No, Rahm Emanuel Isn’t Actually Planning to Name Airport After Obama

Chicago Mayor and former Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel yesterday floated the idea of possibly naming an airport for President Obama. Emanuel is running for reelection and at a candidate forum on Wednesday, he talked about ways to honor people like the president who have had a serious impact on Chicago.

Emanuel was asked why he abandoned efforts to name a high school after the president and a parkway after a late reverend who played a major part in civil rights in Chicago. The mayor said, “We have to, in some way, whether it’s President Obama or in the other case, Dr. Brazier, acknowledge people who have done significant things.”

He pointed to Midway Airport and O’Hare Airport, remarking, “these are people who have been transformative in the city of Chicago.”

Now, first off, O’Hare Airport is named for the Missouri-born WWII pilot Edward “Butch” O’Hare, while Midway Airport is not named for a person called Midway, but for the WWII Battle of Midway.

After the event, though, a spokeswoman for Emanuel made it clear that he has no actual plans to name an airport after the president at this time.

[image via Daniel X. O’Neil/Flickr]

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Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac

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