While there are some surface similarities, it seems like Rahm Emanuel and Jake Lew could hardly be more different in their personalities. I have never been a fan of Rahm, but I never thought he was the devil, either. As a general matter, I am more comfortable with Lew as the president’s chief of staff because I think he and I are closer politically than I ever was to Emanuel. And, while I appreciate Emanuel’s salty style and willingness to pound his desk, I prefer the “no drama” style of the president and Mr. Lew.
There is one part of this article that really irritated me. Here it is:
An agreement by year’s end could lead to a long-term deficit reduction plan, helping Mr. Obama live up to his promise to bring both parties together and sealing Mr. Lew’s reputation as the master of the Washington budget deal. But if the talks fail, Mr. Obama might be remembered as the president who could not break partisan gridlock in Washington, and Mr. Lew could wind up with a blot on his nearly impeccable record.
Barack Obama is not going to be remembered as the president who brought both parties together. He is going to be remembered as the president who took the Republicans’ best shots and then kicked their asses up and down Pennsylvania Avenue. This isn’t because he didn’t try to change the tone in Washington. It’s because his efforts to reach out were met with calls for his birth certificate and because his Heritage Foundation-inspired health care plan was called socialism and demonized. The president moved into the White House and discovered that the Republican Party had gone stark-raving mad. It took him a while to come to terms with that, but he now treats the GOP the same way any sane person treats a rabid dog.