So Mr. Obama has made his first big decision of his presidency: choosing his chief of staff. When I first heard of his pick I was mildly disappointed that he didn't branch out of his Chicago political ties. But, there has been so much talk about him governing from the middle and uniting America in his post-partisan politics so I thought I'd give this pick a chance.
So, here's the scoop on Rahm Emanuel... He's a major player in the Democratic party--chairman of the Dem. campaign committee--he's a huge money raiser. He's the son of an Israeli born pediatrician, has some accomplished brothers, grew up in Chicago, etc. We also know that he is as fiery as Obama is calm. The F-word is his favorite word--he uses it as a verb, noun, adjective, adverb, etc. James Carville said about him "everyone is an F-ing idiot to Rahm". When asked what was the most blunt thing Emanuel had said to former Pres. Clinton, he said "it's unprintable". It's also universally known that he's a yeller and a screamer. As for partisanship, he wrote a piece entitled "How to Defeat a Republican". In it he states "once you have succinctly spelled out your own program, you can start dredging up dirt on your opponent...the untainted Republican has not yet been invented." That sounds real "post-partisan" and really encouraging concerning the position Mr. O will be taking concerning crossing the aisle. In addition, he too was on the board of Freddie Mac--just what Washington needed--another one of these. He's also on the top 25 in donations from Freddie Mac--that's great.
It's really the same old stuff: another controversial associate (now chief of staff), another horrible, machine-politician at his side, another person to do his dirty work so he can remain "the blank screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views." (Audacity of Hope, 11). Another indication that he needs brash, pushy, opinionated types at his side to tell him what to do....
So much for setting the tone early on of bi-partisanship, unity, and peacemaking. Obama's no reformer--he's just another politician--probably the best politician we've seen in years.
BTW, this info is all over the web so I'm not quoting sources--they're everywhere.
2 comments:
Scary guy. Sounds like we're gonna have a bunch of emotional loose cannons in Washington. Not what we want in these dangerous times. Some might think that term doesn't apply to Obama but i consider him a l.c. because of his fantastic ambition and his lingering insecurities. That's always been a bad combination in those who hold the fate of the world in their hands.
Sorry, it's just me again but another thought came to mind. R. Emanuel doesn't sound like someone who would be receiving inspiration from above to guide his decisions and behavior inspite of his name. I don't suppose their are any Ezra Taft Bensons in Washington these days.
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