Why Rahm Is Right

Let me start this post by saying I'm no Rahm Emanuel fan. I don't like his vicious hatred of Howard Dean and the 50-state strategy (which I helped kick start back in the '04 election). I don't like how he's stared down the base sometimes. He's not a guy I think I'd want to chill out with.

But that's why he's the right person for Chief of Staff in an Obama administration.

I think back to 1993 for this one. The first and maybe biggest mistake that Bill Clinton (another fresh, young president) made was picking his longtime friend Thomas "Mac" McClarty to be Chief of Staff. McClarty was (and is) by all indications a wonderful guy. He quickly earned the nickname "Mac the Nice."

And yet, McClarty's accommodating nature led to a host of mistakes in the opening couple of years of the Clinton administration. Mac was too willing to let the left (of which I'm a member) run wild, without prioritization. The administration started with gays in the military and moved on to massive spending of every project the left liked. It gave the Republicans the ammo they needed, and by the time a budget package rolled around it was pretty easy to oppose the new president. It was downhill from there, leading to the massacre of 1994.

The lesson here is the same lesson that President-Elect Obama (I'm crying just writing that) taught us during the campaign -- keep your eye on the ball, have a long term vision, and stick to it. Do not take detours He and his allies have to resist the temptation to try to push through every thing on the laundry list in one day or one month, recognizing that there are real priorities, and a full term to try to get done what needs to be done.

That's where Rahm will excel. Though I don't know him personally, I know his rep and those who deal with him. He's a ball-buster, to put it bluntly. He's smart enough, however, to not use a hammer against Republicans, but to keep Democrats focused and thinking long-term, not allowing them to start getting carried away the same way they did in 1993.

President Obama has two, and only two, immediate concerns -- getting out of Iraq, and passing an economic package. That's where there is a true mandate, and where 100 percent of the focus needs to be. And, it's important to set the tone of post-partisanship by doing both these things with some Republican support.

If Obama succeeds in taking care of those two things, with some Republican support, it sets a climate that allows for more transformative change down the road on some of the other big issues, whether it is universal health care or redoing trade deals.

To do things the right way, to solidify the change we seek for the long-term, it takes discipline and focus. Rahm might not be the nicest guy, but he is the best guy to keep the Obama White House tightly focused, and keep the Democrats in Congress disciplined.

Read more reaction from HuffPost bloggers to Barack Obama's victory in the 2008 presidential election

Comments

[samiam4285]

Just to add my two cents...
Many people express their worry that Rham's appointment signals Obama's views on Israel and the Middle East. I think that for the moment, we might be reading a bit too much into this. I certainly will be willing to criticize President-Elect Obama if I think he is making bad decisions, but I think that Rahm is the right person for the job, and I don't think his appointment has anything to do with Obama's policy. Rahm is simply there to enforce Obama's message, and make sure that Congress doesn't try to steamroll the White House.

I think we need to remember that Obama is not going to be run by his administration like Bush is; Obama has a backbone and is not going to be controlled by anyone. It's been so long since we've had a President who is in charge of his own agenda, it's no wonder that people are concerned ;-)

[cpricecpa]

Obama appoints his first neocon. What's the difference between Rahm and Joe Lieberman? One is better looking.

[RedondoBeach]

As a committed Zionist whose father was a member of the militant (some would say terrorist) Zionist organization Irgun during the years leading up to the UN mandate establishing the State of Israel, Emanuel's appointment does not bode well for improving our relations with the Muslim world.

Having said that, I wish him well in knocking heads together and establishing some organization and discipline in the unruly Democratic Congressional mob. Perhaps with Emanuel as the enforcer, Obama might actually be able to get things done in Congress. I certainly hope so.

But don't expect Muslims to be won over to Obama's cause. Emanuel's appointment signals a difficult road ahead.

[JulieSA]

Emanuel is party responsible for the economic mess we're in. He was on the board of Freddie Mac when it was expanding sub-prime loans, which brought us the housing market collapse, and the credit crisis.

Disgusting that Obama won because of the economic crisis his party caused, and then he appoints this guy.

[Theophilos]

I am very nervous at this appointment. President Obama -- yes, PRESIDENT Obama !!! -- must avoid falling into the trap of the Billy-and-Hilly legacy gang. The Clintonista wing is an insidious weight to the NEW Democratic party that WE believe is emerging under Barack Obama. I just groaned when I heard Hilly endorsing old hand Rahm, her usual shifty-eyed manner just oozing out of the television screen ... I know Barack must keep the "balances" and all ... but he must, he absolutely must, build his administration with people who just do not bring back the Clintonite memories and practices (and disastrous politics).

[robotsoul]

a strong pick. He will get things done. Has experience and a clear point of view.

[Choicelady]

i don't care what Rahm does with legislators, but the Dem party operatives are notorious for ignoring us, the people, shoving us into what THEY think we should want to swallow among their usually not so helpful policies.

Listen up Dems - WE elected Obama. WE will decide what policies will and will not be acceptable in our world. Rahm - if you don't know the book, Blessed Unrest, get it, read it, and heed it because that is where your new boss is coming from, and it's where WE are coming from. It's not Hillary and Bill's world of corporate go-along. This time it's different. So don't 'stare down the base' because we are what matters - we are ALL that matters. You can stare down all the recalcitrant legislators you like - but in our name and for our sake. If you get that, we'll be fine.

[wideawakenow]

Great article. I liked that you kind of broke down the job of COS in terms of political strategy. Keep up the good work.

[nellie]

I agree. I like Emanuel not because I would want to hang around with him, but because he's the guy I'd want on my side if I needed to get something done.

I would add one other priority to Obama's short list: Health care.

[akatsuki]

I think health care and energy both could be wrapped up in a stimulus package. This is also an excellent opportunity to put in place the basics for a later move off of employer funded healthcare into a general revenue scheme to take the burden off small business.

[Boadicea]

My sense exactly.

I don't know Emmanuel, but you don't need to know the man personally to see that he's as disciplined as they come. And I think, for the first time in a generation, discipline will be the hallmark of this administration.

[lizr]

Agree with this article 100%!

I may not like the guy, but what O needs now is not a nice guy but someone who can get the job done.

Effectiveness is the key and RE is the one for that.

The Tom Delay "Hammer" of the Left! if we are lucky :)

I don't care if it'd done delicately, we just have to get our pkg through!

[cyndeewi]

I agree Lizr!

[prdbldngheart]

Rahm Emanuel also brings something else to the table that I know some people might not want to talk about.

There are some people who are wary of Barack's stance on Israel. In Rahm, he has someone whose father is a Sabra and who has a strong Jewish identity. His choice of Emanuel may help silence some of those who fearthat Barack is not good for Israel or is anti-semetic. It may undo some of the "pallin' around with terrorists" stuff that the McCain campaign tried to saddle Obama with.

I happen to like people who call it like they see it.

[lizr]

ummmmmmmmmmmm- good thinking.

O's sense of strategy never ceases to amaze me!

[jollyelle]

Tell me again, why does he have to prove loyalty to Israel? By selecting a dual citizen it sends a very clear message of ..........­.......bia­s. There was a very, very large majority of Israeli/Americans who hold dual citizenship working in the Bush administra­tion------­that definitely sent a message to the Middle East and now here we go again. Israel should be held accountable for their occupation, oppression, breaking International laws etc.....
will we ever be non biased??

[nellie]

I was thinking the same thing. High- profile diversity can be thrown into the mix, too.

[Invox]

What's the difference between Rahm Emanuel and Sarah Palin? He's a pitbull without lipstick!

[Gemma08]

and a brain.

[dolphindance25]

The choice of Rahm for COS concerned me at first, as he is a partisan figure and I hoped O was moving past all that. But with more consideration I like this pick, because Rahm is the kind of heavy-hitter President Obama will need on his side, and not using his influence to make any waves against him. Balance out this choice with a Hagel appointment somewhere and a couple other moderate Repubs, and he's on his way to a great Presidency.

[lizr]

very smart choice, no less than we'd expect from this guy :)

[FearlessFreep]

I haven't forgotten that in 2006 there were several House seats where Rahm's chosen candidate narrowly defeated a grassroots rival for the Democratic nomination, only to lose narrowly in the fall. In most of those cases, the grassroots rival would have won. The Democrats regained Congress despite Rahm's manoeuvres, not because of them.

[akatsuki]

I agree, but if Obama is holding the reins, I am probably fine with it. Obama is modeling himself on Lincoln, rivals in his Cabinet. So I don't think we should read too much into the appointments for agenda so much as tone.