Rahm Emanuel, Why?

There are many things in life that through me for a loop, but none more than Rahm Emanuel. Why in the world would someone put themselves up for the position of Mayor, and expect not to be asked personal questions?

Rahm Emanuel is the perfect example of liberal hypocrisy. Listen to his reply when asked by reporter Mary Ann Ahern about where he would be sending his three children to school.

Similar to his former boss, Emanuel said it's a private decision.

While I appreciate the desire for privacy, I tried to explain that the Mayor’s family is now in the public eye as Chicago's First Family, and that the public would want to know whether Emanuel is confident enough in the public/government school system to send his own children there. But Emanuel broke in.

“Mary Ann, let me break the news to you. My children are not in a public position,” he said, curtly. “I am. You’re asking me a value statement and not a policy. … No, no, you have to appreciate this. My children are not an instrument of me being mayor. My children are my children, and that may be news to you, and that may be new to you, Mary Ann, but you have to understand that I’m making this decision as a father.”

The mayor stood up to leave.

“I look forward to our future interview,” he said before unclipping his lanyard microphone and dropping it to the floor, and walking out of his office. I asked my camera man to stop rolling.

As I tried to explain further, Emanuel doubled back. He looked directly at my two college interns, and said, "You are my witnesses."

Then, the Mayor of Chicago positioned himself inches from my face and pointed his finger directly at my head. He raised his voice and admonished me. How dare I ask where his children would go to school!

"You've done this before," he said.

This was the Emanuel we had heard about, and it was one of the oddest moments in my 29 years of reporting.

This speaks volumes of who Rahm Emanuel really is. He was not mad that he had to answer the question, he was mad that the question was posed --period. Rahm Emanuel is not a good enough politician/liar to come up with a nice sounding answer as to why his children will not be going to public school, but will be attending a private school. He was angry because in reality there is no way to answer that question without making obvious his lack of faith in the public school system.

Later Mary Ann Ahern called Emanuel directly to discuss what had happened in the interview. Again he was angry and rude, how dare someone ask him to speak the truth!

I tried to explain he had a point, but their parents too had to answer the question of what school they would attend. No one is trying to have lunch with the first children.

I also let him know that I felt wronged and bullied during his earlier tirade.

“You are wrong and a bully," Emanuel fired back. "I care deeply for my family. I don't care about you."

This is what brings me to "why"? Why would anyone want someone like this as a representative? Emanuel shows through his actions and words that he just doesn't care. That was the real Rahm Emanuel. He doesn't care that other people's kids have to go to a public school to receive a second-class education. But he will provide a first-class education for his children.

Someone might look at this situation and say, "So what, isn't that what you would do? Take care of your own family first." I would take care of my own family first. At the same time I would not lie about why I was sending my kids to a private school.

Public schools are failing because they have absolutely no accountability. The schools will continue to run, the teachers will continue to get paid and none of it has to do with the quality of education. Testing is not accountability. The government can't hold itself or its institutions accountable, only the public can do that. The problem with public education is that the public is far removed from the system. Schools should all be private --end of story. The parents should be making the decision of what schools to send their children to. Government money could still be used in cases where people can't afford schooling on their own, but the parents would still be able to choose where to send their kids. Look at what happened in Atlanta Georgia, the teachers were helping the kids cheat on tests to make it appear as if they were improving the quality of education.

Across Atlanta Public Schools, staff worked feverishly in secret to transform testing failures into successes.

Teachers and principals erased and corrected mistakes on students’ answer sheets.

Area superintendents silenced whistle-blowers and rewarded subordinates who met academic goals by any means possible.

Superintendent Beverly Hall and her top aides ignored, buried, destroyed or altered complaints about misconduct, claimed ignorance of wrongdoing and accused naysayers of failing to believe in poor children’s ability to learn.

For years — as long as a decade — this was how the Atlanta school district produced gains on state curriculum tests. The scores soared so dramatically they brought national acclaim to Hall and the district, according to an investigative report released Tuesday by Gov. Nathan Deal.

The bottom line is that competition based systems work better than government systems. People like Rahm Emanuel know this, why else would he send his own kids to private schools. The public school system will never improve so long as politicians, like Rahm Emanuel, are too scared to tell the truth for fear of a political backlash. The public school system in Chicago is Rahm Emanuel's business, he's the boss. If Rahm Emanuel won't hold the Chicago public school system accountable; who will?

But hey, Rahm Emanuel will sure stand up and get in the face of a female reporter.

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