Walter's Perspective: Emanuel's First 100 Days
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The magic number of this week so far is not the zero casinos in Chicago or zero pay raises for teachers. It's the 100 days that Rahm Emanuel has been mayor.
He just can't stop telling us how he's doing.
Pretty darn well, he says, and I agree – especially darn well at controlling the media. He's manipulating the media to get himself in or out of the news as he chooses.
When he has a story about doing good that he wants to tell, he leaks it exclusively to one reporter so other reporters will follow it up, giving him double exposure.
When there's a story about doing bad that he has to tell, he saves it for the Saturday newspapers that few people read.
When he wants to talk about what's in the news, he tells us where to meet him on a subway. When he wants not to talk, he turns his back on questions, thumbs his nose and walks away.
It's okay for Emanuel that he gets what he wants, but not okay for Chicago that he gets away with whatever he wants.
