Good for Rahm Emanuel

[QUINNSCOMMENTARY]

Apropos to nothing but interesting nevertheless, is the history of Rahm Emanuel the Chief of Staff for President Obama. During the Clinton years he was a senior advisor to that president, and after seven years in the White House he decided to move on with an eye toward his own politically career, but being a politician means not making much money and especially if one is raising a family so Mr. Emanuel took a temporary different route.

He went to work for a Wall Street investment bank run by a major Democratic donor. In just a few years, he earned $18 million dollars using his political connections to close deals.

How about that, a liberal democrat taking advantage of the political and financial system? No wonder he was opposed to the Chris Dodd last minute amendment capping certain executive salaries beyond what the administration wanted.

Did he do anything wrong? Absolutely not. I would have done the same thing. From all reports he is a lot smarter than the rest of us and he used his brain power to the maximum advantage, isn’t’ that what we are all supposed to be doing?

What is ironic is that much of the political base of Mr. Obama and many of the people in Congress are on a witch hunt to trim the wings of Wall Streeters and the “wealthy” in general as if making a lot of money is a bad thing and somehow achieving wealth is taking from others.

I have no doubt that Mr. Emanuel paid his fair share in taxes and at today’s rates that would be about $6,300,000. That seems quite fair to me.