how clever the triangulation could be.
In other words, he believed in something. Do the Rahm Emmanuel’s believe in anything?