I remember Rahm Emanual - a very nodding acquaintance. I was introduced; he nodded. I was with some south side guys involved in Paul Vallas's Campaign - back den an' over by dere. We did not jump into a Manbrace of affection. We met. As Joe Biden would Tweet - BFD.
He always struck me as a smart and funny guy. He is not a bleed blue Progressive.
This account from Politico sum it up. Rahm Emanual is Mike Madigan without the the laughs - a tough, effective, thoughtful and sober public official. If President Obama launches a man with this level of smarts and heart, he deserves to be a one term Jimmy Carter.
Rahm Emanuel didn’t get a signing ceremony shout-out from President Obama (he got a high-five the night before) and didn’t get one of the 22 pens used to sign the law. But that’s cool with the White House chief of staff.
CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, chatting with Emanuel on the day the Senate approved the reconciliation package, expressed surprise that the president didn’t single out his point man on the Hill for post-passage praise.
Wolf: “I know you worked really hard over these 13 months. No one in the White House, no one in the administration worked harder. That’s why I was surprised when the president was thanking everyone the other day for what they did, he didn’t give you a shout-out.”
Rahm: “So?”
Wolf: “Do you care?”
Rahm: “No.”
Wolf: “Doesn’t mean any -- did he give you one of those 22 pens?”
Rahm: “No, no. I mean, because… I didn’t do this so I would get thanked at the signing or anything else. Let me say this, if that’s the question. You should know the night that it passed, or the day it passed, he and I -- he came by, gave me a high five. I have no doubt of my role in this and I feel quite good about that sense of it.”
2 comments:
Don't kid yourself that Rahm isn't from the hard left wing. Here in Wilmette his mom was active politically and all the left wing causes were her very favorite things. Seriously.
No doubt about it, Publia my love.
Yet, I find the guy void of the usual Progressive self-absorbtion, pettiness, incivility and general dullness.
You know that one can only listen to NPR for a few snatches of time without becoming completely helpless, dull, thoughtless and as exciting as melba toast.
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