If Books Could Kill

The Rahm Emanuel Profiles Will Continue Until Morale Improves [TEASER]

43 min

This teaser episode of 'If Books Could Kill' critically examines the recent flurry of flattering profiles on Rahm Emanuel, arguing they form an 'industrial complex' of uncritical journalism that portrays his bullying behavior as charming and his centrist policies as visionary. The hosts dissect how these pieces use ridiculous metaphors (like his aggressive salad-eating) to frame him as a tough, no-nonsense candidate, while glossing over his deeply problematic record, including the cover-up of the Laquan McDonald police shooting. They ultimately conclude that the only constituency for a Rahm Emanuel presidential run is political journalists, not actual voters.

Summarized by Podsumo

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✨ Key Takeaways

1

The hosts define the 'Rahm Emanuel GUI Profile Industrial Complex' as a series of nearly identical, fawning long-form articles from outlets like Politico, The Atlantic, and the Wall Street Journal that portray his asshole behavior as 'tough' and 'no-nonsense'.
2

They ridicule the absurd framing of his mundane actions, such as a Politico profile opening with a dramatic description of him shaking a salad dressing container 'without mercy,' as if it reveals his presidential mettle.
3

The episode thoroughly debunks his signature policy proposal for mandatory national service, calculating it would cost at least $62 billion annually, essentially be a draft for the poor, and is politically toxic for a supposed centrist.
4

They detail the Laquan McDonald cover-up scandal, noting Emanuel's administration fought to suppress the video for 13 months and that his top staff knew the officers' account was a lie within two months of the shooting.
5

The hosts highlight a journalist's anecdote where Emanuel threatened her by saying, 'Your kids won’t have a mother anymore,' as evidence of his true character, yet the profile still treated him as a serious candidate.

💬 Notable Quotes

"The joke is like funny to me. You have a recipe for a joke. You don't have a joke yet. Like I'm like Jerry Seinfeld writing down on a notepad, like 'punching left missing finger. Okay, yep, yep, yep, yep. I got it. I got it. Okay. Peter. Michael. What do you know about Rom Emanuel? All I know is that apparently you don't need all your fingers to punch left."
"No quarter to the greens. No quarter to the kids. He wants to get the dressing on the salad. You wouldn't say this about like fucking Rachel Ray. Also, I love that it's a fucking salad. Yeah. Doesn't matter how hard you shake it, Rom, it's still gay, buddy."
"He responded by switching to caricature. 'You won't fuck this up,' Emmanuel said, foam menacing, jabbing four and a half fingers at me. 'Because if you do, your kids won't have a mother anymore.' Your kids won't have a mother anymore. That's a wild joke thread, dude."