Mayor Emanuel gets awkward hug from GOP

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, despised by many on the right, has found friends in an unlikely place: The Republican Party.

Emanuel is currently dealing with a city-wide strike by teachers' unions regarding wages and evaluations. He called the strike "one of choice" and said it was "the wrong choice for our children." Today is the second day of the strike.

At a fundraiser in Portland, Ore., yesterday Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryansaid, "We stand with Mayor Rahm Emanuel." He acknowledged that Emauel probably won't be supporting the Romney-Ryan ticket, but said Emanuel "is right today in saying that this teacher’s union strike is unnecessary and wrong."

Mitt Romney hasn't said he supports Emanuel by name, but he did come out against the teachers' unions yesterday, saying they "have too often made plain that their interests conflict with those of our children." (Emanuel called Romney's statement "lip service.")

The latest awkward hug for Emanuel comes today from former New York City Mayor Mayor Rudy Giuliani. "I hope he wins," Giuliani said on CNN.