By Darrell Delamaide
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) Surely it"s a coincidence. Rahm Emanuel leaves Washington to run for mayor of Chicago and Barack Obama"s political fortunes improve dramatically.
After all, the president"s record with Emanuel as chief of staff, as the White House never tires of telling us, was pretty impressive what with avoiding a financial meltdown, passing health-care reform, re-regulating (kind of) the financial sector, and all.
So it was clearly a coincidence that a lame-duck session of Congress after Emanuel left and economic adviser Larry Summers withdrew from the field brought a dam-breaking compromise on tax issues and welcome resolution on the START treaty and Sdon"t ask, don"t tell right?
Dull old Pete Rouse took over White House chief of staff duties on an Sinterim basis, and things started happening. Not to worry. Presidential confidante Valerie Jarrett hinted last week that Obama could soon appoint a Snew face as permanent chief of staff and presumably put an end to that.
Obama hasn"t had a lucky hand with staff appointments. His White House team has come under heavy criticism for being arrogant, out of touch, politically tone deaf, inept and so on.
Obama came to office nearly two years ago promising a new tone in Washington and promptly appointed one of the most confrontational and abrasive politicians in the city as his chief of staff. He promised bold new policies but made Summers, a Clintonite who backed the wholesale deregulation that led to the financial crisis, as his chief economic adviser.
So after the Sshellacking of the midterm elections, Obama recognized the error of his ways, learned humility, and resolved to make better appointments, right? Don"t count on it.
Rouse, a veteran chief of staff for former Senate majority leader Tom Daschle who also ably headed Obama"s senatorial staff, might be effective, but he"s not well, he"s just not famous enough. One pundit said she had to Google to recall who took Emanuel"s place, while MSNBC anchor Chris Mathews pleaded for Obama to appoint a Scabinet-level chief of staff like James Baker, who was President Ronald Reagan"s chief of staff before going on to become secretaries of Treasury and then State.
As for chief economic adviser, the White House seems to have recognized this post really should be filled by an economist and not a former CEO, so they"ve settled on a couple of bold new names Gene Sperling, who held that same post in the Clinton administration, and Roger Altman, a Wall Streeter and Treasury official under, yes, Bill Clinton.
The more things change ...
These choices demonstrate how sensitive White House political antennae have become, taking into account how popular Wall Street is with the voters.
Sperling, after all, while using a modest post at the Council on Foreign Relations as cover, reportedly earned a million dollars in 2008 consulting for Goldman Sachs and giving speeches to financial institutions. He"s been a special adviser to Treasury in this administration.
As for Altman, he earned his Wall Street spurs at the late Lehman Brothers before starting his own M&A boutique.
A third choice to succeed Summers is now making its way through the rumor mill: Yale University president Richard Levin. (Seems only fair, since Summers was president of Harvard).
Levin is a trained economist with special expertise in railroad deregulation still a burning issue, to be sure. Levin"s served as president of Yale since 1993, showing a pronounced economic skill for fundraising. That should help him counsel Obama on the economic challenges facing the country.
Is there really no practicing economist out there who didn"t serve in the Clinton administration who might bring some genuinely new ideas to the table? If University of Texas professor James Galbraith or Princeton University economist Paul Krugman seem too radical, what about MIT"s Peter Diamond, whose nomination to the sit on the Federal Reserve has been blocked by Republicans in the Senate? (The White House post doesn"t require confirmation.)
Who"s in charge here Clinton"s former Treasury secretary Robert Rubin, Bill Clinton himself or Barack Obama?
Meanwhile, back in the Oval Office, Chicago buddy Jarrett will be there to ensure that the coterie around Obama keeps the same openness it showed during the first two years of his term.
Chief political adviser David Axelrod will return to his beloved Chicago to do what he does better run a campaign while his replacement, David Plouffe, another of the masterminds behind Obama"s 2008 presidential run, will infuse some not-so-new blood into the West Wing.
Don"t you feel better already about the prospect for change at the White House?
But when President Barack Obama was asked about the closure of the prison during a press conference Wednesday afternoon, he 
15182824 Commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fbigjournalism.com%2Fjhoft%2F2010%2F12%2F24%2Fmedia-celebrates-calls-obama-the-comeback-kid%2FMedia+Celebrates%2C+Calls+Obama+the+%22Comeback+Kid%222010-12-24+20%3A00%3A11Jim+Hofthttp%3A%2F%2Fbigjournalism.com%2F%3Fp%3D151828
Same day, same belief: I don't buy one single damn thing MSM or Obama says. If they say it, think the opposite immediately.
Blaming the recession on Tax cuts is like blaming my grocer for me burning my steak last night.
Kenya Slim as the Comeback Kid?
Well, it worked for Billy Jeff.
But to paraphrase a famous line "He is certainly not Billy Jeff"
I don't know what to say.
A straight line like the title, just gives unlimited possibilities to what could be said about THE MOST INCOMPETANT PRESIDENT EVER.
The media is trying to put lipstick on a pig. But no matter how pretty they make it, it's still just a damned pig!
The MSM writes more fiction than the Fantasy Section at Books-A-Million!
Pretty much every professional body has some kind of governing body, the Bar Assocaition for lawyers, the Automotive Service Excellence for mechanicssomething that provides the public with some assurance of quality. Clearly nothing exists for the media.
He's accomplished quite a bit.
http://whattheheckhasobamadonesofar.com
"Come back kid???"
He has to have been something to begin with before he can come back to it.
So far his list of "accomplishments" reads like a Leninist checklist for bringing down the west.
Defending Obama is like defending Palestine. Lost causes, and wrongboth of them.
You can paint the old dog any color you like he's still Obalma. You think Americans are going to forget the last two years? Well hell ya they will- but it takes time. 25 some yrs before Carter was considered "the best president" by 33% of the poll (I choose to believe that these were people who were born after Carter), it took 6 years before 9/11 was forgotten and talk of war crimes against the Bush Administration started to spring up. Hopefully it'll take more then 2 years to forget this puke. Once he's safely out of office we can all have fond memorys of all the jobs he created, the earth he saved, the military opertunities he gave to the gays, the way he saved the healthcare system
Senate Democrats poised for a power grab.
http://www.redstate.com/brian_d/2010/12/23/senate...
''A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus." Martin Luther King, Jr.
This is the big media basically bailing water for Obama, as the kickoff to the 2012 campaign. To all but the truest of True Believers on the left in the press, what matters for the next two years isn't so much what gets passed or adhering to core beliefs, but doing whatever's needed to get Obama re-elected.
So if it takes convincing swing voters that the Bush tax cut renewal was a victory for Obama, even though he and they were totally opposed to them two months ago, so be it. By the summer of 2012, the media may be hailing as a major success Obama's acquiescing to Republicans on the dismantling of ObamaCare�, if that's what it will take to get him four more years in office.
How about calling him "the go home kid"? But where is his home. ..? Africa?he avoids that home as much as he avoids Chicagolet's just leave him in Hawaii and sell the islands to China for what Obama has borrowed from them! He will be real comfortable with his Communist buddies!
"Comeback kid" my rear. It's nothing more than Desperation from the media to save a drowning administration.and whats left of their tattered "reputations".
Their shameless bias would be embarrassing to a normal person but one needs a conscience to be embarrassed.
For a long time now, we have been in a news blackout by so-called "Mainstream Media"; no different than what socialist and communist countries suffered under. They are doing whatever they can to keep BHO in a good light or to bolster his popularity and re-election chances. It is a formidable,united front. Other than boycotting them and the commercial sponsors, what can we do to put them out of business? They and the left are ruining our great people and country.
Obama's the 'Comeback Kid' like I'm Bronco Billy.
The MBM doing their level best to shape shift, spin, and distort for the terminally misinformed.
The 'watchdog' (lapdog) 4th estate gets coal in their stockings..
The bar is very low when extended is translated into comeback extensions of Bush cuts, ethanol, green tax "investment", and unemployment, all with a super majority, now equals a comeback.
Stop insulting pigs, Larry
'boma cain't help it he's a trained prevaricator
I'm not buyin' what they're sellin'. I hereby declare that this half A$$ sh1t for brains pres is officially in the lame duck mode. If the media wants to be with him in la-la land-fine the rest of us will stick with reality.
Excuse me Mr. President "Comeback"?
The 2010 election clearly told you "Go away" and "Stay away".
We will work on clarifying this for you in the coming months.
Merry whatever you celebrate,
The American people
Comeback? LOL. The only reason anything has been done in the last month is because the "Lame Dick" congress and some RHINOS who were booted had their panties in a bind. The Congress had to spit in our faces one last time.
Don't feed the Troll he is a Canadian. The only thing they are known for is Crappy bacon, Hockey and using our military to protect them so they can crow about a crappy health care system we pay for. Canada sucks that's why so many are down here now LOL.
I think everyone needs to wake up.
BHO and the Democrats were totally rebuked on Nov. 2nd suffering the biggest congressional losses since 1948.
They came back in a lame duck Congress and.
1. Accused the Republicans of being heartless for arguing against a 13 month extension of unemployment benefits?
2. Stopped collecting Social Security taxes for a year, allowing the Social Security deficit toa what the hell is another 100billion in debt? All so BHO could be claiming to help the little guy, by taking the money from his right pocket and placing it in his left.
3. Only extended the Bush tax cuts for two years..so noone can make a long range plan
4. For the first time ever passed an international treaty in a lame duck session, denying the voter's new choices the chance to vote the people's mind.
4. Allowed homosexuals to join the military and shower with teenagers.
I didn't hear one Republican say: 13 months? What happened to recovery summer? Now you are telling the unemployed there won't be any jobs in 2011? Goddamn the RINO's. I can't believe how they rolled over. Will someone stand up and say itever since 2006 the Democrats have instituted the worst economic policy in US history. It is time to stop it.
TEAPARTY NOW
Comeback Kid? Possibly. Lets add up wins and losses for the Republicans and Obama
-Dream Act fails Rw Ol
-Omibus Bill fails Rw Ol
-Don't Ask repeal Rl Ow
-Card Check fails Rw Ol
-Cap & Trade fails Rw Ol
-Start Treaty Passes Rl- Ow
-9/.11 Responders pass Rw Ow
-Continuing Resolution pass Rw Ow
-Extension Bush Tax Cuts Rw Owl
-Estate Tax Lowered Rw Ol
-Unemployment Extension Rl Ow
On the whole, the President won key victories in things he wanted. Republicans, due to the RINO's, did not hold the line on certain key issues, but the biggest disappointment was passage of the Start Treaty. This Lameduck Session was very productive despite the repudiation of the Dim's Leftist agenda in the November election.
However, in terms of Executive Agencies, the Republicans will face a severe challenge to curb their power.
FCC new regulations on the Internet this is beyond their mandate and needs to be overturned.
EPA new regulations on carbon emissions costs for power companies, industry and customers will skyrocket need to be repealed.
The new Congress will have to work with the President where it can, but the Left wing agenda is finished. The Republicans need to repeal the parts of ObamaCare where they can. They will need to curb the powers of the Executive Agencies. The problem the Republicans have is they don't have the numbers to override Obama's veto.
The MSM leans very sharply to the left, and they do provide cover to the Marxist White House.
Here is a repost I made nearly a year ago
When you have virtually the entire media in the tank for progressivism that is no coincidence. It is no secret to anyone here the press is the White House Propanda Ministry, virtually in goose step with Minister Fibbs er GibbsTheir mission, which they have enthuastcally chosen to accept is to provide Obama with political cover for the fundamental transformation of America ..
If anyone in this country is unaware the MSM is now the fifth column *, they are dangerously naive..
* "The term originated with a 1936 radio address by Emilio Mola, a Nationalist General during the 193639 Spanish Civil War. Who, besieging Madrid with four columns from the outside, broadcast a message where he boasted of having a Sfifth column within as his army approached Madrid,that the four columns of his forces outside the city would be supported by his supporters inside the city, intent on undermining the Republican government from within (see Siege of Madrid)."
I predict that Obama will be smaller than advertised, just like he was in the first two years.
It's hard to buy the hype when there has been so little to show for it.
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