Patterico's Pontifications

11/7/2011

Daley Demoted: WH Chief of Staff Now Figurehead

Filed under: 2012 Election,General — Karl @ 9:01 pm



[Posted by Karl]

The WSJ goes Boom:

William M. Daley was hired to help resuscitate Barack Obama’s presidency after deep Democratic losses in 2010. Ten months into his tenure as chief of staff, Mr. Daley’s core responsibilities are shifting, following White House missteps in the debt-ceiling fight and in its relations with Republicans and Democrats in Congress.

On Monday, Mr. Daley turned over day-to-day management of the West Wing to Pete Rouse, a veteran aide to President Obama, according to several people familiar with the matter. It is unusual for a White House chief of staff to relinquish part of the job.

A little unusual, yes.  Basically, Daley had no grasp on dealing with Congress.  He blew relations with Speaker Boehner during the debt ceiling debate — and gets blame for botching the scheduling of Obama’s economic speech to a joint session of Congress.   Daley’s relationship with Sen. Maj. Ldr. Reid was not much better.  By September, Congressional Dems were taking potshots at him in the HuffPo.  And while Patterico avoids linking directly to Politico, Daley’s recent interview with Roger Simon likely enraged Cong Dems.  So now Bill is reduced to gladhanding the likes of Alan Greenspan and former Fannie Mae Chief Executive Jim Johnson.

The shake-up is a concession that the post-midterm shake-up is a failure.  Installing Rouse — who was on the ground floor of Obama’s 2008 campaign — is the confirmation that it’s all campaigning from now on.

Update:  Upon reflection, two things strike me about the coming re-shake-up.  First, the Keystone Kops quality of the way Obama has handled the CoS position.  Rahm Emanuel was installed for his knowledge of Congress. He was not all that well liked in Congress, but at least he knew Congress.  That supposed qualification meant less when the Dems had commanding majorities in both houses, as Obama generally let Pelosi and Reid do whatever was necessary to squeeze his agenda through, over GOP and general public opposition.  The result was a midterm drubbing.  Obama then decided to bring in Daley to improve his image, rather than his substance, at the moment when Emanuel — or Rouse, who also knows Congress (he was a Daschle guy before he was an Obama guy) — may have been the better choice.  Rouse is now installed at the moment that the notion of getting things done with Congress is pretty much dead, while Daley hangs around to tell his business pals that his boss really doesn’t mean all the class warfare rhetoric he’ll be spewing for the next year.

The second point is implicit in the first.  The Carousel of Chiefs of Staff reflects Obama’s self-delusion that his problems stem from the daily management of the White House.  His real problems are the economy and his misplaced policy priorities.  It’s mostly too late for a do-over on either of those.  Thus, another round of musical chairs is substituted to suggest Obama is doing something about his predicament.

–Karl

37 Responses to “Daley Demoted: WH Chief of Staff Now Figurehead”

  1. Ding!

    Karl (f8f210)

  2. he lasted longer in his job than Jiggles did at the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation

    so he’s got that going for him

    happyfeet (3c92a1)

  3. feets!

    You would expect that, what with the thrill up the leg and all.

    Karl (f8f210)

  4. Does this count as being moved to the back of the bus?

    Just askin’.

    Icy (bd2739)

  5. hi Mr. Karl!

    my sense is this is a for reals contrast with Bush who didn’t do a lot of juggling in the lead-up to the election (Mr. Rumsfeld in particular)… but that’s just going from memory

    happyfeet (3c92a1)

  6. he even kept that boob press guy

    Scotty someone

    happyfeet (3c92a1)

  7. Scott McClellan

    Bush didn’t get rid of that pathetic twerp til 2006

    that was definitely a mistake in retrospect

    happyfeet (3c92a1)

  8. It doesn’t matter who comes and goes because Valerie’s the one who runs the show regardless of who else is there and what the other titles are in the west wing. She will continue to run the car into the ditch because she cares more about her own power and the “Obama brand” than she does about America. “Ooooh, Van Jones!!!”

    elissa (acaeff)

  9. Daley was one of the only adults in the place. Obama doesn’t like having adults around who tell him things he doesn’t want to hear. Plus he’s actually had some business experience. Dangerous mix for this administration.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  10. It is unusual for a White House chief of staff to relinquish part of the job.

    And of course it’s the taxpayer getting screwed since we probably now have two Chiefs of Staff (Daley and Rouse) pulling down $175,000 per year plus benefits and office expenses. But we all know one of the hardest things to do in Washington is to wean a Democrat off of the public teat.

    JVW (4d72aa)

  11. His real problems are the economy and his misplaced policy priorities and his screwed up policies themselves and his lack of executive ability and his narcissistic personality disorder and his background in corrupt Chicago politics and his beliefs about the proper relationship of government to the American people.

    Fixed it for ya!

    Murgatroyd (e0d30c)

  12. “Obama then decided to bring in Daley to improve his image”

    In the ebb and flow of power in and around the WH, I was persuaded that the “White House Insider” stories were somewhat credible(in psychology if not fact)–that Daley was forced on Urkel even if he ended in capitulating.

    As with the ‘Situation Room’ photo of the OBL hit, the latest Seal updates confirm that Urkel was on the golf course until the helicopters were into Paki airspace. The operation was forced on him as unavoidable and all the BS surrounding the events only reinforces the impression that he wasn’t all in on the hit.

    This COS move is Dead Meat ‘regaining’ his power, in the vacuum of commitment by party heavies. He and Jarrett may feel good about the move, but it means for the time being that they are being, in some measure, abandoned to their own devices.

    gary gulrud (d88477)

  13. Mmmmm I heard this was coming and but am surprised it happened. The whole Jarrett crowd doesn’t like Daley, apparently, and there’s been a tug of war between more moderate democrats, if they exist anymore, and the loonies inhabiting the West Wing.

    Tea Party at Perrysburg (81b7f9)

  14. Remember Obama said he is the best speech writer,
    the best campaign manager, et al, Daley should go back to Chicago, to get properly picketed by the Occupy folk.

    narciso (0fc95f)

  15. ______________________________________________

    Obama’s self-delusion that his problems stem from the daily management of the White House

    I mention it repeatedly and continuously because I really do think it’s a window into the mind (a cracked one, at that) of Obama: His embrace of Jeremiah Wright. Embracing a guy who Obama knew full well was into “goddamn America, your chickens are coming home to roost!” rhetoric. So I therefore don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to theorize that Obama really does have a mindset calculated to bring down this country.

    Not sure if various non-liberals, including certain conservatives, realize or appreciate the total, full meaning of Obama and Wright. If they did, Obama’s standing in various opinion polls would be far lower, or wouldn’t be as high as it currently is—ie, he still leads all Republican contenders. But that’s assuming various Americans don’t get some perverse comfort in the idea of their society being “god damned.”

    Mark (411533)

  16. Cognitive dissonance is certainly a problem;

    http://dougpowers.com/2011/11/06/roger-waters/

    narciso (0fc95f)

  17. I think Jarrett’s got 85% of the power no matter who else is around

    Reaganite Republican (c90bca)

  18. Does this count as being moved to the back of the bus?
    Comment by Icy — 11/7/2011 @ 9:09 pm

    More like making him stand on the front bumper without a tether…
    one wrong statement, and Obama will drive over the bumps.

    AD-RtR/OS! (1e49c1)

  19. Wasn’t Daley installed as the Democratic Party’s man on the inside? The adult in the room? The guy who will exert institutional power to reel Obama back in so he doesn’t damage the Dem Party permanently? This demotion seems to signal that Obama is going for broke. Like, literally. Fuckall. Broke.

    [note: released from moderation. –Stashiu]

    AMartel (88c646)

  20. I suspect there’s been a lot of fingerpointing going on in the White House and Daley ended up the odd man out. Maybe he deserves blame and maybe he doesn’t. My guess is he didn’t deserve any more blame than a lot of people, but he doesn’t have the history with Obama or enough loyal defenders to avoid being a fall guy.

    What I wonder is why this was announced at all, let alone now. I don’t see why Obama needed to publicly announce Daley’s power has been curbed, so who was it that needed to publicly win this power struggle?

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  21. “What I wonder is why this was announced at all, let alone now.”

    DRJ – Pander to the progs?

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  22. Maybe, but I think Obama is pandering to one or more people on his staff who want it to be crystal clear who won and who lost.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  23. Some details about the once and former chief:

    Rouse helped prepare a memo, “The Strategic Plan,” for Obama’s first year in the Senate.[9] Helping Obama navigate Senate politics, Rouse worked with Obama and Senator Russell Feingold on strengthening ethics reform legislation.[10] Similarly, he suggested that Obama speak with Senators Ted Kennedy and Joe Lieberman in the early stages of exploring his presidential candidacy. Rouse also is credited with persuading Obama to vote against the nomination of John G. Roberts, who was nevertheless confirmed and is now Chief Justice of the United States (Bacon 2007).

    narciso (0fc95f)

  24. First, the Keystone Kops quality of the way Obama has handled the CoS position.

    And this is different from how President Downgrade has handled pretty much ANY position?

    From the early non-PAL DVD set for the UK PM bafflegab to the bowing before other national leaders, Obama has pretty much got “KK” branded on his forehead, and the same for all his cabinet and other support staff.

    As I personally said when The Great Big 0 won the Dem nomination:

    “Obama will make us appreciate the mound of quivering incompetence that was the Jimmy Carter administration.”

    Smock Puppet, Jingle Rewriting Expert (2fb1c2)

  25. “Maybe, but I think Obama is pandering to one or more people on his staff who want it to be crystal clear who won and who lost.”

    DRJ – That’s why it’s baffling to me too if that’s the case. You don’t need a public announcement for the above unless you’re just trying to publicly stroke somebody’s ego. Pretty childish, but not beyond the pale of this administration.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  26. Good point but I’m to the point that I assume Obama and most of the people who work for his administration are childish and/or ego-driven. Unfortunately, I’m afraid there are still a few adults on his 2012 campaign staff.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  27. Just conjecture on my part, (no rock solid evidence like Polutico has in the Cain scandal) but I wonder if there may be some major in-house disagreements over how to handle the Solyndra subpoenas from congress and how to handle the Fast and Furious/Holder catastrophe. I can easily see that crew not seeing eye to eye on the legalities and ethics of those two ongoing nightmares for the Obama admin.

    elissa (72b3ed)

  28. Dude Daley sexually harassed me he should hang by his mangina until he squeals.

    DohBiden (ef98f0)

  29. I’m to the point that I assume Obama and most of the people who work for his administration are childish and/or ego-driven.
    Comment by DRJ — 11/8/2011 @ 12:09 pm

    It’s been simply amazing to watch how petty and narcissistic he, his wife and those in his close circles are. Maybe am misremembering but even the Clintons weren’t nearly this bad. Wonder if “Chicago politics” make people that way or do greedy, grasping egomaniacs gravitate to Chicago politics?

    no one you know (325a59)

  30. 28. Another insightful conjecture. I got five says Holder pulls a Vince Foster–suicide by five shots in the head and chest.

    gary gulrud (d88477)

  31. You don’t need a public announcement for the above unless you’re just trying to publicly stroke somebody’s ego.

    that would be the NIC… the Narcissist-In-Chief.

    ColonelHaiku (09a0f9)

  32. He’ll either shank it or miss and then blame it on Lucy.

    Pat Patterson (adef21)

  33. I think it is correct that Obama is going to focus his reelection campaign on solidifying his base and hoping for a narrow electoral victory along these lines. Of course, the problem with this strategy is that it is a scenario that will make it very hard for Democrats to hold Senate seats in Florida, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Virginia, and West Virginia. Republicans will have a fight on their hands in Massachusetts and maybe in Nevada, but other than that they should hold their other seats. In typical Obama fashion then, his plan is to throw Senate Democrats under the bus in order to pull together his reelection coalition.

    JVW (710bd4)

  34. “Fannie Mae loss widens, asks taxpayers for $7.8B”

    Shocka! Who could have predicted the above?

    Yet President O’Blameless wants to cram more losses down the throats of the taxpayers and repeat the errors of the past.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  35. Newsweek/The Daily Beast claims it has the real story on Daley’s demotion. It includes this statement:

    Daley will function more as a senior minister to the opposition and conservative Democrats, and to business leaders.

    In other words, Daley, the Republicans, conservative Democrats, and businesses will all be ignored even more than before. Plus, I think they meant to say “the opposition, including conservative Democrats.”

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  36. The only personnel change that has a chance of making the office serve the people of this country as it was designed to is the election next year.

    dunce (15d7dc)


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