Emanuel Formally Announces Bid for Mayor
Rahm Emanuel “formally kicked off his campaign for Chicago mayor today by saying he’s got the right combination of background, vision and grit to lead the city during tough times,” the Chicago Tribune reports.
Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire
Mayor vetoes San Francisco ban on Happy Meals with toys
(CNN) – San Francisco, California, Mayor Gavin Newsom vetoed Friday the city’s ban on most McDonald’s Happy Meals with toys.
In making the veto, the mayor released a new report on how a public-private partnership is combating childhood obesity and how San Francisco’s more than 55,000 public school students are now eating fresher and healthier foods.
Lauderdale Mayor Seiler honors veterans
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler reached out to veterans on Veterans Day Thursday. City activist and veteran Art Seitz shot the photos.
UK: Newly-elected Islamic supremacist mayor places cd’s of sermons by promoter of wife-beating and Islamic domination in town hall
I hate to say I told you so, but I don’t hate it all that much. “Lutfur Rahman council promotes extremist preacher who supports wife-beating,” by Andrew Gilligan in the Telegraph, November 9 (thanks to all who sent this in):
Two weeks after the extremist-backed politician, Lutfur Rahman, became mayor of Tower Hamlets, his council has placed CDs of sermons by an extremist Islamic preacher in its Town Hall.
The preacher, Abdur Raheem Green, has stated that “Islam is not compatible with democracy.” He also says that a husband has the right to administer “some type of physical force… a very light beating” to his wife, to prevent her from committing “evil.” There is, of course, a considerable irony here. You may remember that Lutfur won the mayoralty with the help of smear literature falsely claiming that his Labour opponent was… a wife-beater.
The CDs are being handed out to council workers and visitors as part of an official council-sanctioned display mounted in the Town Hall reception area from last week by an organisation called One Reason. Two councillors have been given them and have passed them to me….
Rahm Gets Clear Shot for Mayor
Greg Hinz: “Barring a huge surprise — hello, Alexi; a judge throwing Rahm off the ballot for residency reasons — former congressman and Obama White House Chief of Staff Mr. Emanuel is well, well on his way to a surprisingly easy move to City Hall. He might even win the 50% needed in the February first round to avoid an April run-off election.”
Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire
Mayor Tom Truex Announces Bid for Broward GOP Chair
by Javier Manjarres
Last night at the Southwest Broward Republican Organization(SWBRO), former Mayor of Davie Tom Truex formally announced that he would be seeking the Chairman’s position at the Broward Republican Executive Committee (BREC). The election will be held next month, December 6th, to replace outgoing Chairwoman Cindy Guerra, who was voted into the position earlier this year- Guerra’s election was mired in controversy and further fueled the animosity between rival factions within the BREC.
Mayor Truex is a well respected Republican and considered to be a true conservative, unlike many ’moderate’ opportunists that are entrenched in the local GOP. Truax mentioned that the GOP needed to reach out and help all Republican candidates, and even went as far as to mention Senator George LeMieux-LeMieux is rumored to throw his hat in the ring for Senate next year. Because of his Conservative bona fides, Truax will be able to garner the support of many BREC members that have long been disappointed with the direction of the local party has gone in.
Murdoch: Mayor Bloomberg Called President Obama the Most “Arrogant” Man He Ever Met
You may recall that during President Obama’s vacation at Martha’s Vineyard, on August 27 he took in a round of golf at the Vineyard Golf Club in Edgartown, playing golf with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg; Democratic lawyer, business man and éminence grise Vernon Jordan; and White House trip director (and former golf pro) Marvin Nicholson…
Political Punch
The mayor of cable TV
Feel like you’re seeing a lot of Ed Rendell?
A source who obsesses about these things counted it up and found that Ed Rendell has made 34 cable TV appearances since Sept. 8.
Along with a broadcast hit on "Face the Nation," he’s been on MSNBC’s "Morning Joe," "Hardball," "The Ed Show," "Maddow," "Andrea Mitchell," "Last Word," "Lawrence O’Donnell" and "Jansing & Co.," CNBC’s "Squawk Box" and "Kudlow," Fox’s "Fox & Friends," "O’Reilly," "America Live" and "America’s Newsroom," CNN’s "Parker Spitzer" and Fox Business’s "Varney & Co."
Dart Drops Out, Easing Emanuel’s Path To Mayor
Putting his parental duties ahead of his political aspirations, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart stunned political observers in the Windy City on Wednesday by announcing he will not run for mayor of Chicago.
“I have found it impossible for it to be compatible between running for mayor and being a father and husband,” said Dart, who has five children.
Dart’s unexpected decision is a major boon for former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, to whom Dart was widely considered the most formidable challenger. In fact, Dart released a web video several weeks ago sardonically “welcoming” Emanuel back to Chicago — viewed at the time as a sure indication that Dart was preparing to enter the race.
Despite the obvious implications of his decision — namely, that Emanuel is now the clear-front runner — Dart insisted that he wasn’t “paving the way for anybody,” adding that he hasn’t spoken to any of the candidates to inform them of his decision. “The fact that I’m in or out — that’s not going to coronate anybody,” said Dart.
With Dart out of the race, the list of probable challengers to Emanuel has dwindled to five, including two Hispanic candidates — former Chicago School Board Pres. Gery Chico and City Clerk Miguel Del Valle — who Emanuel’s team hopes will split the city’s Latino vote. Three other mayoral hopefuls — former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, state Rep. James Meeks and Rep. Danny Davis — have all began organizing their campaign infrastructure, although only Meeks has formally declared his candidacy.
No Mayor Jackson
Another member of Congress takes a pass in Chicago, as Rahm rolls on:
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., whose career and personal life have been buffeted by political controversy in recent months, said Monday he would not run for Chicago mayor in 2011.
In a statement, Jackson said he has "many friends and colleagues" that might run for the office and that he will not be making an endorsement in the Feb. 22 contest to succeed Mayor Richard Daley, who is not running for re-election.
