June 2-3, 2010 -- Rahm Emanuel: A bought-and-paid for corporate contrivance
After WMR's interviews with a number of White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel's political opponents in Chicago, a picture emerges of President Obama's closest aide that is one of a person groomed and blackmailed by major corporate interests.
In Emanuel's four races for the 5th Illinois Congressional District in Chicago, he spent relatively little of his own money, including the millions made as a Chicago executive for the Wall Street investment firm Wasserstein-Perella, in a largely blue-collar district that appears to be as alien to Emanuel's personal concerns as the streets of Gaza.
In the 2002 Democratic primary, during which Emanuel's opponents accused him of being a dual loyalist for Israel and a carpetbagger, Emanuel's campaign was mainly funded by Hollywood Jewish contributions. Emanuel's brother, Ari Emanuel, is a powerful Hollywood agent.
Each re-election campaign for Emanuel became easier. One of his House challengers told WMR, "in 2008. Rahm made no appearances, attended no debates, and aired no TV commercials. There weren't even campaign signs around the neighborhoods of the 5th District."
However, Emanuel did funnel plenty of campaign money from his own political action committee to what was described as "local interests" in Chicago, as well as the campaigns of other Democratic candidates. Essentially, Emanuel's PAC acted as a huge political money laundering machine, buying off the loyalty of Chicago area Democrats.
Emanuel also abused his congressional franking privileges to send out campaign literature. One of his election challengers said, "he [Emanuel] used his franking privileges as an incumbent for mass-mailed 'newsletters' -- thinly-veiled promotional materials talking about the latest wonderful thing he did for some isolated individual."
In 2002, Emanuel was so unknown in the 5th District, which had been previously represented by Rod Blagojevich, who became Governor, people thought because of his appearance that he was an "Arab." Emanuel's father, Benjamin, is an Israeli immigrant and a veteran of the Jewish terrorist organization, Irgun Zvai Leumi.
One of Emanuel's GOP opponents commented that "no one in the district really knew Emanuel . . . the only thing they really knew about was his use of four letter words." Another election opponent said, "Rahm was able to buy his election at bargain-basement prices, and have a huge war chest left over for whatever comes next."
WMR has recently learned that while a member of the House, a major Democratic strategist and lobbyist rented Emanuel his Washington, DC condominium at below market rates. Emanuel reportedly used the condominium for trysts with his homosexual partners in Washington while Emanuel's family remained at their home in north Chicago. The Democratic strategist in question is also a top lobbyist for BP.
.gif){kind=small}
