Even so, Republicans seized on the disclosure. "Emanuel is among the most vitriolic and partisan people in American politics," said Alex Conant, a Republican National Committee spokesman. "Reports that Obama wants him to be White House chief of staff undercut any claims to unity and bipartisanship, and should alarm every voter."
Obviously it didn't.
From a 2007 Salon book review:
That night, on the northwest side, Rahm Emanuel was elected to Congress. A former Clinton whiz kid who'd gotten his start as a fundraiser for Mayor Richard M. Daley, Emanuel was connected -- in the three years after leaving the White House (where he'd helped push through NAFTA), he earned $16 million putting together Wall Street mergers. He was also zealously partisan. He had once owned a consulting business devoted to finding skeletons in Republican closets. At a Clinton victory dinner in Little Rock in 1992, Emanuel celebrated by reciting a hoped-for necrology of Democrats who had "f*cked" the president-elect. After every name, he stabbed a steak knife into a table and screamed, "Dead man!"
More...
"The Jewish LBJ," political scientist Larry Sabato calls him, not only for his ambition but also for his reputation as an amoral political animal focused only on power.
When gasoline prices were over $4 a gallon in June, and the "Drill here, drill now" chant was the loudest, Emanuel was among the Democrats who scoffed at the calls to drop the offshore drilling ban, telling the oil companies who had leases on public land, "Use it or lose it."Of course the oil companies pretty much had done that already, which is why the Dems reluctantly changed their unpopular stance.
As I noted last week, Emanuel was an underdog in the 2002 Democratic Primary for the Congressional seat he'll be walking away from. A get out the vote drive led by City of Chicago Water Commissioner Donald Tomczak was instrumental in putting Rahm on top. Tomczak is in prison now.
On the favorable side, Emanuel was helpful to the military veterans who had military scholarships rescinded by the University of Illinois.
H/T to Backyard Conservative for the Salon article.
Related posts:
Report: Rahm Emanuel (D-Tomczak) approached by Obama to be his chief of staff
Now he tells us...Emanuel backs Obama
Marathon Pundit exclusive: Van der Hooning wins five of six counts in case against Univ. of Illinois
Scandal update: Lt. Gov. Quinn wants count of vets in Univ. of Ill. MBA program
Broken promises: How "jarheads" got shunted aside at the University of Illinois: A Marathon Pundit series
Marathon Pundit Exclusive: What happened behind the scenes of the University of Illinois veteran scholarship scandal
University of Illinois: "Hookers are Praised as Soldiers" –Marathon Pundit's Third Investigative Report
University of Illinois military scholarships scandal update
Exclusive: Van der Hooning, and Illinois vets, get a hearing at the Court of Claims
Marathon Pundit exclusive: Lt. Gov. Quinn's letter to U of I president about military scholarship scandal
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3 comments:
emanuel is an excellent choice. kudos to the president-elect!
...was that the Illinois senator was a legislator who crossed aisles to reach consensus...
John, Sen. Obama, in his first 2 years in the Senate while still in the minority party, worked with Tom Coburn, Dick Lugar, and other Republicans to develop bills on government transparency, nuclear warhead containment, and more.
Today, in discussing possible Cabinet appointments, there has even been talk from the Obama-Biden transition team of asking current Bush-appointed SecDef Robert Gates to stay on board under President-elect Obama. Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel has been mentioned as another SecDef option.
It's unclear what part of reaching across aisles to build consensus you're not understanding -- unless you're still so dizzied by the McCain campaign's spin that you just aren't yet willing to see something that is staring you in the face.
As for Chief of Staff, your whines about Rahm Emanuel are rather hypocritical given the hyper-partisan rancor the country has endured under the current conservative Administration, CoS and all.
Indeed, one could very easily, based on the history of the past 8 years, read that RNC quote as: "The Bush team is among the most vitriolic and partisan groups in American politics," said Alex Conant, a Republican National Committee spokesman. "Reports that Bush wants to with this team undercut any claims to unity and bipartisanship, and should alarm every voter."
The Chief of Staff needs to be a pitbull who is willing and able to advance the President's agenda and goals. If Pres. Obama feels his CoS (whoever it is) doesn't do that, that person will be removed. They serve at the pleasure of the President, after all.
The Lugar bill was on disposing of nuclear missiles, in Ukraine I think. Who could be against that?
Coburn, Google for government. Hard to oppose. Of course, Obama threw Coburn (among others) under the bus.
He tried to compare his working with Coburn to his work with Ayers--at a Dem debate with Hillary.
Hagel, a RINO's RINO, would be a horrible SecDef. And had he run for reelection, he would not have survived the GOP primary.
Oh,Nebraskans were sick of Hagel, and like Liddy Dole, didn't spend much time in his home state.
Keeping Gates wouuld be smart.
Bush never promised to change the world, and Andy Card was not Rahm.
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