When then President-elect Barack Obama announced that Congressman Rahm Emanuel would be his chief-of-staff, I was, well, not happy. Rahm Emanuel is everything that Barack Obama is not. The longer you know Rahm Emanuel, the less you like him. I like to say, "To know him is to despise him," juxtaposed to the general feeling about President Barack Obama, "To know him is to love him."
It appears that Emanuel sees himself as more chief and less staff. I have since read about the reasoning behind the selection of Emanuel, but I am unconvinced it was the right thing then and it certainly is not the right thing now. I call the appointment very "un-Obama like" based on my experience with Barack Obama dating back to 1999 that I detail in my book, Mr. and Mrs. Grassroots: How Barack Obama, Two Bookstore Owners, and 300 Volunteers Did It. When I met Emanuel in 2002, Emanuel made a point of telling me that "I am Josh," the character played by Bradley Whitford) meaning the character in West Wing. Well, if he is Josh, they sure polished him up.
But it does appear that Obama knew that it was an "un-Obama like" appointment, like this line of reasoning in a recent New York Time magazine story titled, "The Limits of Rahmism."
In choosing his chief of staff, Obama concluded that what he needed was someone who was not like him in temperament or political instinct. With only two years in the Senate before effectively leaving town to run for the presidency, Obama needed a guide through the labyrinth of Washington.
What is especially unnerving to me is Emanuel's propensity to talk. The White House Chief-of-Staff should be seen and not heard. The best Chiefs-of-Staff, did just that. Kept quiet and kept a low-profile. That would be out-of-character for Emanuel. Like his leaking word he would like to be Mayor of Chicago.
Emanuel has been open about harboring political ambitions beyond the White House, specifically to run for Chicago mayor.
Then there is the recent piece in The Guardian that calls him the "master of the dark arts." Emanuel is involved in the "Massa mess."
But all this aside, it goes deeper for me and much more partisan. Rahm Emanuel was never there for Barack Obama throughout his political career. Emanuel did not support Obama in his race in 2000 against Congressman Bobby Rush. It was the only political defeat for Obama.
In addition, Emanuel wasn't there for Obama in the most important race of Obama's political career: his run for United States Senate in 2004. Rahm Emanuel was nowhere to be found. And then in 2008, Emanuel remained "neutral" in the primary fight between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
All this tells me is that Rahm Emanuel is for Rahm Emanuel. President Obama can continue to receive the respect and loyalty from his White House staff including David Axelrod, Valerie Jarrett, Robert Gibbs and many other loyal staffers who understand their role.
In other words, people that were always there for him and people whose only interest is in the Obama Presidency and the Obama agenda succeeding.
Rahm Emanuel is not the guy. I believe he will be gone soon from his post whether "Healthcare Reform" passes or not. The fact that it has not passed is a major failure of Rahm Emanuel. I am often asked is Obama doing too much and my typical response is that Rahm Emanuel is doing too much.
President Barack Obama needs to start listening to his own voice and not the voice of his Chief-of-Staff. The President's instincts are much better.
So who to replace Emanuel. Want a few names. Well, Michael Moore volunteered, in his piece Replace Rahm with Me. Frankly, Michael Moore might be a handful. Seriously, how about Tom Daschle. He took Obama under his wing in 2004 and even recommended his own chief-of-staff to run Obama's Senate office. And he is a loyal friend and confidant of the President. And he has the right demeanor.
There are many, many others who can fill the bill. We can do better.
Chicago City Hall Examiner and The Chicago Grassroots Political Examiner.
John is the author of an upcoming book, Mr. and Mrs. Grassroots: How Barack Obama, two Bookstore Owners, and 300 Volunteers did it.