Emanuel: Christie is no longer the GOP’s savior

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) says New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) probably won’t save the Republican Party.

In a wide-ranging interview with the New Republic, Emanuel was asked if Christie is no longer the GOP’s “savior.” 

“I do. Nothing is ever absolute in politics, but I am willing to go out on a limb and join you. It may take more than an immediate time frame for him to recover, and he doesn’t have more than that,” Emanuel said. 

The Republican Party, in general, “has been going downhill,” he added. “Washington is not broken. The GOP is broken. They need a Bill Clinton moment with someone to figure things out.”

{mosads}On the Clintons, Emanuel said the opinion that the former president was viewed as centrist, but Hillary Clinton was seen as less so during his administration is “not true.” 

Both leaders have different speaking styles, said Emanuel, adding that when Hillary Clinton speaks off the cuff, she can “connect with people in a way that is unbelievable.”

Emanuel seemed to get riled up when he was asked if he wished he were in Washington to fix HealthCare.gov last fall.

“That goes down as one of the more intriguing questions I have ever had. Did I wish I was in Washington to fix a website? Let me answer that. I have a single-word answer. No. Please do not edit out the sarcasm of that answer.” 

Obama’s former chief of staff said he hopes the president will choose Chicago as the location for his future presidential library. The Windy City, Emanuel said, is where Obama started his career and raised his daughters, among other things. 

“I will remind him.”