Dem Insiders Trash Rahm Emanuel, His Effect On White House 'Tone'

Financial Times:

Some time in the next few days, Rahm Emanuel, Barack Obama's chief of staff, looks almost certain to quit his job to pursue his dream of becoming mayor of Chicago.

Known as Rahmbo by friends and enemies alike and assigned the code name Black Hawk by the secret service, Mr Emanuel's often capricious style of management has helped define Mr Obama's rollercoaster ride in the White House during the past 20 months.

Mr Obama recently said Mr Emanuel would make an "excellent" mayor of Chicago. But if Democratic figures inside and outside the White House are to be believed, Mr Emanuel's pugilistic approach may turn him into a scapegoat for much what has gone wrong, some of it fair, some not.

Read the whole story: Financial Times

Comments

[Yikes11]

02:51 PM on 09/30/2010

What is the deal with referring to the president as Mr.? NYT does the same and CNN radio is notorious for it.

[Candide33]

07:27 PM on 09/29/2010

Rahmbo, one of Obama's biggest mistakes, I think he is a closet republican.

[jdiary]

02:20 PM on 09/29/2010

I wonder how many people who're demonizing and blaming Emanuel (not that I don't disagree) were quick to call Obama weak on healthcare and policy before this story began to surface?

[Robin08]

03:39 PM on 09/29/2010

Plenty. You must not come to this site very often.

[jdiary]

03:44 PM on 09/29/2010

:) No trust me. I've read them all... What's the phrase? Fickle as a pickle?

[jasongrundy]

01:05 PM on 09/29/2010

Quick Story -
I was at a meeting yesterday with 75 business leaders in a swing state. We didn't agree on much, but one thing we did agree was this. Obama is the perfect moderate president that can get this country back on track. So, when I hear story like Obama is finished or Obama is doing a horrible job or Obama is only a single term president...I laugh....Because business leader, especially small business leader in my community disagree...We see the games that both Republicans and Democrats are playing...But Obama seems to be the only serious person, addressing serious issues.

From,
A small business owner...that is doing well and see times getting better.

[Tree201]

11:41 AM on 09/29/2010

It's strange someone as combative as Emanuel pushed concessions with the Republicans. Almost too hard to believe, actually.

[jdiary]

02:11 PM on 09/29/2010

Emanuel's public persona as a combative "pitful" is probably mostly a media construct. I don't think any of us really know what goes on and who really supports what...

[Robin08]

03:44 PM on 09/29/2010

Not so hard to believe. Rahm seems to be the bully version of combative. He's only combative with fellow Democrats. They're the ones he pushed into concessions with threats regarding DNC, DCCC, DSCC support and the like. He's sweet as pie dealing with the Republicans because he's got no leverage over them.

[Ronju01]

11:31 AM on 09/29/2010

Hope next time somebody with uni-nationality is chosen for the post.

[ratcityreprobate]

11:22 AM on 09/29/2010

He screwed up the Clinton presidency with Nafta and his handling of HillaryCare before leaving and now he has done the same to the Obalma Presidency. In between he managed to become a multi-millionaire investment banker in four years with no prior experience or education in finance or banking. One wonders where the pay-off will come from this time?

[lqw]

11:19 AM on 09/29/2010

Big Jake.........Called be a liar about Jacob Lew the CITI CEO Obama nominated to run the budget office and refered me to WIKI
This from that site
"In June 2006, Lew was named Chief Operating Officer of Citigroup's Alternative Investments unit."

[2garen]

11:15 AM on 09/29/2010

Rahm did us a disservice by taking it upon himself to determine what could and could not be debated in HRC.

[lqw]

11:13 AM on 09/29/2010

Bush did it ! .......Now it's Rahm did it !!    LOL

[PHILVflorida]

02:27 PM on 09/29/2010

Hey, Rahm's leaving we can't talk about Rahm anymore, he's gone, finished, it's like he was never there. LOL

[PTAOfficerforObama]

11:07 AM on 09/29/2010

One of the biggest problems with Rahm was he let personal beefs interfere with good government. His dislike of Haward Dean, for example, kept an important voice out of the White House. When someone like Howard has to operate on the fringe, it looks like the adults either are not in charge or cannot control the message.

[ratcityreprobate]

11:11 AM on 09/29/2010

Exactly.

[enigma2]

12:31 PM on 09/29/2010

I had heard there was a rift between people in the WH and Howard Dean, still haven't quite got there yet.
What caused the rift any idea?

[PTAOfficerforObama]

02:18 PM on 09/29/2010

Rahm was the biggest cause of the rift. Rahm did not like the fact that Howard Dean and his fifty state strategy was a huge part of the reason Obama was elected.

[Faelsun]

11:00 AM on 09/29/2010

Well good now he can hire Howard Dean like he should have done in the first place, of course he wont do that, it will be somone else who sucks.

[Victoria-nola]

05:27 PM on 09/29/2010

It would be great if they would bring Dean in. He earned it in a much bigger way than Rahm did. Let us hope they choose someone different, someone who is a uniter.

[hrc04]

10:58 AM on 09/29/2010

They trash Rahm, but are still scared to put their name to quotes...show some onions, "Dem insiders." He's leaving.

[lqw]

11:15 AM on 09/29/2010

Check out the article about Plan for America in this site. Written by Richard Trumpka, Union leader who is spending $100 million dollars to keep incumbents in. No one is allowed to post who disagrees with him.

[castlerider]

10:55 AM on 09/29/2010

WH Staffer: Hey Rahmbo, have you seen the article on the Huffington Post?
Man, those liberals HATE you!

Rahm: I know, but do I even look like I care? F____ 'em !!!!

[windup]

10:53 AM on 09/29/2010

Hope Chicago throws him out.