After winning a series of cases over his residency, Rahm Emanuel has apparently been tossed from the Chicago mayoral ballot by a state apellate court. The case will almost certainly move to the Illinois Supreme Court, which will have the final word.

Characterizing an Emanuel mayoralty as an outcome with “no winner” seems to clearly indicate Jackson’s opinion that Rahm must be stopped. Is unity, and a consensus candidate among the African-American community, likely to do that? In any event, it’s certainly not a great way for Rahm to start the year.

Richard Wolffe is doing the rounds, promoting his new book Revival: The Struggle for Survival Inside the Obama White House. Looks like the White House is in “blame Rahm” mode:

LGBT Americans need support for our goals in both parties — but we don’t need advocates who give in just when victory is at hand. Viewing Patrick Murphy’s actions that way doesn’t require a partisan lens, but it does require removing the rose-colored glasses Jonathan Capehart wears as he types up another screed against people who embarrassed Team Obama.

Between being captured using the hand-sanitizer on camera and the discovery that his “I’m baaaaack!” video was made at his home in DC, things are a little bumpy for Rahm, to say the least.

Big story from Mike Elk: Rep. Luis Gutierrez, Democratic Congressman from Illinois and potential mayoral candidate for the city of Chicago, slammed AFSCME President Gerald McEntee’s endorsement of Rahm Emanuel for Mayor of Chicago. Gutierriez said McEntee is a “disgrace to the labor movement” for endorsing Rahm’s candidacy.

As you undoubtedly know already, this morning saw Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel’s departure from the White House, an admission so anticlimactic that President Obama had little choice but to joke about it.

But what intrigues me is how this fait became accompli so quickly. You see, just three weeks ago, the President was kicking the can of Rahm’s exit down the road.

Rahm Emanuel will be appearing at a press conference today with the President. Pete Rouse will be replacing him, at least on an interim basis, as White House Chief of Staff.

Will this be a good move or a bad move? Well, time will tell.

This is, as Gerry McEntee might say, “Bullshit!” Via Ben Smith, McEntee praises Rahm on the Chief of Staff’s way out of DC and endorses him for mayor of Chicago.

Probably a good thing for Rahm he decided to step down before he was pushed. But as for entering the Chicago mayor’s race — well, that might be a complex and difficult task.