Rahm Is a Genius, Says Dumb Person (In which we learn why hippies must be destroyed)

By Charles Pierce, Esquire

10 April 15

he kidz at Tiger Beat On The Potomac have a real jones for serious politicians who can raise serious money and throw serious parties for other serious people, such as the kidz at Tiger Beat On The Potomac. They are serious whores for power. Their new hero is Rahm Emanuel, the most despicable Democratic politician since Robert Byrd left the Klan. He showed those hippies where the real power can be found.

Okay, first, I love Paul Begala, but come on, dude. This dog isn't even considering hunting.

"Rahm Emanuel is a progressive mayor, period," said Paul Begala, a longtime Bill Clinton adviser and a friend of Emanuel who advises the pro-Hillary Clinton Priorities super PAC. "I don't think people should say a right-wing Democrat won. I think you've got to actually look at what he did and what he ran on."

Sure, Paul. You should remember that the next time you're on TV defending the Affordable Care Act that this guy wanted to strangle in its cradle.

First of all, for all this piece's seething contempt for Jesus Garcia and his campaign, he forced a hedge-fund fattened Democratic superstar incumbent into a runoff nobody expected, and the incumbent won the runoff by the same 11 points by which he'd finished in front in the preliminary. He won because he outspent Garcia six-to-one, something that the TBOTP piece merely alludes to in passing. But it's right there on how effectively to punch hippies.

To many Democrats, there are two possible lessons: First, that the professional left talks a much better game than it delivers even as it starts to make big promises about the presidential race. And second, that focusing voters on the progressive elements of a candidate's record, as Emanuel did during his runoff, can blunt a challenge from an ineffective opponent.

Especially if you have a limitless credit card given to your campaign from some of the dingier elements of the otherwise Republican plutocratic class. (Being buddies with the governor who's on his way to making Illinois into Scott Walker's Wisconsin is a lot of things, but progressive is all the way down the list.) You could say that Rahm sold his soul, but, frankly, that's like someone selling you the Brooklyn Bridge.

Bartender, a double Prestone and see what the pundits in the back room will have.