PoliticalHeresy

With the appointment of Emmanuel Rahm as his chief  of staff, Barack Obama is quickly beginning to give definition to the way his administration will run and operate.  While running under the banner of post-partisan politics, Obama was able to garner the support of many who do not traditionally support the values which he has stood for through his voting record.  While the idea of ending partisanship is a noble idea in many circles, it quickly becomes a utopian-like holy grail of political operation.

While I have no misconceptions of the unreality of the elimination of partisanship, it seems that Obama must be careful in the appointment of the rest of his cabinet not to quickly lose all the centrist support that he worked so hard to acheive.  Rahm is quite well-known for his sharp and pointed attacks on the Republicans, as well as the ruthlessness with which he pursues his causes.  Provided that he will become one of if not the principal advisors in Obama’s Whitehouse, Emmanuel has the chance to take his personal ambitions and attacks to a whole new level, with no reason to believe that he will hold them within the check of post-partisanship.

As I have mentioned earlier, Obama’s career in politics has been defined by public opinion, only rivaled by his personal ambition.  With this in mind, the selection of Emmanuel, who is Jewish, makes complete sense considering the anti-Israeli sympathies that have often been espoused by the “radicals” with whom Obama has so often been associated.

It will now take a concerted effort in his appointments for his administration to rise above partisanship, by appointing several people with whom he does not necessarily agree…afterall this is what he has promised us.  A token effort of appointing Hagel and Lugar, both of whom had voiced their support for the Democratic ticket will not suffice.  What is needed is real bi-partisanship, the kind that made Abraham Lincoln a great president.  The appointment of actual conservatives with whom the heart of the Republican party can identify is the only way that he will gain the respect and the support of both sides of the aisle. 

I, for one, will be more than a little surprised if this administration would differ from the status quo of appointing cronies to positions of power.  Then again, that is exactly the kind of thinking that will be needed in order to move into an era of post-partisanship which was promised throughout his historic 2 year campaign for change.  Now that would be change we all could believe in.  Here’s your chance Barack.