海角大神

Rahm Emanuel announced on Charlie Rose鈥檚 PBS show Monday that if Mayor Richard M. Daley decides not to run for a seventh term, he would like to take his place.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 always been an aspiration of mine, even when I was in the House of Representatives,鈥� he said according to a transcript.

Although the informal announcement was downplayed Tuesday by a White House spokesperson, it is already turning heads in Chicago, where political strategists say Mr. Emanuel鈥檚 bulldog style and Washington credentials might not sit well with the city鈥檚 deep-seated Democratic political machine.

A typical Chicago political career 鈥� especially one that leads to the mayor鈥檚 office 鈥� starts from putting in long hours in neighborhood ward organizations and working your way to city hall, a path Emanuel largely bypassed.

Before he became the chief of staff under President Obama, Emanuel鈥檚 single connection to Chicago鈥檚 tight-knit political infrastructure was as chief fundraiser for Mayor Daley鈥檚 first election campaign in 1989. He lives part-time on Chicago鈥檚 North Side but grew up in the city鈥檚 affluent North Shore suburbs, a pedigree which DePaul University political science professor Larry Bennett says makes him 鈥渞ather different from your classic candidate鈥� running for a Chicago office.

鈥淎 lot of the details of his background don鈥檛 square with Chicago politics,鈥� says Mr. Bennett, which could make his candidacy vulnerable to Republicans looking for a foothold after lying dormant for years. His connections 鈥� to President Clinton as a senior adviser, and to President Obama 鈥� have the potential to galvanize Republicans to handpick a prominent business leader to challenge his credentials.

鈥淚t might produce a [Michael] Bloomberg or a [Rudy] Guiliani-esque kind of a Republican who can say 鈥業 know how to get things done, I know the system but I鈥檓 not a part of that system鈥�,鈥� Bennett says.

But others say Emanuel鈥檚 Washington resum茅 is a benefit, and could help in fundraising. 鈥淚f he鈥檚 going to run for mayor he needs a political army and endorsements from the [Chicago] machine, and right now he has neither,鈥� says Dick Simpson, a former Chicago alderman who teaches political science at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Does he have the temperament for the job? His reputation as a stubborn, cutthroat and, at times, foul-mouthed dealmaker 鈥� a combination recently lampooned in a hit sketch comedy show by Chicago鈥檚 famed Second City 鈥� is double-edged.

鈥淗e has to have a tough mindedness a mayor needs to run a city 鈥� but he鈥檚 not a coalition builder,鈥� Mr. Simpson says. Emanuel ranks second to Obama in Chicago political circles, he adds. 鈥淢any more people like Obama than they like him. Obama has a more positive image with the press. Rahm doesn鈥檛.鈥�

Bennett agrees. 鈥淓manuel is pretty smart but I think his ruthlessness might get in the way of being a chief executive,鈥� he says, adding that in Chicago, the mayor also oversees the Chicago Transit Authority and Chicago Public Schools, two agencies that have suffered budget cutbacks and mismanagement in recent years. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if [his] style is good in working with those boards and with those staff members 鈥� he鈥檚 not a good enough sweet talker.鈥�