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Nov

6

Six degrees of Rahm Emanuel

Filed Under Congress, Democrats, Government, Politics, PostWH2008 | 3 Comments

Chris Cillizza has come out with ten facts you need to know about IL congressman but soon to be Obama Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel and this one really hit home, literally, for me:

10. Rahm’s closest friend in Congress: Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro. (He lives in a basement apartment in DeLauro’s house — she is married to Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg — during his time in Washington).

Ha. I was just talking about Rosa at the NPR event with blogger Aldon Hynes of Orient Lodge.  He lives down the street from where I grew up in Connecticut and we were talking about Chris Shays (4th CD) losing in CT and then talked about Rosa and how she’s been in there a while and how I’d interned for her predecessor, Bruce A. Morrison.  Come to think of it, I wonder of Bruce would work at anything in an Obama administration.  Bruce was really ahead of his time in some ways, a very progressive congressman during the 1980s, with Reagan as president.  Anyway, my dad knows Rosa and her husband, from political fundraising work my dad used to do (I know, I’ve mentioned it before, bla bla bla).

Mom – I know you read this – you can correct me on any important facts I’m missing or I messed up.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 6:38 pm November 6th, 2008 in Congress, Democrats, Government, Politics, PostWH2008 | 3 Comments 

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Nov

6

Mandel to speak as Rove headlines: Restoration Weekend in Palm Beach, FL next weekend

Filed Under conservatives, OH17, Ohio, Politics, Republicans | Comments Off

You can read details of the event in a pdf here, and Democratic Underground gives a critique of it here. An excerpt:

Restoration Weekend is hosted by The David Horowitz Freedom Center. It is meant to be a conference for conservatives to restore themselves. They need to after leading this country into the toilet.

The more objective description from the pdf:

The David Horowitz Freedom Center is pleased to announce its Restoration Weekend to be held November 13 – 16, 2008 at The Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Florida. Join other likeminded conservatives for a weekend of socializing with notable speakers and authors who will discuss important issues that affect our security and American freedoms. Over 35 prominent political figures will enlighten audiences at this important annual event. Confirmed speakers for this year’s event include David Horowitz, Victor Davis Hanson, Dick Morris, Michael Steele, Ralph Peters, Robert Spencer, Frank Gaffney and more.

There doesn’t appear to be a single woman listed as a speaker for the event, but I’m guessing that the list shown is not all-inclusive. Others who are listed:

Fred Barnes, Bernie Goldberg, Bill Cowan, Daniel Pipes, Max Boot, Stephen Moore, Josh Mandel, Chris Simcox, Sheriffs Ziggy Gonzalez and Arvin West, Mark Krikorian.

It’s not cheap: $1,700 for one person, $2,700 for couples.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 2:48 pm November 6th, 2008 in conservatives, OH17, Ohio, Politics, Republicans | Comments Off 

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Nov

6

Rahm Emanuel reportedly accepts Obama Chief of Staff offer

Filed Under Barack Obama, Government, Parenting, Politics, PostWH2008, WH2008 | 1 Comment

Chris Cillizza writes that, “Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel has, as expected, accepted the job as chief of staff to President-elect Barack Obama, according to informed Democratic sources.”  I’ve yet to find confirmation on that anywhere else.

Earlier today, Joe Scarborough labeled of Emanuel’s publicized statements about thinking it over as being demonstrative of a lack of discipline in the Obama camp.

See here, but here’s a bit of a self-done transcript:

Scarborough: “If he [Emanual] doesn’t know if he wants it…it shows a less than disciplined transition operation.” Chris Matthews disagrees with Scarborough.

Scarborough again: “He’s sitting there in front of cameras trying to decide if he wants to be chief of staff or not – don’t you think this would have already been decided months ago by he and his family”?

Matthews: “Well – I have no idea I don’t question motive Joe…”

I haven’t seen a transcript of it but I’m told that Scarborough also was “trashing [Emanuel] for ‘agonizing in public’” and called the lack of an immediate acceptance by Emanuel as “‘stumbling’ because it makes them look uncertain.”

You know, the last time in this election cycle when we heard someone say that they gave an immediate acceptance to the offer of a high-level political job was this:

GIBSON: When McCain asked you to take the spot on the ticket, for a moment, did you think no?

PALIN: I did not. I thought yes, right off the bat. When he offered me the position, as his running mate, the first thing I said to him was, if you really think that I can help the ticket, if you really think that I can help this country, absolutely, I want to do this with you.

GIBSON: And you didn’t say to yourself, am I experienced enough? Am I ready?

PALIN: I didn’t hesitate, no.

GIBSON: Doesn’t that take some hubris?

PALIN: I answered him yes because I have the confidence in that readiness. And knowing that you can’t blink. You have to be wired in a way of being so committed to the mission, the mission that we’re on, reform of this country, and victory in the war. You can’t blink. So, I didn’t blink then, when asked to run as his running mate.

How’d that work out, Joe?

Emanuel’s statements about needing to think about the offer and consider his role in his family as he considers the role in an Obama administration is incredibly 21st Century to me.  And it’s what I would hope any parent with young children would do: consider the offer.

To critically evaluate such a serious job as it relates to the work-life balance is something that should be emulated from the top down, not trivialized and picked at.  The last thing I believe we should be supporting is hiding such decision-making processes or labeling it as “stumbling” or a sign of an “undisciplined operation.”

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 2:18 pm November 6th, 2008 in Barack Obama, Government, Parenting, Politics, PostWH2008, WH2008 | 1 Comment 

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Nov

6

2008 Redfern Bennett Road Show: Tuesday, 11/11, 8am, Pepper Pike

Filed Under Announcements, Barack Obama, Elections, Ohio, Pepper Pike, Politics, PostWH2008 | 1 Comment

After the Votes Have Been Counted

Tuesday, November 11, 2008
8 a.m.
Congregation B’nai Jeshurun
27501 Fairmount Boulevard, Pepper Pike

Join the leaders of Ohio’s Democratic and Republican parties for a special insider perspective of the historic 2008 elections.
· Robert T. Bennett – Chair, Ohio Republican Party
· Chris Redfern – Chair, Ohio Democratic Party

Cost: $10 per person (not tax-deductible)
Continental breakfast (kosher dietary laws observed)

To learn more and register:
- Online
- By phone: 216.566.9200, ext. 501
- By mail: Check made payable to Jewish Community Federation Election Forum, 1750 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115

Sponsored by The American Jewish Committee and the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland

Here’s what I wrote about the 2006 Redfern Bennett roadshow that was in Beachwood.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:27 am November 6th, 2008 in Announcements, Barack Obama, Elections, Ohio, Pepper Pike, Politics, PostWH2008 | 1 Comment 

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Nov

6

Wayback machine, 5/16/07: Conservatives far less interested in presidential candidates

Filed Under Campaigning, conservatives, Elections, Liberals, Ohio, Politics, Poll, Sarah Palin, WH2008 | 5 Comments

How unsurprising.

Here’s what Stephen Koff of the Plain Dealer had to say about the poll results:

Two new polls of Ohio voters and the 2008 presidential race are out this morning. We’ll skip the horse race angle momentarily, because polls are coming out so frequently that their results are a bit incremental. And frankly, Ohio, some of the candidates don’t give a darn about you and your late (relatively) primary anyway. Mark Naymik’s column yesterday explained why.

This means that if you’re paying attention to the next presidential election, you probably follow politics regularly, you’re a donor, or — the real value of today’s polls — you’re a liberal. That’s the only ideological group in the new Ohio Poll, put out by the University of Cincinnati, that showed overwhelming interest in the ’08 race.

Translation: Liberals are psyched and engaged.

The choice of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as the GOP VP candidate makes sense, then, if conservatives were seeking to try and match the liberals’ level of being psyched and engaged.

But these poll results, from 16 months before Palin’s selection, also indicate how little an impact that selection could have because of how late that selection was made, if only because liberals started so much earlier.

This realization will be just one of many stunning realizations that will parade before us as the election cycle is unpacked.  But the case that will continue to be built will be the same: the conservatives have no one to blame but themselves for how they fared eighteen months after that poll was released.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:57 am November 6th, 2008 in Campaigning, conservatives, Elections, Liberals, Ohio, Politics, Poll, Sarah Palin, WH2008 | 5 Comments 

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