Rahm Emmanuel has been tapped for Chief of Staff.
It’s so weird to be writing about a presidential administration from a constructive perspective. These choices might actually be, you know, good.
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I just think it’s cool that we’ll be calling fellow citizens “comrade” from here on out. Let’s all welcome that sweet, sweet Marxism with open arms…or else…
The truly burning question is, who will be this new nation’s Yakov Smirnoff? I nominate Confederate Yankee.
I hereby open the floor to fantasies of three-ways with Obama and Emanuel, hotties both.
You know, Gov. Blagojevich needs to appoint Obama’s replacement in the Senate. I hear Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., is in strong contention. If Emanuel leaves Congress, does Blago get to appoint his replacement, too? I’m not clear on how it works for vacated House seats. Democrats are bustin’ out all over…
Orange,
In most cases, the state holds a special election to replace a House member. I’m presuming that’s what will happen with Emanuel, but he’s in such a safe district that it shouldn’t matter, and it’ll give someone else a chance to move up into a leadership position.
In most cases, the state holds a special election to replace a House member. I’m presuming that’s what will happen with Emanuel, but he’s in such a safe district that it shouldn’t matter, and it’ll give someone else a chance to move up into a leadership position.
(hopefully this message will get through, because it seems like all of mine have vanished into thin air in recent days . . . )
Illinois does special elections for House seats. Foster took Hastert’s seat in a special election this spring and held it in the general.
I hate my representative, Rahm Emmanuel.
Only politico in Illinois not to support Obama until Hillary was out of it. He’s slimy, even if he does give out decent candy to my kids on Halloween.
I voted Green instead of for him. Was going to work hard to get a more progressive replacement next cycle, so maybe it’s good he’s going away…just a shame he’s moving up.
B. Hussein’s seat is up b/c he and Blago are not close. Blago wanted to be the next president, and Barry got in his way (along with Blago’s own shenanigans). Along with JJ, Jr., Tammy Duckworth is mentioned as a likely replacement as is Jan Schakowsky, my favorite. Jan rocks.
I am not sure whether I am more disturbed by the idea of Emmanuel remaining in Congress or of him having such a close advisory role to the new President.
BTW, I just got a little thrill typing those last few words.
Yeah, I’m geeking on that a little too, spence-bob, like I want to take a piece of paper and just write the words “President-elect Obama” a thousand times.
I should stop. I’m embarrassing myself.
It is sinking in. Many good people will be moving up, leaving space behind for others who share their vision. I seriously wonder if my boss’ boss will be around in a couple of months, or if we will have to scramble to replace people on our scientific committees.
Let the rapture begin.
It only makes sense: Center Right nations ALWAYS elect Socialists/Communists/Marxist
I’m not happy about his choice for Emanuel…it’s more of the old power politics, and Rahm is part of the inside-the-beltway mentality that has controlled DC for decades. He was merciless in his criticism of Dean for his 50 state strategy, and then later took credit for same.
I guess he will be a merciless taskmaster as O’s chief of staff, and I’ve trusted O up til now, so I guess all I can say is, I’ll wait and see how this works out.
BTW, Rahm Emanuel’s name is going to be getting used a lot more from here on out. Can y’all spell his last name right, please?
And why wouldn’t he have supported Hillary Clinton? He’s probably the only Illinois pol who was a White House insider during the Clinton administration. I’m OK with him joining the Obama contingent only after Hillary dropped out.
Wikipedia just told me Emanuel went to grade school three blocks from where I live now. That’s kinda cool.
<i>Yakov was actually funny. <i>
Maybe at one time, Ms. Kate, but he became trapped in his own schtick and couldn’t get away from it and now all anyone ever remembers are those “In Soviet Russia” jokes.
And MDK, take your sour, nasty remark with you and take a long walk off a short pier!
You must be a very unhappy little boy this morning…all the rest of us here are thrilled….
This is a test of the Firefox Spellcheck System. Do not panic.
Obama.
D’oh. WHEN will they change it?
“D’oh. WHEN will they change it?”
...well, the Firefox development team has to thoroughly evaluate the Obama presidency to determine if he’s worthy…
Of course Charles Manson checks perfectly right now…
(BTW, Google Chrome’s dictionary doesn’t have Obama either…)
I’ve trusted O up til now, so I guess all I can say is, I’ll wait and see how this works out.
I’m wondering if it’s not a leetle bit of dues paying. The Obama administration needs to cement friendships with H the DLC folks. There’s no point in having two groups of enemies to do battle with in addition to the challenges the next 4 years will bring. Especially with the looks of the Republican party right now—it would be SUICIDE if they were to decide to skew a little further left and invite the DLC types into their tent.
I’m not happy about his choice for Emanuel…it’s more of the old power politics, and Rahm is part of the inside-the-beltway mentality that has controlled DC for decades. He was merciless in his criticism of Dean for his 50 state strategy, and then later took credit for same.
I have to agree. Also, the DLC and K-Street approach he championed is yesterday’s news for the Dems, as demontrated last night.
If Obama needs a truly crazy taskmaster as Chief of Staff, he might better consider Ari than Rahm.
Emanuel is not good for Palestinians or peace in the Middle East.
I guess wagonjak’s either stayed up a bit too late or their sarcasm meter is broken since I intended my previous statement to illustrate the disconnect between the narrative that Obama is a socialist (which he clearly isn’t to anyone who knows what socialism is) and the the narrative that we are a center right nation (which, after this election and the general fuzziness of where the center is, can longer be asserted with a straight face). Though I am sure there are people out there who still believe both of these to hard they would put Winston Smith’s fellow citizens to shame.
I am infact overjoyed that Obama has won and hopes he starts cleaning up the mess the Republicans have made over the past 8+ years.
GObama
It bums me out that Obama’s first decision after winning the election is a bad one. I guess I will try to do what others are doing and simply trust in Barry. Maybe this is some genius trick to bend Rahm to Obama’s will and then use Rahm to manipulate Hoyer and the rest of those corporatist turds.
Or maybe I am dreaming.
At least Rahm will be out of Congress.
Yeah, only good thing about this is that it gets him the hell out of the House.
One thing about Obama is his ability to:
1. Determine there is a problem.
2. Listen to those who understand the problem.
3. Make changes that address the problem.
If Rahm is a mistake, it’ll be dealt with.
After 8-years of Bush/Cheney “We never make mistakes and if something isn’t working it’s because we aren’t doing it vigorously enough”, we forget that thinking, reasoning, adult leaders change tactics and strategies as needed…
Look, it is good that he is bringing in Clinton people. Carter made the mistake (and Clinton in his first term, too) of bringing people who didn’t know jack shit about Washington, and they suffered horribly for it.
Obama will bring whatever Clintonites are invited into his administration further left, rather than them bringing him to the center.
god, i hope so, but the machine that is Clinton is mighty and magnetic, and too many former Clintonistas would be a refutation of last night’s reprimand of triangulation and New Democrats.
I’m wondering if it’s not a leetle bit of dues paying. The Obama administration needs to cement friendships with H the DLC folks. There’s no point in having two groups of enemies to do battle with in addition to the challenges the next 4 years will bring.
“If you gotta skunk, it’s better to have ‘em in the tent pissin’ out than outside pissin’ in.”
-LBJ
I don’t agree with Rahm Emanuel on a number of important issues, and he was wrong about the Dean/Obama 50 state strategy, but neither of those things mean that he wouldn’t be a competent chief of staff. A good leader can make use of people like Emanuel, without giving them scope to exhibit their flaws.
Wow, Foster, I didn’t know that, in order to be constructive about a presidential administration we feel sympathetic to, we have to be 100% in lockstep with every decision, worship the ground every Administration pick walks on, etc.
In fact, as far as I’m concerned, that’s about 2 steps away from fascism or at least a potentially dangerous “Dear Leader” mentality. I know you Republicans swing that way, but you see, the nice thing about liberal Democrats is that we understand that dissent is important, and complexity can be immensely valuable. We don’t HAVE to worship our elected officials in order to support them and celebrate their victories.
BTW, Rahm Emanuel’s name is going to be getting used a lot more from here on out. Can y’all spell his last name right, please?
No.
Oh, and I forgot that what I really wanted to say is that I’ I think we should all remember that the onus is on Obama, especially in these first few weeks as President-elect, to “prove” to American moderates that, no, actually, he doesn’t plan to fill his cabinet and every other political appointment with ultra-leftists (or Chicago cronies, or Black Panthers, or Marxists or terrorists or some sort of Brown Hordes).
A lot of people are afraid that an Obama presidency means Jesse Jackson as Secretary of State, Bernardine Dohrn as Attorney General, and jobs handed out right and left to old school Chicago machine politicians. I think those people are idiots, but if Obama thinks they need to be assuaged by announcing a few high profile moderate appointments early on, so be it.
I’m from Illinois and I’m not a fan of Rahm Emanuel either, but I do think he is a good choice for Chief of Staff because he is an insider and he is crafty. I trust Obama will jerk his chain when he starts biting instead of barking.
Who is this “Lavrenti Beria” that Obama has picked for Homeland Security?
“Who is this “Lavrenti Beria” that Obama has picked for Homeland Security?”
I don’t know, but he’s replacing some guy named Reinhard Heydrich the Bush people had…
Look, it is good that he is bringing in Clinton people. Carter made the mistake (and Clinton in his first term, too) of bringing people who didn’t know jack shit about Washington, and they suffered horribly for it.
You still have to get things done. Obama knows how to get things done. McCain and Palin were going to war with the very entities they needed to get along with and know how to work in order to advance their agenda.
It looks to me like the goal was to take somebody with a certain type of administrative talent and place them in a position where that talent would be used to a good end yet neutralize their ability to mess stuff up in another capacity.
That sounds about right, Ms Kate.
I really trust his political skills after pulling off a victory like we had last night.
I really don’t like that the Dems have followed the DLC strategy right up until Hillary dropped out. It was a loser approach and made losers of Dems since President Clinton and Rahm was in the thick of it. Dean was right, Obama was right, and Rahm was very wrong.
That being said, they still have power and influence and the role of Chief of Staff is to know the movers and shakers and know how to shake them loose. Rahm may actually have that skill. Here’s hoping.
In Soviet Russia, Change Can Believe in You!
We think of Rahm Emanuel as the DLC douchenozzle who hates / fears the base and won’t back a candidate who makes less than 100k a year. Timid, centrist, fond of taking credit for other people’s work, with no policy focus other than “good government”, however the republicans of the day choose to define it.
Which means, to the same people who think Jackson and Dohrn are going to be in office, that Rahm is a fire-breathing, skullcrushing enforcer of liberal dogma who will redistribute their underpants to negroes.
I don’t like Rahm’s HR policies, but it’s good to have someone from the DLC who isn’t utterly useless (Frum, Shrum, Ickes, McCullife, or Penn).
You Maoist-Americans are gonna be sorry you elected the secret agent of the world-wide caliphate to bring Swedish-style Socialism to the USA of America. I, for one, do not look my best in a burkha and my uulation technique leaves much to be desired, so what, I’ll be forced into some Halliburtin built holiday camp by Kenyan troops of the New World Odor? Shame on you, DEMONcraps, for voting to turn Our Nation into a Muslanic Empire of Evil!!
“and my uulation technique leaves much to be desired, “
That’s not what it says in the bathroom stall.
Last I heard, Emanuel hadn’t yet decided to take the job.
From HuffPo: Emanuel’s Ex-Boss: Rahm Is The Perfect SOB For The Job. Kind of an Onionesque take on the job, but plausible.
I think I’m going to cry, seeing the tag “Obama Administration.”
Fucking pinch me!