Channels, Fall 2018

Page 86 Schwall • 21 st Century Javelin Catchers between Emanuel and Obama's other closest advisors was palpable. In an interview, Emanuel described his relationship with Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett: "It's tough to have her around when you're trying to tell the president, 'Well no, I think this is wrong.' Because she's always there saying, 'Oh, yes, it's fine'" (Whipple, 2017). Arguably, the role that Emanuel devoted most of his time to was the role of proxy. In virtually all the major legislative battles that took place under Emanuel's tenure, he took the lead on negotiating and moving the legislature through Congress. As COS, he uniquely had a single-minded focus on the Hill. He began every day in the congressional gym, had lunches each day in his office with Congressmen, and even operated on a congressional calendar (Whipple, 2017). A 2009 Washington Post article noted: “The White House legislative strategy blends Obama’s vision and salesmanship with Emanuel’s granular political expertise and deal making skills" (Murray, 2009). Emanuel was highly accessible to the news media and willing to speak on the record on almost every issue of importance (Milbank, 2009). During his tenure, he was a regular on the Sunday news circuit and was generally viewed as speaking for the administration. Summary and Departure. On September 7, 2010, Richard M. Daley, the mayor of Chicago, announced he would not run for re-election. It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for Emanuel, and he leapt at the opportunity. On October 1, 2010, Rahm Emanuel resigned to enter the mayoral race in Chicago, Illinois. In two years as COS, Emanuel had achieved major success: passing a major economic stimulus, saving the auto industry, and beginning to put healthcare reform on track to become law. His success as a presidential proxy, particularly in the halls of Congress, is unrivaled by any other COS in modern history. However, during his tenure, Emanuel drew sharp criticism for his failure to be an honest broker with the president, acting instead as an advocate for his own personal policy preferences. Ultimately, despite Emanuel's successes, his brash personality was not a good fit in the Obama White House. When Emanuel made clear to President Obama that he was serious about leaving, Obama did not offer much resistance. William Daley as COS Choosing Daley. To replace Emanuel, President Obama turned to another Chicagoan, William (Bill) Daley. Daley had been President Clinton's Secretary of Commerce, Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign manager, and a JPMorgan Chase executive. Daley's hiring had a twofold purpose: first, build a bridge between the White House and the business world; second, install more discipline in the White House organizational process. Office of COS under Daley. Daley's tenure was marked by a string of crises—the Gabby Giffords tragedy, a Japanese tsunami, and the Arab Spring. It was not long before it was clear to many that Daley was a bad fit for the Obama administration. While Daley attempted to maintain the rough organizational structure of his predecessor, he also installed more hierarchical processes in the White House and attempted to control access to the president more tightly. He canceled the traditional 8:30 a.m. staff meeting, leaving many staffers out of the loop, and barred key aides from other important meetings. Scholar David Cohen (2012) writes, "Daley’s brisk, officious, corporate closed-door style has soured some White House staffers who think he’s pinching Obama’s access to his own people, depriving him of a wider variety of opinions at a time when coming up with creative