Does John Boehner Have a Point about Rahm Emanuel?
| Thu Nov. 6, 2008 11:22 AM PST
Does Republican Representative John Boehner, the in-the-dumps House minority leader, have a point when he criticizes President-elect Barack Obama for tapping Democratic Representative Rahm Emanuel to be his White House chief of staff? Boehner says:
This is an ironic choice for a President-elect who has promised to change Washington, make politics more civil, and govern from the center.
Boehner misunderstood--or is now, for political gain, misrepresenting--Obama's call for cooperation and productivity in Washington as a vow to govern from the center. The policy proposals Obama presented during the campaign were mostly progressive. Hey, doesn't Boehner remember that Obama was blasted as an anti-American liberal and socialist by Boehner's fellow GOPers? They didn't seem to believe he was going to govern from the center.
Despite the isn't-he-supposed-to-be-a-centrist spin, Boehner is not incorrect in noting that Emanuel is not known as a nonpartisan agent of change in Washington. As the leading fundraiser for Democrats in the House in the 2006 election, Emanuel, a fierce partisan, did do much to change Washington by winning the House back for the Democrats. But he's a walking advertisement for how Washington does business (see here and here)--as is the less-successful Boehner.
By selecting Emanuel as first big appointment, Obama teed up the this-ain't-really-change ball for Boehner. And Boehner whacked it down the fairway. On Friday, Obama is slated to hold a meeting with his top economic advisers. The speculation is that afterward he may have something to say about other appointments. Obama believers ought to hope he doesn't again make it easy for Boehner.
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Comments
Submitted by Ron Towns (not verified) on Thu Nov. 6, 2008 2:07 PM PST.
What an amazing time in American history. Dreams do come true! Did you all see how Oprah Winfrey revealed this week that she uses a vision board to visualize her goals and harness the power of intention? Oprah created a vision board, months ago, that emphasized Obama as president and the gown she intended to wear during his imagined inauguration.
FYI, a vision board is collage of image that symbolizes a desired outcome. By looking at these images daily and imagining these desired outcomes ? like accomplishing a goal ? your brain becomes more honed in to making this reality. Many top athletes, entrepreneurs, presidents, and philanthropists have used vision boards to help them accomplish their goals.
I know that on www.TheVisionBoardKit.com you can download a free chapter that includes the eight basic ingredients of a successful vision board.
Submitted by Ron Towns (not verified) on Thu Nov. 6, 2008 2:07 PM PST.
What an amazing time in American history. Dreams do come true! Did you all see how Oprah Winfrey revealed this week that she uses a vision board to visualize her goals and harness the power of intention? Oprah created a vision board, months ago, that emphasized Obama as president and the gown she intended to wear during his imagined inauguration.
FYI, a vision board is collage of image that symbolizes a desired outcome. By looking at these images daily and imagining these desired outcomes ? like accomplishing a goal ? your brain becomes more honed in to making this reality. Many top athletes, entrepreneurs, presidents, and philanthropists have used vision boards to help them accomplish their goals.
I know that on www.TheVisionBoardKit.com you can download a free chapter that includes the eight basic ingredients of a successful vision board.
"The policy proposals Obama presented during the campaign were mostly progressive."
Were we watching different campaigns?
Which were the progressive policies? Was it the one about progressively bombing Pakistan? Or a progressive increase in troops occupying Afghanistan? Or the progress Obama made in transferring hundreds of billions of dollars from the taxpayers to the banks?
Being left of Dubya does not make one a progressive.
I think Ambinder has this one pegged right, at least the inside game:
http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/11/what_rahms_selectio...
JG, it sounds like we were watching different campaigns. You misleadingly describe three policies that Bush would be proud of, and far removed from what Obama actually said, and then say Obama's to the left of Bush? Chasing your own tail, eh? Have a great 8 years, dude.
Submitted by Ron Towns (not verified) on Thu Nov. 6, 2008 2:07 PM PST.
What an amazing time in American history. Dreams do come true! Did you all see how Oprah Winfrey revealed this week that she uses a vision board to visualize her goals and harness the power of intention? Oprah created a vision board, months ago, that emphasized Obama as president and the gown she intended to wear during his imagined inauguration.
FYI, a vision board is collage of image that symbolizes a desired outcome. By looking at these images daily and imagining these desired outcomes like accomplishing a goal your brain becomes more honed in to making this reality. Many top athletes, entrepreneurs, presidents, and philanthropists have used vision boards to help them accomplish their goals.
I know that on www.TheVisionBoardKit.com you can download a free chapter that includes the eight basic ingredients of a successful vision board.
Boehner is a wingnut who is obviously jealous of Emanuel's success, not to mention the envy he has of Obama. And to think he's gonna try and call out Obama--Rahmbo is going to make Boner's life miserable for the next EIGHT years! I mean the guy calls Obama a chicken sh*t and now one of Obama's closest colleagues is Chief of Staff...Boner, you're f**ked dude!
Sorry, Boehner.
You're not going to derail Obama's attempt to surround himself with people of great ability that he trusts to advance his vision. Yes, Emanuel is going to fiercely defend his President, but wouldn't McCain have picked a loyal Conservative to be HIS CoS?
Rahm Israel Emanuel (Hebrew: רם עמנואל) was born in Chicago, Illinois. His first name, Rahm, means "high" or "lofty" in Hebrew[8], while his last name, Emanuel, means "God is with us." His father, the Jerusalem-born Benjamin M. Emanuel, is a pediatrician and former member of the Irgun (Irgun Zeva'i Le'ummi), a militant Zionist group. Emanuel volunteered as a civilian volunteer in the Israel Defense Forces during the 1991 Gulf War, serving in one of Israel's northern bases, rust-proofing brakes.
Rahm will do a good job of making sure that Obama does not go astray when it comes to Israeli policy. Rahm is also an Israeli citizen and Orthodox.
Does "Boehner" rhyme with "Whiner"? Boehner wouldn't know bipartisan from marzipan.
Obama is reaching out. If Boehner wants to call Obama names, complain about losing his toys, and cry to the press every 5 minutes he's going to be left behind.
I am very pleased and impressed with Obama's first selection of Rahm Israel Emanuel as Chief of Staff. You want a seasoned warrior to fight for your causes not a glad hander who pleads for assistance. Obama is gearing for an administration that will empower and direct support to initiate change. That requires a cadre of highly motivated and energized bold warriors willing to provide the inertia and horsepower to move a political behemoth like the US congress in the direction of change when they legislate. I'm not surprised old school/ole boy republicans are howling at the threat of Obama selecting someone who will actually get something done ! Brace yourselves Republicans, change is coming!
Moses smell the roses. Boehner? Really? From what I read the criticism doesn't make sense. People have accused RE of being hyper partisan, but he was the one that pushed for NAFTA and Welfare reform when he was in the Clinton White House---these are hardly progressive issues. And, as the architect behind the Dem takeover, he picked several candidates that were pro-life and pro-gun ==Again, not strict progressives. So apparently, he is flexible and does have centrist leanings on certain issues.
I mean, can Democrats stop complaining and being knee jerk about every single thing--they are worst than the Republicans. People keep writing these stories about how this will be the most difficult transition in history, but when Obama hires a guy that has the unique experience of working in the White House and working on Capital Hill, people complain about that.
I really don't care if this guy drops F bombs, I don't care about all of the crazy, but funny stories about him, I don't care that he is a centrist on certain issues, and I don't care that he received funds from people in the financial industry (so did Obama by the way--overwhelmingly), what I do care about is that he gets the job done, which he has a reputation for doing
So instead of the wringing of hands, and knee capping the guy before he even starts the job, why don't we wait and see what happens.
Emanuel is a racist with a track record to prove it. 3/28/01 Nelson Mandela Nobel Peace Prize letter: "If you follow the polls in Israel for the last 30 or 40 years, you clearly find a vulgar racism that includes a third of the population who openly declare themselves to be racist. This racism is of the nature of "I hate Arabs" and "I wish Arabs would be dead". If you also follow the judicial system in Israel you will see there is discrimination against Palestinians, and if you further consider the 1967 occupied territories you will find there are already two judicial systems in operation that represent two different approaches to human life: one for Palestinian life and the other for Jewish life. Additionally there are two different approaches to property and to land. Palestinian property is not recognized as private property because it can be confiscated. Palestinians are not struggling for a "state" but for freedom, liberation and equality, just like we were struggling for freedom in South Africa. Israel's racial discrimination is daily life of most Palestinians. Since Israel is a Jewish state, Israeli Jews are able to accrue special rights which non-Jews cannot do. Israel has deprived millions of Palestinians of their liberty and property. It has perpetuated a system of gross racial discrimination and inequality. It has systematically incarcerated and tortured thousands of Palestinians, contrary to the rules of international law. It has, in particular, waged a war against a civilian population, in particular children." Nobel Peace Prize winner, Jimmy Carter agrees. Carter in his book "Palestine Peace Not Apartheid" , pg 209, "...(I)n the United States, Israeli government decisions are rarely questioned, voices from Jerusalem dominate in our media..." In other words, Zionist dominate the US media. "At the same time, political leaders and news media in Europe are highly critical of Israeli policies, affecting public attitudes." "Citizens in 15 European nations, indicate that Israel was considered to be the top threat to world peace.".
Whatever Boehner is wacking these days, it is not a golf ball teed up for him by Obama. This was a perfect appointment. It seems clear that Obama is a nice guy; it seems clear that he honestly wants to try and change the volume and tone of political discourse in this country. That being said: he also wants to win. I suspect that he will listen to all sides of an issue and compromise when he believes it is in the nation's best interests. If everyone agrees, fine. If not...there's always Emmanuel.
