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According to the exit polling from the 2010 election a plurality of voters — 35 percent — felt Wall Street bankers were most to blame for our current economic problems. Only 29 percent thought George W. Bush was most to blame and only 24 percent thought that of Barack Obama
Blaming the Wall Street bankers was clearly the “centrist” position. Not surprisingly voters who blamed either president broke along partisan lines. Those who thought Wall Street was to blame leaned slightly toward Democrats at 41 percent and 57 percent leaned toward Republicans. This polling suggests Democrats suffered and will continue to suffer politically from voters perceiving them as too close to Wall Street.
With this in mind, note that President Obama has gone out of his way to show the American people that he really wants to follow the advice of Wall Street bankers when it comes to governing the country by choosing William Daley as his chief of staff.
Daley has served for years on JPMorgan Chase’s Executive Committee where he has been in charge of — not joking — “Corporate Responsibility.”
From a purely political perspective the optics of this choice are just terrible.
And yet the truth is that Obama has made a Wall Street banker his top advisor even though a plurality of voters blame their current economic hardship on Wall Street bankers.
88 Comments
This is not a progressive criticism of the choice. That is for a different policy focused thread. This is pure raw politics.
I remember when there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that the Rs were the party of Wall St.
When exactly did we fall into that rabbit hole anyway?
Hey, Jon, it’s a perfect political choice — if your goal is to shaft regular folks.
I guess everyone needs a scapegoat right?
Obama is predictable. Figure the worst thing he could do politically and he does it. However like all Presidential elections, 2012 will be all about personality.
Jon, I told someone yesterday that it comes off as “a poke in the eye” of the face of Main street.
We seem to be approaching some kind of political event horizon, don’t we?
This will further turn off Democrats which Obama will again interpret as a signal to become even less partisan… as if that would be possible.
Dear Jon – the ‘optics’ are real and accurate.
Many have long known and understood that:
as Matt Taibbi pointed out on FDL a while back.
by fretting about the ‘optics’ you seem to be fretting about the failure to prop up a facade of deception.
It’s hard to believe that this is a simple case of cluelessness, or a simple case of tone-deafness.
i will vote for Mittens…BSO teh suketh
It could be that he only money left for politicians to solicit is on Wall Street.
Sadly! Is that you?
Jon Walker I agree with you,
From a political perspective the optics of picking Bill Daley as Chief Of Staff is terrible.
This action by OBAMA is going to force some Dems up for re-election in 2012 to distance themselves from this WH big time.
Obama has the attitude of teenage kid, just like Jane said.
Now that’s profound, yet probably true.
For a picture of “out of touch” see Barack Hussein Obama.
What was that Nobel Prize for again?
This is not about a personal anti-banker thing. If say a plurality some how blamed the economy on say organic farmers, it would be a bad political choose to select an organic farmer
” the optics of this choose are just terrible.”
Not as bad as the grammar.
My questions then are these: These folks aren’t stupid. They explore the potential and likely ramifications of their actions. Before making this selection O’s team had to weight the pros and cons, right?
We know what the cons are. It’s a stupid choice that’s going to anger and alienate a lot of voters. Administrative agenda aside, this guy’s mere presence is just going to piss people off.
What are the pros? What do you think Daley brings to the team?
Also, knowing the cons, what do you think the WH plans to do to counter the negative effects of this appointment? When it comes time to getting re-elected (assuming that’s the goal in 2012), how does Obama answer the inevitable questions about this choice?
Can you document that?
The fact that they hold the jobs and offices that they hold is a testament to some level of intelligence. It takes a certain amount of manuevering and saavy to become a national politician, right? At least in most cases.
thanks, my bad
LOL
Eleventy-dimensional: choosing Daley will allow Obama to be even more critical of Wall Street, allying himself with the plurality of the American people who blame Wall Street, while pointing to Daley when the hedge-boys whine. He can say, “Hey, my Chief of Staff is One of You, and he lets me say these things!”
Kinda like LBJ used to say, “I’d rather have him inside my tent pissing out than outside pissing into it.”
(I don’t actually believe this explanation, but I post it here to allow Obamanauts something to hang their tiny little hats on.)
Obama does not seem to consider voters in his political choices.
Folks, I don’t begrudge the loyalists their reluctance to dump Obama. I was as fired up about him as anyone could be, but the jury is in, and has been for some time now.
It’s become a matter of political survival: we cannot go to the voters in 2012 with this guy as our standard bearer. They will not stand for it, and you can’t blame them. Whatever mental adjustment you need to make, you NEED to make it.
No more fantasies about him “luring” the republicans in for the
kill.
No more delusions about his somehow morphing into some amalgam of Roosevelt and Truman, in toughness, and willingness to confront the GOP.
Even if he wanted to, he no longer has the tools to make the changes we so desperately need. And there is not a shred of evidence that he really wants to move forward on even a moderately progressive agenda.
We have to start laying the ground work to fire him.
Either he goes into history’s dustbin, or progressives go into it.
The decision is ours, but to make it, we’re going to have to risk a republican president again. Considering that we’re halfway through George Bush’s third term, it shouldn’t be that difficult a choice.
Very well said. Depends on who the R candidate is ’cause I’m not thinking that Palin would be a good thing. Looks like they are going to have about 20 running – should be fun to watch.
Jed, I think there’ll be a lot more than “some”. I think that if any democrat except the safest district or state wants to have the slightest chance of hanging on to their seat, they’ll almost have to run against him.
And that situation, of course, will be a Godsend for the GOP.
No choice. We have to dump him, or the democratic party will be reduced to rump status in 2012.
Oh god…
Chuck Todds slime is coming through my television.
Now every talking head is going to felate Obamas decision to pick this douchebag.
Keith will be there to shine Daleys liberal credentials while Rachel will say he’s middle of the road common sense…
**** this **** it hard.
If I hear “Chicago politics!” x more times today I might throw my tv out the window.
Thanks, Twain.
I’m not afraid of Palin. In fact, if the repubs are insane enough to nominate her, it would be the only thing that might save Obama. Which, come to think of it, DOES scare me about her. :o)
But they aren’t that crazy. We’re already seeing some of the top repubs taking shots at her, and there’s going to be more of that as we head into 2012.
I’ll go so far as to say: watching the GOP deal with the flat-earth/bible-zombies is going to be good fun. :o)
I had high hopes and trusted Obama. I liked his message and his policy stances, also his life experiences & the choices he had made in the past.
If Obama, isn’t who he portrayed himself to be, who in the h— is he??
Who can we look towards to Lead, Advocate, and be Effective for the needs of Struggling American families??
Feeling very duped.
The tipping point will be when Obama unveils his plan to gut SS in the SOTU address.
The rest of the Democratic part will either follow him over the cliff or revolt.
Doubt it, not enough people know or give a damn and will just Obamabot it.
They’ll buy the bullshit kabuki, take it hard and beg for more…
Then when an EVEN MORE corporatist dem is elected in 4 8 12 or 16 years Obama will be lionized as a left liberal icon and the new dem will promise not to be anywhere near as liberal as MAOBAMA!
Democracy is dead.
What happens if Obama does defeat Palen and Glenn Beck starts screaming voter fraud?
I am afraid of how all those well armed, (and crazy) Tea Baggers will react.
really? Why so paranoid?
You can only be punked if you have a mis-perception about who this guy really is.
Watch any 11 dimensional chess with a genius playing on one side with the suckers, who still want to believe that there even is such a thing as 11 dimensional chess, on the other ?
Like bush , obama will leave the country in worse shape than bush, as if that is possible.
Why do you think I am being paranoid?
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2010/07/27/beck_s_angst_close_to_having_a_body_count
living in fear of the tea party? seems pretty paranoid to me.
the DC BUBBLE is very cloudy at the present time, few talking heads and political strategist can see and hear how badly Bill Daley will play in 2012.
Obama has triangualted himself into no chance of winning in 2012.
Obama can’t even say he cares about the middle class, with Bill Daley looking over his shoulder. The middle class hates bankers and the UNIONS hate the godfather of NAFTA.
See my edit above, it already happened.
si, i dont like BSO
“What are the pros? What do you think Daley brings to the team?”
Money. Wall St Money. For O’s 2012 re-election. The money is certainly not for the average D Congress critter’s re-election.
Under your buddies the Clintons
Obama has a huge political problem, you can’t run against WALL STREET, when you sleep with Wall Street.
Money is the blood of politics, everyone knows this.
You also need a platform, “CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN” “YES WE CAN” I don’t know how many people are going to help a candidate that says “WALL STREET IS MY DADDY” ”
You can’t ignore the 100,000 pound elephant in the room either. OBAMA is a Black DEM Candidate that liberals hate, Unions Hate, etc. I can’t find a black candidate that won an election or got elected without liberals and unions. Can you?
Oh. Right. I keep forgetting. The Clintons are the source of all the evil in the universe and Obama is just a naive child who is putty in their hands as they work their nefarious magic on him, forcing him to do as they tell him.
The Clintons and Barry the social security bomber are all pieces of scum that crawled out of the same pond.
Could not have said it better myself. D Congresscritters are forced to run away from Obama as fast as they can.
To do so, they must oppose everything Republican. They must stake out new liberal territory and stick to it hard. They have to fool voters the way that Obama did. The D Creeps in the Senate cannot do this. They love the MIC too much.
Most of the spineless, belly crawling D suck ups to Big Banks, the MIC, Big Oil, Big Telco Pseudo patriotism and Christian Fundamentalism, will find it very difficult to stake out liberal positions and hold tight.
It has been demonstrated in the midterms that Obama’s coattails are long gone. Obama is an albatross around the D Party’s neck, just as he was and is a life preserver for the R Party. Mixed Metaphors be damned.
It has been demonstrated that Republican Lite will lose to a real Repub 90 percent of the time. No metaphors.
O to Americans: F&*% YOU.
Ed Schultz: The head of the chamber of commerce is praising Daley.
Dean: Donahue is a mouthpiece for the republican party spending fortunes to beat democrats. The chamber doesn’t want anything good for the dem party and can’t be trusted.
Ed: But the chamber is praising Daley.
….
Dean: Well we can ignore him because he is a pro corporate guy who wants to destroy dems…
I think Dean was about to say in the wizard of oz voice, “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.”
Congrats Dean, you’re an official shill.
Has anyone read the Aasimov short story, “I have no mouth yet I must scream?”
This political climate makes me feel like I’m turning into the main character of it.
I love your post! :)
Dean is doing a poor job carrying the WH bull shit.
I saw that. Dean actually said something like, “Ideology does not matter.”
“He is respectful and does not use foul language.” Is Daley running for homecoming queen?
A fascist picks a fascist. Surprise, surprise.
Wall Street will make sure that republicans nominate someone even worse than Palin, and so making sure that THEIR CANDIDATE Obama wins…(‘don’t you want someone worse than Palin as president, do you’ will be the democrats main argument in the 2012 campaign)
Obama feels the bankers’ pain because he’s surrounded by them. Admittedly he’s one of the privateers, but would you rather he have to endure hearing from hippies in a time of war and economic crisis?
F* Obama.
Why all the anguish or surprise that he won’t do what average Americans want? Obama listens to the generals of business, the economic royalists. What are we going to DO about it?
You have to admit, all the effort HRC put into that campaign to give Obama cover so the Clinton’s could pull his strings was a stroke of diabolical genius.
Well, Mr. Howard Dean says he’s a grown up-so I guess that’s a dig at Rahm, however, it just means he will call the left retards in private, as grown up business men that hate working people do.
In public he will screw us just like Rahm did-maybe even better!
With Rahm it was personal-with this guy it’s just business, which means no more slips of the nasty tongue and it means that Obama’s lies will just get bigger.
Howard Dean yee fool-he said that Daley will at least listen to us-sure he will-then do the opposite.
Yeah I caught that. I also screamed when I heard Pelosi says she trusts Obama’s judgement.
Ideology doesn’t matter-so even if Obama is the right of Reagan it’s okay because he’s a nice guy I guess. What utter tripe and lack of common sense has befouled this country.
“Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it whether it exists or not, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedy.”
This may not be Dean’s finest hour. But keep in mind that Rahm and Dean share a deep and profound hatred for each other. Rahm’s replacement is not a subject where I would look to Dean for a thoughtful, rational response.
I want a raging liberal douchebag.
A rude, couthless half man half bastard.
I want him to be an asshole, grind gears, twist arms, crack skulls and melt ****ing faces as long as he fixes this corporatist shithole we’ve become then I don’t care if he takes a shit on the floor of the house I just want him to DO SOMETHING LIBERAL.
Sez It ALL!
Can’t help but wonder if Obama’s grandmother taught him that banksters walk on water?
I say the cliff. Like others, I believe there will be no Party revolt. A few pols trying to burnish their progressive cred will hit the airwaves in protest but will fall in line in the end if their votes are needed.
As to voters, also the cliff. You can bet the changes to SS will be constructed so that the average “news” consumer will be unaware of the nuts and bolts of the changes. Add to that a steady diet of MSM propaganda implying that SS is welfare and a major cause of the deficit that is now supposedly going to destroy the country and the result is you’ll get a lot of unwitting cliff-following voters.
i think so, although note the big jump in self described independents and decline in dems. Not that an actual human being running for a 3rd party could win, but perhaps put up decent numbers. Absent that there should be very low turnout as most now realize the futility of voting for these crooks
Yup
In response to regular democrats’ wants and needs, it’s Barry Barry Quite Contrary 24/7.
It takes a lot of work to make anything stink as bad as the Republicans but that’s exactly what Obama is doing to the Democrats.
Bad optics is the whole point. Obama is taking off his pants in public and shitting all over the American people. The Village wants us to know there isn’t a goddamn thing we can do about the banksters, or about anything else.
Whatthe; is Schultz “on board” with Daley?
Christ, that’s even worse than Dean vetting him.
Thassit, Hack. And that’s what give credability to the progressives who say that it’s all a shuck. It’s like the dems know goddamn well what’s going to happen when they run, and govern, as repub-lites, and they do it anyway.
Hard to argue with the people who say that it’s all part of the corporate blueprint for us.
In other news, did you see where democratic conger Israel introduced a bill in the House for every congress-critter to disclose within 15 days whether or not they are on the evil Government Health Program? The repubs shot it down unanimously.
This would have been a perfect stick to beat the GOP with, as they go about the task of gutting Obama’s “big win”. Instead, the White House silence is deafening.
Barack Obama is a community organizer for Wall Street and the War Industry.
No, Schultz is on board with Dean who is on board with Daley.
Sergeant Schultz was playing “I’m wary of Daley!” for his gullible followers, then when Dean vetted him it became, “Well I guess you know what you’re talking about.”
I’m going to be disappointed if there isn’t an apocalypse in 2012.
Barack Obama is a mercenary manchurian candidate for Wall Street and the War Industry.
Dean has been too good of a team player.
I really like him, but he won’t put the country before Party and he could energize the organizers and activists that got Obama elected if he were to challenge Obama in 2012.
Progressives need a much bigger bite to go with the bark.
Very well said.
Obama ran on a message of “not only ending the Iraq War, but ending the mindset that got us into War“. He’s not only failed on both accounts, but has aggresively fought foreign governments over bringing up charges of War Crimes against Bush officials, and then defended and happily repeated their crimes against humanity.
Any President who seeks to waste Trillions of dollars overseas and make the American public pay for it by gutting Social Security must be fired and rejected.
This can’t be accepted as “The Democratic position”.
Unfortunately, Russ Feingold has accepted a teaching job, and Kucinich has said that he is not running.
Ron Paul may be the only hope for getting us out of these Wars, restoring The Bill of Rights, assuring an uncensored Internet, and changing anything for the better.
I don’t see any heroes in the Democratic Party these days (or Republican Party).
I agree. I refuse to vote for a Democrat acting like a Republican – I will vote a Republican before that.
Obama is counting on the “crazy” factor to win the election in 2012, while at the same time he embraces the “crazy” by supporting Republican policies and an apparent willingness to negotiate away anything to nutty Republicans – he’s politically slitting his own wrists. I guess that’s his choice, but he’s also the de facto head of the party, and he’s putting the party in the ash heap of history too. I hope the other Democrats in the Senate and the House don’t have a problem with that because I will not vote for them either.
“Barack Obama is a community organizer for Wall Street and the War Industry.”
Good line! :o)
sperling was just announced. That is the trifecta today. daley and sperling in and Volcker out.
Tomas Frank was the only voice of reason on tv today with Spitzer.
He correctly pointed out what a totally tone deaf choice this was.
BO isn’t going to get any in the center back with the banker that gave us nafta.
I’m getting increasingly used to the probability that if the republicans run someone that isn’t a drooling christian, they will get the white house.
Of all of them, mitch daniels looks like the ‘white hope’ that is vanilla enough to permit the MSM to make a case for.
I have said it before, we have to get the House back and keep the senate.
The next two years of madness may push things to the left.
And if their votes aren’t needed they will be permitted to heroically vote against the president this time.
Not a single person in this administration represents the “forgotten man.” I hope to God everyone remembers this a year from now when Obama starts spouting his populist bullshit.
In a little over two years, you won’t have Obama to kick around anymore.
In a little over two years, Obama won’t have us to kick around anymmore.
Bullseye.
Boy, does that hit the nail on the head in typical Taibbi fashion.
Wonder if Matt would consider running for President?
Taibbi/Warren?
Taibbi/Hamsher?
Good.
The difference between Rahm and Daley is that Daley will use lube.
Folks, I can reduce all your well worded/constructed sentences and rational thoughts down to this: HE DON’T GIVE A TINKERS DAMN ABOUT HIS BASE! HE THINKS THE INDIES WILL DELIVER US, (him), FROM EVIL!
Many indies have sworn off Dems and Obama and would as likely have their votes continue to be insecure as ever vote for an R.
Obama’s building both the R and Indie ranks but don’t mistake indie for being in a mythical middle.