President Obama announced Thursday that he’s picked William Daley as his new chief of staff. Daley "possesses a deep understanding of how jobs are created," Obama said. Daniel Stone reports on what Obama gains with Daley.
Obama’s new right hand man has backers on all sides, which could be why he was chosen to run the West Wing.
In the past two years, President Obama has had several nemeses. William Daley was one of them. Daley, the son of the late Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, thought health-care reform was a mistake. He thought the Consumer Protection Bureau was a bad idea. And, if you needed any other proof, he’s been a senior-level banker for JP Morgan Chase.
Chris O'Meara / AP Photo
So why is Daley becoming Obama’s new right hand? Because there’s more to him than that. He was also a senior aide and then secretary of Commerce in the Clinton administration, and sat on the board of the Gore campaign. Heck, even the liberals’ liberal Howard Dean loves him.
It’s a paradox that had White House reporters scratching their heads much of this week. Daley has lamented before about his party sticking too far to the left. Could his appointment be a sign of Obama shifting toward the right over the next two years?
• Robert Gibbs Talks William DaleyThere’s no doubt a deep level of trust between Obama and Daley. Both have ties in Chicago politics and have scores of mutual friends, including former chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, who’s vying to replace Daley’s brother, Richard Jr., to be Chicago’s next mayor.
But rebranding the White House as friendly to bankers can’t be all bad for the president. The banking industry, which complained last year of being the president’s “piñata,” has been asking to kiss and make up with the White House. And as 2010 showed, corporate money can influence elections in unprecedented ways.
Not to mention that Daley has relationships with all wings of the party. Not a bad quality to have when beginning to build a campaign.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Obama’s Ex-Nemesis Becomes Chief of Staff - Beltway Beast - The Daily Beast
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