Rahm Emanuel announced with glee, Friday, a new interactive intiatvie on Cityofchicago.org with which you could track his movements.
"City Hall in Your Community" essentially boils down to a Google Map populated with a smattering of photos of Rahm Emanuel shaking hands with people all over the city.
It's hosted on the city's website.
It belongs on a campaign web site.
Look: there's a photo of the Mayor bending down to greet a young girl in the Roseland Neighborhood. There's another one of him cutting a ribbon, and yet another of Emanuel with his arm draped over a fireman in their station.
How sweet.
The problem is: this feature does nothing more than push the myth that Rahm Emanuel is a great person. There's no value to the user.
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It used to be that when a politician wanted a staged photo, he would have to show up at an event that did some good, like opening a new toll road or building an orphanage. The reporters would then decide if his involvement was newsworthy, while offering critical facts to go along with the story -- like if that toll road had been made with cheap materials or ill gotten funds.
Social media has changed the game. Now Emanuel can stage his own events without accountability and post the messages on a taxpayer funded site in order to propogate his own legend.
He shouldn't.
