Bill Daley struggles to fix Barack Obama's slump

[bemildred]

The 63-year-old scion of Chicago political royalty was brought in as President Barack Obama’s chief of staff to provide fresh blood, corporate-world experience and adult supervision to a young, free-wheeling White House staff. But critics inside and outside the West Wing are questioning whether he is the tough, competent manager needed to shake up the operation and propel Obama into the 2012 election year.

To some extent, Daley has been a victim of the increasingly difficult political circumstances Obama has had to confront this year. But he’s also been hampered, paradoxically, by his own inexperience, and particularly by the fact that he lacks the deep Capitol Hill connections of his predecessor, Rahm Emanuel.

As a banker and former secretary of commerce, Daley’s ability to soothe relations with Republicans was a major justification for bringing him from Chicago — much to the disgust of many Democrats who wanted Obama to take a more combative approach after the 2010 elections. But Daley’s failure to achieve any negotiating successes has only intensified the chorus of criticism from Democrats that Obama is too willing to compromise.

Interviews with two dozen current and former White House staffers and congressional aides paint the picture of Daley as a steady, seasoned political operative struggling to find his footing in one of the most hostile environments anyone in his job has ever had to face.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0911/63648.html

[WI_DEM]

1. God, we don't need somebody to soothe relations with Republicans--they are a lost cause!

we need somebody who will play tough with the GOP and get the Dems on capital hill in line and keep Obama on track.

[SwampG8r]

3. this^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^times a million

[COLGATE4]

16. +^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[DJ13]

5. My thoughts exactly

The WH is so intent on making nice with the Republicans they've forgotten how to be Democrats, so nothing ends up getting done, and no one is happy.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

2. Bill's been in DC before, knows the territory

but he does not know the gnu and improved GOP Tea Bagger Ltd Express. And that train has run right over him. Making nicely nicely with them is impossible. Negotiating with them is counterproductive. Treating them as sane, albeit political opponents, instead of demented, irrational, illiterate, sheeple scared into certain behaviors by Rush and Billo, is just plain stupid.

Ergo, Bill was doomed to fail. He should recognize that and resign. But he won't.

[blkmusclmachine]

4. With Daley in charge, expect a 10 point drop by Jan 01.

n/t

[bemildred]

6. I do. nt

[Hawkowl]

7. Seppuku

That is my recommendation to Bill Daley, corrupt investment banker extraordinaire.

[TwilightGardener]

8. Rahm was better. I did not feel strongly about him either way, but

sometimes it's good to have a mean, wiley SOB on staff.

[bemildred]

9. They are ideololgical twins, that's the problem.

Rahm was better at the PR game, but we on "the left" did not like him much. Daley was relatively an unknown and seems less inclined to say stupid things in public, so far anyway.

[pscot]

12. One thing they seem to have in common

is contempt for the "professional" left.

[woolldog]

10. Resigning would be a good start. -nt

[underpants]

11. Poltico as conduit for the Drudge Report as is their only real purpose

:eyes:

[FrenchieCat]

13. Politico sucks shit.....

but some folks like that taste.

[LiberalFighter]

14. Daley is not qualified to be a Chief of Staff.

He is more use to being a boss than a second in command.

[applegrove]

15. Right they are that it is hostile. Obama is being harrassed. Harrassed by the GOP taking

over his narrative, harrassed for his beliefs, it is just sick.