Emanuel out after November
via The Hill,
Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) will step down from the House Democrats’ campaign operation after the November elections to spend more time with his family, he told The Hill yesterday.I think the sclerosis is winning.
[***]
He lamented a lack of effort from some of his colleagues.
“I’ve ruffled feathers with a purpose. There’s a sclerosis that’s set in. I’ve ruffled feathers of elder members of caucus with intention of recruiting younger members. I’ve ruffled of New Democrats and Blue Dogs. I’ve ruffled feathers, no doubt about it.”
19 comments:
Bill, how will Rep. Emanuel stepping down as chairman of the House Democratic campaign operation affect local and state politics in Illinois?
...a few months ago people wrote he single handly picked Duckworth for Illinois's 6th... as though Durbin and Obama were two bumps on the log in Illinois.
The fellow whose post I deleted sounded as though he thought Chicago's culture of corruption was going to catch up with Emanual.
I don't know about that one-way-or-the-other... I think he's a guy with a pretty good sense of where voters are at.. Chicago and Illinois voters at least.
So I follow him... after all, it's not as though he's from Omaha.
Bill, Bill, Bill....your posts don't bring anything to Illinoize anymore. You're blogging just for the sake of blogging. Take a break and quit wasting our time.
Scleoritic maybe?
Like some of those fossils in the Democratic Party Emanuel was throwing sand in their eyes.
Rahm is a [edited by Baar].
good post, Rahm is a LOCAL Congressman, and involved in local issues like Tomczak, HDO, and Hired Trucks
anon: for some reason that word rankles me. Can we avoid it please?
thanks
Bill
As a contributor to Illinoize, you have a great opportunity to provide analysis on how Rep. Emanuel’s stepping down as DCCC chairman will affect state or local politics. You can even post a question for the blog readers to answer. Instead, you make a snide comment about national Democrats. When are you going to get with the program?
I'd like to know the program anon... I really would...
right now this program works for me.
The Democrats should adopt it too.
We are democrats and progressives. We propose here a fresh political alignment. Many of us belong to the Left, but the principles that we set out are not exclusive. We reach out, rather, beyond the socialist Left towards egalitarian liberals and others of unambiguous democratic commitment. Indeed, the reconfiguration of progressive opinion that we aim for involves drawing a line between the forces of the Left that remain true to its authentic values, and currents that have lately shown themselves rather too flexible about these values. It involves making common cause with genuine democrats, whether socialist or not.
Because Democrats have flexid values right out the window.
No one who supported Bush in 2004 could honestly sign that manifesto without either having had a massive change of heart or being schizophrenic. If you supported Islamofascism, then Bush was the clear vote. If you opposed tyranny, Kerry was the obvious vote. You can't be a thinking person and think otherwise, or else, you might as well say 2 + 2 = 5
you have a principle in mind free market?
Read Bush's second inaugural or Rice in Cairo, and compare with principles 2,
No apology for tyranny.
We decline to make excuses for, to indulgently "understand", reactionary regimes and movements for which democracy is a hated enemy — regimes that oppress their own peoples and movements that aspire to do so. We draw a firm line between ourselves and those left-liberal voices today quick to offer an apologetic explanation for such political forces.
or three,
Human rights for all.
We hold the fundamental human rights codified in the Universal Declaration to be precisely universal, and binding on all states and political movements, indeed on everyone. Violations of these rights are equally to be condemned whoever is responsible for them and regardless of cultural context. We reject the double standards with which much self-proclaimed progressive opinion now operates, finding lesser (though all too real) violations of human rights which are closer to home, or are the responsibility of certain disfavoured governments, more deplorable than other violations that are flagrantly worse. We reject, also, the cultural relativist view according to which these basic human rights are not appropriate for certain nations or peoples.
Find me a Democrat in Illinois who can talk like this save maybe Pat Quinn.
It's bad enough Bush's actions hurt the cause of worldwide freedom, but its even sicker that he claims to stand for freedom and opposition to tyranny in speeches such as his inaugaral, when his actions show that his incompetence has only helped the hand of tyrants worldwide. By voting for Bush, you voted for Islamofascism, sadly.
I don't deny Bush believes in spreading freedom. But his administration's actions (and even moreso inactions) have done much to hurt the cause of freedom in the world.
Illinoize Bill Baar posts: Where Bush apologists and bashers can meet and greet.
and how many places on the blogosphere can Bush apologists and bashers meet and greet...
...that's pretty unique and of some value I think.
emanuel has intervened in too many primaries, and he has not fully exploited the political environment, a political environment, i might add, for which he is not responsible. i do not believe he understands voters, and i do believe he is beholden to various interests, including corporations, k-street lobbyists and other unscrupulous elements that adulterate the democratic party. he has jeapordized the success of many strong candidates, and he will only support those who uphold his centrist positions. i am glad he is resigning, for i believe we will have a timid caucus in the house as a result of his meddling and strongarming.
I don't agree with Baar on much, but I don't see what the big deal is about the original post.
A local congressman voluntarily steps down from a very important post, despite calls for him to continue? (you really didn't cover that side of the story, or the fact that the post is is traditionally a one term thing, but that's another matter completely). Of course that is important to Illinois. When a congressman from Illinois will have a large influence on the national scene, that is important to Illinois.
Of course, another matter left out was the conflict between Rahm and Dean over the 50 state strategy (like the difference between a manager and a general manager. The manager wants players to win now. The GM wants to build a team to win in the future). That is a big part of the story too.
All in all, a story well worthy of coverage on an Illinois-based blog.
Some of the responses here are interesting also. A lot of Republicans really hate Rahm. That is interesting coming from a party that wants the moral high ground.
And finally, in response to the comment directly above (anon 12:35): If you want beholden to special interests, how about a candidate for Congress that made over $600,000 last year as plaintiffs' personal injury lawyer, but now claims that he wants to fix the system? Rahm recruited a great candidate who will defeat that plaintiffs' hack.
thanks Skeeter...
The points you raise are covered in The Hill article. I didn't quote them as I figured anyone interested would follow the link.
My only comment was to agree with Rahm on the sclerosis in the Democratic Party and suggest the sclerosis might be winning.
The story about Republicans hating him I'm not so sure about. Roskam was talking about the evil-city-Democrats a few weeks ago and cited Rahm. The Cegelis people said the same thing.
Bill,
Look at any of the posts here and on Miller's blog. When Rahm's name comes up, you have a lot of Republicans who absolutely despise him. His name brings (along with Hillary Clinton's name) brings to the surface some really strong emotions.
For all the talk about morality, the Republicans sure can hate.
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