Rahm Emanuel's Political Pirouettes

God help me, but I had to laugh when I heard the news that Barack Obama had named Rahm Emanuel as White House chief of staff. What else could I do? Without even so much as a symbolic gesture in support of reform, the great agent of "change" immediately selected as his chief political enforcer a figure who epitomizes the Washington consensus of the past two decades -- pro-"free trade," pro-Iraq invasion/occupation and, perhaps most importantly, pro-pork barrel.

Which isn't to say that Emanuel does not possess great talents essential to the success of an Obama administration. It just depends on how you define success. If Emanuel's legendary aggressiveness were put to work in the service of "good government," he might, indeed, do wonderful things. But I somehow doubt that's what Obama has in mind for his friend from Chicago as he embarks on his 2012 re-election campaign.

Like Obama, Rahm Emanuel was launched in politics by the Daley machine, but he really made his name in the Clinton administration as one of three principal White House lobbyists for the North American Free Trade Agreement, in 1993. Working alongside Mayor Richard M. Daley's brother, William, and then-U.S. Trade Representative Mickey Kantor, Emanuel developed a reputation for having "a personality that killed plants on contact," in the words of Margarita Roque, a former House staffer.

I can confirm Roque's assessment, since in my own interviews with Emanuel, he outdid himself in ferocious candor. Asked to describe the effectiveness and reliability of his pro-NAFTA allies at the Business Roundtable, Emanuel was effusive in his praise of Allied Signal Chairman Larry Bossidy and a few others at Boeing and IBM. But as for "the rest of business -- not worth a bucket of warm spit."

Ordinarily, I might appreciate such a remark, but Emanuel was only expressing a certain type of politician's contempt for anyone who is not a politician or their surrogate -- for people insufficiently ruthless to "get the job done," as Obama puts it. That Emanuel dared to say this during his brief tenure as an investment banker only accentuates his sense of superiority over the mere mortals who live outside the charmed triangle of Capitol Hill/K Street/Democratic Party power.

To be sure, a President Obama needs a henchman -- but it's important to know to what end. Like H.R. "Bob" Haldeman, Richard Nixon's chief of staff, Emanuel will no doubt involve himself in many pressing matters of state, from maintaining the status quo in the Mideast to deciding which campaign contributor gets to be ambassador to Sri Lanka.

But in RahmObama world, it's the political tasks that always come first, foremost among them rewarding your friends and punishing your enemies. At the top of a very urgent list of priorities will be thanking Mayor Daley for his early endorsement of Obama during the primaries -- preferably with a goody guaranteed to create a lot of patronage jobs, such as bringing the 2016 Olympic games to the Windy City.

As a congressman and chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, Emanuel has reached deep into the pork barrel, and last year he defended an "earmark" that permitted the rebuilding of a bridge in his district "that not only was rated as deficient but also was identified by the Department of Homeland Security as a major evacuation route in case of a terrorist attack on Chicago." Posing a largely rhetorical question, Emanuel wrote: "Does that make me an 'earmark thug' or a congressman who took care of a critical need in his district?"

It's unclear what would motivate al-Qaida to target Illinois's 5th Congressional District -- why bother hitting Wrigley Field and the Cubs when they're already doomed? -- but what is clear is that Emanuel knows how to game the system. What's more, like his tutor, Mayor Daley, he understands the political value of "terrorism" to accomplish important civic improvements. In 2003, Daley unilaterally tore up the runway of Chicago's lakefront airport, Meigs Field, in the middle of the night, so he could reclaim the land for a park. As justification, the mayor cited the threat of terrorist attack (from the air), even though neither Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge or his agency were ever consulted and Ridge declared himself "disappointed" by the Meigs shutdown.

With all this, I can't deny feeling a kind of admiration for Emanuel. All through the 2008 campaign, he performed a balancing act -- never publicly supporting Obama until Hillary Clinton dropped out -- worthy of a professional ballet dancer. In fact, Emanuel was a ballet student when he was growing up in suburban Chicago, good enough to be offered a scholarship by the Joffrey Ballet. As it happens, I spent a lot of time as a kid at the studio where he trained, the Evanston School of Ballet, watching my sister, a future professional, take class.

It would be easy to suggest that Emanuel's tough-guy behavior is a case of overcompensation for having spent so much of his young life in what some might view as a "feminine" milieu. I don't see it that way, even though I resisted occasional recruiting attempts by the school's co-founder, Phyllis Wills, for the usual "that's too sissy" reason.

Anybody familiar with the ballet world knows that the small number of dancers who make a paying career of it are the equivalent of professional athletes -- every bit as accomplished as the best football, basketball and track stars -- and not sissies at all. In ballet, the self-discipline and physical training required to "get the job done" are not for weaklings.

Thus, Obama may well have done himself a favor by picking a former ballet man to run the White House.

We can only hope that if he does his grands battements in the Oval Office, he doesn't accidentally kick over the red phone and start a war.

John R. MacArthur is publisher of Harper's Magazine. His latest book "You Can't Be President: The Outrageous Barriers to Democracy in America" is available for purchase here.

This post originally appeared in the Providence Journal.

Comments

[kgb999]

OK, so Rham got an earmark to rebuild a failing bridge in his district. Isn't that what congresspeople are SUPPOSED to do? But we should be worried about Rham because the author thinks that Cubs fans aren't worth attacking - lord knows terrorist attack potential is the ONLY reason to rebuild a bridge! (Folks in MN might point to different reasons).

And why was Emmanuel responsible for Daley tearing up Meigs? You said it was a unilateral move by the mayor - why even mention it in a piece trashing Emmanuel? I don't get it. Daley is a total piece of s**t - but if you came from Chicago, ultimately you were an ally of his for something.

Don't get me wrong ... I've got nothing for the guy. But this article provides very little factual basis over which to be concerned, and some flat-out nonsense.

[jnratliff]

Did you ever notice that the ones that complain about being robbed are also the ones trying to rob someone else?

[SohoSisyphus]

Not a word about the Israeli connection? If anything is key to mid-east (e.g. world) peace it is the US backing away from this wretched ongoing brutality of a mini super-power over a third world entity.

[WritusMaximus]

The time to raise concerns is NOW, not AFTER the fact. Consider the past 8 years as a lesson.

"People may not believe what you say, but they will believe what you do."

[WritusMaximus]

To think that Emanuel will not push his own agenda is naive.Looks like we'll have more of that "free trade" that has worked wonders all these years, just look how vibrant our middle class has become!
By the way, Emanuel is NOT part of the team of rivals, for he is Obama's buddy. Makes you think that both men share the same/similar views when it comes to trade/economic policy.

Words to keep in mind when evaluating any politician, including Obama: "People may doubt what you say, but they will believe what you do."

[swkidder]

Political Pirouette ... that meme"s gonna stick.

Rahm Emmanuel"s job is to manage the President"s staff and his schedule " not to pick Policy. All the "ex-Clintonites/Chicago FOBs" being tapped for various positions have skill sets that Barack Obama obviously believes he needs to govern well. Go listen to Eric Holder"s ACS speech. This is a man, selected by a scholar of Constitutional Law, who believes " to his core - in the Rule of Law. Isn"t that a refreshing change? Hillary Clinton is "wicked smart," and the quest to gain and hold political power seems to be what makes her stumble occasionally. How might she behave when her "brief" is just to "do the right thing," and she knows Obama "has her back" as long as she does that? All of these people have made a few mistakes. Anyone who hasn"t wasn"t working hard enough. Most likely they also learned from these mistakes? Give them a chance.

We"re all coming off the adrenaline rush from the campaign. We won. We have our own work to do " Progressive causes to champion and a highly visible, very public level of support for these to maintain. Let's allow Barack Obama to pick a few of "his people" without prejudging how they will behave? This is a different time. These are different circumstances. I"m a charter member of the "Association of Paranoid Conspiracy Theorists," aka people who actually know the facts. But I think this really can be Our Guy. Breathe.

[Bonobo]

It would be nice if Obama would pick a few of "our people", too. Pretty please?

[kgb999]

No kidding!!!! Drawing from the well of experience is great and all, but ALL of these assclowns got us into this mess - not just the GOP. Shouldn't we give the next generation a shot at it?

The unsustainable bubble Clinton created around technology was duplicated in housing to avoid taking the hit, but there is a direct linear causality from Clinton's policies and today's financial meltdown. Now that the election is over, if we aren't honest about the causes, there is no chance of fixing the problems.

Won't it be ironic that if after beating her, Obama fails because he doesn't have the balls to break with the Clinton machine?

[swkidder]

The interesting thing to watch is the overall composition of the teams picked in each different area of governance " not just who sits at the top. Barack Obama has a reputation of preferring teams with disparate points of view that run in the mode of "may the best ideas win."
Certainly the way his campaign ran argues for the creation of a culture in which the goal was "how well the team learned/performed." It obviously worked. There were no visible prima donnas who had to "be right/do it their way" among his top aides. Let"s keep our eyes on the process that seems to be unfolding, and not get side-tracked by the MSN"s well-known fixation on "personalities?"
An interesting point to consider? A HuffPost Reader reminded us all that Hillary Clinton has a well-documented history of supporting the education and advancement of women. Why is this important? We have lots of evidence that economic advancement of women " i.e. micro-lending " and female leadership - think Wangari Maathai - can have a huge impact on local economies in 3rd world countries. When AIDS work succeeds in Africa, it"s because the women took charge. And the active engagement of women in peace making can be the factor that stops the wheel of hate from spinning " think Northern Ireland? I would be extremely interested to see what a feminist, and a feminist focus, could do from the platform of Secretary of State.

[noel08]

Refreshing post!

[Adamwestiii]

With Rahm as the Chief of Staff. I'm not certain we'll have peace between Palestine & Israel. Afterall, Rahm did serve with the Israel Army and his father Dr Benjamin Emanuel was with the Irgun Terrorist organization that was responsible for a number of Palestinian and British deaths during the 1940s. In the Jerusalem Post, Benjamin said that Rahm would support Israel.

Currently Israel is forcing Arab-Israelis out of Jerusalem and secondly, our foreign aid to Israel is being illegally used in that it is building settlement housing in Israel and now the West Bank area.

[truthmachine]

Please stop spreading lies; Rahm did not serve in the Israeli Army.

[BayAreaResident]

He actually did, as a civilian specialist maintaining the Israeli military vehicles. This information is available all over the internet, just google it up and see for yourself.

Regards!

[Nusraf]

Part of the reason Jimmy Carter was not as effective was that he locked head with a recalcitrant and Democratic Congress.

[Michael45]

Oh goodness, the predictable avalanche of second guessers with their opinion pieces trying to tell the President-elect what he should and should not do to save the nation has begun!

I have much more confidence in President-elect Obama's ability to put together an effective administration to begin to solve the nation's problems than I do in the usual talking heads and purveyors of conventional wisdom. After all, it was many of these same opinion pushers that thought Barack Obama had little to no chance of becoming the first African American to be elected President of the United States.

[OdaNobunaga]

"Oh goodness, the predictable avalanche of second guessers with their opinion pieces trying to tell the President-elect what he should and should not do to save the nation has begun!"

Really? I thought it started before he even got elected. Remember all the "Clinton for VP" blogs?

That being said, I share your confidence in the President-Elect.

[flipbiscut24]

You would have gotten change had you've had a "real" choice for President.

Did you think they'd actually leave their bases uncovered?

The game is fixed. The illusion of choice is all that exists.

Watch foreign policy stay the same. Domestic policy will also remian the same.

Will Obama repeal the MCA or Patriot Act?
Who cares to comment?

[Hempy]

So what if the 2016 Olympics end up in Chicago? Is that such a bad deal?

As for good government, that's for us to hold their feet to the fire about. We can't let the Republicans come back with the message that government is the problem (Sarah Palin), or that we need less government.

We can draw our American values from Thomas Jefferson who wrote: "The care of human life and happiness and not their destruction is the first and only legitimate object of good government."

Now if you have a problem with that, then you need to refresh your thinking about what American values consist of.

[jasonball]

"Hempy"

I think this editorial was doing precisely what you say - "holding their feet to the fire."

Millions of Americans expect a progressive Presidency from Obama - the Emanuel pick is far from it. Expressing public criticism of the pick is the first step in keeping Emanuel and his boss in-line.

Maybe you have a problem with criticizing decisions made by the most powerful man on earth. But let me tell you - we can't sacrifice criticizing power because "someobdy worse might one day come in unless we all stand inline and worship the captain of our team." That would be democratic serfdom.

[WritusMaximus]

Nah, not a bad deal at all. That overnight demolishing of the airport runway in Chicago is also a laugher! Who cares? Yup, we also need some humor in the White House, and my money is on getting quite a few laughs courtesy of the Obama administration. You see, the play between rivals is a good recipe for laughter. I can't wait!

[S1m0n]

Chief of staff isn't a policy position; it's an execution of someone else's policy position. Attacking Rahm for perceived shortcomings in his past policy decisions misses the point, I think.

[camper65]

Rahm Emmanuel, Hillary, John Kerry, D.C. insiders everywhere - even lobbyists have been included! This is NOT the change I voted for!

[truthmachine]

Perhaps you didn't notice that Republicans have been destroying this country for the last eight years. That is what we voted to change.

[WritusMaximus]

How wrong you are! You see, we must believe that a person's stated values, goals/agenda/plan of action /the very essence of the person are magically transformed to fit the campaign rhetoric. If you don't believe in magic, then you just don't get it. We do have change after all. Look at it this way, you may get the same old same old, but now from different players. See? We still got change!

[SohoSisyphus]

Right you are. We need professionals, but we need new blood just as much, because it's. beginning to lo look like Clinton III. But the great issue, finally, is not simply foreign affairs, but the joined-at-hip problem of economic survival. We're getting our bottoms waxed in both areas. In half a year we'll know who wears the pants in the Democratic Party. If it's Pelosi, God help us.

[homein831]

Regarding your statement :"But in RahmObama world, it's the political tasks that always come first, foremost among them rewarding your friends and punishing your enemies. " - doesn't the Lieberman story prove you wrong?? He was not punished, and Hillary - she was offered the secretary of state" post - despite a long and tough primary. Also, I hope politicians will work to insure that evacuation routes from major cities are adequate - Al Quida is not the only threat we face - global warming is lightly to kick more ass than Al Quida ever did.

[DIAGUY]

You are sooooo right global warming and the 'cap and trade' policies that are sure to come , will certainly kick all of our asses right into bancruptcy. I would rather take my chances with the 'disease' than try to survive its' cure.

[strifeknot]

Lieberman was never an ideological enemy of the likes of O and Emanuel. That's the problem. They're far more politically in tune than you apologists realize.

[veracity]

It's one thing to give Obama a "free pass" for hiring Emanuel as his in-house enforcer - Emanuel DOES have experience with both WH & inner sanctum of Pelosi's congress - but Obama hiring RUBIN or SUMMERS to be SecTreasury a different story!

HERE's the best criticism I have read of Emanuel past 2 years -
http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/2006/11/how-rahm-emanuel-lost-house-for.html

- a theme (Pelosi/Hillary neo-con Dems neartly COST Dems the 2006 election) that is echoed in HuffPost's own Paul Loeb -
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-loeb/hillary-clinton-and-the-g_b_75327.html

And of course Pat Buchanan's spot-on criticism of Pelosi & her Neo-Con Dems, including Pelosi's head, head-hunter Emanuel -
http://www.vdare.com/buchanan/070319_pelosi.htm

OK, so Obama is stacking his admin with Pelosi/Hillary neo-cons (including Hillary herself, and Pelosi's main skull-crusher, Emanuel) , but we know that Obama is riding a tide of world hope (if not popularity), & hopefully will NOT be stupid enough to follow the Bush/Cheney/Wolfowitz model of EXPANDING WARS (Somalia, Pakistan, Georgia... sigh).

BUT the AMERICAN ECONOMY is another story.... PAULSON may deserve the BLAME for presiding over pending OBLIVION of the Big-3 automakers, BUT OBAMA WILL GET THE HISTORICAL BLAME.

So here's hoping he does NOT select the Rubin/Summers crowd who, like Paulson, put Wall St. BEFORE EVERYONE ELSE, including the MANUFACTURING BASE that is VITAL to America's economy, social fabric, & genuine national security.

[WritusMaximus]

Oops! You just committed an unforgivable sin! You can only use democrats to quote/use as resources for the correct way to think! How dare you reference anyone other than a democrat! You see, don't you, or else you need glasses, that the dems are the ones we must all trust! The dems and only the dems have the truth by the tail, and this is no tale for we don't want to chase ours in a futile attempt at arresting the TRUTH!

Now, don't you feel ashamed? I thought so. Your next step should be to visit your local dem politicians and apologize to them all. Then you should drive/fly/hop on a train and do the same to the dems in Washington DC. You may still be saved!