Would you support a W.H. shakeup at this time?

[Politics_Guy25]

Just wondering with the disarray over health care this summer and seemingly small incidents like the president speaking to students to tell them to get good grades and saying that the police acted stupidly turning into massive controversies, the W.H. PR and operations regime is clearly not working. With the fall season upon us, maybe the President would get a good start to righting the S.S. Obama by replacing Rahm Emmanuel and bringing in a more competent chief of staff who is able to forsee these faux controversies. Also, as much as I like Robert Gibbs, he hasn't been that effective of a spokesperson (see the poll numbers). A new W.H. press secretary might be helpful as well.

This is not a big deal. President Clinton did this several times and it righted the ship each time. It might be worth thinking about. This managerial style can't continue.

The reason that I say this is when even Keith Olbermann is frustrated, you know that something has got to change.

[saracat]

1. A lot of Obama's pics have been questionable and Rahm acts like Cheney!

Gibbs isn't effective at all. You are right.it is time for a real WH shaeup. We need effective folks who can follow the mandate and expressthe Message in a manner thatconvinces.I say "go for it"

[Politics_Guy25]

3. Yes!

I was almost ready to cry earlier tonight seeing how poorly someone that I supported right from the time he announced is faring and I was like what could be done to stop this?! And then suddenly it hit me a staff shake-up is a good way to do it. Reagan did it! Clinton did it! Shrub did it!

[XemaSab]

2. For sale:

Rahm Emanual's elephant gun. Never been fired. Only dropped once.

[saracat]

4. And another thing, kick FOX out of the briefings. They refuse to carry Obama's speeches anyway, so

why are they there? They aren't reporting.

[Politics_Guy25]

8. Fox is another big part of the problem

The lies and propaganda that they spew daily are outrageous. When you have fascists fighting you at every turn, even the most brilliant of politicians would face troubled seas.

[depakid]

9. The obvious solution to that is media divestm,ent and re-regulation

[Politics_Guy25]

5. Also, FWIW I think David Axelrod is a genius!

Maybe make him chief of staff?

[kurt_cagle]

11. I'd support Axelrod

... in a heartbeat, for chief of staff. He's perceptive, is much less likely to push the DLC line than Rahm Emmanuel, and is much more like Obama in both political and personal character.

[PopSixSquish]

16. You Do Realize that David Axelrod is the Sr. Advisor to the President Right?

He sits in the office next to the Oval Office. There isn't a meeting which he is not part of and there isn't a decision made during which he is not in the room.

I'm constantly amazed by people on this site who think that the President is only getting input from Rahm and no one else. What exactly do you think Joe Biden, David Axelrod, Valerie Jarrett and Robert Gibbs do all day? Play computer games and eat popcorn?

As for the "gatekeeper" meme, everyone of those people I mentioned has what is called "walk-in privledges" to the Oval Office. This means that each can go directly to the President at any time on any issue.

It's not a co-incidence that in the final push for healthcare reform and in the lead-up to the President's speech, that David Axelrod is front and center in interview and on the talk shows.

Axelrod is Obama's "wartime consigliere" and always will be...

[donheld]

6. Replace Rahm with Dennis

[avaistheone1]

13. I'd feel a lot better if Dennis was giving the President advice rather than Rahm.

At least them there would be some hope of our country going in the right direction.

[Selatius]

7. I support a shake-up in the market for news. Namely, enforcing anti-trust law on monopolies.

You draw up a list of all the major news outlets inside the US, and you tell the director over the Dept. of Justice to run a study on how much media consolidation there is. If the consolidation is massive, then there is one thing left to do:

Smash them. Enforce the Sherman/Clayton Anti-Trust Acts and smash the media monopolies.

[kurt_cagle]

10. Definitely

Rahm Emmanuel brought a very centrist (DLC) outlook to the table, and may have had a significant role in the selection of Geithner as Treasury head as well as pushing for a policy of appeasement with the banks that is backfiring on Obama. Health Care is important, but the timing and approach taken on health care was a disaster.

The markets will likely go into a tailspin sometime in the next few months as the effects from the stimulus wear off about the same time as major storms in the commercial real-estate sector hit crisis point and the bank closures begin to come 8-10 a week. We're playing 1929-1933 here, and the explosive market growth does not (and has not) reflected anything approaching reality for quite some time - the markets will fall again, probably about the time we pass 10% "official" unemployment (and 22% real unemployment). I think this would be the time to jettison Rahm, and possibly Geithner and perhaps Shiela Blair at SEC. Gibbs I wouldn't worry about too much - he's in the position of trying to front for a very telegenic president, and it will likely be just a matter of time before he manages to find his mojo. Emmanuel, however, needs to go, NOW.

[Politics_Guy25]

12. The president seems to have personally invested in Tim Geithner

Not sure if he'd be willing to do that absent a total catastrophe but the thought had occurred to me, however. Good points BTW.

[quiller4]

14. No.

[lamp_shade]

15. KO is always frustrated. Love listening to him but I try not to take him too seriously.