Call it the “Gunfight at the Not-OK Corral” but things don’t look so happy down at Camp Washington Post these days. That antediluvian dean of political reporters David S. Broder is taking pot shots at his “friend” (when someone calls you “friend,” watch out) WaPo young (well, young-ish) buck Dana Milbank for articles Milbank wrote. Broder also hits Jason Horowitz – evidently not a friend – even harder for a “purported news story” by Horowitz in the paper.
These stories – purported or otherwise – concerned Rahm Emanuel and whether the President’s key adviser was long for his job, currently an expanding brouhaha in the media. To be clear, I have no view on this subject – whether Emanuel is or was good, bad or indifferent – since I am far from the “leakers’ circuit” providing the necessary information or disinformation to form an opinion; nor do I much care, since the entire Obama Administration, as far as I’m concerned, could drop off the planet at this point. But it is all fun to watch, in a gallow’s humor sort of way.
The ironic subtext of all this is that all three WaPo writers were so deep in the tank for Obama during the election they could see China – or Saudi Arabia, as the case may be. But that, of course, was in another country and the dead wench in this instance is an administration approaching rigor mortis. And withal, fingers must be pointed and blame assessed both within the administration and the Washington Post. This blame game within the Post, however, will be more of a dumb show with only egos at stake. Inside the Administration, I predict, it will be more serious blood sport. When things go this bad for so long, people got fired, nasty memoirs written, and so forth. Whether Emanuel or Geithner or someone else will be the first to go, who can tell? But once one goes, many may. And then everything may start to unravel. Get out your popcorn – but don’t eat too much of it. You may not have sufficient health care to deal with the attendant stomach disorders.
re David Broder: “In the space of 10 days, thanks in no small part to my own newspaper, the president of the United States has been portrayed as a weakling …”
rotflmao — 10 days(!!!) — Maureen Dowd has been portraying him that way since early 2008! does Broder not read Dowd? or, can’t he remember her columns?
and, let’s be honest: did *anyone* who doesn’t have an advanced degree from an elite university think, at any point, that Barack Obama is some kind of Iron Man?
(nb: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsWpvkLCvu4 )
Back in November of 2008, I wrote in PJM that Rahm would give them more indigestion than a superminority house would and certainly more often.
I also opined that this was good for President Obama, he needed someone who would tell him when an idea was imbecilic or a non-starter.
There was a magnificent hitter who played for the White Sox named Frank Thomas. Ken Harrelson, a terrific hitter himself and the White Sox broadcaster nicknamed him “The Big Hurt”. Thomas was in such an elite class his first several years, he had statistics that rivaled Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams.
And Thomas had a mantra. “Don’t believe the hype”. He just wanted to ignore anything and everything whispered in his ear about how great he was.
And, for that period of time, he was one of the greatest hitters in the history of the game.
Then, it happened. You guessed it.
People started calling him “The Big Skirt”. He lost focus and concentration. He was no longer able to stop enjoying the hype.
It’s a perilous disease. If Rahm goes, it will only get worse.
Rahm Emanuel has little to do with Obama’s problems. He can stay, or he can leave. It really doesn’t make that much of a difference. Obama is ill prepared for the job of president. He is a narcissist and psychologically unwilling to surround himself with good people. Obama will never hire a James Carville or Dick Morris. Such individuals threaten his self-esteem.
This country is paying an awful price because the majority of voters cast their ballot for a man possessing an extremely slim resume and mysterious background. We have apparently never done this previously in our entire history. One is tempted to burst out in laughter when reminded about the worries concerning John F. Kennedy’s political credentials. He had over three times more experience than Obama!
Was Emanuel foolish enough to think that he and Axelrod had hired Obama? He played the role of Judas Goat well enough. Convincing a sufficient number of Jews and old Democrats that BHO had to be OK, despite all the warning signals. In Rahm the hard left ideologues and black race baiters had the perfect tool. Someone almost as unqualified as Obama is and as big a fantasist. This thuggish dance major with his concocted story about service in Israel, he cleaned brakes for a few days while stuck there during the 1991 Gulf War, was part of the Fannie Mae gravy train. At this point the Administration is going to Rahm through what it can in the expectation that any changes, to Health Care or Immigration or the Federal Courts, will entrench further allies for the radical project down the road. If Emanuel stays and takes orders from Valerie Jarrett like a good boy then he can get some candy too. If he quits there isn’t going to be much for him to go home to.
This administration would be wise not to make an enemy of Rahm. And Valerie Jarret would have to spend years trying to make the connections that he already has in place.
The last thing this administration needs…is a whistleblower. Someone sounding the alarm…from the inside. And Rahm is not someone to be easily placated. In a power struggle, there will be blood.
The whole “workers party” undercurrent that buzzes beneath the lace finery could short circuit by acting like a bunch of “f—-ing retards” and slamming headfirst into a center right country with their extremist leftist agenda….without a dealmaker on their team.
The “last helicopter out of Saigon” may have a seat filled by the one guy who is willing to tell the truth about what is about to happen to the “Cambodians”. Ironically, Rahm Emmanuel…could wind up the leader of the Tea Party.
It’s a populist uprising movement. It’s staunchly pro-Israel. It leans independent, perhaps libertarian. Dick Morris and Rahm Emmanuel could make something of it, because when the Republicans abandoned Jim Bunning, they showed some people (Michele Malkin among others), an unwillingness to engage.
The Tea Party is there for the taking, if only…if only…someone would lead it. It needs a hero. And sometimes, heroes come from the unlikeliest of sources. Like East Anglia, it’s information from the inside that provides the most ammunition.
Rahm Emmanuel leader of the Tea Party, cf? Put down the crack pipe.
Funny, but I don’t get the impression the Tea Party doesn’t want or need top down leadership from political thugs, amoral image makers and fast buck artists.
Rahm is in an awkward position. In 2005 and 2007 he was busy recruiting seemingly moderate Democrats to run for Congress in suburban, small city and rural districts that had been owned by the Republican party since 1994. He did an excellent job. Now he is supposed to twist these junior Congressmen’s arms on a vote that will see many of them lose in November. His encounters with some of them have to be stressful, even for someone with his reputation.
Rahm is not the cause of the president’s difficulties but more like a symptom of them. The president’s influence depends too much upon impression management and aura. Once this is punctured, there is little else to rest upon. In a funny way, Obama has been the anti-Bush. Communication was such a weakness of the previous White House, while the current White House has over-emphasized communication and image at the expense of… well a lot.
Although folks have discussed the president’s eloquence, implied was his strength. His voice is always confident. He sounds so certain and firm, but the actions reveal otherwise. Technically, Rahm should not be long for this White House. Maybe, this is all a set up so Obama can fire Rahm and appear strong. I guess that will last about one news cycle.
cfbleachers: No offense intented but your thoughts on Emmanuel leading the tea party movement seems to have been written after a few(or alot of) adult beverages.
Thanks for the laughs, Roger. Politics is good material for comedy. It’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it… Lotsa company under the bus. Can’t imagine Biden will get the treatment, though.
I like how Broder says it’s the Republicans thwarting Obama and not the fact that his policies are highly unpopular. If his agenda was even split down the middle in popular support the dems would have passed it already.
If big wheels like Emanuel are starting to come off the vehicle, it doesn’t have much more time left before the ditch. I hope Joe Biden is is getting plenty of rest in the attic.
LOL…ok, guys.
I only meant to suggest that an “insider” always is the most dangerous foe, when crossed.
By the way, David Horowitz, Ron Radosh, Roger Simon, all “crossed over” and became powerful voices, heroes to the truth.
Even VDH was a registered Democrat. You probably would not have liked any of them in days of yore. But, if you are as intelligent as I know you are…you love them all now. As you should.
Obama hates conflict within his own base — he has no problems going after Republicans, as long as he has an entire Democratic Party at his back, but he hates playing enforcer/bad cop even to the Blue Dogs within his party. And Barack was always given a pass before now, especially in the 2004-08 time period, thanks to the Dems’ belief that they could pass anything if Obama was elected president, because everyone would cower at the thought of having the race card thrown at them by opposing the first African-American president. The other kids did Obama’s homework and let him take credit, because in their minds he was the perfect figurehead to get their pet projects passed.
Rahm was supposed to be the enforcer/bad cop that Obama didn’t want to be, and since he was the one who recruited so many of the House Blue Dogs to run in 2006-08, he was supposed to be their Pied Piper, leading them to vote for whatever legislation the White House wanted. And if they had only been dealing with Congressional Republicans, the plan would have worked — they were scared of opposing Obama at year ago, but what the White House didn’t count on was the groundswell Tea Party movement that had no real leadership to personalize and then demonize.
Emanuel apparently saw the problem, and having come from the Clinton White House, believes in maintaining power over pure ideology. He was willing to shift course and take a partial loaf when it came to health care, because staying in power is his main goal. It’s probably Axelrod and Obama’s, too, but both still seem to believe in the force of The One, and that they can continue to follow their ideological beliefs and the force of Obama’s magnetism will carry them through 2012, even if it kills the Congressional Dems this November.
Overestimating Obama’s wonderfulness is probably better long-term for the Republicans, but if Rahm leaves the White House and is replaced by someone with the same idol-worship as the other acolytes have, it’s scary to think of a White House with only the most tenuous foot in reality operating over the next two-plus years.