AMERICAblog: ABC: Rahm Emanuel will be Obama's Chief of Staff
Deacon_Blues
· 1 year ago
So, is this a good pick or not? I've heard conflicting things about him.
nicho
· 1 year ago
So, Rahm will be COS. Colon Bowel is going to be a top adviser. Hagel and Lugar are going to be on the transition team, along with SecDef Gates and they're talking about Gates staying on at DoD.
I'm going out for a drink. Call me on my cell when this "change" thing starts.
mirth
· 1 year ago
I'm not so concerned about Obama's transition team - there's a game to be played and O probably needs the players, at least to get his team established - but the appointment of neo-dem Emanuel is a big disappointment.
smallhandff
· 1 year ago
I appreciate your last sentence. Nevertheless, I am old enuf to recall the Carter years, when they came in as outsiders, unwilling to play the Beltway Game & were quickly marginalised. The O needs to git things done, but within a Beltway structure--easier said than done. He knows that he will be held accountable in 4 years should there be no "change".
unrepentant_expat
· 1 year ago
Hmmm... and no lipstick either.
RevDrBillyBob
· 1 year ago
He selects a Republicrat as COS.
Yonatan
· 1 year ago
So let me get this right....
The general election is between Matt Santos and Arnold Vinick...and then President Elect Santos picks Josh Lyman to be his chief of staff....
Damn you West Wing.
Older_Wiser
· 1 year ago
Rahm is a blue dog Dem...said to suffer no fools. He actually may be a pretty good choice for liaison between Obama and the Rethugs who tend to be fools...
Lugar's not interested in SoS, by the way, said he'd turn it down if offered the position. And I wouldn't speculate on Powell, either. Obama is being urged to name Volcker as Treasury Secy, from what I heard on NPR, and stay away from Wall St. types.
The Bushes will meet the Obamas on Monday afternoon, will have a tour of the WH without the kids.
And the dog promised Malia and Sasha? Will be a rescue dog, according to Obama. Excellent.
cowboyneok
· 1 year ago
Breaking News earlier was that Barney bit an AP reporter. What a GREAT metaphor!
This is not a joke. Barney, Bu$h's dog, has bitten an "Asinine Propaganda" reporter.
Older_Wiser
· 1 year ago
Yes, that was funny...but I heard it was a Reuters guy and he had to go to the hospital...no life threatening injuries, though.
cowboyneok
· 1 year ago
Oops - you're right.
Does Barney have rabies? I wouldn't put it past Dubya to think he doesn't need to get his animals vaccinated because they are "protected" from their close association to his entitled a$$.
cowboyneok
· 1 year ago
I love it!
Rahm has sharp elbows and is a tough, fighting progressive.
Its a new day.
Older_Wiser
· 1 year ago
Highless jobless rate report in 25 years, according to number of people still on unemployment. Dow already down over 850 pts over 2 days.
Obama will have his hands full.
unrepentant_expat
· 1 year ago
And his coffers empty.
meemers
· 1 year ago
Its all about Israel! The Jewish in me Jumps for Joy! This choice makes the entire "Does Obama secretly hate Israel?" conversation seem a bit ridiculous (Though the vast majority of Jewish voters seemed to have figured that out by the election). Rahm did not, despite the rumors, serve in the Israeli Army, but he is deeply and emotionally committed to Israel and its safety.
cowboyneok
· 1 year ago
This is for Sarah Silverman and SCHLEPPING the vote!
We must let ALL CELEBRITIES know they will be a target of boycott as well if they attend.
No Celebrities? No Sundance!
Older_Wiser
· 1 year ago
What about Sundance? I'm behind...
Indigo
· 1 year ago
The Wacky Ketchup: Sundance is in Utah. Utah is Mormon, the Mormons were naughty. Therefore, boycott Sundance.
Older_Wiser
· 1 year ago
Oh damn me...of course. Fuck Utah. No, let them fuck each other instead and leave the rest of us out of it.
smallhandff
· 1 year ago
OH YES !!! We need to send the message to Utah as forcefully as we did 10 yrs ago to Colorado. Unfortunately, I don't expect Robt. Redfort hosting a "Sundance-In-Exile" Festival. In addition, Hollywood is all about $$$ & gives fuck-all to civil rights.
lucky hussein
· 1 year ago
damn!!! how can anyone trust this reptile? egomaniacal, triangulating schemer. change is off to a bad start. summers for treasury secretary is another disaster. damn it.
remember when he claimed the 06 run was b/c of him and the dccc? - bull! dems got elected desptite the cousel of neo-liberal snakes like Rahm
PeteWa
· 1 year ago
What a shame, Rahm sucks.
meemers
· 1 year ago
Most Repugs hate his guts on the hill! So, I would consider that a good thing!
PeteWa
· 1 year ago
I don't know why the Repukes don't like Rahm, but I know why I don't:
The way he ran the 2006 election cycle, doing everything he could to undermine Dean, and then after the dust settled when nearly all of the races Rahm was pushing failed, and Dean's had succeeded, he took credit for races he actually worked against.
That's just one issue I have with Rahm.
However, it does make sense for Obama to choose him, I'm sure they are very familiar with each other since both have worked in IL for so long. And on the plus side, he does have a rep for fighting back, which I think Obama will find very useful as we see the nonstop attacks from the rabid ones already beginning.
Older_Wiser
· 1 year ago
Heh heh, Newsweek's Darman is on MSNBC with Andrea Meow Mitchell talking about the towel draped Palin incident and other trivia about the Wasilla Hillbilly.
Incidentally, it's said that Palin has dropped to third place as 2012 choice for prez (although I'm shocked, shocked, I tell you that she's even being considered. Oh, wait--).
dudervision
· 1 year ago
I'm amazed at how both liberals and conservatives are all over this choice. "Oh, he was for the war...oh he's in Israel's back pocket...oh the Republicans all HATE him...oh he's just a Republican in a Democratic suit!"
Look, Obama IS THE PRESIDENT ELECT has earned the right to select whoever he feels is best suited to being his chief of staff. He never jumps into things without looking at all the angles and has yet to make a poor decision. Throughout the campaign I have read backseat campaign advisors telling him to do this and telling him to do that. But, he did it his OWN way and WON by nothing less than a landslide WITHOUT YOUR HELP!
I personally think this is an excellent decision, particularly if it is who HE thinks is best for the job. So...to all of you out there who are whining...GET USED TO IT! Keep it up and you very well could find yourselves irrelevant in the end.
meemers
· 1 year ago
I agree! I think he made a great choice.
aquarius2
· 1 year ago
I guess a lot of people weren't listening when Obama said something to the effect, "we might not agree with him".
The man won a landslide victory, changing 9 red states to blue. I am not going to question his choices.
lucky hussein
· 1 year ago
without our help? excuse me? it's the help of 'small people' that got him elected. Look, the republican party is down, but if you're looking for someplace to complain about 'whiners' and to park your authoritarian mindset, I suggest you wait until they come back in power...
smallhandff
· 1 year ago
Obama, the infallible. Reminds me of the allegiance to Stalin that many Americans held while he was on his multi-million, mass-murder spree.
EmGD
· 1 year ago
Good. Hopefully this signals that Obama means to get things done and get things passed. And if Republicans mean to keep their definition of bipartisanship as "Democrats doing what Republicans want" then I hope this signals a desire to get things done despite obstruction.
dude, just surfed the Thesebastardas site. "these bastards" is a must-read for anyone who reads the americablog site but is disappointed by it's "prissyness".
Sage24
· 1 year ago
I am really not sure about this. This morning I got an email from someone which said Emanuel is a pro Israel hardliner. Obama certainly does not need someone of this caliber to be his COS. It sends the wrong message. I must admit I still do not know much about this, but here is part of that email:
Rahm Emanuel was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1959, the son of Benjamin Emanuel, a pediatrician who helped smuggle weapons to the Irgun, the Zionist militia of former Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin, in the 1940s. The Irgun carried out numerous terrorist attacks on Palestinian civilians including the bombing of Jerusalem's King David Hotel in 1946.
Emanuel continued his father's tradition of active support for Israel; during the 1991 Gulf War he volunteered to help maintain Israeli army vehicles near the Lebanon border when southern Lebanon was still occupied by Israeli forces.
My question is, why are we so beholden to Israel? We have other allies, but don't spend so much money and resources on helping them.
Indigo
· 1 year ago
Another way to read Emanuel's background would be to say that his solidly liberal credentials date back three generations.
Lolis
· 1 year ago
Emanuel is not in a policy position, so his views are not so important to me. I have stopped doubting Obama for awhile, especially on staff matters. His campaign was flawlessly executed and he obviously puts a good team together.
lucky hussein
· 1 year ago
good point, not a policy position...
BorninUSA
· 1 year ago
I really thought the digging of Obama might wait a few days but apparently not. The man was elected a full two days ago and it has already begun. Not only the repugs but the Democrats are more wise than Obama.
Do you think he was going to surround himself with inexperienced people? Perhaps Obama knows more than some of us do about who will do the job. Give the man a chance! I am sure Obama is not naive enough to think he will please everyone. Please don't fall into the hands of the repugs and join with them in criticizing every move.
Older_Wiser
· 1 year ago
I agree. We may not all agree with his choices, but face it: he ran an almost perfect campaign, and won, didn't he? He hired the 2 Davids, brilliant! Give him a chance to round out his choices, and trust him. We elected him, didn't we?
michaelt
· 1 year ago
the trail is long and getting longer of people who thought they they knew better than obama. they're all in his rearview mirror now.
aquarius2
· 1 year ago
OT
I am not so much concerned about Emanuel as I am about what is going on with LIeberman. Reid was to meet with him today and so far, not a word about what happened in that meeting.
Lieberman was just on MSNBC talking about "his options" and giving nothing away.
aquarius2
· 1 year ago
I think the Dems are at 57 seats with 3 pending. I was really hoping Lieberman was stripped of his Committee Chair.
cowboyneok
· 1 year ago
Lieberman was all "red faced." He was sputtering and stuttering. I think it was BAD news for the traitor. GOOD! If it was good news, I think he would have shared it with everyone.
I left a message with Harry Reid's office that Democratic Officers in Oklahoma did not appreciate Lieberman giving fellow Democrats cover for voting against Democrats in this last election! I'm a county Democratic officer in Oklahoma and many Democrats thought Lieberman was some kind of demi-god. Therefore, he gave them an EXCUSE to support Republicans. Lieberman, and Connecticut citizens who voted for him, needs to be punished so they will remember they can't hurt the party like they did.
PeteWa
· 1 year ago
Bad news for LIEbertraitor is good news for the USA.
triple7s
· 1 year ago
There should be NO REASON to keep this jerk around. I know the Senate is a good ol' boys and girls club, and they never speak bad of each other, but this jerk is a TURNCOAT and deserves to be excluded from an important committee chair. Never been a fan of Reid either. Surely someone is BETTER qualified to be leader.
Cpeterka
· 1 year ago
Sounds to me like he got a Great, Smart, Junk Yard Dog to run the office. That's what you need in that town.
Good Fer' Ya, Barack !!!
Big Smiles out here !!!
What's the difference between a Pit Bull and Ron Emanuel ?
BRAINS !!!
unrepentant_expat
· 1 year ago
What is good about Rahm Emanuel as CoS... well that means he can't be Ambassador to the UN or the Secretary of Defence.
bumpkis
· 1 year ago
Huge mistake....I suspect this was forced on him.
lucky hussein
· 1 year ago
I wonder how that gets done. Hey Barak, if you don't hire Rahm, we're going to... ?
ObamaLover
· 1 year ago
Doubt it. Emmanuel is a Chicago politician as well. I'm sure they a close with one another. Obama is supposedly a very harsh disciplinarian in private. Emmanuel would fit in well with Obama.
smallhandff
· 1 year ago
Calling someone a "Chicago Politician" is not a compliment. Particularly if you've ever driven the streets of greater Chicago.
ObamaLover
· 1 year ago
Obama's Hammer
tlsintx
· 1 year ago
sean hannity (sucks ass) was whining his head off about how partisan and mean and awful Rahm is...mocking Obama for saying how we need to stop all the divisive, immature, hateful discourse and then picking Rahm who is such a hardliner...
then hannity announces his guest for the day will be Ann Coulter. please.
KarenMrsLloydRichards
· 1 year ago
Yep, Sean would only be happy with Obama selecting Strawberry Shortcake for the job. Every good executive has a bad cop gatekeeper so she can be the "good cop." It's elementary management 101.
smallhandff
· 1 year ago
"Breaking News"? Josh Marshall at TPM was calling this almost immediately after the results were in. While I understand that O needs an Enforcer. Did he need to pick a psycho? But then again, perhaps you need a Hannibal Lechter to rule in Bedlam.
All Comments
I'm going out for a drink. Call me on my cell when this "change" thing starts.
The general election is between Matt Santos and Arnold Vinick...and then President Elect Santos picks Josh Lyman to be his chief of staff....
Damn you West Wing.
Lugar's not interested in SoS, by the way, said he'd turn it down if offered the position. And I wouldn't speculate on Powell, either. Obama is being urged to name Volcker as Treasury Secy, from what I heard on NPR, and stay away from Wall St. types.
The Bushes will meet the Obamas on Monday afternoon, will have a tour of the WH without the kids.
And the dog promised Malia and Sasha? Will be a rescue dog, according to Obama. Excellent.
This is not a joke. Barney, Bu$h's dog, has bitten an "Asinine Propaganda" reporter.
Does Barney have rabies? I wouldn't put it past Dubya to think he doesn't need to get his animals vaccinated because they are "protected" from their close association to his entitled a$$.
Rahm has sharp elbows and is a tough, fighting progressive.
Its a new day.
Obama will have his hands full.
Woo Hoo!
http://www.thegreatschlep.com/
We must let ALL CELEBRITIES know they will be a target of boycott as well if they attend.
No Celebrities? No Sundance!
Sundance is in Utah. Utah is Mormon, the Mormons were naughty. Therefore, boycott Sundance.
remember when he claimed the 06 run was b/c of him and the dccc? - bull! dems got elected desptite the cousel of neo-liberal snakes like Rahm
The way he ran the 2006 election cycle, doing everything he could to undermine Dean, and then after the dust settled when nearly all of the races Rahm was pushing failed, and Dean's had succeeded, he took credit for races he actually worked against.
That's just one issue I have with Rahm.
However, it does make sense for Obama to choose him, I'm sure they are very familiar with each other since both have worked in IL for so long.
And on the plus side, he does have a rep for fighting back, which I think Obama will find very useful as we see the nonstop attacks from the rabid ones already beginning.
Incidentally, it's said that Palin has dropped to third place as 2012 choice for prez (although I'm shocked, shocked, I tell you that she's even being considered. Oh, wait--).
Look, Obama IS THE PRESIDENT ELECT has earned the right to select whoever he feels is best suited to being his chief of staff. He never jumps into things without looking at all the angles and has yet to make a poor decision. Throughout the campaign I have read backseat campaign advisors telling him to do this and telling him to do that. But, he did it his OWN way and WON by nothing less than a landslide WITHOUT YOUR HELP!
I personally think this is an excellent decision, particularly if it is who HE thinks is best for the job. So...to all of you out there who are whining...GET USED TO IT! Keep it up and you very well could find yourselves irrelevant in the end.
The man won a landslide victory, changing 9 red states to blue. I am not going to question his choices.
http://thesebastards.blogspot.com/
I must admit I still do not know much about this, but here is part of that email:
Rahm Emanuel was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1959, the
son of Benjamin Emanuel, a pediatrician who helped smuggle
weapons to the Irgun, the Zionist militia of former
Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin, in the 1940s. The
Irgun carried out numerous terrorist attacks on
Palestinian civilians including the bombing of Jerusalem's
King David Hotel in 1946.
Emanuel continued his father's tradition of active support
for Israel; during the 1991 Gulf War he volunteered to
help maintain Israeli army vehicles near the Lebanon
border when southern Lebanon was still occupied by Israeli
forces.
My question is, why are we so beholden to Israel? We have other allies, but don't spend so much money and resources on helping them.
Do you think he was going to surround himself with inexperienced people? Perhaps Obama knows more than some of us do about who will do the job. Give the man a chance! I am sure Obama is not naive enough to think he will please everyone. Please don't fall into the hands of the repugs and join with them in criticizing every move.
I am not so much concerned about Emanuel as I am about what is going on with LIeberman. Reid was to meet with him today and so far, not a word about what happened in that meeting.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/11/06...
I left a message with Harry Reid's office that Democratic Officers in Oklahoma did not appreciate Lieberman giving fellow Democrats cover for voting against Democrats in this last election! I'm a county Democratic officer in Oklahoma and many Democrats thought Lieberman was some kind of demi-god. Therefore, he gave them an EXCUSE to support Republicans. Lieberman, and Connecticut citizens who voted for him, needs to be punished so they will remember they can't hurt the party like they did.
That's what you need in that town.
Good Fer' Ya, Barack !!!
Big Smiles out here !!!
What's the difference between a Pit Bull and Ron Emanuel ?
BRAINS !!!
then hannity announces his guest for the day will be Ann Coulter. please.