Rahm Emanuel Brags He’ll ‘Smack’ Interest Groups ‘Upside The Head’ With A ‘Two-By-Four’

Former Chicago Mayor and Obama White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel made waves in a recent interview when he used a violent metaphor to describe his approach to politics, saying he was the one to “take a two-by-four and smack [interest groups] upside the head.”

The comment came during a sit-down with Politico’s Dasha Burns on her series “The Conversation,” where Emanuel embraced his reputation as a political brawler and relished the assignments he’s received over the years to push what he called key Democratic Party legislation.

“Yeah, I am tough,” Emanuel said. “Guess what? Interest groups are pretty powerful. They do need, sometimes, somebody that’s willing to take a two-by-four and smack them upside the head, and I make no bones about them.”

Burns prefaced her question by referencing Emanuel’s reputation: “You do have a reputation for being, for lack of a better word, like kind of an asshole,” she said.

Rather than deny it, Emanuel leaned in: “I got that assignment,” he repeated, again and again.

Emanuel also listed his involvement in passing the assault weapons ban, crafting the Children’s Health Insurance Program, taking on banks through Dodd-Frank Act, and, in both Chicago and Congress, raising the minimum wage. He portrayed himself as a uniquely capable enforcer within the Democratic Party who takes on jobs that others won’t. (RELATED: ‘Total Bullsh*t!’: Podcaster Comes Completely Unglued When Rahm Emanuel Brushes Aside Trans Issues)