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Good thing Rahm Emanuel isn't the sensitive type: A new poll indicates there is little love for the Chicago mayor, with just a measly two percent of Chicagoans "strongly" approving of the "Rahmfather."
A new Crain's Chicago Business/Ipsos Illinois Poll out Thursday shows Emanuel's approval rating has tanked, with a statewide disapproval rating of his performance as mayor hovering around 50 percent among the 600 voting-age Illinois residents surveyed.
The Crain's poll notes it's Illinoisans outside Chicago that harbor a far less favorable view of Emanuel compared to Windy City residents; chalk it up to the mayor's "hardball image," his Chicago-centric agenda on gun control and generally progressive stance on issues that chafe more conservative residents downstate.
Among Illinoisans living in Chicago, the numbers are slightly more promising, but not by much:
- 2 percent Strongly Approve
- 12 percent Somewhat Approve
- 5 percent Lean Toward Approval
- 13 percent Strongly Disapprove
- 9 percent Somewhat Disapprove
- 13 percent Lean Toward Disapproval
- 30 percent Mixed Feelings
- 15 percent Not Sure
The battle over school closings, government worker pensions and the safety of Chicago's streets are just some of the issues costing Emanuel political favor among constituents, according to WGN.
While the mayor's approval numbers are no doubt in the toilet, they weren't always so dismal: According to Capitol Fax, in August 2011, leaked poll numbers indicated Emanuel had a job approval rating of 79 percent, with a much less scathing disapproval rating of 16 percent.
An NBC Chicago broadcast (embedded) reports the mayor's press office has dismissed the poll as "unreliable" since it was internet-based, though such a concern did not prevent the Drudge Report from splashing the poll results Friday morning with the headline "Public Turns on Godfather."
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