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Obama's New Chief of Staff: Pete Rouse

By Jeralyn, Section Colorado News
Posted on Thu Sep 30, 2010 at 08:54:30 PM EST
Tags: Pete Rouse (all tags)
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Pete Rouse will replace Rahm Emanuel as President Obama's Chief of Staff. Who?

A trusted adviser dating back to Obama's first days in the Senate, Rouse helped guide Obama's Washington rise. Obama once described Rouse as "completely ego-free."

He's known as a "fixer." Some insiders are skeptical.

[S]ome insiders question whether Rouse will be forceful enough to keep the rival power centers in the West Wing in check. Where Emanuel had his own base and was in many ways the dominant generator of ideas within the White House, Rouse is considered more of an arbitrator. He is also viewed as unthreatening by other senior members of the staff.

Obama will make the announcement at 11 a.m. Friday.

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    Obama's New Chief of Staff: Pete Rouse | 32 comments (32 topical)

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    Rouse (4.25 / 4) (#2)
    by cal1942 on Fri Oct 01, 2010 at 01:00:22 AM EST
    Was the chief of Obama's Senate staff.  It was Rouse who warned Obama that voting to confirm Roberts would be a mistake.

    A real no-brainer but of course Obama needed a top advisor to tell him what even a casual observer knew.

    Eight months after Obama declared I read an article in the Washington Post that confirmed my growing suspicions about Obama.  Rouse is the principle subject of the article.  I considered that article to be the Rosetta Stone to understanding Obama.  To me it exposed Obama as an empty suit.

    Hiring Rouse may be Obama's tardy recognition that he's made catastrophic blunders.

    So the Rhamster is resigning to run for mayor of Chicago.  Isn't that something like saying you're resigning to spend more time with your family?

    lol (4.00 / 3) (#3)
    by squeaky on Fri Oct 01, 2010 at 04:26:36 AM EST
    But it didn't bother you one bit that Hillary was also considering voting for Roberts.

    Parent
    LOL (4.40 / 5) (#8)
    by cal1942 on Fri Oct 01, 2010 at 10:15:54 AM EST
    How in hell would you have even the remotest clue about how I'd feel if Clinton had voted to confirm Roberts?  The answer is that you haven't the slightest idea.

    "I have found it is very difficult for Democrats to influence this White House on anything, and so I don't count on them paying attention to our legitimate concerns," Mrs. Clinton said, adding, "They will do what they think is in their interest, however they define it."

    ...

    Perhaps no Democrat faces as big a dilemma as Senator Clinton, who has been positioning herself as more of a centrist as she considers a possible White House bid. Republican senators are already taking pains to remind the public that many of them voted in favor of President Bill Clinton's Supreme Court nominees, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen G. Breyer.
    Like other Democrats, Mrs. Clinton was circumspect Thursday, saying she would review the hearing transcript before deciding how to vote.
    "There are a lot of considerations and some of them are competing, so we just have to weigh each of them," she said, "and every senator might have a slightly different weight to give."

    Now where do you see Ms. Clinton say she's going to vote for him?  

    Inasmuch as Obama is concerned he said he would vote for Roberts until Rouse warned him off.  Obama indicated that he'd rubber stamp any President's nominee.

    Parent

    Wow (5.00 / 1) (#9)
    by squeaky on Fri Oct 01, 2010 at 11:00:32 AM EST
    Nice editing job there:

    still new to Capitol Hill but aware of his prospects for higher office -- was thinking about voting to confirm John G. Roberts Jr. as chief justice.

    Becomes:

    Inasmuch as Obama is concerned he said he would vote for Roberts

    Sure sounds to me that Clinton was considering Roberts as well..

    Perhaps no Democrat faces as big a dilemma as Senator Clinton, who has been positioning herself as more of a centrist as she considers a possible White House bid. Republican senators are already taking pains to remind the public that many of them voted in favor of President Bill Clinton's Supreme Court nominees, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen G. Breyer.

    Like other Democrats, Mrs. Clinton was circumspect Thursday, saying she would review the hearing transcript before deciding how to vote.

    NYT

    And "like other Democrats" she acted accordingly:

    "They will do what they think is in their interest, however they define it."

    Parent

    LOL (none / 0) (#14)
    by cal1942 on Fri Oct 01, 2010 at 09:59:52 PM EST
    You avoid the question.  How in hell do you know how I would feel?

    You're making assumptions and you're way off base.

    Parent

    lol (none / 0) (#15)
    by squeaky on Sat Oct 02, 2010 at 01:24:41 AM EST


    Parent
    Facts (1.33 / 3) (#6)
    by Politalkix on Fri Oct 01, 2010 at 09:53:16 AM EST
    Even in 2010, more liberals among the Democrats prefer Obama while more conservatives in the party prefer Hillary. link  
    This was true in 2008, is true now, and probably will be true in 2012. The way a lot of commenters are trying to rewrite political history in this blog is almost comical.

    Parent
    Yes (2.25 / 4) (#10)
    by squeaky on Fri Oct 01, 2010 at 11:02:40 AM EST
    And to thi