Ken Berwitz
FYI: That title does not have a typo. The double “l” is correct. Keep reading and find out why.
The mayor of the third-biggest city in America-whosestewardship of Chicago was direenough before you even got to thepolice-is on the ropes. He is a former right-hand man to both Barack Obama andBill Clinton, whose wife, you may have heard, is now running for president.
Why isn\’t any of this a bigger deal in the 2016 presidentialrace?
Hillary Clinton-who goes a longway back with Emanuel-has gotten away withsaying very little about the crisis unfolding in Chicago. She backed theJustice Department investigation into the Chicago Police Department and said that she continued to have confidence in Emanuel. Andthat\’s about it.
NBC News speculated on Friday thatClinton\’s dominance in the polls is shielding her from having to more fullyrespond to Emanuel\’s misdeeds and preventing the Chicago crisis from becoming amore central issue in the campaign. If that is so, then it\’s a disgrace.Clinton should be made to face the Emanuel issue over and over again-bothbecause of her history with Emanuel and because of the despicable nature ofwhat has happened on his watch. So should every other 2016 candidate.
And it\’s notjust the McDonald scandal. There is also the issue of Homan Square, the secret facility that the CPD has used toliterally disappear thousands of people, almost all of them stuffed into avirtual domestic black site without charge or access to an attorney. Theoverwhelming majority of those detained are black. Some detainees have described horrific sexual abuse at police hands.
First off, my compliments to Mr. Mirkenson for his plainspoken honesty about a subject that – other than rightward venues – most media have either barely touched on or ignored altogether.
Next, my amazement and disgust – equal parts of both – that NBC News\’s reaction is to speculate on why media are not nailing Hillary Clinton for what her long-time confidante, and inner-circle member of her husband\’s administration, did: namely that Rahm Emanuel and/or his staff apparently suppressed the Laquan McDonald video, which could have been damaging to his re-election chances, until after he was safely ensconced in the Mayor\’s office again.
Did I miss something, or is NBC News still a news venue? It has the word “news” in its title, so I think I\’m right.
Why are the NBC people speculating on how Clinton is getting away with not taking a public stand – a real one, not something they would serve at the nearest waffle house – on Emanuel\’s behavior? Why aren\’t they ASKING HER ABOUT IT?
What is this? Why are they sitting on the sidelines instead of doing what an actual news organization would do?
Is this some kind of out-of-body experience for the NBC News peo…..well, actually, holding Hillary Clinton – or, for that matter Barack Obama – to account might actually be an out-of-body experience for NBC News people.
And let\’s be clear here: I am picking on NBC News in particular only because Mr. Mirkenson specifically cited it. Where exactly is CBS? ABC? CNN? MSNBC? The New York Times? The Washington Post? The Los Angeles Times? etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.?
They are every bit as bad. Every bit as unprofessional. Every bit as complicit in covering for Hillary Clinton.
Is this supposed to be journalism?
Every one of them should read, and re-read, Jack Mirkenson\’s piece to reacquaint themselves with the real thing. Maybe it will stir their memories a little, and they might consider doing some of the same.
