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By TChris, Section Elections 2008
Posted on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 02:06:16 PM EST
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MSNBC is reporting that Rep. Rahm Emanuel has agreed to act as Barack Obama's Chief of Staff. Some see Emanuel as one of "the greedy corporate types who have ruined our economy, if not the country" while others complain that Emanuel is an "abrasive, vindictive and partisan Democratic congressman ... whose willingness to crush the opposition is legendary."

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    Chief of Staff | 37 comments (37 topical)

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    post partisan Obama (5.00 / 0) (#4)
    by coigue on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 02:17:26 PM EST
    made a partsan choice.

    That may be a good sign.

    I think so ... (none / 0) (#13)
    by Robot Porter on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 02:37:21 PM EST
    and Emanuel's reputation for "sharp elbows" is exactly what we need.

    Parent
    Obama can only be the nice guy... (5.00 / 7) (#15)
    by Jerrymcl89 on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 02:46:43 PM EST
    ... if he's got someone to do the dirty work. Because there's always going to be dirty work.

    Parent
    Absolutely! (5.00 / 1) (#17)
    by Robot Porter on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 02:50:09 PM EST


    Parent
    I like the way you think! (5.00 / 1) (#20)
    by coigue on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 02:53:51 PM EST


    Parent
    For years (none / 0) (#29)
    by Pepe on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 03:57:55 PM EST
    Rahm has been known as an evil DLC type who the blogs detested. Now that label is going to disappear and he is the hero of sharp elbows?

    He is what he is and what he always has been. Those who want to now ignore what they have always thought of him (DLC) are not fooling anyone including themselves. This selection says a lot about Obama. Chief of Staff pretty much controls who gets in the Oval Office. Who (DLC) has always had Rahm's ear? Those same people will have Obama's ear. Does anyone here really think that is a good thing?

    Additionally the Chief of Staff is probably the one person who has the most daily input to the President, in meetings and in private. Again ask yourself this: Would you want Rahm as President? Because if the answer is no then remember he is as close to the President as anyone in DC. Influence, controls access, is the go to guy for the outsiders to get in. Is Rahm really a good thing? Obama thinks so. What does that say about Obama when he knows what we know, but some won't admit, about Rahm? Lastly is Rahm a Progressive? No.

    Today David Sirota wrote the following:

    In the coming days, I guarantee you there will be many reasons to feel cynical. Hell, only hours after one of the most powerful and inspirational election victory speeches about "change" in recent memory, we learn that Obama is considering appointing various Clinton administration officials to top White House posts - some of them the corrupt hacks who played a key role in passing the lobbyist-crafted policies that originally deregulated our financial system (Glass-Steagall repeal), gutted our domestic economy (NAFTA, China PNTR), and shredded the social safety net (welfare "reform").

    Rahm. "Corrupt hacks who played a key role in passing the lobbyist-crafted policies".

    Rahm. Obama. Corrupt hacks.

    See a pattern developing here?

    Parent

    No? (5.00 / 1) (#30)
    by WS on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 04:01:48 PM EST


    Parent
    Heh. (none / 0) (#32)
    by Robot Porter on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 04:04:38 PM EST


    Parent
    Well (5.00 / 1) (#6)
    by Steve M on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 02:23:04 PM EST
    I do think Obama has a genuine interest in trying to win the respect of the other side, but that doesn't mean you have to be a doormat.  In fact, he's likely to earn more respect by making appointments like this one without giving in to the inevitable whining from Republicans and the Beltway media.

    I don't mind the sharp elbows (5.00 / 3) (#33)
    by sallywally on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 04:19:32 PM EST
    but I do mind that Emanuel is very much center-right if not entirely right-wing. I hate that a lot. He will almost certainly advise against progressive moves, maybe he will be dangerous to "entitlements" like Social Security and Medicare....

    That part scares me a lot.

    Parent

    Yeah (none / 0) (#35)
    by Steve M on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 04:44:34 PM EST
    Clearly the more progressives in positions closer to Obama, the better for progressive causes.  But if our choice is between Emanuel and someone like Tom Daschle, at least we can take the centrist who doesn't get walked all over by the GOP.

    Parent
    Rahm's a much better choice then the guy (5.00 / 2) (#7)
    by tigercourse on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 02:23:25 PM EST
    I feared would get the job, Daschle. I hope Dailykos goes nuts.

    Predictably, Dailykos (which used to hate (5.00 / 4) (#14)
    by tigercourse on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 02:43:44 PM EST
    Rahm with a fiery passion) loves him all of a sudden. No set principles.

    As you know (5.00 / 7) (#19)
    by Steve M on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 02:50:35 PM EST
    the blogosphere is all about good vs. evil narratives.  You're either with the angels or with Satan.  No middle ground.  But you apparently do get to change categories!

    Don't forget that Obama was a blogosphere villain himself long before he was the hero.  There's a reason he only made one effort to reach out to Daily Kos before announcing that they weren't his speed.

    Parent

    honeymoon. (none / 0) (#22)
    by coigue on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 02:54:23 PM EST


    Parent
    you say that as though (5.00 / 2) (#16)
    by cpinva on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 02:48:59 PM EST
    it's a bad thing!

    whose willingness to crush the opposition is legendary."

    works for me. shove their teeth down their rightous republican throats. i guarantee, had mccain won, regardless of how slim the margin, he wouldn't be yammering about working with the democrats.

    the electorate has made its desires pretty clear: they don't want republican policies!

    what is it about that, that's so difficult to understand?

    But Emanuel is essentially a Repub. nt (none / 0) (#34)
    by sallywally on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 04:21:40 PM EST


    Parent
    I had it totally wrong (5.00 / 4) (#18)
    by gyrfalcon on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 02:50:27 PM EST
    I pooh-poohed the idea he'd pick Emanuel and thought sure he would go Daschle.  I'm surprised.

    OTOH, it reminds me slightly of the kindly dignified college professors i knew who had long-time "dragon lady" secretarites who guarded the door for them and pissed everybody off under their instructions, so they could still play the kindly and dignified role convincingly.

    Emanuel does, however, have the enormous advantage to Obama of having been in the White House with Clinton and presumably having a good understanding of what worked and what didn't work in the chief-of-staffing department.

    I don't much like him, but I've come to loathe Daschle and all he stands for, so this is a better choice as far as I'm concerned.

    I shared your fear of Daschle. (5.00 / 1) (#21)
    by Teresa on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 02:54:22 PM EST
    I'm hoping that if Obama has to play Mr. Nice Guy to the other side, he has plenty of people under him to really run the show. If he wants to stay above it all, I don't care anymore, just get the things we need done to the ones who can shove it through.

    Parent
    My graduate advisor had such a (5.00 / 1) (#23)
    by coigue on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 02:55:13 PM EST
    gate-keeper.

    That woman scared the beejesus out of me.

    Parent

    Daschle's a hard guy to loathe. . . (5.00 / 1) (#25)
    by LarryInNYC on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 03:05:50 PM EST
    I think.  But his time has come and gone.  He does seem to stand for Democratic weakness.  Plus, of course, he's literally in bed with the airline lobby.

    Parent
    Not so hard to loathe him (5.00 / 1) (#37)
    by ruffian on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 06:35:22 PM EST
    as it turns out. He caved on the war when he should have been providing loyal opposition leadership and asking every question. That is reason enough.

    Parent
    I've come to find him as oleaginous (none / 0) (#36)
    by gyrfalcon on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 06:04:28 PM EST
    as Trent Lott.  Yech.

    And geez, I don't know how you can say a guy's time has come and gone when he just got his protege elected president of the United States.  His time has come and gone as majority leader, thank God, but I think his time is just beginning as a bigger power player than he's ever been before.


    Parent

    And the good news is? (none / 0) (#1)
    by Robot Porter on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 02:08:06 PM EST
    ;)

    I actually don't mind this choice ... (none / 0) (#12)
    by Robot Porter on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 02:31:12 PM EST
    just thought that the way TChris wrote his post was funny.

    Parent
    huh (none / 0) (#2)
    by bocajeff on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 02:08:42 PM EST
    Why can't you be both?

    I see it as a sign... (none / 0) (#3)
    by Jerrymcl89 on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 02:16:51 PM EST
    ... that Obama doesn't take his post-partisan unity schtick too seriously, which I think is a good thing. I don't think there's anyone in the entire party more emblematic of fierce partisanship than Emanuel. And since the Republicans are highly unlikely to stop being partisan, Obama's going to need someone like that.

    Or, it could be a way to (none / 0) (#5)
    by dk on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 02:22:44 PM EST
    sideline Rahm so that impeachment-is-off-the-table Nancy and anti-choice Reid can continue to fund the war and strip away more fourth amendment rights.

    Parent
    There are a couple of things wrong with (none / 0) (#9)
    by tigercourse on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 02:25:08 PM EST
    what you just wrote. I'll deal with one of them. Rahm isn't out of sink with Pelosi on most issues. There would be no policy reason to "get him out of the way".

    Parent
    "Out of sync". They should really take (5.00 / 1) (#10)
    by tigercourse on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 02:26:13 PM EST
    back my BA in lit.

    Parent
    Well, my point was (none / 0) (#11)
    by dk on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 02:29:39 PM EST
    that, inasmuch as Rahm is viewed as partisan (and that seemed to be suggested by the comment I replied to), it seems plausible that Obama could have wanted to remove a powerful partisan figure in congress so that congress could operate the "post-partisan" manner Obama publicly and repeatedly has stated througout his campaign that he wants it to.

    Now, it could very well be that Rahm isn't particularly partisan after all.  But then, the comment I replied to would also be wrong (or, more accurately, wishful thinking).

    Parent

    A great start to the honeymoon, IMO. (none / 0) (#8)
    by ThatOneVoter on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 02:24:12 PM EST


    Palestinians can kiss (none / 0) (#24)
    by SarahinCA on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 03:03:09 PM EST
    goodbye any chance they might have thought they had with Obama now.

    Rahm Spokesperson Denies Appointment (none / 0) (#26)
    by squeaky on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 03:09:22 PM EST
    Greg Seargent at TPM is reporting that Rahm has not accepted the position.

    Fox and MSNBC are reporting that Rahm Emanuel has accepted a job as Obama's White House chief of staff.

    But an Emanuel spokesperson we just checked in with says that's not the case. No decision has been made, the spokesperson says.

    TPM

    Non-denial denial ... (5.00 / 1) (#31)
    by Robot Porter on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 04:04:13 PM EST


    Parent
    I doubt Obama's first presser (none / 0) (#38)
    by ruffian on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 06:38:31 PM EST
    will be to announce that Emanuel is not the COS.  In the tight ship he runs, rumors get out on purpose.

    Though I suppose it could be a trial balloon.  He has been known to float a few of those.  I remember VP Sebelius.

    Parent

    I think the revolutionary ... (none / 0) (#39)
    by Robot Porter on Thu Nov 06, 2008 at 02:47:11 PM EST
    statement you make here is that Obama will give a press conference.

    He's not a big fan of them.  And my guess is we'll see as few from him as from W.

    Parent

    Chief of Staff | 37 comments (37 topical)

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