DES MOINES, Iowa — Rahm Emanuel, the longtime Washington operator and former mayor of Chicago, had a blunt confession this weekend. He’s tired of trying to fix a rigged system, and says he’s ready to rig it himself — for working Americans.
At a lively Democratic fish fry that capped a busy weekend in a state that’s historically been vital to presidential campaigns, Emanuel made his most public step yet toward testing a 2028 message.
The former White House chief of staff offered a message centered on economic fairness, education and affordability. “This should not come as a surprise to you,” Emanuel said from the stage set up at the home of Iowa state Rep. Sean Bagniewski, who hosted the fish fry in his front yard for 400 Democrats. “The American Dream is unaffordable. It’s inaccessible, and we, as Democrats, that’s unacceptable to us.”…