The Choice of Rahm Emanuel is a declaration of war on Republicans

[paul718]

I don't care.   I don't really agree with this idea of a bipartisan cabinet.  The people voted overwhelmingly for Democrat leadership.  So Democrats should lead. 

[MR maverick]

Sean Hannity and Dick Morris are already going crazy over this Emanuel rumor.

Those two should start a show together.

[J. J.]

CoS however, isn't about Congressional Relations.  It's ultimately about managing the staff. 

It will have the GOP up in arms and is reminiscent of some early Clinton missteps. 

It's about governance and it might not be a good choice.

...

Are you going to do this for the next four years too? I thought we'd be done after the election.

Are you planning to defending every action of Obama in the next four years?  I though it was about governing?

First, I've heard some of the same comments that Ford is making.  It can be a misstep of the type Clinton made in 1993 (which gave us 1994).

Second, the CoS isn't about **getting along with Congress,** but running a growing White House Staff.  There is a separate position for that.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

CoS however, isn't about Congressional Relations.  It's ultimately about managing the staff. 

It will have the GOP up in arms and is reminiscent of some early Clinton missteps. 

It's about governance and it might not be a good choice.

...

Are you going to do this for the next four years too? I thought we'd be done after the election.

Get used to it.  Democrats hated Bush from the very beginning and Republicans are going to hate Obama from the very beginning.

[dead0man]

This should put to rest the "Obama is a Muslim" idiocy then right?  What with Rahm being a Jew and all.  Plus, he's Ari Gold's brother!


(Ari Gold, the talent agent played amazingly well by Jeremy Piven on Entourage is based on Ari Emanuel, who is the brother of Rahm Emanuel.)

edit-it seems he doesn't like the Comedy Central "news" programs though.  That's a big negative.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Sean Hannity and Dick Morris are already going crazy over this Emanuel rumor.

Good. Dick Morris has zero political skills, so this was probably actually an excellent move by Obama.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

CoS however, isn't about Congressional Relations.  It's ultimately about managing the staff. 

It will have the GOP up in arms and is reminiscent of some early Clinton missteps. 

It's about governance and it might not be a good choice.

...

Are you going to do this for the next four years too? I thought we'd be done after the election.

Get used to it.  Democrats hated Bush from the very beginning and Republicans are going to hate Obama from the very beginning.

Wrong, Bush had an 88% approval rating among Democrats in this poll. The Democrats were strongly behind Bush until it was clear that he was terrible. Obama will never get that kind of benefit of the doubt.

http://old.911digitalarchive.org/crr/documents/1319.pdf

[MR maverick]

Sean Hannity and Dick Morris are already going crazy over this Emanuel rumor.

Good. Dick Morris has zero political skills, so this was probably actually an excellent move by Obama.

I don't know what has gotton into Dick Morris in the last year or so, because he use to defend Obama and attack Hillary.

Is he a neocon in training?

[Robespierre's Jaw]

Whilst I have no doubt in my mind that Rahm Emanuel will be an excellent Chief of Staff, if President-elect Barack Obama is to select him for the position, I would have assumed that he would rather have stayed and continued to serve in the House. Should be interesting nonetheless who Obama selects.

[BM]

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Well he'll at least be entertaining.

[Lief 🗽]

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...

I think I'm in love with this man.

[Edu]

LOL

[opebo]

...Obama isn't here to make the country better, only to grow the Democratic Party.

Lets keep in mind, Ford, that the parties are by definition at war with one another, and certainly the GOP under Bush was ruthless in its perpetration of this war.  Let us also keep in mind that 'growing the Democratic Party' also by definition 'makes the country better', if you are in agreement with that party ideologically.

It is time for ruthlessness on the part of the centrist party, as out of character as that might seem.

[Wakie]

The most partisan member of Congress for Chief of Staff?

If I had $1 for every time I heard a Republican charge that a Democrat was "the most liberal" or "the most partisan" member of Congress I would be a very rich man.

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So Andy Card was essentially "running the US government"?  Or was Scooter Libby running it from the VP Chief of Staff office?

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Hmm ... what do you think ... there will be redistricting?  Or maybe there will be an attempt to do away with the filibuster?  Or maybe judges who Congress has rejected will be appointed during vacation periods.

Boy, it must really stink to have to worry that the other side will do to you exactly what you did to them.

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LOL ... you're basing this outlandish statement on who he picked as CoS???  48 hours after the election and you're already condemning him.

[J. J.]

CoS however, isn't about Congressional Relations.  It's ultimately about managing the staff. 

It will have the GOP up in arms and is reminiscent of some early Clinton missteps. 

It's about governance and it might not be a good choice.

...

Are you going to do this for the next four years too? I thought we'd be done after the election.

Get used to it.  Democrats hated Bush from the very beginning and Republicans are going to hate Obama from the very beginning.

I don't think this is Obama hating.  There has been criticism from the right of Emmanuel, as John Ford suggested.  The job isn't, as has been suggested, "getting along with Congress."  That could be a problem, considering Congress's approval rating.

Most CoS's have not been gigantically partisan, and Emmanuel could create a perception problem at the least.

[Nym90]

At least Obama didn't say that he has political capital and that he intends to spend it.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

CoS however, isn't about Congressional Relations.  It's ultimately about managing the staff. 

It will have the GOP up in arms and is reminiscent of some early Clinton missteps. 

It's about governance and it might not be a good choice.

...

Are you going to do this for the next four years too? I thought we'd be done after the election.

Get used to it.  Democrats hated Bush from the very beginning and Republicans are going to hate Obama from the very beginning.

There's a difference between hating Obama and trying to spin EVERY SINGLE THING.

[JSojourner]

NPR confirms Emmanuel has accepted the job.

My take?  I like it.  Good cop/bad cop.  Obama makes an excellent good cop.  Emmanuel fills the other boots capably.

There's also this:  Obama is not going to tolerate sloppiness.  Emmanuel is many things, but he is not sloppy and he perfectly comfortable kicking the butts of Democrats as well as Republicans.

[J. J.]

CoS however, isn't about Congressional Relations.  It's ultimately about managing the staff. 

It will have the GOP up in arms and is reminiscent of some early Clinton missteps. 

It's about governance and it might not be a good choice.

...

Are you going to do this for the next four years too? I thought we'd be done after the election.

Get used to it.  Democrats hated Bush from the very beginning and Republicans are going to hate Obama from the very beginning.

There's a difference between hating Obama and trying to spin EVERY SINGLE THING.

This isn't spinning.  The reaction is there (it isn't mine, BTW).  Yes, it could create some problems of perception.

One thing that most posters have wrong is that CoS basically deals with Congress; he doesn't (and Emmanuel has experience outside of the House).

[CARLHAYDEN]

CoS however, isn't about Congressional Relations.  It's ultimately about managing the staff. 

It will have the GOP up in arms and is reminiscent of some early Clinton missteps. 

It's about governance and it might not be a good choice.

...

Are you going to do this for the next four years too? I thought we'd be done after the election.

Get used to it.  Democrats hated Bush from the very beginning and Republicans are going to hate Obama from the very beginning.

There's a difference between hating Obama and trying to spin EVERY SINGLE THING.

This isn't spinning.  The reaction is there (it isn't mine, BTW).  Yes, it could create some problems of perception.

One thing that most posters have wrong is that CoS basically deals with Congress; he doesn't (and Emmanuel has experience outside of the House).

What Emmanuel will probably largely be doing is to exert control over figurehead Cabinet appointees.

[12th Doctor]

This is about one word:

Revenge

It's been pretty obvious from the start.  I siad from the start that this isn't about Hope, its about how bitter people are.

[Torie]

It is an excellent choice. Rahm manages well, gets folks motivated and to work hard, while still liking him, and he's a pragmatist. His job in Congress was to gain seats in Congress. His job for Obama will be to make him an effective president.

By the way, he fought like hell with the left wing of his party to pick nominees that were more conservative in more conservative districts, so that they were a better fit, even if not true blues for the left agenda. He used his money machine to tank and/or deflect progressive caucus type liberals from gaining the nomination in a fair number of seats. Rahm wanted blue dogs.

[frihetsivrare]

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/8091986/the_enforcer/

And there's the story of how, the night after Clinton was elected, Emanuel was so angry at the president's enemies that he stood up at a celebratory dinner with colleagues from the campaign, grabbed a steak knife and began rattling off a list of betrayers, shouting "Dead! . . . Dead! . . . Dead!" and plunging the knife into the table after every name. "When he was done, the table looked like a lunar landscape," one campaign veteran recalls. "It was like something out of The Godfather. But that's Rahm for you."

[Ronnie]

I have some bias to Rahm (he is Israeli, and I am half), but I think he'll be pretty good.

[The Duke]

The most partisan member of Congress for Chief of Staff?

If I had $1 for every time I heard a Republican charge that a Democrat was "the most liberal" or "the most partisan" member of Congress I would be a very rich man.

But if you had a dollar for every Democrat I had named most partisan, you'd only have one dollar, wouldn't you?

This essentially means Rahm is running the US government,

So Andy Card was essentially "running the US government"?  Or was Scooter Libby running it from the VP Chief of Staff office?

Andy Card was a weak Chief of Staff.  Rahm won't be.

Most Chiefs of Staff do run the government to a large extent, thought the exact degree depends on the President.  Don Regan had more control than Hamilton Jordan, for example.

and I consider it a declaration of war against the GOP.  Rahm has no core beliefs except the desire to elect Democrats.  His hiring cannot be interpreted as anything other than a clear signal that this administration's sole purpose is to build a bigger Democratic Party.

Hmm ... what do you think ... there will be redistricting?  Or maybe there will be an attempt to do away with the filibuster?  Or maybe judges who Congress has rejected will be appointed during vacation periods.

Boy, it must really stink to have to worry that the other side will do to you exactly what you did to them.

I think your comment is basically an admission that Supersoulty is right.  The Rahm pick is the first step in a plan to exact revenge out of pure bitterness.

For any Republicans saying, "I'll give Obama the benefit of the doubt", well, guess what, the doubt is removed.  Obama isn't here to make the country better, only to grow the Democratic Party.

LOL ... you're basing this outlandish statement on who he picked as CoS???  48 hours after the election and you're already condemning him.

You clearly don't get how important the Chief of Staff is.  With the exception of GW Bush's administration and the first half of the Carter administration, the Chief of Staff is basically co-President.