The Daley Appointment
I have to admit that I find the announcement of the appointment of Bill Daley to be the next White House Chief of Staff (made today) both surprising and (for conservatives) worrisome. Surprising, not just because Daley clearly belongs to the small remaining "moderate Clintonian" rump of the Democratic party -- there is no rule that a President and his chief of staff have to be ideological soulmates; just ask anyone who worked in the Reagan White House under James Baker -- but because Daley has been a vocal and (for a Democrat) outspoken critic of several of Obama's policies (e.g., healthcare, financial reform) during his first two years in office. My memory may be faulty, but I certainly don't recall Jim Baker taking to the op-ed pages to criticize Reagan's policies once he was elected. This strikes me as rather a large pill for a man of Barack Obama's clear left-wing orientation and monumental ego to swallow.
And the fact that he has swallowed it is what I find worrisome. All that talk about preferring to be a "consequential" one-term president to doing whatever it took to get re-elected? Out the window. This is the clearest signal yet that Obama has read the tea leaves, is abandoning the Nancy Pelosi strategy of defiance, and will spend the next 22 months positoning himself as the "centrist" between the Pelosi Left and the GOP Right. Left to his own devices, this lie (for that's what it is) might be hard to pull off. Obama doesn't have more than two or three genuinely centrist bones in his body. It would be hard for him to play that role with any convicton (witness the sophomoric statements he made at the time of the tax cut compromise). But Bill Daley is the genuine article. Daley's role, I think, will be to serve as Obama's "centrist muse" or "acting coach" for the next two years, lending as much authenticity as possible to this new positioning. Most conservatives, of course, will see through this. But I do fear that this strategy may prove effective among a fair number of moderate and independent voters -- the ones who continue to "like Obama personally," despite disagreeing with many of his policies. And if we lose a substantial part of this segment, 2012 is going to be an uphill climb -- unless Obama's own left-wing base revolts. But try as I might, I just cannot envison this happening under any scenario whatsoever.
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Jul '10
Re: The Daley Appointment
It will be fascinating to see how things play out between Daley and Valerie Jarrett. Even Rahm Emmanuel couldn't break her spell over the Sissyboy President.
Dec '10
Re: The Daley Appointment
The Daley appointment will likely prove to be about as useful as any other New Year's resolution, which is to say, not much.
I doubt that William Daley as Chief of Staff will be enough to turn around the Obama Presidency. Rahm Emanuel was no political lightweight, but because he wasn't part of Obama's true inner circle (Axelrod, Plouffe, Gibbs, Jarrett), he couldn't do much to guide Obama's dealings with Congress. It must have galled him, as the architect of the Democrat's takeback of the House of Representatives in 2006, to see the Obama White House so passive as Pelosi engineered the midterm loss to the Republicans, including the defeat of many of the moderate Democrats he himself recruited for '06.
Given that Plouffe is returning to the White House and that Jarrett isn't leaving, Obama is highly unlikely to let Daley or any other Chief of Staff have real power in directing the White House's political operations. He will fall back on Plouffe and Jarrett because that's what he knows and is comfortable with, and he hasn't got the capacity to do otherwise.
Sep '10
Re: The Daley Appointment
Astute take on this here from a Brit no less...
While Mr Obama, whose vanity is something to behold even in a job where outsized self-esteem is a prerequisite, doubtless imagines himself as an Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy rolled into one, he is content for now to be seen as a Bill Clinton – at least in the tactical sense.
Sep '10
Re: The Daley Appointment
I never believed the remarks about being one term President. Obama was happy as hell to become president at all, so he was a spendthrift with political capital.
He has lost nearly all of it except for the fact that he is the Democrats nominee for 2012.
And I'm sure he has come to enjoy the parties, the attention and all the trappings. Who wouldn't? So he is angling for reelection now.
The left wing agenda is going under the bus until after reelection and the lefties will be okay with that, as long as their heads don't explode first. They get to play defense, and they do it well.
But he has a fundamental problem with credibility... with everyone. If he changes course now, he will lose his standing as a change agent for the progressive drones.
Sep '10
Re: The Daley Appointment
I hope he reads Edmund Morris's book on Reagan, and starts going all Robert Frost on us at the podium.
Jul '10
Re: The Daley Appointment
And it's interesting how much Obama's "Christianity" is coming front and center with the connivance of the MSM. His next bow will be to kiss the pope's ring. The dopey independent voter, AKA the low-information voter, will buy it hook, line and sinker.
Dec '10
Re: The Daley Appointment
Whether he puts his heart into a re-election campaign will depend on how badly his wife wants to remain First Lady. If her reported remark to Carla Bruni is accurate, that she feels that life in the White House is "hell," then I am sure her husband will simply go through the motions and let someone else take on the burden of the Presidency. He's never shown much stick-to-it-ive-ness in his past jobs.
Jul '10
Re: The Daley Appointment
"Daley's role, I think, will be to serve as Obama's 'centrist muse' or 'acting coach' for the next two years, lending as much authenticity as possible to this new positioning...But I do fear that this strategy may prove effective among a fair number of moderate and independent voters..."
"Moderates" and "independents" have the same reaction as I do towards Daley: Another corrupt politician coming from a very corrupt city working for Obama. I wouldn't fear this strategy steering any newcomers to the Obama camp.
Aug '10
Re: The Daley Appointment
Did you'all see the article about far it is from 173 electoral votes to 270 ? Work to do -
Dec '10
Re: The Daley Appointment
Let us suppose, for the sake of argument, that Obama does not run for re-election. Does he announce this early -- effectively making him the lamest of ducks -- or does he soak in the adoration and announce it late?
Even more, does he do as Stuart says and make a half-hearted attempt at re-election.
I can't imagine he can stomach the idea that there's even a remote chance he would be turned out of office like a common Carter or GHWBush.
Dec '10
Re: The Daley Appointment
What, exactly, makes Daley such a moderate? Is he more or less moderate than Bill Clinton?
May '10
Re: The Daley Appointment
If we get a centrist Obama who manages to get re-elected, that's better than some possibilities, such as eight years of Huckabee (which is more or less eight more years of Obama).
Nov '10
Re: The Daley Appointment
All kidding aside, unless the GOP pulls its act together, kicks its collective brain out of neutral, and starts taking things seriously, Obama will be re-elected in 2012 — and quite handily, too. If that happens, by 2016, every Dem who lost in 2010 will be back in office and America will be yoked with a full-blown socialist tyranny.
Barring revolution, of course.
Aug '10
Re: The Daley Appointment
and where should we start ? how badly do we want this ? aren't we all a bit fatigued by the steamrollin' we have seen so far ? shouldn't we be just a bit scared ? how can we come together and do the bidness necessary to see the changes we think Have to Happen ? what is the gutcheck here -----
Re: The Daley Appointment
It is good to remember that President Obama appointed a presidential commission to look into the budget and the national debt and that he did so well before the election. The appointment of Daley follows logically from that. He will now reposition himself, as Clinton did, as Mr. Balance the Budget.
Sep '10
Re: The Daley Appointment
O is a leftist with Marxist leanings who is extremely good at getting elected. Comparing him with Clinton who is a pragmatist with hedonistic leanings is a mistake. O wants to further his agenda and if appearing to be a centrist to get reelected is necessary he will do just that. Daly may be many things but he is first and foremost corrupt and will sell his services to whomever, if he thinks it is in his self-interest. I am beginning to think y’all believe this blather about “public service.” Where I come from we use this type of blather to fertilize gardens.
Dec '10
Re: The Daley Appointment
That's the positioning he's aiming for, certainly, with his throwing down the gauntlet by saying, "Once the Commission presents its recommendations, we'll see who's serious about deficit reduction." But it's of course only positioning, in the marketing sense: he plans to propose massive tax increases that have no chance of passing Congress, so he can claim to be a deficit fighter without actually doing anything.
The GOP may just confound him by coming back with budget-balancing proposals that are more sensible and more politically plausible, forcing him to oppose and even veto them.