Exile from national politics plainly hasn’t cost Rahm Emanuel an ounce of chutzpah: The Chicago mayor took to the New York Times op-ed page the other day to sound off about how New York can better manage its subways.
It’s a bit like the Charleston River Dogs telling the Yankees how to play: Chicago’s eight subway lines run all of 224 miles; Gotham’s 24 lines run 654 miles, by far the world’s most extensive system.
A mere 234 million riders a year use the Chicago Transit Authority’s 80 stations; 1.65 billion enter and exit through the MTA’s 468 subway stations.
Aside from noting that his (tiny) system works fine under direct mayoral control, Emanuel’s points are what you’d expect from a loyal Democrat: President Trump should quit trying to do things his way and instead embrace liberal tax hikes and mega-spending programs to boost mass transit.
And local governments should see what taxes they can impose on business for the same end.
Oh, and Trump should stop pointing out how horribly high Chicago’s murder rate has grown.
At least Emanuel has the sense not to lecture the NYPD.