It’s Official: Rahm Emanuel’s Out, Pete Rouse Is In

[bokchoy19]

Source: New York Magazine

As everyone suspected, Friday will be Rahm Emanuel's last day as White House chief of staff. He'll step down in a bid to run for mayor of Chicago. President Obama is scheduled to give the strong-willed operative, whom observers described as a combo of Machiavelli and Iago, a fond farewell. Spotlight-shy senior adviser Peter Rouse, who has been with Obama since he first became a senator, will be named as Emanuel's replacement.

Read more: http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2010/09/rahm_emanuels_out_...

[Ian David]

1. The baseball player??

I'm kidding.

[jgraz]

41. No, I think it's the guy from Six Feet Under.

[eilen]

43. I have a cousin named Peter Rowse....

don't think that is him.

[lob1]

2. I've never heard of Rouse. Is he DNC?

[KamaAina]

7. You mean DLC?

Dunno. But he did serve as Tom Daschle's chief of staff (Dsachle's name has been mentioned as Rahmbo's permanent replacement).

[lob1]

10. Yes I did mean DLC.

Thanks for the catch. It's been a hectic morning.

[Freddie Stubbs]

13. He was Chief of Staff for Tom Daschle, a former Senator who was affiliated with the DLC

[scribble]

27. .. Rouse is not a placeholder

... but not the boss, either.

The Presidential Chief-of-Staff position has evolved into being a de-facto President, while the real President is off playing with foreign countries and special interests. Think of that: We vote for Obama; we get Rahm Emanuel as President for two years.

Rouse is probably competent, but also probably too weak to make his decisions stick.

Emmanuel failed as CoS. I think the weak Rouse appointment means that Obama has no choice but to take a more active interest in domestic politicking. His administration is lost unless he tames Wall Street, creates many more jobs, and makes friends again with his moderate/Progressive voting base.

NOTE: If you think Reid is a weak Senate leader; you don't remember Tom Daschle -- possibly the worst Democratic Senate Majority Leader we've ever had.

sc

[KamaAina]

30. I'm reading elsewhere that Rouse has been named interim chief of staff

which, if true, would certainly point to Daschle as the leading candidate for the permanent post.

[MilesColtrane]

40. You don't think Obama is the "real" President?

[defendandprotect]

48. FDR had to fight to be the "real" president ... any number of them

have discussed TPB --

When they don't get their way -- as we see from history -- assassination is quickly

on their minds!!

[defendandprotect]

47. Clearly corporate-sponsorship of elected officials creates WEAK officials ....

like Reid and Daschle ---

However, Daschle was also being seriously threatened by the right wing --

I think in opposing the Patriot Act -- don't know about the war -- and

he was one of those targeted with the ANTHRAX, as I recall!!

There's some video somewhere showing him speaking out about being "demonized"

but the rightwing!

Obviously, IMO, ANTHRAX was just another Bush/Cheney false flag deal pulled on Congress

to shut it down -- easier to cover up the stolen election of 2000 -- and 9/11 false flag --

and keep Congress from investigating anything for a year or more!!

Congress was basically shut down and moved out -- and their mail, computers, all communications

were hampered and disconnected for a long time in a period where the public had high interest

in communicating with elected officials.

Even up to a year ago their mail was still be "irradiated" -- and needed three weeks to dry out!!

In fact, that may still be going on!!

[DJ13]

3. I hope this one doesnt have a gambling problem

[defendandprotect]

49. ... and ....

Rahm Emmanuel did?

And he's headed to Chicago -- ???

[DJ13]

50. Rahm Emmanuel did?

No, the baseball Pete Rose had the gambling problem.

Rahm's problem was he never gambled.

[defendandprotect]

52. Not much on baseball -- thanks!!

[rocktivity]

4. Does Rahm have a realistic chance of winning

or has Obama in reality fired him in the nicest possible way?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...


rocktivity

[madrchsod]

15. my opinion is who the daley machine decides who gets to run.

illinois is run by three democratic families mell,madigan,and daley. the mell family is on the outs because of blago, madigan`s power lies in springfield and daley has the power in chicago.

he is up against some very popular people who have a lot of clout in chicago. lots of deals will be cut before the election

[Hawkowl]

54. He has no chance

As a former Chicagoan, I'd say Rahm has zero chances. He just isn't tied into the local power brokers other than really, really, pissing them off.

[grantcart]

5. for an 'official' statement it is lacking in sources.

[Wickerman]

6. Maybe now he will finally get into Cooperstown n/t

[SoapBox]

8. Rouse? Who? and "spotlight shy"...?

...not like Rahmmy was out in front of the camera anyway.

[WinstonSmith4740]

9. I have no idea who Rouse is...

But damn!! He's got to be better than Emanuel. "...a combo of Machiavelli and Iago" is an absolute perfect description. I mean, I understand all about how a "pit bull" mentality is needed in that job, but Obama may as well have hired a Republican to advise him. If I'm not mistaken, Emanuel was behind the whole idea to move the Dems to become "Republican Lite". He threw the public option under the bus almost immediately, and I'm sure he was a huge influence in the lack of support from Obama while it was being savaged. He refused to even consider Dean's "50 State Strategy" which helped win in 2008, and I'm sure was again insisting on HIS bullshit idea of concentrating resources in "key" states, and blowing the rest off as unwinable. There's also no doubt in my mind that because Dean's winning campaign concept was so opposite his, it cost Dean the Surgeon General's post.

Iago indeed, whispering poisoned words into his general's ear.

[TheWatcher]

11. And there was much rejoicing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enSYlCEz5VI

[pam4water]

12. Gives the door an extra push.

[madrchsod]

14. rouse will be better than rahm

remember clinton fired rahm...

[Freddie Stubbs]

24. I'm sorry, but you are mistaken. He wasn't fired:

Farewell to an Original Clinton Warrior

By John F. Harris
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, October 16, 1998; Page A6

In the middle of 1993, after the Clinton administration's fumbling debut, a senior White House official came to political director Rahm Emanuel with a not-so-subtle suggestion: perhaps Emanuel would be happier with a job at the Democratic National Committee.

Emanuel, having been shown the door, refused to walk through it. He would leave if President Clinton personally told him to, he told colleagues. Otherwise, he was staying.

Some five years later, Emanuel is going. Monday is the last day of work for one of this White House's ultimate survivors, a wiry-thin, foul-mouthed ballet dancer from Chicago who moved to Little Rock in the fall of 1991 as one of the first advisers to Bill Clinton's presidential campaign.

And he is leaving with a hug rather than a boot. The long embrace between Clinton and his 38-year-old "senior adviser" at a crowded State Dining Room farewell ceremony Wednesday evening was a poignant moment, according to several aides in attendance. An evening of wisecracks at Emanuel's expense could not disguise a haunting sense that the Clinton administration is nearing its wind-down phase, under different circumstances than either the president or his tireless young aide would have chosen.

more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/c...

[madrchsod]

55. thanks

[bokchoy19]

16. Its Official: Rahm Leaving Tomorrow

Source: ABC News

As we told you Monday was sure to happen, White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel will announce tomorrow that he's leaving to explore a run for mayor of Chicago. Since our report Monday, he has pulled the trigger and the decision has been officially made.

Read more: http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/09/its-off...

---

Check out this site:

[guitar man]

17. door, ass

you know the deal

[lunatica]

18. Not a minute too soon

Best of luck Rahm. Go for it. If Chicago wants you let them have you. We never asked for you or wanted you.

[tularetom]

19. There's something suspicious about this story

He didn't give very much notice and Obama doesn't appear to be very upset over his departure (actually he doesn't seem to care at all).

Wonder if he was sort of helped out the door?

I always thought he was sort of a quid pro quo with the DINO/Clinton wing of the party. If Obama hired him, HIllary would abandon the idea of a convention challenge to Obama's nomination. Obama must have finally decided he didn't need this POS around to drag him down any longer.

[harun]

21. Agree with the first part but not the hiring because of Hillary stuff.

Not for COS. Maybe for other stuff.

Wonder who the new COS will be. Probably Baucus, Lincoln or Lieberman.

[LiberalLovinLug]

31. Rahm fired? Wishful thinking

I know how much many DUers hope this is the case....

Emmie! get in here! Listen, its taken me awhile, with the whirlwind of crap I had to deal with these last two years, but I have finally realized that you've been dead wrong on most all of the issues. I was badly mistaken to hire you in the first place. I was convinced that you were the way to go, and I followed your advice, even though it killed me to go against my progressive roots. You said I shouldn't make a public fuss over a public option. You recommended we 'look forward' and turn a blind eye to the previous administration's possible criminal acts. I endorsed the Goldman Sachs executives to run the financial portfolios as you wanted. I have walked all over and ignored my liberal base at your suggestion, but enough is enough! I can now see that was a wrong approach, I have to get back to what my core beliefs are, and they are progressive. I'm sick of steering my country into the right wing wilderness. From now on, I will be pursuing a truly liberal course. Now get out!!!!

Oh and send in my secretary, I would like to write a column with a note of apology to Democratic Underground

[earcandle]

20. I hope he isn't elected in Chicago. I hope people remember what happened to Blago and hold

Rahm accountable.

Hope.. a fruitless endeavor actually.

[Techn0Girl]

22. {...sounds of Munchkins singing in the background ... }

[Jamastiene]

38. That is the first thing I heard in my head.

This is the part I heard:

She's gone where the goblins go,
Below - below - below. Yo-ho, let's open up and sing and ring the bells out.
Ding Dong' the merry-oh, sing it high, sing it low.
Let them know

[jmondine]

51. Mine was, "Na na na na , na na na na, hey hey hey..."

You know the rest.

[Warren Stupidity]

23. one year and ten months too late. nt

[Zenlitened]

25. "A combo of Machiavelli and Iago." Ha! More like a feather and a sparrow-fart.

Rahm Emanuel's fabled "toughness" is pure myth. A joke.

Good luck, people of Chicago. This phony little lightweight is the LAST thing that town needs.

[Demeter]

26. Another Nebbish, No Doubt

I remain to be convinced.

[Dr.Phool]

28. I remain convicted.

[Demeter]

32. I'll Send You Cookies

Can you build a file out of chocolate chips?

[snort]

29. ROUS

LOL

[Jefferson23]

33. Not a great source, but I thought this was interesting nonetheless:

snip* Asked about his overall portfolio, he said "I fix things." He described himself as one of several problem fixers in a collaborative environment.<11>

The Rolling Stone described Rouse as a low profile, calm and legislatively connected manager, quoting one "top Democratic strategist" as saying that "Rouse's the one who brought 'no drama' to Obama. His enforcement makes it work." <12>

In September 2009, the Washington Post reported that Rouse was heading the White House's efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay prison.<13>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Rouse

So he's behind the no drama Obama approach.

[JDPriestly]

34. Same old, same old, same old,

This is not a good choice. More boring stuff from the Obama administration. This is sad and getting sadder.

[PassingFair]

35. Are you kidding? This guy was the COS for the Progressive ICON, Tom Daschle!

Change we can believe in!

[PassingFair]

36. Are you kidding? This guy was the COS for the Progressive ICON, Tom Daschle!

Change we can believe in!

[Odin2005]

37. Good riddance.

[Jamastiene]

39. I found my corkscrew.

Now, if I only had a nice big bottle of champagne.

[jgraz]

42. You use a corkscrew on a champagne bottle?

That's not gonna end well...

[Jamastiene]

45. Well, I usually don't drink champagne, in real life.

I just always liked the corkscrew...and I DID just find it behind the drawer where it fell down.

I don't have any vodka either. THAT would be what I'd consider my drink. I just unscrew the vodka.

That would not have been nearly as funny.

[underpants]

44. Charlie Hustle???? That is a bit of a gamble isn't it?

[KakistocracyHater]

46. 'Wrong' Emanuel just has something fishy about him

I wouldn't entrust him to run for mayor, nor dog-catcher...

[hayu_lol]

53. Use the corkscrew on Daschle...one of the weakest of the...

Blue Dog types. Worthless and wasted appointment if true.