It seems that Rahm Emanuel is destined to go down in history as the most wishy-washy mayor in the history of Chicago politics.
The truth is that there are many professional pursuits where a penchant to change one’s mind isn’t necessarily a fatal flaw. In fact, a propensity for doing an about-face isn’t, in many professions, that important.
However, when you’re the mayor of the third-largest city in America and have been elected, in part, by touting your reputation as a connected insider and fixer, then frequent dithering and backpedaling doesn’t play well.
Already, Emanuel’s tendency to waver in the face of adversity has irreversibly damaged his credibility, and, in all likelihood, further eroded Chicago’s reputation around the world.
It really boils down to the fact that Emanuel’s first instinct is often wrong. Having said that, it’s almost certain that his administration operates in a perpetual state of flux, working to spin positively something that he has said or done.
Time and again, we’ve seen Emanuel abandon a position that he’d unequivocally supported. Not to mention those high-profile mayoral appointments gone bad.
A case in point is the abrupt firing of former Chicago police Superintendent Garry McCarthy, who only days earlier had enjoyed Emanuel’s steadfast support.
Ah, but what a difference a day makes.
You may recall how, after the announcement by the U.S. Department of Justice that it would conduct an investigation into the patterns and practices of the Chicago Police Department, Emanuel shot the idea down, calling it misguided.
However, fast-forward, and days later, he completely reversed his position, saying that “the city welcomes engagement by the Department of Justice when it comes to looking at the systemic issues embedded in the CPD.”
Are you kidding?
Then there’s the most recent example of Emanuel’s shilly-shallying — well, that is, as of the writing of this column.
In this instance, when an attorney from City Hall’s Law Department was accused of withholding information related to a police matter, Emanuel’s modus operandi was predictable. As usual, he came out like gangbusters in defense of the Law Department and vigorously opposed demands for extending the Department of Justice probe.
You know where this is headed. Of course, Emanuel prevaricated and reversed his decision.
I could go on, but you get my point.
Can you imagine working for this guy, and wondering if it’s your turn to be thrown under the bus?
Working for a recant artist can be hazardous. However, if Emanuel simply heeded the words of late New York Gov. Mario Cuomo — who, when talking about following his instinct, said, “Every time I’ve done something that doesn’t feel right, it’s ended up not being right” — the people of Chicago might have a fighting chance.
Anthony Stanford is an Aurora resident, Beacon-News columnist and author.
