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Politico has announced that Illinois Congressman Rahm Emanuel has accepted President-elect Obama's offer to be his administration's Chief of Staff. Emanuel, a Sarah Lawrence grad, has probably been the second most visible Congressman after Nancy Pelosi since Democrats took control of the House in 2006. He was expected to be next in line for the Speaker job and Politico says that his accepting this job is a move to demonstrate just how historic and important this administration will be. The GOP is already crying foul over the highly partisan Emanuel, saying that the choice is hypocritical to Obama's calls for unity in Washington. Back at a dinner after President Clinton's first victory in 1992, Emanuel turned some heads by listing Clinton enemies one by one and putting a steak knife into the table, saying after each one, "Dead!"
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Partisan Politics Are Back? Just because the Rahm Emanuel (a Democrat) accepted the job as Chief of Staff??
Are the GOP (and that headline) Kidding?
Geez...
What a bunch of babies. Let's see how the hypocrits complain at every turn over the next four years that everything is so unfair. Two words: Go. Away.
Hyper-partisan, angry, destroy all who oppose, Chicago style politics is what "Change" means?
Yeah, that headline is ridiculous. As if he'd ask a Republican to be his chief of staff.
For shame Gothamist, this isn't the Drudge Report.
"Hyper-partisan, angry, destroy all who oppose, Chicago style politics is what "Change" means?"
...
...
Um, What?
Whom are you talking about again? The GOP?
"Neidermeyer!"
Partisan politics are back? First of all, when did they ever leave? Secondly, nobody's done anything yet so who knows? And thirdly, it works both ways. If the GOP does nothing but obstruct then "partisan politics" is the way to go. But it remains to be seen.
Repeatedly stabbing the table while yelling "DEAD" like a total psychopath, definitely doesn't inspire confidence that Rahm has 'changed' from the hard-nose, Chicago-style politics he is known for S.D..
That was back in 1992, not recently. I can imagine the years could soften the guy.
Payback time. Turn Cheney over to the Hague and watch Bush shit his pants.
Come on, he loves his parents! It's cute.
Its starting already. When Clinton was in office the Repubs spent so much money and time trying to tear down the democrats and Clintons agenda. Thankfully there will be a Dem majority in the Senate and these fools will be somewhat contained for a few years. They brought this country to its knees and destroyed every decent idea of Democracy. I am so relieved that Obama won. Bush, Cheney and Rove should be arrested.
Let's make this simple:
Chicago Politics makes New Jersey Politics look like a good government society.
Rahm is the left's Karl Rove.
Rahm is a nutcase. Anyone who has spent any time following Chicago politics knows that.
Obama has a lot of favors to repay -- soaring rhetoric could only get him so far, he needed a few favors to ascend to the throne. Watch as one-by-one he brings his Chicago political cronies to Washington to push through an agenda that most Americans will oppose, but will have to sit back and watch helplessly since the Dem Congress will give him a blank check to spend our tax dollars.
But on the bright side, his term is only four years, how much damage could he do? Look at Jimmy Carter. Oh, bad example.
Huh.
Well, other than that (Pretty sure that was a joke) Politico (and others) have him marked as a Centrist.
But considering you called Michelle Obama an "an angry bitch" (She's Not) I'm sure you won't be satisfied unless President Elect Obama appointed Dick Cheney...
In any case, After your comments like that one, I don't really take anything you say seriously.
So. How's that Negative BS working for the GOP this time around? IMO, didn't seem to help this election. Unless the goal was to throw all those contests that is....
good move, they'll need him to deal with pelosi
How dare a Democrat appoint a Democrat as part of his administration.
Is Obama trying for the best-looking administration. First Obama, now Rahm. Us left-leaning ladies are swooning.
Emmanuel has helped Obama from the beginning. I think he's a good choice. And chronyism is relative when compared to the texas goold ol' boy politics we were subjected to 8 years ago.
So Chicago might get an olympics, at least we aren't boming baghdad again.
This guy Rahm looks like a zombie. VanessaNYC I always knew you preferred dark meat.
I'm not a huge Emanuel fan, but the notion that Obama would and can pick all fresh faces for his cabinet is ridiculous. Of course he needs some Washington insiders on his staff. He plans on getting things done. They know the system.
From what I read, Obama is seriously considering adding a couple of republicans like Chuck Hagel and/or Dick Luger to his staff as both a display of bi-partisan politics and demonstrating that he wants the best people working with him, democrat or republican. This should be interesting. Stay tuned.
Good choice. Not necessarily a good choice for any available job, but Chief of Staff? Absolutely.
From Wikipedia:
Emanuel held a seat on the quasi-governmental Freddie Mac board, which paid him $231,655 in director’s fees in 2001 and $31,060 in 2000...During the time Emanuel spent on the board, Freddie Mac was plagued with scandal involving campaign contributions and accounting irregularities…
Damn Democrats got balls...
Wasn't this jerk a ballerina or something?
Rahm Emanuel?
Sh#t - is he jew?
#25 yep
Give me a break. Emanuel knows the House inside and out and will be a strong liason between the WH and the Hill. And Obama's more of a good cop. He knows what his strengths are, and he's picking people who have strengths where he's weaker. That's just smart management.
The GOP is whining about partisanship when they had Karl Rove pulling the shots for the better part of a decade. The only response that deserves is Bitch, please.
I'm sorry S.D. but Michelle Obama makes Nina Simone look like Oprah by comparison (and yes,I'm aware Nina is no longer with us.)
It's a good thing Rahm Emanuel isn't being put in charge of anything important.
Interesting tidbit... The character of Ari on "Entourage" is based on Rahm's brother Ari, who is an agent in Hollywood.
Oh yeah, Emanuel is a great choice. Obama needs a tough, enforcer to back him up. And the GOP shouldn't complain after we had to put up with Rove for so long.
This is like if McCain had won, and he picked Karl Rove as his chief of staff. Doesn't Obama's bipartisan rhetoric behoove him to appoint moderate democrats and moderate republicans to these top spots? Just sayin
And so the pendulum swings as far to the left as it has been to the right.
Rove was an utter douche, but don't blow 'change' smoke up my arse and hire the same kind of douche with a different platform but the same mentality.
The middle gets abandoned again.
I truly fear the response the Right will bring in 2016. Imagine for a second a team worse than Bush/Cheney/Rove.
http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2008/11/obamas-pick-for-chief-of-staff.html
Great....another I-bank shill. Just what we need.
How many people knew anything about the White House Chief of Staff before yesterday? Who even knows who the current one is?
Rove was demonized by the left, but the fact is that the CoS is an inside-baseball kind of job, and they work for the President. It's not the other way around.
Obama's bipartisan rhetoric isn't "let's appoint moderates to every single position". It's more like "let's listen to what the opposition has to say and see if we can find a middle ground".