I’m a little skeptical about this report from the London Telegraph claiming President Obama’s powerful Chief or staff Rahm Emanuel is planning to resign later this year, but it’s making the round so here’s my two cents.
Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff, is expected to leave his job later this year after growing tired of the “idealism” of Barack Obama’s inner circle.
Washington insiders say he will quit within six to eight months in frustration at their unwillingness to “bang heads together” to get policy pushed through.
Mr Emanuel, 50, enjoys a good working relationship with Mr Obama but they are understood to have reached an understanding that differences over style mean he will serve only half the full four-year term.
Friends say he is also worried about burnout and losing touch with his young family due to the pressure of one of most high profile jobs in US politics.
“I would bet he will go after the midterms,” said a leading Democratic consultant in Washington. “Nobody thinks it’s working but they can’t get rid of him – that would look awful. He needs the right sort of job to go to but the consensus is he’ll go.”
An official from the Bill Clinton era said that “no one will be surprised” if Mr Emanuel left after the midterm elections in November, when the Democratic party will battle to save its majorities in the house of representatives and the senate.
It is well known in Washington that arguments have developed between pragmatic Mr Emanuel, a veteran in Congress where he was known for driving through compromises, and the idealistic inner circle who followed Mr Obama to the White House.
His abrasive style has rubbed some people the wrong way, while there has been frustration among Mr Obama’s closest advisers that he failed to deliver a smooth ride for the president’s legislative programme that his background promised.
Personally, I would get overly excited about this, first Chiefs of staff often don’t serve for a Presidents entire term… Bill had four of them during his two terms in office. Second the White has issued a rather strong denial telling Fox News the “ludicrous” story was “not worth looking into.”
That said, it may very well be the mid-term elections that decide Mr. Emanuel’s fate for him, if Democrats lose control of the House of Representatives and/or Senate in November Pres. Obama may be forced to replace Mr. Emanuel with a more pragmatic Chief of Staff as he tacks back towards the center. If he doesn’t he’s risks seeing his presidency to run completely off the rails in its final two years.
Related
- An Ineffective Thug – John Hinderaker, Powerline
- Battered Rahm – Jules Crittenden
- Emanuel leaping or being pushed? – Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
- Rahm Traded Favors with Blago: Report – NBC Chicago
- Sticker Shock Jeopardizes President Obama’s Agenda – ABC News
- Obama’s thuggery is useless in fighting spill – Michael Barone, Washington Examiner