It’s often said that a President needs a skillful tough guy to be his Chief of Staff — someone who knows the nuts-and-bolts of government, knows how to deal with Congress, and wants to protect his President’s image and agenda — and who has absolutely no problem stepping on toes to do it. So in a way it’s no surprise that President-Elect Barack Obama asked Rep. Rahm Emanuel to be his Chief of Staff — and Emanuel has accepted.
Emanuel is not exactly Mr. Popularity in many circles. Conservative talk radio was nearly burning up yesterday with talk about Obama’s offer to Emanuel, labeling Emanuel an ultra-partisan, abrasive extremist. But Emanuel is considered one of the rising stars and smartest Democratic party operatives who can help Obama shove his agenda through Congress.
Obama’s choice is being welcomed by many Democrats as a good pick. One argument now being made by many Republicans is that Emanuel’s pick shows Obama won’t be a President who reaches across the aisles. Most likely: Obama will still reach across the aisle and so will Emanuel, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Emanuel crack a few heads as he reaches across the aisle if it has to be done.
The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza explains the significance of the pick this way:
Emanuel was elected to Congress in 2002 to a strongly Democratic Chicago-area seat once held by legendary Ways and Means Chairman Dan Rostenkowski. He rapidly rose through the ranks of the Democratic Caucus — serving as the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2006 and then as the Caucus Chairman over the last two years.
But, Emanuel’s experience prior to coming to Congress as an elected official may be more instructive when seeking to understand what sort of chief of staff he will be.
During the 1988 election cycle, Emanuel served as national field director at the DCCC under then Chairman Beryl Anthony (Ark.) and then spent the better part of the 1990s affiliated in one way or another with the campaign and then presidency of Bill Clinton. Emanuel oversaw fundraising during the presidential campaign of Clinton and served as political director in the White House.
Over those fifteen years as a staffer, Emanuel earned a take-no-prisoners reputation and a nickname — “Rahmbo” — to go with it.
Cillizza notes that a top Republican leader is already blasting the Obama pick:
House Minority Leader John Boehner (Ohio) seized on Emanuel’s partisan reputation to condemn the choice.
“This is an ironic choice for a President-elect who has promised to change Washington, make politics more civil, and govern from the center,” said Boehner in a statement.
But, Emanuel allies argue that the image of the Illinois Congressman as a partisan brawler is more myth than reality.
The Los Angeles Times reports that Emanuel enjoys being seen as the “bad guy.”
The Illinois congressman, after all, is best known as something of a Democratic political assassin. From his days as a top aide to President Clinton to his recent role leading the Democrats to a House majority, Emanuel has relentlessly attacked his foes and gone ruthlessly after anyone who stood in his way.
Perhaps precisely because Obama seems likely to adopt a unifying posture as president, he may need someone practiced in the art of political hardball.
Republican strategist John Feehery — who worked for former House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert and former House Minority Leader Robert H. Michel as well as former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay — said Emanuel could help prevent House Democrats from overreaching.
“He understands that if Obama goes too far to the left, it’s not going to be good for the Democrats,” Feehery said. “I think he’s the kind of guy who can knock some heads and help Obama guide the Congress toward the middle. . . . You will need a bad cop to Obama’s good cop, and Rahm will fill that role quite nicely.”
Emanuel’s policies, unlike his politics, have always been centrist, in the Bill Clinton mold. In addition, a different Emanuel has emerged in recent years, one who has forged friendships with Republicans and shown an ability to work with them on occasion.
So there’s a good chance Emanuel could be disliked as Chief of Staff by both conservatives and progressives.
Fox News thinks the choice of Emanuel could also be sending a signal to Israelis:
Barack Obama, by reportedly tapping a prominent Jewish congressman to be his chief of staff, earned renewed support from the Jewish community here and abroad.
His choice, Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel, has already accepted the job, one Democratic source told FOX News, though Emanuel would say publicly only that he’s still considering his future. Obama’s offer could be an early signal to the Middle East that the new president intends to follow through on his promises to uphold the U.S.-Israeli alliance in his administration.
“It’s just another indication that despite the attempts to imply that Obama would somehow appoint the wrong person or listen to the wrong people when it comes to the U.S.-Israel relationship … that was never true,” said Ira Forman, executive director of the National Jewish Democratic Council.
Forman said Obama’s selection of Emanuel helps build confidence that the United States will be vigilant in responding to any threats to Israel posed by Iran.
“Rahm has certainly never been accused of being too naive or not decisive in his analysis of these types of issues,” Forman said.
The announcement will send a signal that Obama is eager to work with Congress and plans a swift launch of an aggressive agenda that will focus on the economy, taxes, energy, education and health care.
….Obama plans to move briskly with his transition announcements and has also decided on longtime aide Robert Gibbs as his White House press secretary. Democratic sources say he also could make quick decisions on his economic and national security teams.
“The chief” is sometimes known as the second most powerful person in Washington. The job has vast authority, as the boss of the hundreds of aides who work directly for the president, a public face of the administration on television, and a negotiator and salesman on Capitol Hill.
The one thing about the pick that comes through, whether people like Emanuel or not: it is one more sign of an Obama decision that seems quite deliberative and not in the least bit impulsive.
PHOTO: AP
UPDATE: NBC has this excellent report on Emanuel that notes why he’s respected, liked and also disliked. MUST VIEWING:
UPDATE II: Lots of blog reaction here.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.