Patterico's Pontifications

3/6/2010

Axelrod the First to Go?

Filed under: Obama — DRJ @ 3:43 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

The New York Times profiles how hard it is to be David Axelrod:

“David Axelrod was sitting at his desk on a recent afternoon — tie crooked, eyes droopy and looking more burdened than usual. He had just been watching some genius on MSNBC insist that he and President Obama’s other top aides were failing miserably and should be replaced.

“Typical Washington junk we have to deal with,” Mr. Axelrod said in an interview. The president is deft at blocking out such noise, he added, suddenly brightening. “I love the guy,” he said, and in the space of five minutes, repeated the sentiment twice.”

Axelrod’s job is to craft the Obama Administration’s big themes and he’s having a bad day when the White House loses the support of MSNBC. “Hope” and “Change” worked for the campaign but not for day-to-day governing. Maybe that’s why the tone of the New York Times article suggests Axelrod could be the first of President Obama’s inner circle to leave the fold:

“Mr. Axelrod is tired, but he says that is nothing new. “I have dealt with a lot of ‘real stuff’ in my life,” he said, referring to his daughter’s long struggle with epilepsy, his father’s suicide and his wife’s bout with breast cancer. “The disapprobation of some folks in Washington doesn’t seem very meaningful.”

His friends still worry. “I think he’s getting close to a burnout kind of thing,” said Sam Smith, a former Chicago Tribune sports writer.

As Mr. Obama began his term, Mr. Axelrod told him he would stay at the White House for a finite period — believed to be about two years — and that time frame remains unchanged. “I’ve learned more things in the last year than I will ever learn in my life,” he said. “It’s just something you can’t do forever, or it will kill you.”

— DRJ

14 Responses to “Axelrod the First to Go?”

  1. “Be careful what you ask for” would apply here. If you are going to run with the big dogs I remind Mr. Axelrod that he had better have a plan fit for the “Big Screen” of world politics. This team is in way over their heads. This is what happens to those who believe their own PR releases.

    Just because you “Love that guy” is no reason to believe he is a leader and not a dreamer.

    vet66 (9d1bb3)

  2. Most of Axelrod’s “friends” at the Trib formerly worked for him, and were instrumental in the Trib’s going to court to unseal his client’s opponent’s divorce settlement, thereby causing all sorts of completely unnecessary pain and suffering for his ex – wife and his family. Oh, and of course his client won his Senatorial run with virtually no contest from the other side, as usual.

    He’s made millions a year from his slimy political hit attack machine consultant’s fees over the past decades, and stands to make millions more whenever he leaves the WH. Poor baby, really sucks to be him, eh? BTW, I loathe when people in ridiculously high positions of power and wealth whine about how tough their lot in life is, and drag their personal travails into it in order to garner more undeserved sympathy. Shameless.

    Dmac (ca1d8c)

  3. ” ‘I’ve learned more things in the last year than I will ever learn in my life,’ he said.”

    Is this supposed to be some weird sort of paradox ?

    Or maybe logic and Axelrod just can’t play nicely together…

    dumbledore (4d1e22)

  4. Why does no one ever dare to say Valerie is the big problem. Everybody in the media treats her like a fragile flower, even though she constantly says idiotic things (for example, Obama speaks truth to power). It is she who is the farthest left, it is she who has both Barry’s and Michelles’s ears in private, she was responsible for the Van Jones and the National Endowment for the Arts fiascos and she is absolutely the least qualified on major policy issues of any one currently advising the president. Valerie Jarrett is a train wreck and needs to go first.

    But as far as the other two scapegoats, what will really be funny is when both Rahm and Axelrod get fed up and go back to Chicago– and the president still keeps messing up–because all aling it wasn’t them–it’s him.

    elissa (86df93)

  5. This week Axelrod, last week Emanuel.

    This is not coming from the White House. This blame game is organic, coming from the chattering class themselves. It is lashing out to absolve Obama, and to distract themselves from the reality Obama lied to them, he is pushing this mess, he is a client of the Health and Drug industries, and Obamacare is written by and for said industries.

    On the bright side, they got to take pleasure in seeing “Republicans” rant about how the bill is “socialism,” when it is not. It is corporatism, using the fed govt. to criminalize non-private insurance holders on one hand, and two, use the fed to usurp state standards of care and weaken them to increase profits.

    Jack (694aa2)

  6. Wasn’t Valerie Jarret also responsible for bringing on-board that illustrious Social Secretary?

    AD - RtR/OS! (9dbe33)

  7. Corporatism!
    Isn’t that the PC name for Fascism?

    AD - RtR/OS! (9dbe33)

  8. Why does no one ever dare to say Valerie is the big problem

    As you said, because she’s Michelle’s big gal pal, and she made sure to get rid of Rodgers as quickly as possible, as soon as the opportunity presented itself. They’re both long – time rivals for the Obama’s affections, so she won that one.

    Dmac (ca1d8c)

  9. Valerie Jarrett is a train wreck and needs to go first.

    quite the contrary: if she’s the person most responsible for getting Ear Leader his Klingon to do the idiotic moves they’ve made so far, she needs to stay to the absolute bitter end.

    the bigger the smoking crater, the faster doofus will be first powerless, then gone.

    redc1c4 (fb8750)

  10. “The president is deft at blocking out such noise, he added”

    I can’t believe Axelrod said this. Obama is a thin skinned, vindictive SOB, much like Clinton, who takes every slight personally. He’s demonstrated that on many, many occasions, often in ways beneath the dignity of his office or campaign. Boycotting Fox News is a prime example, which ultimately backfired on him.

    Also, does anybody understand WTF Jack was talking about up there in #5?

    daleyrocks (5710d7)

  11. Thin-skinned….probably has to do with the disfunctional childhoods they both experienced.

    It will be a relief to have a President, again, who has just the normal number of quirks and hang-ups. Bubba, and Obowman, could have entire chapters in the DSM devoted to themselves.

    AD - RtR/OS! (9dbe33)

  12. I really had no idea his father committed suicide, although I did know about his daughter’s challenge.

    His wife’s battle with breast cancer was news to me, also.

    On a personal level, I wish him well.

    People often can set aside petty differences when truly important personal coincidences intervene.

    Ag80 (f67beb)

  13. It’s the ever elusive trifecta:

    1) Giving people space to draw an honorable narrative so that their future is still intact
    2) Pushing too hard to get them out the door that you destroy in their minds that future. And then you rile em up.
    3) They are feinting to one side to roundhouse kick you from the other.

    My initial take on Rahm & David is that they are looking at #1.

    I was taught trust but verify.

    The initial feelers tend to figure out whether they will get their #1 or you force them into #2. The secondary feelers demonstrate #3. So I sit back and wait.

    Jeff Barea (eff5e1)

  14. AD – With Obama, I think his biggest motivator is fear that his incompetence will be exposed. That’s what drives him to ever greater positions and grandiose plans and his unwillingness to take personal responsibility for anything. From Occidental to Columbia to Harvard Law. From State Representative to U.S. Senate to unqualified candidate for President where he is radically remaking the country against the clear wishes of the people based on his own vision – the people are too stupid to know what is good for them or don’t sufficiently understand the benefits of his plans. Any hiccups or delays are always the fault of others, such as Republicans, who couldn’t stop his agenda anyway but were a good target for his blamethrower, the American people, etc.

    He’s pathetic.

    daleyrocks (5710d7)


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