Were Rahm & Rauner drinking Cuba Libres together in Havana?

Cuba libre

Send lawyers, guns and money. The shit has hit the fan. -- Warren Zevon

Happy New Year to all.

And a special New Year's welcome back from Cuba goes out to both Mayor Emanuel and GOV. RAUNER. Got that last piece from reliable sources who say they spotted the gov in Havana. Are reporters even curious? I mean, Rahm/Rauner wining and dining together in Cuba while the city sizzles and the state floods (literally).

At our family New Year's get together, we all wrote down our predictions for 2016 and put them in a box. No, not about weight loss. That's so 2015. Yes, it's all about politics. Mostly easy stuff like Hillary's winning in November. Against who? Rubio? I hear she's already shopping for new drapes for the White House.

The prediction box

I think I'm the only one predicting and early Rahm Emanuel exit. I just think that the persistence of the #RahmResign protests combined with federal investigations and e-mail leaks about his role in the cop-shooting cover-up, plus the deepening financial crisis and impending property tax revolt, all add up to an unmanageable city. He's got corporate and DNC undies in a twist.

I know that the cops want him gone. The sooner the better.

At least this cop does. Check out this video clip:

VIDEO: Chicago Police Officer states #RahmEmmanuel was involved in the cover-up of #LaquanMcDonald . pic.twitter.com/RHFgjQEXkf

— Yesenia Betty Boop (@YesiOnAir) December 1, 2015

How about by Spring? I could be wrong. Lots of progressives I know hope that Rahm hangs (no pun intended) in there. A certain CTU leader told me that there's nobody they'd rather have on the other side of the contract negotiating table right now than Rahm Emanuel. That can't make Rahm's pal Rauner happy.

The latest coffin nail is driven by the FOIA release of emails proving that Rahm's so-called "Independent" Police Review Authority (IPRA) is a fraud. No surprise there. Turns out that IPRA did nothing without getting City Hall's okay in advance.

As I've been saying for the last month, we need to create a community-based commission to counter City Hall's lack of transparency and the cover-ups around the police killings. Does anyone still have faith or confidence in Rahm's latest hand-picked Task Force?

BROKE ON PURPOSE...Crain's reports that Rahm is already spending big city bucks, lawyering up in the face of Loretta-Lynch's federal investigation of the CPD. He hired two of the nation's power-house law firms--Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr and Taft Stettinius & Hollister. Wilmer Hale is also representing the city of Baltimore in the wake of the Freddie Gray killing.

This, after Rahm played contrite to the media and claimed that he welcomed the investigation and will "pledge the City's complete cooperation."

Makes you wonder. Why spend $1,200/hr of taxpayer money on stick-pin lawyers when Lynch is supposed to be the people's lawyer? Hasn't she already promised not to look anywhere higher than the police department?

Cut the crap, Mr. Mayor. Nobody's buying it.