Is Rahm Mulling A Run For Mayor?

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Jan 5, 2010 3:45PM

It's an interesting question being asked this morning thanks to Sally Quinn's column in today's Washington Post. The column begins reflecting on the revelation of a third uninvited guest who sneaked into November's state dinner and the ensuing mess this has cause the Secret Service and the White House. Quinn then turns the column to a discussion of the current White House power structure which leads to the inevitable Chicago connections, including White House social secretary Desirée Rogers and Chief-of-Staff Rahm Emanuel. It's a this point that Quinn drops this paragraph on us:

Emanuel, the most political animal in this town, also should understand that keeping Rogers on as social secretary reflects upon the president's judgment. It's possible that he has other considerations. Emanuel is said to have told people that the chief-of-staff role is an 18-month job and that he is considering a run for mayor of Chicago. And Rogers is a major social and political player in the Windy City.

We just did one of those Scooby-Doo double-takes. Rahm for Mayor? We don't even know how to process that. Of course, we take it with a huuuuuuuge grain of salt. After all, this seems to be one of those "someone told someone who told someone who told someone who told me" situations best fit for Michael Sneed. But - for better or worse - we admit we're intrigued by the Rahm for Mayor rumor. We're not saying it's a good thing or a bad thing. Would the move even make sense for Rahm? Having been the man behind the curtain for two presidents now, as well as his stint as Fifth District Congressman, he's found power in the federal government. And is he really ready to step away from the White House already? He stayed with Clinton for five years. But maybe he's ready to step to the front of the stage on the civic level and run America's third largest city. And if Rahm were to announce his candidacy today, he'd certainly be the front-runner opponent to Mayor Daley, right?

Of course, this is all just speculation. Still, we can't help but let our mind wander a bit. If you thought that Mayor Daley showed some bluster with the press, imagine Rahm. But maybe we're wrong and Rahmbo found some inner-peace on his recent holiday trip to India.

Thanks for the tip, Tim!