Obama's First Task: Corral the Party

[Demeter]

By trying to lure Rahm Emmanuel to be his Chief of Staff, Obama fires a shot accross the prima donna's bow, as a warning to all the Democratic prima donnas.

Rahm has been anything but an asset to the cause; putting him under the Presidential thumb would get him out of the way in the House, undermine Pelosi (another non-starter) and free up the hierarchy in Congress for some non-DLC leadership. There's going to be a lot of heavy-lifting required in Congress, and the current leadership hasn't the will, muscle, or stomach for it. The public good has been neglected for so long, it is an alien concept.

Once Obama has exerted his leadership over the Party, he can pluck a Republican Senator or two out of his cushy seat, freeing it up for a Democratic replacement, thus ensuring a filibuster-proof Senate. Harry Reid is already trying to prove his loyalty to the cause by slapping down Lieberman, a task that he avoided earlier.

With this pillar of Legislative strength at his back, Obama can then build a Department of Justice that will thoroughly investigate and prosecute criminal activities in the Bush administrations, and maybe even beyond. There's a tremednous backlog, so I'm thinking Fitzgerald, or some similarly workaholic Attorney General will be appointed. Hiring will be brisk, and it will NOT require any religious or orthodoxy toe-ing!

Then the Treasury will be dealt with. The corruption of the data base and the personnel base will have to get a full truth and reconciliation process.

The rest of the Cabinet will be relatively easy.

And then, away we go!

[...of J.Temperance]

1. Rahm Emanuel is one of

President Obama's closet friends, he's offered him the job of White House CoS because Emanuel is a damn good political operator AND a close friend.

President Obama hasn't offered Emanuel the job to "free-up" anything.

[Demeter]

3. Not So Good a Friend As All That

He's acting like the offer is a poison-pill out of the blue. And Rahm is STILL one of the biggest obstructions in the House, after Pelosi.

[...of J.Temperance]

5. Read up on President Obama and Rahm Emanuel, they are close friends

Rahm Emanuel isn't acting like the offer of WH CoS is a "poison-pill out of the blue", maybe he's torn between staying in the House or going to the WH as CoS.

I neither see Rahm Emanuel or Nancy Pelosi as "obstructions in the House", good grief we have just INCREASED our majority in the House....and who's been in charge? Nancy Pelosi and Rahm Emanuel.

Pelosi and Emanuel are "obstructions" to WHAT exactly? To some Left-Wing agenda? Good, I'm glad then that they've obstructed a Left-Wing agenda, a Left-Wing agenda would have meant we would have LOST TONS of seats in the House.

Pelosi especially has done a wonderful job in the House as Speaker, and I commend her.

[The Magistrate]

9. He Has His Eye On the Speakership, Ma'am

And may well have been contemplating a challenge to either Rep. Pelosi or Rep. Hoyer in the coming session. Accepting this post does more or less put paid to such a career of legislative dominance for him. Something a man has worked towards for years, he is entitled to pause a little before leaving go of.

The idea that the House leadership of our Party 'obstructs' anything that would certainly be done by the House members without their interference is laughable. Our Party's contingent of Representatives spans a broad band of persuasions from serious left members elected in major metropolitan areas to center-right types elected in districts of suburban and rural character that have only recently changed allegiance from the enemy camp. The views, and campaign requirements, of all these shades of opinion must be taken into account by the leadership if even the semblance of a solid bloc is to be presented in floor votes.

[Historic NY]

2. I agree he needs a cat herder

[The Magistrate]

4. You Quite Mistake, Ma'am, the Relation Between President Obama And Rep. Emanuel

Both are joined within the umbrella of the Chicago machine dominating Democratic politics in Illinois. President Obama trusts him, as a local associate, and knows his worth as a hard man, able to wrangle legislators into line. Rep. Emanuel has had experience in both the White House and in legislative leadership and legislative campaigning, and has ties to all leading camps in the Party. He is an invaluable asset. This is why he has been tapped for this post, and his loyalty to the Party, not just at the national level but to the local machine from which both men spring, will certainly dictate his acceptance of the post.

[...of J.Temperance]

6. Thank you for adding some further facts

And yes, Rahm Emanuel is an invaluable asset to the Democratic Party.

[bemildred]

7. He owns the party, lock stock and barrel.

Everybody is going to be his friend. He does need to assert his authority, but he seems to be doing that.

[gravity]

8. I know the Democrats can easily ruin their one party rule

We don't need another repeat of 1994. We are the most fractured party out there, and we need a strong leader to give us the political capital to pursue a long term agenda.

[GreenPartyVoter]

11. Actually, the Greens are far more fractured. Really.

[Two Americas]

10. that could well be

I do think we are watching a master strategist in action in our new president.

So, may we express our objections to Emmanuel being put on staff, AND keep in mind that Obama may have a strategic purpose here? Or is it all or nothing - total blind loyalty or nothing?