Look, it's simple. Here's what Emanuel brings to the table:

[cali]

He has experience on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue. And experience with success. That's what you need in the position of CoS- proven experience. This is not an issues driven position. And it's not just a gatekeeper position. There are very few people who have the experience to effectively fill this post. Emanuel is one of them. And he's a tough as nails shit kicker who won't hesitate to kick repuke butt and recalcitrant blue dog butt to get votes on board for President Obama. He's lived through the trials and errors of the Clinton administration and he won't repeat mistakes made in Clinton's first term.

It's a pragmatic choice and demonstrates a determination on the part of President Obama to move his agenda through Congress in a timely fashion.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. It's a great choice, according to one of my political friends...

Obama has known Emanuel for a very long time, and knows what he can do, and how he could contribute effectively to his Administration!

K&R

:patriot:

[Fuzz]

2. "tough as nails shit kicker"

Thumbs up.

[Mike 03]

3. K & R!

[riverdeep]

4. That's what came to my mind.

Here's what I said on another thread:


I'm guessing he picked Rahm because of qualities that don't necessarily have to do with policy. If Obama needed someone he could trust, who he's known personally for a long time, who knows where the bodies are buried, and who's disciplined and an enforcer, then Rahm is a decent enough choice. When you look at past Cheif of Staff's, the successful ones are typically in that mold, Jim Baker for one, who made sure Bush the Dimmmer won Florida. Rahm is that same take no prisoners kind of guy, maybe that's why he picked him.

I hope that's the case, because I'm still a Deaniac. I actually still think he could've won in 2004, if he had had the party with him.

I'm willing to give him a chance before I start firing; getting as far as he has with what the McCain campaign threw at him, while remaining unflappable, means that he has earned my trust, for now.

[EFerrari]

5. How many elections has he won? Thanks in advance.

[cali]

9. who? Emanuel or Obama? If you're referring to

Emanuel, he's obviously won his own elections to the House, and he's widely credited with being part of the reason that dems retook the House in 2006. But it's not only that, it's that he's reputedly very effective at rounding up votes. This is a guy who spent 7 years in the White House and in the House for 6 years. He has further political experience before that.

[EFerrari]

12. So, he claims credit for Dean's efforts in 2006 and you buy that?

What about 2004? What about 2002?

Cheney has that many years in, too.

[cali]

25. Anyone who's actually informed themselves, knows that both deserve credit

for 2006. I'm a Dean partisan, so I give more of that credit to Dean, but there's no doubt that Emanuel was also instrumental in the dem success that year

[EFerrari]

26. Right! Emanuel was responsible for all those anti-war candidates winning.

lol

[DireStrike]

30. Can you give me some information on this?

I'm uninformed as to what actually happened, and have to water-down my criticism for that reason. I probably shouldn't criticize at all, but I've heard too much about Rahm and his anti-dean vendetta that seems completely counterproductive.

How exactly did Rahm accomplish anything? What did he accomplish? I can't imagine anything that couldn't be attributed to Dean / The Pendulum. Can you point to a clear case where RE made a clearly winning decision, or where numbers DEFINITELY increased due to his efforts?

[paulk]

44. he was the chair of the DCCC, the organization charged with

getting Democrats elected in the House. Since Democrats gained 31 seats in 2006 and took control of the House, Emmanuel naturally gets the lion's share of the credit.

His strategy was to recruit and run conservative Democrats in districts held by conservative Republicans, which is why the left hates him so.

[tavalon]

37. I have read many reasons for why I shouldn't hate this appointment,

but the fact that he is taking credit for that which he had no part in is not a good one. I don't want people who take credit for others' work in this administration. Personal accountability meme comes to mind.

[DireStrike]

21. He may be "credited", but I would debate that.

As would many supporters of Dean and the 50-state strategy. Races were won IN SPITE of Emmanuel, not because of him.

Rounding up votes is a different story. I don't know about that. He may indeed be very good at that, which brings him closer to being qualified for the position.

[Pastiche423]

27. Emanuel had NOTHING to do w/the win 2006!

NOTHING!

It was Howard Dean. The same Howard Dean that emanuel smeared during the run up to the election of DNC Chairmanship.

A DLCer (the RIGHT WING of the Dem Party) gets the 1st appointment and YOU think that's good?

I am trembling at the thought of who else he will appoint next.

HORRIBLE DECISION!

[babylonsister]

10. He was intrumental in helping to win 30 for the House in 2006:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rahm_Emanuel

Ultimately the Democratic Party enjoyed considerable success in the 2006 elections, gaining 30 seats in the House. Emanuel has received considerable praise for his stewardship of the DCCC during this election cycle, even from Illinois Republican Rep. Ray LaHood who said "He legitimately can be called the golden boy of the Democratic Party today. He recruited the right candidates, found the money and funded them, and provided issues for them. Rahm did what no one else could do in seven cycles."<16> Nevertheless, some of the 2006 victories came in areas that had trended strongly Republican in recent years, such as Nancy Boyda's defeat of Jim Ryun in Kansas.

[EFerrari]

14. What a nice set piece. Was that before or after Howard Dean was working?

"Rahm did what no one else could have done in seven cycles".

Now, there's an objective description. :crazy:

[babylonsister]

15. I don't know what a set piece is, and realize he and Dean did not

agree on a lot of things and fought often. Dean proved himself to be correct. That doesn't mean Emanuel won't be valuable in this capacity.

[EFerrari]

20. A set piece is canned rhetoric. Rahm wanted to dump Dean

just about the same time he started taking credit for Howard's work.

madfloridian knows this topic much better than I do.

I don't care who Obama chooses -- I'm just glad he won. But, Emanuel can't be called a progressive by any stretch of the imagination. His experience is mostly losing elections although his lobbying efforts may have been more successful.

[mopinko]

16. he also lost the race right next door.

he shoved tammy duckworth into a race where the progressive candidate would have won. i give howard, and we the people, a lot more credit than i give rahm. i think we won in spite of him.

he did, iirc, help bill get elected. i think he is suited for the job. and i will also confess that i have met him in person, and i think he is a hottee.
time to bind up the old wounds and move forward, i think. at least i am trying.

[babylonsister]

19. Yes, I read about that yesterday from an old 2006 article. iirc

Axelrod had quite a bit to do with that, too, but no one is going after him. I'm with you. Time to move forward.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

6. I'm anti-Emanuel but I'm willing to wait and see.

Expecting something different from him at this point is kind of naive, though.

[madfloridian]

7. It was a telling choice.

Sends a message. :shrug:

[cali]

11. Yeah, it sends the message that President Obama is dead serious

about passing his agenda in Congress, and in avoiding Clinton's mistakes in that regard.

[Pastiche423]

28. Avoiding Clinton's mistakes

by appointing the one that helped make those mistakes?

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[cali]

33. because people learn from mistakes and that's to a large degree what experience

is about. And it's clear that Emanuel has become very effective at navigating the legislative process.

Oh, but I forgot, the likes of little armchair advisors like you are just so much smarter than Obama.

[Pastiche423]

39. Please provide links to rahm's "very effective navigating

the legislature process" (WTF that is).

[Greyhound]

8. Kicking this to check later.

[leftofthedial]

13. he is tough and competent

and what's more, Newt Gingrich was busy.

[trashcanistanista]

17. Wolf just said he could have been up for Pelosi's seat.

If that's true, then he is better off being out of the House. Otherwise, I really don't like him.

[DireStrike]

18. You'll forgive me if I'm a bit cynical - I've heard this before re: "tough"

Reid is tough! He's a fighter! He boxes!
Pelosi is tough! She won't take shit!

To some extent it was said about Murtha as well.

All said, I kind of expected this. Obama made it clear he'd govern from the center, and you can't get much further from the left-populist principles that helped won this election than Rahm Emmanuel (at least, not without leaving the D party.)

Will he be working for or against Obama? That remains to be seen. If he acts in good faith and accepts Obama's governing strategy, then his ideology is irrelevant. We'll see.

[dkofos]

22. I question his judgment.

Tim Mahoney was Rahm's pick.

[gulfcoastliberal]

23. I guess Obama changed his mind & decided that change does come from Washington.

Color me underwhelmed and disappointed.

[cali]

32. yeah, Obama should just have appointed someone who has no WH experience to that post

that would have been just brilliant.

[tigereye]

43. who would you have liked him to pick? Just curious.

to be fair, COS often change during an administration.


I think Presidents often pick tough managers whom they trust. It would have been interesting if he had picked a woman or a person of color. That would have been a cool message to send.

[AllyCat]

24. If he'll kick blue dog butt, I will back him 100%

[Pastiche423]

29. Why would he kick blue dog butt

when he's a DLCER?

[cali]

31. because he'll kick any butt that won't fall into line on Obama's

legislative agenda. Oh, and he's done it before. His loyalty is to Obama, not anyone in the House. That's the way it works. Pretty basic stuff.

[Pastiche423]

40. You know this how?

Again, please provide links as to "he's done it before".

He ain't done jack shit but smear good Democrats. DEMOCRATS, not the republicon lites (DLCers).

[ColbertWatcher]

34. I think it's his toughness and his ties to the Clintons that have the GOPers frightened. n/t

[bvar22]

35. Rahm ??

..won't hesitate to kick recalcitrant blue dog butt..???
That would be worth the admission price...Rahm kicking his own butt!


He has experience on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue
Don't forget his depth of experience on K Street, especially with the big Wall St Houses.

Rahm is not THE MOST Conservative Corporate Friendly "Democrat" in the House, but he is close to it.

[Kip Humphrey]

36. Not to mention, those bluedog dems are beholdin' to Emanuel. He recruited many of them and

arranged DLC campaign support. Therefore, Emanuel is effectively a communications link into the heart of the bluedog dems. Furthermore, from Obama's perspective, Emanuel is assuredly much more a communications link INTO the heart of the DLC than he is a communications link FROM the DLC. IMO, there is no need to underestimate Obama's intelligence or his self awareness. So, relax... r e l a x..... r e l a x.......

[...of J.Temperance]

38. Thank you Cali, you always

I know you're not a DLCer, but you always post sensible and thoughtful comments and are at least willing to understand that the DLC are Democrats too, and that Rahm Emanuel is a GENIUS choice for President Obama to have made for WH CoS....Emanuel kicks ass, he's great.

When I see so many totally hysterical-freakout posts regarding the DLC, many of them devoid of anything approaching being factual correct, they always make me chuckle.

When I see your posts regarding any DLCer, they always make me think at least there's people who are in possession of facts and can see DLCers as fellow Democrats.

:)

On Edit: Dammit spelling error

[HooptieWagon]

41. Not sure I like the person, but I'm coming around inre CoS

He's a thug, but he's OUR thug. Obama is gonna need an arm-twister to get legislation passed. He's also gonna need someone to watch his back, someone so ruthless Obama's "enemies" will be paralyzed with fear. Think of Emanuel as Obama's Hansen Brothers (to use a hockey analogy) - not a policy maker, but an enforcer. As much as I dislike the guy, he does sound perfect for the job.

[tigereye]

42. thank you Cali!