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* Rahm Emanuel is running a new radio ad featuring President Obama. Listen…
Script…
President Obama: When I first started assembling this administration, I knew we were about to face some of the most difficult years this country has seen in generations.
VO: President Barack Obama, last year.
President Obama: I needed somebody at my side who I could count on to help get the job done. There was no candidate for the job of Chief of Staff who would meet the bill as well as Rahm Emanuel. And that’s why I told him he had no choice in the matter. He was not allowed to say no. This was a great sacrifice for Rahm, Amy and the family, to move out here. He has been a great friend of mine. He has been a selfless public servant, he has been an outstanding Chief of Staff.
VO: Rahm Emanuel
RE: Thank you Mr. President, for your warm friendship, your confidence and the opportunity to serve you and our country. I give you my word that even as I leave the White House I will never leave that spirit of service behind.
One doesn’t use the president’s voice without the president’s permission, or at least his tacit permission.
Discuss.
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Jan 28, 11 @ 12:32 pm
Sorry, comments are closed at this time.
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I think this is really disappointing. The President should have stayed out of this race. Focus on the challenges in Washington, don’t make phone calls on your buddy’s behalf in Chicago.
Comment by BSP II Friday, Jan 28, 11 @ 12:58 pm
Seems to me like a pretty ineffective ad, as it only says Rahm was a good public servant. I dont get a hint of any messaging other than he served the President.
Comment by JGatz Friday, Jan 28, 11 @ 1:10 pm
If I were Chico I would run an ad first showing Clinton & Rahm campaigning together recently in CHicago and then Clinton ripping Obama during the 2008 Pres. Primary. It ain’t tiddly winks.
Comment by Jim Friday, Jan 28, 11 @ 1:13 pm
BSP II,
Just how much time do you think the POTUS took making this ad? My guess is, not long.
Comment by cermak_rd Friday, Jan 28, 11 @ 1:19 pm
I want to know what the candidates stand for, how they think about the issues, and how they answer questions from the media and other candidates. that’s it. more of that please so we can see what a candidate will do if they get the job. need rhetoric with substance.
Comment by amalia Friday, Jan 28, 11 @ 1:22 pm
Well the draft lodge people did to great success, in new Hampshire, New Jersey, and Massachusetts in ‘64
Comment by JCIII Friday, Jan 28, 11 @ 1:24 pm
I think any president should stay above of and out of local races that involve competition among members of his own party. It diminishes the office and officeholder.
I think this president, especially, should stay out of Chicago politics. There’s no upside for him in the job that he has to do, which should be his only concern. For some reason, Obama can’t seem to put Chicago politics in his rearview mirror. Maybe he’s surrounded by too many Chicago politicians.
Rahm’s a big boy and can take care of himself. Frankly, as a presumably loyal Obama supporter, he never should have asked for help from Obama.
Comment by wordslinger Friday, Jan 28, 11 @ 1:39 pm
The ad to me speaks directly to the residency issue. Obama is saying he “drafted” Rahm to serve as COS and to move to DC. If Obama had not asked Rahm to be COS he would have remained congressman and no one would have questioned his residency. Obama owes him for his service and for creating this headache.
Comment by Objective Dem Friday, Jan 28, 11 @ 1:41 pm
cermak_rd -
No time at all. But as Rich correctly pointed out, there had to be some sort of approval. Wordslinger stated my point more eloquently. The President should stay out of Chicago politics.
Comment by BSP II Friday, Jan 28, 11 @ 1:50 pm
Not to be a West Wing nerd, but this reminds me of the episode after the reelection where Bartlet was locking up Iowa precinct captains for Hoynes for the next election. I believe the line Bartlet’s staff chastised him with was something along the lines of, “You’re the President of the United States. This isn’t what you do anymore.”
Comment by BSP II Friday, Jan 28, 11 @ 1:55 pm
It’s disappointing to see a man who promised “a new kind of politics” wade in the muck of Chicago campaigns. Let Rahm sink or swim on his own.
Comment by Independent Friday, Jan 28, 11 @ 2:00 pm
Anyone who thinks Obama is not trying to lock up Chicago should check out the OFA activity around town. This whole race can plausibly be viewed as a fight between Obama, through his proxy Emanuel, and Burke/Madigan.
Comment by 42nd Ward Friday, Jan 28, 11 @ 2:05 pm
Excuse me if I am being dense, but doesnt this ad endorse Rahm for Chief of Staff?
Comment by WRMNpolitics Friday, Jan 28, 11 @ 2:16 pm
I have no problem with the ad, the content, or the players.
This isn’t the Galesburg Mayoral race, it’s Chicago. The largest city in the home state of the President, and his ‘guy’ is in the race.
If you don’t like it, get over it. No different in my mind that a sitting President hitting the campaign trail for a Senator or Congressman.
Comment by How Ironic Friday, Jan 28, 11 @ 2:20 pm
The more I think about this, the more it bothers me.
First off, it’s incredibly selfish for Emanuel to ask the president of the United States to get mixed up in the barnyard of Chicago politics. Things can go wrong; wounds can be opened and rubbed raw. No upside for Obama.
I’ll leave it to Dr. Freud as to whether Emanuel asked out of extreme narcissism or insecurity. He has $10 million in the bank is rocking the polls. He doesn’t need it.
Secondly, what difference does it make to Obama who’s the mayor of Chicago? Whoever it is won’t make him a more successful president.
What’s exasperating is that Obama has done this bigfooting before with bad results.
He tried to bully a weak Gov. Patterson into appointing Caroline Kennedy to Clinton’s Senate seat. After Caroline, um, gave an, um,an interview, um, that showed off her, um, Ivy League, um, education, Patterson felt strong enough to say no. Presidents should not put themselves in that position where accidental governors can say no.
Even worse, as president-elect, Obama’s future chief of staff (what was his name?)was dancing awfully close with Blago on the Illinois Senate appointment. Acceptable names were mentioned. Lists were mentioned.
Everybody knew that Blago had big federales heat coming down on him and would likely be prosecuted by the Obama Justice Department. Yet that future chief of staff was caught on FBI wiretaps chatting about the seat with Blago, who had ideas of making a sweet deal for himself.
The result of this nonsense was that the president-elect had to submit to questioning by the FBI — a very, very scary proposition where a poor choice of words can be misconstrued as a lie and a felony.
Did it matter who Blago appointe?. No, it would have been a 100% Obama supporter in the Senate. Does it matter to Pres. Obama that Emanuel is mayor. No.
Yeesh. Pres. Obama, stay out of local Democratic politics, please. You have enough on your plate.
Comment by wordslinger Friday, Jan 28, 11 @ 2:36 pm
===The ad to me speaks directly to the residency issue. Obama is saying he “drafted” Rahm to serve as COS and to move to DC.===
I agree. It’s not a coincidence this ad showed up the day after the residency issue had been settled, and they selected these sound bites.
His service to President Obama has been brought up by other candidates. Braun in particular has been critical, saying things like he “abandoned” the President when he left to run for mayor. What better way to refute than with the President’s own words?
Commercials and even debates are only going to be able to cover so much ground. I go to the candidates web sites to see what kind of specific details they have available, and ask questions.
Comment by SR Friday, Jan 28, 11 @ 2:37 pm
Whatever amount this increases Rahm’s status, it diminishes Obama’s. Especially because it was entirely unnecessary.
Comment by tired of press Friday, Jan 28, 11 @ 2:51 pm
So King Rahm has offically been annointed by the POTUS. The race is over anyway after the Supremes danced to Rham’s tune and rather quickly overturned the erratic Illinois Appellate Court. Can you imagine the Supremes acting so quickly to stave Carol Brown execution? Give me a break.
If anything Rahm should dial 1-800 the feds and get it over with. Mayor Rich Daley was and will be the last of the big city bosses. Rahm should be careful for what he wishes.
Comment by Topgun Friday, Jan 28, 11 @ 2:52 pm
I am not a Rahm Emanuel fan but I think that President Obama has every right to express his opinion as to Rahm Emanuel’s ability to act as Mayor of Chicago. Actually, Rahm might be the only guy out there who has the guts to take the City of Chicago in another direction? When I think of Gerry Chico and his close association to the Richard Daley regime or dynasty, that old television series called “Chico & The Man” pops into my mind.Rahm would be tough enough to be his own man. Chico would simply be an extension of the Daley family members and their wishes.
Comment by Pilgrim Friday, Jan 28, 11 @ 3:37 pm
The ad is intended to cut into CMB support on the South Side (Obama’s core support) and push Rahm over 50% in the primary.
Otherwise, it just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
Comment by Marty Friday, Jan 28, 11 @ 3:38 pm
I think that the POTUS probably approved the use of this commercial. The 2012 election is far off, but, supposedly, the re-election committee wants to ramp up the vote totals in Chicago and other major urban areas in a big way. Chicago is going to be the campaign headquarters and Emanuel is the point man.
It does seem to be beneath the dignity of the office for the POTUS to take any part in a local race, but this is how Team Obama plays (hell, he was cozying up to Kwame Kilpatrick while on the campaign trail in Detroit before legal problems caught up with him — everyone in the know understood that Kilpatrick was going to prison).
Comment by Abandon Ship Friday, Jan 28, 11 @ 4:31 pm
I am awaiting the CMB response ripping Obama
Comment by fed up Friday, Jan 28, 11 @ 4:36 pm
–the re-election committee wants to ramp up the vote totals in Chicago and other major urban areas in a big way.–
I doubt that Obama is worrying about losing Illinois. If he is, that’s another discussion entirely.
No upside, that I can see.
Furthermore, I don’t understand bending over backwards for Emanuel, even out of loyalty.
Last year, at a low point for Obama when the healthcare bill looked dead, many stories with anonymous sources appeared in the national press with the theme “If Only Obama had Listened to Rahm,” he wouldn’t be in this trouble.
Inspector Clouseau could have figured out where those stories originated.
Comment by wordslinger Friday, Jan 28, 11 @ 4:42 pm