Rahm Emanuel Offered Chief of Staff Position
By Nicole Belle Wednesday Nov 05, 2008 11:12am
ABC News has learned that President-elect Obama has offered the White House chief of staff job to Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill.
Emanuel, a knowledgeable source tells ABC News, has not yet given his answer. The sharp-tongued, sharp-elbowed, keenly intelligent veteran of the Clinton White House is said to have ambitions to some day be Speaker of the House. But he also has a keen sense of "duty."
I actually think this should be viewed as good news for progressives in the long run. I'd rather have Emanuel playing gatekeeper in the White House than in the House of Representatives. This may allow us to push the House even further left in 2010.
For you fellow political junkies, a new site has been established, Cabinet Newsladder, to track information on Obama's future Cabinet.
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Oh, please, not this asshole. He didn't believe in Dean's 50-state strategy, but took credit for the Dems' victories in 2006.
Couldn't he have picked a progressive, for Chrissakes?
this is a golden opportunity to get his sorry ass out of congress.
Bringing in old Clintonistas is change?
Uh-oh.
?
damage mitigation...kick that bich upstairs
now Rubin for Treasury...oh noes!!!
Furthermore, I think Paul Volker would be a good choice for Treasury Secretary. His knowledge of the Federal Reserve could be useful in finding the best solution to this financial crisis. Hank Paulson seemed to be just throwing caution to the wind and doing whatever he thought might work.
Larry Summers is their pick. Another Clintonista and extremely disliked guy.
Hillary for Supreme Court?
Appointing Hillary to the SCOTUS would piss of the right wingers to no end. As far as Cabinet appointments: Treasury Secretary-Paul Krugman Secretary of Defense- Chuck Hagel (Republican, but admired him for standing up to Bush about the failed Iraq War) I can only think of these two right now...will look for others I think would be good.
and that is all he looked out for.
I trust your judgement on how to get the progressive changes we need in this country. Rahm is a tough muscle to have around the White House it seems to me. I'm okay with having him there as well. I just hope Barack remains the biggest muscle in the room when the influence tries to get thrown around all the time. This is a great day.
I'm sure they'll hang around the Oval Office seeing who has the biggest muscle.
but whatever
That's what they said about Bush in 2000.
"I don't really like him so much, but whatever. We'll have a Republican in the WH."
Look where that attitude got us.
I would also add, and I know this will not be popular, but hear me out. Offer Colin Powell the position of Secretary of Defense. He has been a career serviceman and a high ranking General that is still well respected by all ranks. Plus, he has good relations with much of the military Command. This could work favorably for Obama/Biden in working with the military.
Not him. We have plenty of retired generals who are not right wingers.
We have had ENOUGH of these guys. It's time for DEMOCRATS OKAY????
We didn't work our asses off for 12 years to have our DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENT HAND THE PLUMBS OVER TO THE RETHUGLICANS.
It's not time to forgive them. They need to pay their penance and they can't even do that until they ADMIT THEY WERE WRONG and ask to join our party.
trust me...and it will be a damn good choice
Hagel would also top my list of picks.
Secretary of State or Chief of Staff?
I always try to put country first. The one thing Powell has is that he has been both a politician and a Commanding General. He knows both. this can only be an asset.
Powell is on my short list of those who should be charge with war crimes. He's part of the problem, not the solution.
I guess this isn't going to be easy.
with you.
His part in going into Iraq lost him for me forever.
He's also been a Tool of the Bush administration.
FURTHER to the right...
I am extremely distrustful of the accomodationist strain I have ALWAYS perceived as Obama's biggest liability.
The Pukes STILL do not recognize the scope or scale of the global climate crisis. They are STILL tools of the status quo. They are STILL the creatures of the CorpoRat boardrooms.
I don't like it one bit...
I said when Powell endorsed Obama that I thought he was angling for some kind of Cabinet position, probably "defense" from which position he could pretend to be the sage Merlin to Obama's young Arthur.
And Robert Rubin was, indeed, Obama's main financial advisor, the man who GAVE us Gramm/Leach/Bliley, but recommending Clenis sign it, and promptly went off to CitiCorp to "earn" (yeah, right) some several HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of ill-gotten gains...
I am all set to already be disappointed in Obama's "vision" of this is the stuff of which it is composed...
Actually, he did admit he was wrong and did ask to join the party. In fact, he gave Obama 10 uninterrupted minutes on MSNBC, which played out into a huge media story about his endorsement.
I have a lot of patience for Powell. He made the classic soldier's mistake - he followed orders, even when they were bad. Although I think he got played as much as the rest of us. No way he goes into that room if he knows his intelligence is bad.
Not sure it will be SoD, but I think it would benefit the party & country for him to have a role.
Isn't there an echo somewhere in the room?
Powell made a career out of 'loyalty to the corps.'
The attitude is one of the reasons why us one-termers distrusted the lifers so much...
exactly right !powell sold his soul and integrity out at the U.N his ass is history , no more assholes with vials of white sand simulating anthrax in our democratic cabinett,
He's closed minded. And arrogant.
I voted for Obama because of his judgment and I feel I can trust him. So if this is his choice, fine by me. He did a hell of a job picking the people who ran his campaign, so I think he knows what he's doing.
His judgment is what did it for me. Obama has a nack for putting qualified people into the right positions regardless of party affiliation. Whoever he picks for whatever post he will have my full confidence.
You mean no more Monica Goodling or Brownie types? What the hell will the American people do with qualified people running the show again?
No more poisin from China? Big bidness won't be taking care of it themselves, actively following their Bush era "optional" regulations?
Let's see what can happen when a government doesn't measure policy as a function of seeing which corporate crony you can funnell taxpayer money too?
Change indeed!
Rot in hell George W. Bush - for what you did to the American people who entrusted you. You are a filthy piece of stinking garbage.
the guy who ran his campaign seems pretty bright.
Something for the late show here -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUT1WgHat6I
why is his right middle finger cut off? sorry it always distracts me when he's interviewed. reminds me of the yakuza.
It was cut off in a meat slicer at Arby's.
Seriously.
Paulson has a major conflict of interest and can't be trusted.
He should pick one that has not been a CEO on Wall Street.
Can't really say if he's a good or bad choice.
rahm emanuel accepted the position. obama is moving already.
I bet he has about all his staff already figured out and just about ready to go.
Sweet fucking JESUS!
Though it's possible Obama's move is designed to keep his enemies close...
smart! rahm almost sabotaged the progressives in 2006.
Doesn't matter how we feel because he has accepted the job.
Just saw it on msnbc
So much for change. Rahm E. is a political hack.
Sad choice to begin the Obama admin. I can't begin to express how poor this will be and what it means in terms of big dollars and insiders running the show.
more latter, but not a good start.
That's who he should have picked.
I don't think Obama harbors any fondness for Dean, though.
why?
Nice to see that Obama has been elected for less than 24 hrs and already the complaints begin. How about we give the guy the benefit of the doubt before the trashing begins. This time yesterday we were sweating bullets that he might not win and now the criticism begins.
The Obama Administration hasn't fully formed and Obama hasn't even taken the oath of office yet. There are many things to be done and nothing should be taken as being entirely set in stone.
Remember when the Dims "retook" Congress?
Remember everybody saying: "We gotta give 'em time, and the benefit of the doubt."?
Remember what ensued?
Scruit! We must judge actions, not words or intentions,...
However, it hasn't even been one entire day yet since Obama won the election. This is like pre season football. Obama is forming his team. Some will get cut while others will make the final roster. We have to give Obama time to form his cabinet.
If you have been paying the least bit of attention you would know what has happened. The republicans have set all time records, far surpassing any other party in history for obstruction, filibusters, phony outrage, and media control. Stop with the circular firing squad already. Obama is not Bush, he has the intellectual curiosity to know as much or more about subjects that he asks input on. Just because someone is part of the cabinet no longer means he will run the that part of the government without some very good over site.
When people are robbed of hope, they need to be pissed off. They have been pissed off for so long that they will have to re-learn how to start smiling again.
Obamas message last night was about putting America back on track and back to work. But now we can all go to work with a smile on our face.
It doesn't matter who Obama puts in. As long as they do their job well, have an intellect as sharp as a razor, and listen to what Obama is saying.
Obama is preaching a message of hope. I truly wish to think that his words are not hollow. Because what really needs to end is the era of the sociopath, The people of our society need to care about each other, right from the top all the way down to the bottom.
Secretary of Energy.
so far...I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.
for Secretary of Defense.
Bill Maher for Office of Faith-Based Initiatives
Al Gore as the Chief of Office on Climate Change
Bill Moyers for Press Secretary
Sarah Palin on the Aleutian Islands in a watchtower with no door for Secretary of Watching Putin's Head in our Airspace.
The last one is especially brilliant!
Wes Clark would also be a fantastic pick for SoD.
By the way, I am going to nominate my cat for my city's police commissioner. He sits on the window seal and looks outside a lot so he must be an expert on crime just like Palin stated that she was on Russia. lol
What do you have against Aleuts?
How about Bill Clinton as Secretary of Internal Affairs?
so much for change
the more things Change, the more they stay the same.
AIPAC Joe,
AIPAC Rahm.
wanna know why the jewish community still has some trust issues with obama?
its the constant comments coming from the left about the alleged power aipac has over our politics
total bullshit
oil has guided the past administrations policies
think israel is better off now than it was 8 years ago? take a trip there...trust me, they are in big trouble...mostly thanks to bush policies
so take your jew hate and fear and go elsewhere
next thing you know, you guys will be saying it was aipac who caused the depression
"Big Oil has been a loser, not a winner, and the evidence shows that the powerful Israeli Lobby trumped any opposition the oil giants could pose to match it.
"In its run-up, 'leading pro-Israel Jewish organizations produced approximately 8800 pieces of pro-Iraq war propaganda and circulated them to all its member organizations, every Congressperson, and every leading member of the executive branch, with follow-ups by local activists and an army of Washington lobbyists (150 from AIPAC alone) plus several hundred full-time activists from local and regional offices.'"
"A 2002 - 2007 Financial Times survey (the leading Anglo-American business publication) of 1872 op-eds, editorials and letters contained 'not a single (item) by any spokesperson or representative of a major (or minor) oil company calling for the invasion and occupation of Iraq or the bombing of Iran.'"
Zionism, Militarism, and the Decline of US Power
Review of James Petras' book by Stephen Lendman, Global Research, October 16, 2008
http://www.globalresearch.ca/PrintArticle.php...
We have become a nation of whiners.
Phil Graham
I did a post the other day about so many of us being hooked on anger and frustration these past eight years. It was forced on us by the bush administration. None of us are to blame. But now I think might be a good time for us to sober up and get clean. Instead of instant anger, how about we check ourselves and have some faith in the new president knowing more about matters and situations than we do? I'm giving it a try and not only does it feel better, it feels damned good.
...that we'd gotten rid of the DLC six months ago. Corporations have completely used and destroyed the Republican party, and DLCers like Emanuel are the corporate "in" to the Democrats.
But I've gotta say that I'm just too damn happy today to worry about it - yet. I don't know which visual I prefer: those two beautiful Obama girls playing with their new puppy in their White House or the right wing coronaries occurring throughout the nation when the video is broadcast. HeeHeeHeeHeeHee.
I would suggest to the Obama's to go with a beagle. They are smart dogs and cute as buttons. Another possibility could be a basset hound puppy. They could teach him to sniff out all of the bugs Cheney and the others probably planted in the White House.
They need to find where the constitution got buried.
Michelle said they are going to adopt a dog from a humane society.
Understanding they want a pit bull as chief of staff, Emaneul represents everything that is wrong with the Democratic party. To give him such a role, is symbolically troubling. He's responsible for diverting DNC funds to Blue Dogs instead of real progressive candidates, and has real strong ties to corporate America. I'm sorely disappointed in this early decision. I will keep in mind though that I'd rather him behind the scenes without a vote, than Speaker of the House.
opens the door for progressives to gain leadership posts
and are we gonna push for the ouster of pelossi and reed? hope so
http://www.newsweek.com/id/167581
the palin stuff is good
the real mccain was hidden throughout the campaign (but did keep the campaign from going totally dirty)
provides more evidence as to why i remain happy that hillary didnt get the nom (seriously, she and mccain are drinking buddies...she is a part of the rich old white boys network)
obama hates debates (strange for a lawyer)
neither of the campaigns initially had good computer security (this one is scary)
and obama had an entire new media team...now that is a huge positive for a prez who will be serving in the 21st century
Thanks!
I can't say I am thrilled with a possible Emanuel appointment. Can you say Zionist? Israel thinks Obama would be bad for them? Don't get me wrong, I think Israel has every right to exist, but they need to keep their nose out of our politics.
but this might be an olive branch to those in the jewish community who fear an obama presidency will sell israel down the river...in that sense, its a smart political move
obama did get 78 percent of the jewish vote...more than kerry...and while that percentage has been stable through the past few election cycles, a large portion of the jewish community, (especially the money guys) are moving towards the republican party...mostly on their belief that dems are bad for israel
never mind that israel's security and economic situation is worse off now than it was when clinton left office...that doesnt matter to those guys
interests and needs of 1% of the voting population.
Howard Fineman's mouth last night. Couldn't believe it.
How about this guy as the US Representative to the United Nations?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yW_sIKBfIk
...but John Bolton's re-nomination is simply unacceptable. :)
Well, not really he's full blown neocon.
This is the change we've been hearing about.
Now let's go spread some democracy!
the US will still spread democracy with bullets and bombs.
Nothing changes.
Except the wrapper.
Here's mine
http://images.ciao.com/iuk/images/products/no...
...and your enemies closer(close enough so that you could kiss, for all the 30 Rock fans).
Rahm would make a fine Chief of Staff. And he wouldn't be the chair of the DHCC any longer. That means less financial support for Blue Dogs in the primaries- and that's a good thing.
Are there any 30 Rock fans anwhere?
30 Rock and Arrested Development
I don't know if this is a good pick or not, but I can't get over the irony that Rove is Fox's "expert" on the topic, providing Fox viewers and Obama advice on how to pick a Chief of Staff, and how to run a White House. This is the guy whose methods have a President leaving office in disgrace, and have sunk the fortunes of an entire political party.
Dean should stay as head of DNC, continuing to bolster Dem efforts in "red" states (like Virginia and N.Carolina this year!)
Wes Clark for Sec. of Defense. NO REPUBLICANS, DAMMIT. Progressives!!
Bill Richardson for Sec. State. He's got loads of experience, and while he was in Clinton's cabinet, he won't be a mole for them since he backed Obama in the primary.
Kucinich for Sec. of Labor.
Sec. of Energy: Al Gore! Start the revolution to Green power!
And for any Supreme Court openings: 1. Robert Wexler! A raging liberal! 2. Janet Napolitano.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFYT00rnXTE
nuff said
say hello to the new cos
...To prove me right.
Let the Free-trading, Old School Corporate Whoring Triangulation (FOSCWT) begin!!!
Whoo Hoo!
... somehow it can be blamed on Nader. He is the real bad guy here...
There ya go: Insta-denial also works for Dems too.
Similar shit, this one will stink slightly less... so that is an improvement, I guess. I gotta see the silver lining after the past 8 years.
Like it or not, Obama had the opportunity to show the world that he is receptive to the injustice perpetrated against the Palestinians by Israel.
And in less than 24 hours after securing the presidency, what does Obama do? He offers a major position to the son of an Israeli terrorist? WTF!!!!
This is NOT the sort of change I was counting on.
In this positon wouldn't he be more responsible for enforcing Obama's policy instead of influencing it? The man has his uses and abilities, why waste them because he isn't 100% politically compatible with Obama. This isn't Bush's white house anymore.
Okay this is all wrong. Rahm was the basis for the character of Josh Lyman on the West Wing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rahm_Emanuel
He is supposed to be chief of staff for an intelligent charismatic Latino President, not an intelligent charismatic African American President.
Seriously, I think he will be great at the job, allowing Obama to speak about uniting and post-partisan and people not ideology and letting Josh Lyman bust heads.
Remember how everyone was worried that Obama wouldn't stand up as a Democrat and make the distinction between him and McCain. He talks nice but he gets the job done.
People didn't vote Obama for a Bush to Clinton change. People expected a real change. Why a certain group of people have to be on key positions to influence president with their own agenda. Did Obama play same old politics with a new slogan or he had no choice.
Says a lot about what kind of change is in order when your second pick is the son of a Zionist IRGUN terrorist.
lots of bombings and other murderous mayhem under his father's watch.
That would be Cuba-Venezuela, China or North Korea.
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