David Axelrod: Obama's Senior Adviser?

ABC News reports:

Former Obama chief strategist David Axelrod has accepted the position of Senior Adviser in the White House, sources tell ABC News.

He will join Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill, who has accepted the position of Obama's White House Chief of Staff.

Axelrod is a sharp political strategist and Emanuel brings a lot of strengths to the office.

The New Republic adds that Axelrod and Emanuel are close friends -- Axelrod even signed the ketubah at Emanuel's wedding. Rolling Stone quotes Emanuel saying that during the campaign, they spoke several times a day in a "sounding board" capacity.

The New York Times wrote of Axelrod recently:

In many ways, Mr. Axelrod is a classic example of the Washington political consultant (even though he lives in Chicago and says he has no intention of moving to the capital if Mr. Obama wins). He has been making advertisements and offering advice for candidates for mayor, senator and president for a generation, since quitting his job as a newspaper reporter in 1984. He has a particular specialty in helping black candidates appeal to white electorates and has tallied up a list of corporate clients along the way.

But Mr. Axelrod, in this client-consultant relationship, appears to be something different, with a personal investment in Mr. Obama's success that is obvious in the distress marked on his face whenever the candidate comes under attack.

Every politician has a guardian angel, and every presidential hopeful has a right-hand dispenser of wisdom. Yet in the trio of top strategists around Mr. Obama, including Robert Gibbs, a senior communications adviser, and David Plouffe, the campaign manager, it is Mr. Axelrod who has been at Mr. Obama's side the longest and has the most interwoven relationship with him.

"Although he is as tough as they come, he's actually not a mercenary," said Mr. Obama, of Illinois, in an interview. "He actually believes in what we're doing, which actually makes him a bad consultant when he doesn't believe in the candidate. And he's a great consultant when he believes."

Go here for news on Obama's Cabinet and the transition.

Comments

[RationalDubSteppa]

Having Axelrod in the white house is a very smart move. Obama needs to be surrounded by people he trusts.

[foreffectivegovernment]

"She, (Hillary Clinton), spent hours that day in the epilepsy ward at Rush Presbyterian hospital, visiting children hooked up to machines by electrodes so that doctors might diagram their seizure activity and decide which portion of the brain to remove. “She couldn’t stop talking about what she had seen,” Susan Axelrod recalled. Later, at Hillary Clinton’s behest, the National Institutes of Health convened a conference on finding a cure for epilepsy. Susan Axelrod told me it was “one of the most important things anyone has done for epilepsy.” And this is how politics works: David Axelrod is now dedicated to derailing this woman’s career."
"When the first major profile of Axelrod appeared in Chicago magazine in 1987, three years after he left a high-profile job as the lead political reporter for The Chicago Tribune to work as a political operative, the article (“Hatchet Man: The Rise of David Axelrod”) began by comparing him to an “exotic rodent.”
For Obama, because of Senator Hillary Clinton’s far-greater experience and establishment backing, this is a particularly essential project. “If we run a conventional campaign and look like a conventional candidacy, we lose,” Axelrod says.
Read all about it here.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/01/magazine/01axelrod.t.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print April 1, 2007

[foreffectivegovernment]

And this guy is your hero because he got Obama elected President by using Race-baiting and Character-­assassinat­ion against the Clintons. I really fear you more than I do the "bitter" people that you despise.

[dhinds]

You think Hillary lost the nomination because Axelrod did a job on her? I can assure you that I didn't need Axelrod or anyone's hatchet job to prefer Obama. The Clinton's had plenty of negative baggage of their own, including Corporate Infiltration and Control of their adminstration -Monsanto was particularly well represented- plus their sense of entitlement, the negative ads and Bill's poor, immature judgement; none of which had anything to do with Obama.

The fact is, Obama was a better candidate - better organized and more committed. He won on his own merit.

Bill was an intelligent President but he'a clearly in Barack's shadow on that score.

[RationalDubSteppa]

LOL! You have got to be kidding, Alelrod was race-baiting you must be joking or your skills at political analysis leaves far to be desired. Clinton lost because she ran a horrible campaign compared to the Obama campaign and she failed to articulate a true message that resonated with people.

[IndyReader]

Between Obama and Axelrod we've got to believe that after the "no drama" election campaign, we'll have a "no drama" administration, too. I don't know much about Emanuel, but I'd like to believe that Obama and Axelrod will influence him will calm collection more than he influences them with pugnaciousness.

[watchdog911]

It will be very interesting to see how you folks handle yourselves after the disgrace treatment of the office of the president in the last 8 years. Failure, yes, but respect demanded - and when not given, the whole world sees. All your complaining about Karl Rove in the WH and now look - Chicago's chief astroturfer and strategist. Hypocrites are coming out in force!

[Teritt]

I did what Bush asked. I shopped, I paid my taxes (unlike Joe the Plumber), I donated phone cards for the troops, donated to the USO, upped my United Way contributions. I sat quietly when the Patriot act took root. I shook my head when Congress passed their 'freedom fries' law. Everytime my manager asked who i was voting for I replied I'd rather not say. I stood in long lines in airports and was humiliated when I was asked if I was wearing an underwire bra and had to 'prove it' behind a curtain. I no longer carry makeup in my carry-on for fear it's over an ounce. I was disgusted by the CIA agent getting outed by her own government & confused as to why White House aides that were subpoenaed refused to go to court. I've watched my bills & debt go up, my savings & income go down. And this time when my manager kept asking who I was going to vote for I still replied that I'd rather not say - but this time I voted for Obama. But it wasn't 12 hours after the election was called and the GOP started attacking Obama's pick of Emanuel and how it was handled (starting with Morning'Joe Scarborough at 6am). The GOP will never do anything other than fighting US Democrats. "Country First" was just a meaningless slogan to them, aimed at those that thought Sarah Palin was the next greatest thing. That's why you lost.

[Mildmannered]

Bringing a political guy into the White House reminds me of Karl Rove

[penelopepunditwatcher]

Maybe. But Axelrod is the better angel - and we all know Rove is "the guy who runs into the convenience store to buy the devil's cigarettes". I"m really pleased to see Emanuel and Axelrod going to the WH. Good choices, but Obama makes those almost all the time.

[RationalDubSteppa]

Comparing Axelrod to Rove is absurd. Axelrod is an advisor like Begala was to Clinton in a way, Rove has dedicated the last 8 years to trouncing on his enemies. Quite simple it's a question of character and Axelrod has a better character than Rove will ever have.

[susierr]

David Axelrod - You pretty much got all of it together enough to get Obama into the White House.

YOU ROCK Axelrod! You're HOT!

OBAMA 08

[jodieez]

Finally america has elected to the presidency a president that has intelligence, is brilliant, and yet has a sense of humility this is rare. He also keeps good company

All future presidents must be smart and have intellectual skills.

[jeanrenoir]

It was inevitable that Obama would chose Axelrod for this post. Axelrod has demonstrated his political genius. He's the good version of the evil Rove at the president's ear. Axelrod is brilliant, realistic, pragmatic, tough, and has good centrist liberal values. A good "angel" for Obama, as he was through the campaign. It's great to see Obama surrounding himself with two smart, tough Jews in Axelrod and Emmanuel. Take that, you neocons who tried to smear Obama, in both Hillary's and McCain's campaigns, as an "enemy of Israel"! (And take that, Lady de Rothschild, who switched from the highest levels of Hillary's campaign to supporting McCain over this issue.) Obama is going to be the best de facto friend Israel ever had when he brings his pragmatic realism (like that of the departing Olmert) to the peace table to hammer out, at last, a peace between Israel and the Palestinians that will be no more amazing than Obama's winning our presidency, but will certainly equal it for wonder.

[Eisen4Life]

If he goes to DC, will his son taunt the Washington Wizards in front of their wives and kids?

Let's not equate political success with being a good person. To do otherwise is simply being naive.

[Yarrr]

Heh, the republicans are scurred already.

[2351]

I love this guy. I want him with Obama all the way. The only thing I want to hear now is what he's going to do about David Plouffe, the other brilliant one.

[boogiewoman]

I just love this. 8 years of thugs and evil doers in the White House. Now we have smart, kind people, that really care about the American people, and the rest of the world.

[IhaveaDREAMwhitegirl]

David Axelrod you seem to be a fantastic communicator and facilitator, This country needs all the communication and facilitating we can get. Keep up the good work and thank you, you are one of my new heros in this soap opera-like campaign. Whew.

[DontBeFoolish]

You go Axelrod, you deserve it. Congratulations my man.

[cyndeewi]

Yes, you deserve it Mr. Axelrod! Thank you very much!

[YouDisgustMe]

axelrod = genius