Rahm Emanuel is a nasty piece of work, and now that he holds elective office as mayor of Chicago, he hasn't mellowed out, as the head of the Chicago Teachers Union recently found out. Rahm had run for office partly on the basis of a pledge to extend the school day. During a meeting with Karen Lewis, head of the Chicago Teachers Union, Rahmbo exploded when challenged.

Rosalind Rossi of the Chicago Sun-Times reports:

The behind-the-curtain intensity of the battle was evident Friday, as Lewis described her meeting with Emanuel in the mayor's office a few weeks ago. Sitting next to her in a chair in front of his desk, the mayor talked about adding 90 minutes to the school day, saying "I can't have kids on the street at 2:15," Lewis recalled.

"I called out what he was doing had nothing to do with education,'' Lewis said. She said she told him, "So this is not about education. This is about safety. ... This is babysitting and warehousing."

At that point, the "craziness" began, Lewis said.

"He [Emanuel] got up out of his chair and started cussing at me." Pressed for the language, Lewis said the mayor told her, "F--- you, Lewis" and dropped other "f-bombs."

Asked if she swore back, Lewis said, "I stood my ground. ... I basically stood up and said 'I was out of here.' I didn't appreciate the way he talked to me. My father never talked to me like that. My husband's never talked to me like that. ... I said 'We need to figure this out. Let's move on,'' and the conversation ultimately continued.

Hat tip: Hot Air

Randall Hoven tweets:

Real conundrum: in a fight between Rahm Emanuel and president of a teachers' union, who do you root against more?