inject rahm emanuel’s failed charm offensive directly into my veins.
The ex-Chicago mayor just got lashed on trans rights on a podcast.
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Is there anyone more delulu right now than whoever thought Rahm Emanuel’s recent appearance on the popular I’ve Had It podcast was a good idea?
Don’t get me wrong — I’m so grateful for whoever was responsible for the feckless, perma-smug Democrat being paired with Oklahoma’s most fearless pro-queer white woman Jennifer Welch. Their interaction, frankly, made my week. But it was a terrible idea given that Emanuel seems to be in the midst of some kind of political comeback tour which could even include a run for either Illinois’s soon-to-be-vacated U.S. Senate seat or the White House. Getting dunked on as thoroughly as he did in this interview can’t help political momentum.
The trouble for Emanuel — and deep rage followed quickly by pure joy for me — began when the boomer ex-congressman said he felt that, ahead of the 2024 election, the Democratic Party had strayed from what he called “kitchen table issues” that Americans actually care about. Instead, he argued, they focused on “things that didn’t matter to people” and advocated for “certain things that, in my view, were just nuts,” alluding to trans rights. If folks in red states were concerned about the advance of fascism under MAGA, he said, they should just move out of the state.
“The only room we did really well in was the bathroom, and that’s the smallest room in the house,” Emanuel continued.
“That is such bullshit. That is total bullshit,” Welch responded with fire, brilliantly. “That is buying into the right-wing media narrative and I’m so sick of Democrats like you selling out and saying this. You know who talks about trans people more than anybody? MAGA. MAGA is the most genital-obsessed political party I have ever seen. … They’re the gender-obsessed weirdos, not us. We’re the ones who fight for Social Security. We fight for Medicare, and yeah, we’re not gonna bully trans people. We’re not gonna fucking do it. If you wanna do it, fine.”
Emanuel went on to tout his record on trans issues while mayor of Chicago which, to be fair, did include a 2016 action that protected bathroom access for trans and gender non-conforming individuals. But Emanuel was far from universally beloved by queer and progressive organizers in Chicago during his two terms leading the city. His advocacy on queer issues has often centered on marriage equality and lacked much detail or passion when it came to matters like queer youth homelessness or poverty among the trans community.
This was also my experience of Emanuel’s politics during the early part of journalism career. I was writing about Chicago politics throughout Emanuel’s first term as mayor. In interviews with queer outlets, he would say most of the right things on matters like marriage equality, taking a “love is love”-style approach that was particularly popular at the time. But the minute any questioning would stray into details, he would turn instead to generalizations and platitudes.
If you really want to know what Emanuel is all about, you can look at two particular issues: His role in not sufficiently addressing—and some have alleged covering up altogether—serious Chicago police misconduct in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, for one. And his picking an extended fight with all of Chicago’s public school teachers, for another.
Emanuel is not your friend, progressives, and it’s time more people call this plain fact out before this attempt at a revived political career continues any further. We particularly need more people to follow Welch’s lead in calling Emanuel’s plea for Democrats to abandon its advocacy for trans people the bullshit that it really is.
Welch, for one, is undeterred. After Emanuel hopped off the call with Welch, she explained why she got so heated by the former mayor’s comments.
“When I hear a Democratic leader like Rahm Emanuel, who I like, and it’s OK to disagree with, allow MAGA to define our party, I think that’s a weakness and I will always stand up, whether it’s Rahm Emanuel, whether it’s the president of the United States, whomever I had to fight for that,” Welch added.
Emanuel’s talking points aren’t new—he made similar remarks in another major interview with Bill Maher in March and Emanuel primarily faced softballs in other recent interviews with The Daily Show, Katie Couric, Kara Swisher, and Christiane Amanpour, though at least the commenters on online videos of these interviews don’t seem to be buying what Emanuel is selling.
Still, I guess we all can’t be as fearlessly down with the cause as an Oklahoma mom. Though more of us desperately need to be if we’re ever going to crawl our way out of this mess we’re in.
And don’t be mistaken: Trans people are not going anywhere, and a political strategy that ignores the trans community’s right not only to exist but to thrive will be a failed one.
As we all attempt to visualize and build a political future beyond this current administration, we must ignore the desperate attempts from goons of the pre-Trump era who will continue to claim that they know what is best for the party going forward. Those of us with a conscience already know in our hearts what is right—and that’s what we need to keep doing.
P.S. It turns out April has a bunch of extra days in it, so I’ll be sending along the next month’s calendar of queer events next week. Thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoyed this little political rant of mine about one of my least favorite Democrats of all time.
Also, if you support trans rights and are looking for something to do at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 28, be sure to turn up at the next meeting of the Valley View District 365U school district meeting in Romeoville, where discussions on trans youth in the district that began at the previous meeting are scheduled to continue and the anti-trans fascists are also expected to return.
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SONG OF THE RIGHT-NOW
As I write this, I am watching the rain pour down on a cozy Friday afternoon inside New Moon Vegan in Batavia. The cafe is alive with customers and community. The original version of “I Think We’re Alone Now” is playing over the speakers and it’s reminding me just how much I love the Tiffany cover—a perfect ‘80s pop bop that we don’t talk enough about, in my mind. As you listen to it, just close your eyes and picture yourself twirling joyfully under a spinning disco ball.
Running just as fast as we can
Holding on to one another's hand
Trying to get away into the night
And then you put your arms around me
And we tumble to the ground
And then you say