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*Rahm works to rescue his own image* By: Glenn Thrush and Eamon Javers February 23, 2010 04:56 AM ESTLike many Americans, White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel has been forced to work two jobs to get through tough times.
Emanuel's main job is serving as President Barack Obama's not-so-mild-mannered point man on the renewed, possibly quixotic final push for health care reform.
But in his spare time, the White House chief of staff and his allies have sought to defend Emanuel against a growing chorus of critics who blame him for nearly everything that has gone wrong in Obama's first year.
One of the more surprising details to emerge from this back and forth is that Emanuel's allies are letting it be known around town that he never wanted to make it the administration's top priority for Year One. That may come as a surprise to Democrats on the Hill who've been lobbied relentlessly by Emanuel to get a bill done --- and fast.
"There are some at the White House and elsewhere who clearly want Rahm's head, and he needs to defend himself," said an Emanuel friend, speaking on condition of anonymity. "That's why there's a CYA operation going on."
Emanuel's aides say that he's focused on passing health care reform and maintain that he's not spending any more time than usual spinning or working the press. But since the shocking victory of Sen. Scott Brown in Massachusetts last month, which some Democrats blamed on Emanuel, they have been swamped with press interest, with at least four major profiles of the colorful former Illinois congressman in the works.
For all his reputation as a tough guy, Emanuel is the consummate media schmoozer and speaks freely to friendly Fourth Estaters.
That's why many Emanuel critics pounced on a Sunday column by Dana Milbank of The Washington Post defending Emanuel --- and criticizing his reputed rivals, David Axelrod, Valerie Jarrett and Robert Gibbs.
The key paragraph contained high praise for Emanuel --- at the expense of his boss: "Obama's first year fell apart in large part because he didn't follow his chief of staff's advice on crucial matters. Arguably, Emanuel is the only person keeping Obama from becoming Jimmy Carter."
In the piece, the longtime Post politics watcher portrays a White House filled with Obama's Chicagoland sycophants, and idealists veering the White House dangerously off to the left --- with Emanuel the only forceful voice of pragmatism and moderation.
"Contrast Emanuel's wisdom with that of Jarrett, in charge of 'intergovernmental affairs and public engagement' --- two areas of conspicuous failure," Milbank writes. "Then there's Gibbs. It's hard to make the case that you're a post-partisan president when your on-camera spokesman is a hyperpartisan former campaign flack."
That kicked off a fusillade of criticism from the left and right --- and accusations of disloyalty by proxy.
There's not a shred of proof that Emanuel fed Milbank the Rahm-friendly intel included in the piece --- or that he was the source of a tart comparison of Obama with Carter. And, in fact, Milbank said Monday in a live chat on the Post website that he didn't speak to Emanuel for the piece.
But critics from MSNBC's Joe Scarborough to widely read D.C. blogger Steve Clemons saw telltale signs of Emanuel's involvement.
"I take Dana at his word," Clemons, author of the Washington Note blog, told POLITICO. "But the article that he wrote had a tone and a feeling like it was written by Rahm and his closest spear carriers."
On Monday's "Morning Joe," Scarborough, an Emanuel opponent of long standing, all but accused him of blaming Obama for not following his advice to move ahead more aggressively on jobs and recovery bills after health reform stalled in the Senate.
"Dana Milbank wrote a story where he said: 'If only the president had followed Rahm, everything would be OK.' It certainly sounds like Rahm was leaking like a sieve to Dana Milbank," said Scarborough. "It appears that Rahm has become quite promiscuous in telling anybody who will listen to him about how he tried to coach the president."
He added: "Rahm was right, but it's also Rahm's job to keep his mouth shut. Well, it is to serve the president and keep his mouth shut."
The scrutiny from outside comes at a time of soul-searching and finger-pointing within 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Even as the White House wrestles with the future of the health care initiative, administration officials are revisiting the way they prioritized issues in their first year. At issue is just who was responsible for the White House's shift in emphasis from the economy and jobs to health care, which took place late in the spring of 2009.
"Even then, some people were like, why were we doing health care?" said a senior administration official. "There was a sense even then that we want to talk about jobs, jobs, jobs, but it kept getting drowned out by health care. It was clearly a decision that got made, but Rahm and Axelrod weren't totally comfortable going for it."
The official pointed out that Emanuel, who served as an aide in the Clinton White House, saw then how the heath care issue can divert the attention of many of the key players in an administration.
"Rahm has some experience with how an entire administration gets overwhelmed by an issue like this," said the official. Ultimately, the official said, the priorities were Obama's call. "But I don't think his political advisers were arrayed behind him on this," the official said.
Writing in The New Yorker in May, author Ryan Lizza argued that White House aides were divided in early 2009 about when to do health care. But, Lizza reported, it was former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle --- who was then the president's pick to head the health care effort --- who insisted that the White House tackle health care in the first year. Ironically, Daschle was soon forced to step down from his White House post after it emerged that he had failed to pay some taxes.
<http://www.irides.com> © 2010 Capitol News Company, LLC Show the first 7 comments 1. avatar for user jag1ed jag1ed <http://dyn.politico.com/snetwork/profile/profile_view.cfm?member_id=F17D70C4-188B-4976-D10DFA0C9DE0252C> Party: Republican Reply #1 Feb. 23, 2010 - 5:52 AM EST LOL!!!! The blame game starts. Whats funny is Obama has already passed Jimmah Cartah as a failure. The media is just looking to cover for the community organizer. * Reply <http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/33329.html#threadform> * Quote <javascript:;> * Report Abuse <http://dyn.politico.com/members/forums/abuse.cfm?id=3720130&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Epolitico%2Ecom%2Fnews%2Fstories%2F0210%2F33329%2Ehtml> 2. avatar for user slysteed slysteed <http://dyn.politico.com/snetwork/profile/profile_view.cfm?member_id=92530700-1C23-CEB6-CA5EC8D378D060C5> Party: Independent Reply #2 Feb. 23, 2010 - 6:23 AM EST Then why isn't Rahm telling Obama to stop healthcare again,, and focus on a bigger better JOBS Bill? Clearly Rahm knows Obama has lost the HC fight and is doing damage control for his own political future. He bailed on Hillary and he's CYA on Obama.What's new? Better get everything you say to Obama recorded, because the blame game will continue into 2012 and Americans are watching this President who is dishonest and misleads the American people on spending and on hidden HC deficit neutral points. Obama and his lies will come back to his administration too, and Americans aren't putting up with it. * Reply <http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/33329.html#threadform> * Quote <javascript:;> * Report Abuse <http://dyn.politico.com/members/forums/abuse.cfm?id=3720172&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Epolitico%2Ecom%2Fnews%2Fstories%2F0210%2F33329%2Ehtml> 3. default avatar for user nmg_no nmg_no <http://dyn.politico.com/snetwork/profile/profile_view.cfm?member_id=F0343C24-188B-498D-20D0BDE20EC70ADB> Party: Republican Reply #3 Feb. 23, 2010 - 6:40 AM EST I don't really have any problems with Rahm.. he was well known for being a caustic street fighter long before Obama tapped him.. so why would anyone be surprised at how he's handled the job? At the very least, he's honest and consistent about his positions.. for the most part, I think his positions are idiotic... but nonetheless, he's not a hypocrite like so many others within the administration. * Reply <http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/33329.html#threadform> * Quote <javascript:;> * Report Abuse <http://dyn.politico.com/members/forums/abuse.cfm?id=3720202&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Epolitico%2Ecom%2Fnews%2Fstories%2F0210%2F33329%2Ehtml> 4. default avatar for user donaize donaize <http://dyn.politico.com/snetwork/profile/profile_view.cfm?member_id=B3AC09E0-188B-498D-205AB0CB18B3E0A9> Party: Independent Reply #4 Feb. 23, 2010 - 6:54 AM EST To change his image, he must make fundamental changes in himself - starting first with his garbage mouth. * Reply <http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/33329.html#threadform> * Quote <javascript:;> * Report Abuse <http://dyn.politico.com/members/forums/abuse.cfm?id=3720224&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Epolitico%2Ecom%2Fnews%2Fstories%2F0210%2F33329%2Ehtml> 5. default avatar for user Amazingoly Amazingoly <http://dyn.politico.com/snetwork/profile/profile_view.cfm?member_id=7BFB3F1F-188B-498D-20822C4A44FCBF03> Party: NA Reply #5 Feb. 23, 2010 - 6:55 AM EST He needs to go to anger management council and needs elevator shoes. Has "short man's problems". doesn't look so "tough" to me, and where is HIS birth certificate? * Reply <http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/33329.html#threadform> * Quote <javascript:;> * Report Abuse <http://dyn.politico.com/members/forums/abuse.cfm?id=3720233&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Epolitico%2Ecom%2Fnews%2Fstories%2F0210%2F33329%2Ehtml> 6. default avatar for user cbreeze3540 cbreeze3540 <http://dyn.politico.com/snetwork/profile/profile_view.cfm?member_id=28CCF995-188B-498D-20500FEAAC337221> Party: Independent Reply #6 Feb. 23, 2010 - 7:13 AM EST Too late Rahm.....Your image is flawed and contrary to American opinion; That negative image will stick to you for the remainder of your life... * Reply <http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/33329.html#threadform> * Quote <javascript:;> * Report Abuse <http://dyn.politico.com/members/forums/abuse.cfm?id=3720291&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Epolitico%2Ecom%2Fnews%2Fstories%2F0210%2F33329%2Ehtml> 7. default avatar for user rrlogan rrlogan <http://dyn.politico.com/snetwork/profile/profile_view.cfm?member_id=FFE70AAF-188B-498D-205480AF0675DBC7> Party: NA Reply #7 Feb. 23, 2010 - 7:20 AM EST I say I love Rahm and there is no problem for him to fix so stay true and tell the haters to kiss where the sun don't shine.Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/33329.html#ixzz0gMTojnUY
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