Chicago alderman: Rahm Emanuel created PAC to ‘destroy’ progressive aldermen

Another day, another story of a former aide to President Barack Obama going to “war” with progressives.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s allies created a new super-PAC that has already raked in $1.35 million from a handful of business titans to “destroy” the City Council’s Progressive Caucus, according to one of the political targets.

Ald. Bob Fioretti (2nd), who is mulling a race for mayor against Emanuel, said “Chicago Forward” is a thinly veiled attempt to stifle City Council dissent by “taking out” eight aldermen with the guts to stand up to Emanuel.

The Progressive Caucus has been Emanuel’s most persistent critic. It includes Fioretti and seven colleagues: Leslie Hairston (5th), Roderick Sawyer (6th), Toni Foulkes (15th), Ricardo Munoz (22nd), Scott Waguespack (32nd), Nick Sposato (36th) and John Arena (45th).

Emanuel was apparently so concerned about the group’s legislative agenda that includes an elected school board, a moratorium on charter openings, more police hiring and a transaction tax on LaSalle Street exchanges, he persuaded 10 aldermen to break away from the Progressive Caucus and launch their own, more moderate “Paul Douglas Alliance.”

That’s a divide-and-conquer move that further solidifies Emanuel’s hold on the Council.

“He’s raising money to destroy people. That PAC was created to destroy eight aldermen and their beliefs. Every time somebody does something [contrary to the mayor’s agenda], you’ll receive a mailer about it,” Fioretti told the Chicago Sun-Times.

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1 thought on “Chicago alderman: Rahm Emanuel created PAC to ‘destroy’ progressive aldermen

  1. A financial transaction tax makes sense at the federal level with proper reforms in place to prevent avoidance strategies. I wonder whether Chicago could hang onto it’s financials though, if it was a municipal tax?

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