Many progressives see Emanuel's appointment as an ominous sign that Obama is going to be the third Clinton Administration (since other Clinton insiders are rumored to be favored for positions in the administration).
But we are a bit more optimistic about it.
We don't think that Obama chose Emanuel for his DLC ideology. A chief of staff is the person who gets the job done on behalf of the president (and Biden is not going to be pulling the strings like a Cheney; power will be restored to the presidency in an Obama Administration), not the formulator of policy.
Given that context, Emanuel may very well prove an effective choice in dealing with a Congress that is too often tied up in knots by the Republicans. Remember that Emanuel will be carrying out Obama's policies, and Rahm won't be bringing a steak knife to the fights ahead; he'll be shooting a bazooka.
That may be unpalatable to a lot of progressives, but the last person you want dealing with the remainders of the rabid right wing is a Quaker (although, yes, we are great admirers of the Quaker outlook). You need some muscle to shake up Capitol Hill, someone to blow a few knee caps off.
Rahm Emanuel can do that, with glee and a glint in his eye.
Yes, you can look at Emanuel's appointment as a setback for progressive ideals, or you can look at it as an indication that Obama is prepared to do battle.
Personally, I'm hoping it's the latter.
I'm all for making ashtrays out of Repug kneecaps too, but he's got to keep the Dems in line as well. Obama can come up with ideas and policies and put the public face on them, but he needs someone who can silently get in close and do the knife work on Congress that produces results.
Obama needs an ass kicker and Emanuel might be just the guy. I'm down wid it.
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