Before you spout off about what a right wing stooge Rahm Emanuel is

[cali]

I suggest you check out his voting record. It's a mixed bag, to be sure, but there's far more good than bad in it.

http://www.ontheissues.org/IL/Rahm_Emanuel.htm#Immigration

[Skink]

1. He's on board with Obama now.

He's got majorities in Congress Clinton never had.

[wyldwolf]

2. the only people who feel that way are...

... those who have not yet joined the reality-based community.

[dennis4868]

3. he seems to be...

liberal based on his voting record...anyone who gets an F from the NRA is a friend of mine!

[Trajan]

4. The same applies to Liebermann ...

Who has a demonstrably liberal voting record .. Yet who is despised nearly universally ...

The fact is: Obama picked him, and if everybody recalls "I got this !" .....

Nuff said ....

[Idealism]

6. Liebermann butted heads with Dean

and the Dems pulled support from him during his last senate race, hes always been a liberal except on war issues, and even after winning as an independant still voted with us on almost everything except iraq. people don't like him just because hes a traitorous douchebag, not because he doesn't vote with us

[Trajan]

12. Oh I agree with that analysis ....

You have it exactly right ....

I just wonder if we are better off with his vote, or better off feeling vindicated ....

I suppose we would still get his vote, even if he were ejected from his committee positions .... It is probably a wash either way ....

I hate his warm mongering .... But I am a realist .... We still need his vote ...

[Brazenly Liberal]

17. He's worse than traitorous.

He's spiteful.

He's still punishing his party for the Ned Lamont business.

Liebermann can't be trusted. No matter how liberal his voting record is, he will always be a high risk for deliberately doing something very publicly to embarrass the party. His petty need for revenge will trump loyalty and his knowledge of right and wrong.

[eleny]

5. Thanks for the great site!

[Gman]

7. Rahm Emanuel is not fit for the purists here

It was 48 hours until the purists started blasting Obama. Frankly, I wondered what took them so long. Maybe the purists are getting old or something.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

8. Those Who Spout Out About It Show Their Closed Mindedness, Zealotry And Ignorance Quite Readily.

Nothing but knee jerk stupidity.

[tammywammy]

9. Agreed n/t

[madfloridian]

11. That's pathetic. It really is. It is pure and simple name-calling.

.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

20. It Is Pure And Simple Accuracy. Get Over It.

[madfloridian]

13. I spout therefore I am Ignorant and Close-minded.

Right?

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

21. If The Shoe Fits...

[madfloridian]

10. Lieberman is liberal, too, we are told.

Much of his voting record is liberal.

[cali]

22. Do the research yourself

unlike Lieberman, Rahm wants to get out of Iraq and he has the voting record to prove it. Unlike Lieberman, he hasn't fucked dems over and didn't stab Obama in the back. Unlike Lieberman, he's loyal to Obama.

[Brazenly Liberal]

14. The most important qualifications for the Chief of Staff

are that

1) s/he is on board with the President's agenda; and

2) s/he knows where the bathrooms are - meaning s/he knows how Washington works well enough to know how to make that agenda happen.

Rahm scores highly on both. He was an excellent choice.

[madfloridian]

15. Oh, yeh, bring out those who know where the effing bodies are...

and those who are a**sholes and proud of it. Dignity and decency no longer matter.

Just kicking ass and taking names and keeping folks in line cause he knows all about them.

Classy.

[Odin2005]

16. To the purists anyone to the right of Kucinich is an evil corporate stooge.

They will never be happy because they think everyone on the other side are evil monsters and thus compromising (And I mean real, honest compromise, not "give the pukes what they want" sort of compromise) with them is evil. Purism in American politics is nothing but a secularized form of the Puritan impulse that runs so strongly in the American psyche.

[madfloridian]

23. Damn, there's that "purist" word again.

Straight from the conservative Dem talking points. That word is like fringe almost.

[Odin2005]

26. I'm no Conservative Dem, I'm as liberal as they come.

The purists seem to act as if you can't be a liberal and a pragmatic realist at the same time. Damn, the reality of politics in a democratic society is so inconvenient isn't it? :eyes:

[Overseas]

18. Your link doesn't change my mind that he is a moderate Democrat

It gives me even more of his YES votes to worry about, such as privatizing Social Security and retroactive immunity to telecoms for wiretapping for the government.

But reminds me too that he has some classic liberal positions and I appreciate that.

Personally, I think he's more moderate than Barack, but Barack's ideas won and Rahm is a team player so I hope he's going to push through Barack's more liberal agenda.

[Davis_X_Machina]

19. Doesn't matter if he's a Rosicrucian...

...or a left-handed shortstop. The CoS works for the President, at the President's pleasure. Unless you have a uniquely passive or inept president, it doesn't matter who the CoS is. James Baker and Mike Dever were unusual, because Reagan didn't actually do most of his job.

The powerful -- like Rove -- will exercise their power regardless of the title they hold. And chiefs of staff are often nebbishes -- Andy Card and Josh Bolten were Bush's chiefs of staff -- they were the people actually were running things? IIRC, Card was the guy who got sent out for cheeseburgers.

This has already gotten attention far out of proportion to its actual significance.

[RollWithIt]

24. Emanual Responds to Your Post:

"Fuck anyone who gets in Obama's way."

He went on to say, "Assholes."

[jonnyblitz]

25. I read his dad was a member of the Israeli terrorist group called

Irgun. of course that has nothing to do with anything, but it's interesting to note, none-the-less. :shrug:

[Truth2Tell]

27. Emanuel is a very good liberal on social issues

and some domestic economic issues. And that is a good thing.

He is a DLC Republican on trade, banking and labor issues.

And he out-neocons the neocons on foreign affairs and civil liberties.

So on the issues I care the most about he is worthless.

Nevertheless I think COS might just be an OK place for him.