Emmanuel Announces Mayoral Bid - image Washington Post
Ah - Chicago Politics! Rahm Emmanuel left the White House with a gift from the President that, from the Washington Post’s perspective, was reminiscent of Emmanuel’s management style – he received a “dead Asian Carp”. Apparently, if someone were to cross Emmanuel, they might find themselves in possession of a dead fish – the meaning of which is clear to anyone with any familiarity with American mobsters.
From Union Mobsters in Chicago - a threat to "sleep with the fishes - 1908
The receipt of a dead fish is an old mob style threat, basically meaning “you’ll be sleeping with the fishes”. Emmanuel must be well versed in Chicago History – the term shows up circa 1908, when the city was threatened by union anarchists known as the “Red Menace”(Worth the Fee from Chicago Tribune archives.) a sheriff going over police reports found this gem: “I am with the mob. I would like to go out right now with the mob behind me and kill every policeman on the street and then throw their bodies in the lake, like so many dead fish”. (The union mobster was referring to the uproar in Chicago over the assassinations of European Monarchy in Spain and Portugal.)
So much for the God Father reference.
The next step for Emmanuel was an internet announcement (shown below) of his intent to run for Mayor of Chicago. It opens with platitudes for the departing Mayor Daley, and goes on with a threat to those “Gang bangers” who run Chicago streets. Emmanuel intends to begin a city wide tour to listen to the concerns of the people. He appears comfortable and confident in his quest for the Windy City’s top job, and obviously the man is tough enough to take the reins from Daley. That said; there is a question of legality brought to bear of Emmanuel’s’ residency.
Over at the Chicago Sun Times, the question is raised about the legality of Emmanuel’s run due to a lack of residency. The City has a residency requirement that an individual must not only have an address but actually reside in the City. Rahm Emmanuel, does have an address, has voted absentee from Chicago, however, had rented out his home and the tenant refuses to break the lease. That said, one has to wonder who would have the chutzpah to refuse to leave the house of a man who would send one a “dead fish”? In all seriousness, the fact that the Emmanuel has a residence, rented or no, and votes in the City of Chicago (absentee or no), may weigh in his favor with the powers that be in Chicago. In addition, one would have to question why a man, who is savvy in the way of said City politics, would leave the White House to run for Mayor of Chicago if he were not confident that he would be on the ballot. Smart money in this case, would be on Rahm Emmanuel, regardless of the residency, or the fact that he is not an “Irish Catholic” or has competition from “political hot property – Tommy Dart” – he has the persona to run the City in the “old-fashioned Chicago style”.
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