And so Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is living large, now that he has bested the Chicago Teachers’ Union.

Right?

Well, not quite. Although the backlash against the teachers has been intense, the first major test of his ability to restore order has not gone well. Numerous Chicago politicos think that Emanuel has squandered his credibility, when he could have capitalized on it.

Case in point: many Chicago residents are decidedly unhappy that he skipped off to Charlotte to clap his hands like a giddy tweener at a Justin Bieber concert. Especially since, during his own attendence, three more young Chicago men were shot to death. Although murder is up “only” 30% in Chicago this year, the nation’s impression is that Chicago is the Wild West town the gun control promised it would be if guns became legalized for carry.

Now, with an insane amount of school kids at home with nothing to do—and in most cases, no parents home to supervise them (or almost as bad, parents losing days’ pay in order to stay home and mind them), anyone can understand why residents might be ticked off with Emanuel cavorting with Obama and Clinton and looming his face into every camera. See, it almost seems that Emanuel knew this labor disaster was going to happen and didn’t mind all that much if it did.

And no, he did not mind all that much if it did.

And now, perhaps the unkindest cut of all, both Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have endorsed Rahm Emanuel for holding firm against the union. And this is bad, because now he is being compared (quite unfairly to either man) to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. Emanuel’s popularity numbers must be in the toilet right now.

Sometimes the crisis wastes you.

The Czar of Muscovy

Божію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was cheated out of total control of all Russia upon the death of Boris Mikhailovich, who replaced Alexander Yaroslav Nevsky in 1263. However, in 1283, our Czar was passed over due to a clerical error and the rule of all Russia went to his second cousin Daniil (Даниил Александрович), whom Czar still resents. As a half-hearted apology, the Czar was awarded control over Muscovy, inconveniently located 5,000 miles away just outside Chicago. He now spends his time seething about this and writing about other stuff that bothers him.