RAHMWATCH: 'Rahm the Restaurant Guy' is the City Hall show while racist attacks on black schools enter the final days before Chicago Board of Education vote
Most Chicago reporters now know that if their editors force them to, they can spent each day following the city's mayor from one corporate media event to another, ignoring virtually everything else in the city. Surrounded by an entourage of press aides and other advisors, almost all of whom are being paid by the taxpayers of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel spends much of each of his days staging media events to keep his image in front of the public, as long as the city's media owners allow it.
By May 2013, as Chicago poised itself to enter the Guinness Book of World Records for the city that closed the largest number of black schools and destroyed the education hopes of the largest number of black children, the mayor's propaganda departments continued to work overtime. Despite the protests of tens of thousands of Chicago teachers, parents, and students over eight months, the "Mayor's Press Office" continued in May 2013 to push the mayor's narrative ("Rahm brings jobs, corporate largesse to Chicago...!!!"). Few noted that, like Nero, Rahm Emanuel was presiding over a city that was burning -- albeit mostly with anger.
Above, the May 20, 2013 photograph provided to the press by Rahm Emanuel's propaganda team, better known as the "Mayor's Press Office." These daily updates for the media, often accompanied by photographs, are paid for completely by taxpayers. While the mayor's entourage is never seen in the foreground of such materials, Rahm Emanuel rarely appears in public without a dozen press aides and assorted lackeys, all paid for by taxpayers. When Rahm dares to enter a school, his praetorian guard of press aides orders principals to keep union teachers and others away from the carefully controlled media events. The Mayor's Press Office suggested the following: Photo Caption: Mayor Emanuel Greets Attendees and Exhibitors at the National Restaurant Association Hotel Motel Show
On May 20, 2013, the "Mayor's Press Office" distributed a puff piece about Rahm's posing at the National Restaurant Association convention at McCormick Place. The taxpayers even provided the more gullible in the media with a photograph of Rahm campaigning at the restaurant show. Both the press release and the photograph were included in one of several mayoral distributions on the same day that protesters were being arrested at City Hall and the mayor's hand-picked Board of Education issued the agenda on which they will be voting at their May 22, 2013 meeting.
RAHM THE RESTAURANT GUY PRESS RELEASE AND PHOTO FROM MAY 20, 2013:
MAYOR EMANUEL VISITS NATIONAL RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION SHOW
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. May 20, 2013. CONTACT: Mayor’s Press Office 312.744.3334
press@cityofchicago.org
Mayor Rahm Emanuel today visited the National Restaurant Association (NRA) Hotel Motel Show, an annual event that has become a rite of spring for restaurateurs around North America.
The NRA Show attracts some 60,000 attendees to McCormick Place each may [sic], with an estimated direct expenditure of at least $103 million.
This year, the show has expanded significantly, with six percent more square footage compared to last year. The result is that the show has taken on another floor in McCormick Place’s North Hall to accommodate 400 new exhibitors. This is the first year since 2008 that the Show has utilized three halls at McCormick Place.
The NRA Show's continued commitment to Chicago has resulted in not only national and international exposure for the city, but critical changes to the way business is conducted at McCormick Place, thanks to the organization’s leadership working alongside state and city leaders to pass historic legislation that resolved long-standing union disputes and have resulted in more than $6 billion in new or recommitted shows at McCormick Place.
This morning, Mayor Emanuel announced two shows that have extended their commitment to McCormick Place – C2E2 and GROWTHEXPO. The release announcing that is attached as well.
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Photo Caption: Mayor Emanuel Greets Attendees and Exhibitors at the National Restaurant Association Hotel Motel Show
Photo Credit: Brooke Collins // City of Chicago
