Gothamist: Partisan Politics Are Back: Rahm Will Be Chief of Staff

Politburo

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 14:25:33 -0500

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".

Felix Hoenikker

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 13:50:41 -0500

http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2008/11/obamas-pick-for-chief-of-staff.html Great....another I-bank shill. Just what we need.

Felix Hoenikker

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:46:28 -0500

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.

solidunit

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:24:31 -0500

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

Dirk

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 09:02:39 -0500

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.

Dirk

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 09:01:03 -0500

Interesting tidbit... The character of Ari on "Entourage" is based on Rahm's brother Ari, who is an agent in Hollywood.

blablanyc

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 07:48:12 -0500

It's a good thing Rahm Emanuel isn't being put in charge of anything important.

berniegoetz

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 23:51:31 -0500

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.)

AHT

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 23:26:07 -0500

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.

felixthecat

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 21:38:47 -0500

#25 yep

FilthyJuice

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 21:20:53 -0500

Rahm Emanuel? Sh#t - is he jew?

glennQNYC

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:38:12 -0500

Wasn't this jerk a ballerina or something?

glennQNYC

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:36:18 -0500

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...

jaycjay

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 19:20:43 -0500

Good choice. Not necessarily a good choice for any available job, but Chief of Staff? Absolutely.

jackdonaghy

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 18:58:50 -0500

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.

HUGO_MEGO

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 18:52:20 -0500

This guy Rahm looks like a zombie. VanessaNYC I always knew you preferred dark meat.

matty

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 18:19:24 -0500

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.

VanessaNYC

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 18:19:06 -0500

Is Obama trying for the best-looking administration. First Obama, now Rahm. Us left-leaning ladies are swooning.

rasputinsghost

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:59:08 -0500

How dare a Democrat appoint a Democrat as part of his administration.

fakenewyorker

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:58:16 -0500

good move, they'll need him to deal with pelosi

S.D.

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:53:14 -0500

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....

holyfrjole

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:51:23 -0500

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.

Ared

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:51:04 -0500

Rahm is the left's Karl Rove.

Toby von Meistersinger

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:40:55 -0500

Let's make this simple: Chicago Politics makes New Jersey Politics look like a good government society.

slappy

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:39:19 -0500

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.

huffybike

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:30:58 -0500

Come on, he loves his parents! It's cute.

Splicer

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:26:17 -0500

Payback time. Turn Cheney over to the Hague and watch Bush shit his pants.

AvenueHebrew

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:25:17 -0500

That was back in 1992, not recently. I can imagine the years could soften the guy.

glennQNYC

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:19:17 -0500

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..

JenChungsBra

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:15:18 -0500

"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.

S.D.

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:06:41 -0500

"Hyper-partisan, angry, destroy all who oppose, Chicago style politics is what "Change" means?" ... ... Um, What? Whom are you talking about again? The GOP?

jonathan

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:02:06 -0500

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.

glennQNYC

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:00:44 -0500

Hyper-partisan, angry, destroy all who oppose, Chicago style politics is what "Change" means?

MT

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:57:19 -0500

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.

S.D.

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:48:05 -0500

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...