The confetti has been swept up, new midterm “ins” have been sworn in, and the first week of 2011 shows the promise of yet another long, two year Presidential campaign coming our way. While it can be said this particular POTUS has never left the campaign trail in his first two years, the staff changes already being implemented shows the not-so-novel slogan of “change” doesn’t apply to his favorite “dogs of campaign”.
Spokesmouthpiece, Robert Gibbs, has stepped down, announcing his intent to serve as private sector consultant to the Obama campaign. Also putting in his resignation is another high profile campaign figure from 2008, David Axelrod. Like Gibbs, Axelrod didn’t hesitate to announce he continues to hitch his wagon to Obama’s star, and swaps his WH advisory position for that of campaign personnel.
Also looking at the revolving door this month is another veteran of the O’2008 campaign, Jim Messina. Messina functioned as Plouffe’s right hand man and campaign chief of staff. So it comes as no surprise that he’s slated to run the 2012 campaign from Chicago.
Meanwhile, welcome back campaign powerhouse David Plouffe. The “whiz kid” has returned to the WH to fill Axelrod and Gibb’s shoes for personal counseling, while one of the most powerful families in Chicago sends in one of their own – William M. Daley – to replace Rahm Emmanuel as chief of staff.
Filling that particular slot with Daley convinces die hard lib, Susan Estrich, that Obama will be dragged to the more moderate center, (at least in the portraits painted by the media), and cinch his 2012 win. But then, when you can essentially reign by regulation, who needs Congress to be productive? Obama has little to lose if he allows the gridlock in Congress to run unfettered, while he accomplishes more of the agenda in the back room rewrites of regulations. Meanwhile his political wardrobe designers, including Daley, revamp his emperor suit using triangulation cloth and moderation thread…. at least so it will seem.
Yup.. it’s old home week at the WH as Obama gathers his Chicago team together, and prepares to launch his perpetual campaign machine once more from one of the most notorious and corrupt capitals of the world. This, of course, is something that will not come as a surprise to Mike Allen at Politico, who not only exposed the audacity of preplanning back in Feb of 2010, but has added other likely suspects as 2012 staffers cut from the same Chicago mentality cloth.
Ironically, the below cartoon is from a 1934 Chicago Tribune edition.
Note the small sign on the side of the cart? “Young Politicians from Columbia and Harvard”.
Amazing how decades may pass, but some things never really “change” at all. All I can say is, it’s going to be a very long two years…
Vietnam era Navy wife, indy/conservative, and an official California escapee now residing as a red speck in the sea of Oregon blue.
