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Title: Angry Moochelle runs off Barry's Chief-of-Staff
Source:
Chicago Sun-Times / Washington Post
URL Source: http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/201 ... lle_obama_distressed_abou.html
Published: Jan 8, 2012
Author: Lynn Sweet / David Nakamura
Post Date: 2012-01-09 16:31:05 by Happy Quanzaa
Keywords: Obama-doma-ding-dong, Moochelle, 1st Wookie, Daley
Views: 165
Comments: 3
By Lynn Sweet on January 8, 2012 4:16 PM WASHINGTON-- When Michelle Obama worked in Mayor Daley's City Hall in the early 1990s, she was "distressed" by how a small group of "white Irish Catholic" families -- the Daleys, the Hynes and the Madigans -- "locked up" power in Illinois. And as she prepared to become first lady, Mrs. Obama naively wanted to delay a move into the White House for six months, so her daughters could finish the school year. Her initial thought was to "commute" to the White House from her South Side home. And Marty Nesbitt, one of President Obama's best friends, had been recruited to run for Chicago mayor by African-American leaders -- but never ended up challenging Rahm Emanuel, who was Obama's chief of staff who went on to win City Hall. Details about Mrs. Obama's initial reluctance to embrace her new life, her time in City Hall, the influence she has in the White House, tensions between Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett, Emanuel and former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs -- are in a new book about the first couple by New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor. The Chicago Sun-Times has obtained a copy of The Obamas, to be published Tuesday. Kantor hits Chicago for an East Lake Shore Drive book party on Jan. 16; the next day, Jan. 17, she headlines a 6 p.m. event at the Harold Washington Library, 400 S. State. Mrs. Obama worked in the Daley administration between Sept. 16, 1991, and April 30, 1993, according to City of Chicago personnel records. She was hired by Jarrett, then Daley's deputy chief of staff. Kantor writes Mrs. Obama "disapproved of how closely Daley held power, surrounding himself with three or four people who seemed to let few outsiders in -- a concern she would echo years later with her own husband. "...She particularly resented the way power in Illinois was locked up generation after generation by a small group of families, all white Irish Catholic -- the Daleys in Chicago, the Hynes and Madigans statewide." When Jarrett was forced out of City Hall in 1995 -- even though she was close to Daley -- "the Obamas were horrified, their worst suspicions about the world confirmed." Jarrett, Gibbs, Obama's top strategist David Axelrod, Mrs. Obama's former chief of staff Susan Sher and Chicago pals Eric Whitaker and Marty Nesbitt "gave me many hours of interview time each," Kantor wrote in her acknowledgements. In all, Kantor got the cooperation of 33 current and former members of the Obama administration and close friends. Still, with reports about issues in the administration -- and an Emanuel who did not welcome Mrs. Obama's influence -- the Obama White House gave the book a frosty reception. "The book, an overdramatization of old news, is about a relationship between two people whom the author has not spoken to in years," White House spokesman Eric Schultz said. "The author last interviewed the Obamas in 2009 for a magazine piece, and did not interview them for this book. The emotions, thoughts and private moments described in the book, though often seemingly ascribed to the president and first lady, reflect little more than the author's own thoughts. These secondhand accounts are staples of every administration in modern political history and often exaggerated." Camille Johnston, Mrs. Obama's former communications chief, told the Sun-Times, "We had some disagreements over how certain things would be handled, but in the end we all got back to the place Mrs. Obama had set at the onset: nothing on my agenda is more important than what's on his." By David Nakamura, Updated: Monday, January 9, 3:30 PM White House Chief of Staff William Daley resigned Monday, a year after taking the job, shaking up White House management as President Obama gears up for his tough reelection campaign. During a brief appearance at the White House, Obama announced that Daley, 63, will be replaced by Budget Director Jacob Lew, effective at the end of the month. Daley will stay on until then to help ease the transition through the president’s State of the Union address Jan. 24. Daley, a longtime banker and former Commerce secretary, never seemed comfortable in his current job. His future in the White House was cast into doubt late last year after reports that he had relinquished day-to-day operations to senior adviser Pete Rouse. White House officials had characterized that reorganization as a way for Daley to take on a broader role as an ambassador for the administration that better suited his skills, while the well-liked Rouse would handle the daily grind of internal staff operations. But that appeared to set the stage for Daley’s departure. Obama said that Daley, after deliberating over winter vacation, told him that he would like to step aside and return to his native Chicago. The president asked Daley to reconsider and gave him a couple days to think it over, but Daley held firm, Obama said. In Chicago, Daley will serve as one of the co-chairs of Obama’s reelection campaign, a source said. “Bill told me that he wanted to spend more time with his family, especially his grandchildren, and he felt it was the right decision,” said Obama, who did not take questions from reporters after reading his statement. The president said that Daley recommended Lew to replace him. In Lew, 56, Obama selected a longtime Washington figure who also oversaw the Office of Management and Budget during the Clinton administration from 1998 to 2001. Lew, who resumed oversight of that agency in November 2010, has played a critical role in the White House as the administration tangled with Congress over how to tame the country’s spiraling debt and survived a showdown over a payroll tax cut that was extended last month. Lew is taking “one of the most difficult jobs in Washington. But Jack has had one of the other most difficult jobs in Washington,” Obama said, with Lew by his side. “His economic advice was invaluable. He has my complete trust.” Obama tapped Daley in January to replace Rahm Emanuel, who served in the role during the president’s first two years in office but left to run for mayor Chicago, which he won. Daley, who served as secretary of Commerce in the Clinton administration, was expected to help the White House’s relations with Wall Street as it implemented financial reforms in the wake of the recession. But Daley drew criticism during the White House’s fight with Congressional Republicans over debt ceiling negotiations last summer. In one embarrassing rebuke, Obama requested to speak to a rare joint session of Congress in September only to be rejected by House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), who invited him instead to come a day later. The White House claimed that Daley had secured Boehner’s agreement to the original date ahead of time, but the speaker’s office denied that an agreement was in place. In his resignation letter to the president, Daley praised Obama’s leadership during a year of “great challenge for the American people,” citing his fall push to boost the economy through his jobs legislation. Obama’s focus on job growth “shows that you will not rest until our fellow citizens recover,” Daley wrote. Details about Mrs. Obama's initial reluctance to embrace her new life, her time in City Hall, the influence she has in the White House, tensions between Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett, Emanuel and former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs -- are in a new book about the first couple by New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor. The Chicago Sun-Times has obtained a copy of The Obamas, to be published Tuesday. Kantor hits Chicago for an East Lake Shore Drive book party on Jan. 16; the next day, Jan. 17, she headlines a 6 p.m. event at the Harold Washington Library, 400 S. State. Mrs. Obama worked in the Daley administration between Sept. 16, 1991, and April 30, 1993, according to City of Chicago personnel records. She was hired by Jarrett, then Daley's deputy chief of staff. Kantor writes Mrs. Obama "disapproved of how closely Daley held power, surrounding himself with three or four people who seemed to let few outsiders in -- a concern she would echo years later with her own husband. "...She particularly resented the way power in Illinois was locked up generation after generation by a small group of families, all white Irish Catholic -- the Daleys in Chicago, the Hynes and Madigans statewide." When Jarrett was forced out of City Hall in 1995 -- even though she was close to Daley -- "the Obamas were horrified, their worst suspicions about the world confirmed." Jarrett, Gibbs, Obama's top strategist David Axelrod, Mrs. Obama's former chief of staff Susan Sher and Chicago pals Eric Whitaker and Marty Nesbitt "gave me many hours of interview time each," Kantor wrote in her acknowledgements. In all, Kantor got the cooperation of 33 current and former members of the Obama administration and close friends. Still, with reports about issues in the administration -- and an Emanuel who did not welcome Mrs. Obama's influence -- the Obama White House gave the book a frosty reception. "The book, an overdramatization of old news, is about a relationship between two people whom the author has not spoken to in years," White House spokesman Eric Schultz said. "The author last interviewed the Obamas in 2009 for a magazine piece, and did not interview them for this book. The emotions, thoughts and private moments described in the book, though often seemingly ascribed to the president and first lady, reflect little more than the author's own thoughts. These secondhand accounts are staples of every administration in modern political history and often exaggerated." Camille Johnston, Mrs. Obama's former communications chief, told the Sun-Times, "We had some disagreements over how certain things would be handled, but in the end we all got back to the place Mrs. Obama had set at the onset: nothing on my agenda is more important than what's on his."
Michelle Obama: "Distressed" about Daley, Madigan, Hynes clout
White House Chief of Staff William Daley
resigns; budget chief Jacob Lew fills post
Video: President Obama on Monday announced the resignation of current chief of staff William Daley and introduce
his replacement, Budget Director Jacob Lew.
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#2. To: Happy Quanzaa (#0)
Good for her. Just like Nancy Reagan, she has her husbands back and will not play the 'potted plant' routine.
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