It has been reported that Rahm Emmanuel, Democratic representative for the 5th congressional district of Illinois, has agreed to serve as the White House Chief of Staff for Obama. This is an incredibly important and influential position, often described as the second-most-powerful post in the nation. According to the work of Martha Kumar and Terry Sullivan, the Chief of Staff is resonsible for two broad roles:
1. Managing the White House staff and the President's schedule
2. Advising the President on various political and policy issues
Suffice it to say, this is a very important choice for a President. Consequently, President-elect Obama's choice merits some scrutiny.
An article by Zachary Coile of the San Francisco Chronicle provides a nice summary of Emmanuel's resume. He was born in Chicago in 1959. He obtained his first political experiences with Democratic politicians in Illinois, including Senator Paul Simon's campaign in 1984 and Richard Daley's run for mayor of Chicago in 1989. During 1993-1999, he worked as a senior level political and policy adviser in the Clinton White House. In this position, he was especially influential in directing initiatives on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and an assault weapons ban. In 2002, he was elected to Congress. He is widely acknowledged as the chief architect for the Democrat's successful mid-term election in 2006. Thus, Emmanuel clearly brings a wealth of political experience, a useful asset for Obama who has been widely criticized as too inexperienced for the job of President. Indeed, some observers have already concluded that Obama's choice is a mark of his strength and refusal to become a weak President who makes amateurish mistakes. (For those enamored with the TV show, "The West Wing," Emmanuel served as the inspiration for the character Joshua Lyman.)
However, Emmanuel is also seen as having a very disagreeable disposition. This is perhaps best illustrated by a recent summary of the five most infamous Emmanuel moments. Perhaps most poignant is the story of Emmanuel listing aloud Bill Clinton's enemies at the dinner following his election to the presidency in 1992. He allegedly stabbed a table with a steak knife upon listing each name, yelling that they were 'dead!' His 'scrappiness' has earned him the nickname 'Rahmbo.' Predictably, Republicans have responded to the announcement of Obama's choice of Chief of Staff with accusations of hypocrisy, with House Minority leader John Boehner (Republican representative of Ohio's 8th congressional district) insisting that Emmanuel does not represent the conciliatory, non-partisan school of politics to which Obama claims he adheres.
Regardless, the die is now cast. It will be interesting to see exactly how Emmanuel shapes the political and policy discourse for Obama's presidency in the ensuing weeks and months.
