The long knives are out for some key administration officials as concern deepens among Democrats that members of President Obama's inner circle have pulled him off track. The criticism centers on three administration powerhouses: White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, and White House economics adviser Larry Summers. Liberal activists and some Obama loyalists from his 2008 campaign argue that the three are too close to Wall Street, corporate interests, and the Washington establishment and that they have drawn Obama into a set of policies that have dragged his job-approval ratings down and jeopardized the success of his presidency.
Geithner and Summers are viewed as too protective of Wall Street, while Emanuel is seen as too close to the Democratic power brokers in Congress, where he formerly served as a representative from Chicago. The three have strayed from Obama's campaign approach as the leader of a movement, "a new kind of leader who said he would do things differently in Washington," says a former senior campaign adviser. Instead, Americans see "politics as usual," he adds.
At this point, there is no indication that Obama will force Emanuel, Geithner, or Summers out of his inner circle. But White House insiders say the president appears to be listening more to others, such as Vice President Joe Biden, former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker, and senior adviser David Axelrod. As a result, Obama has moved toward a tougher, populist approach to regulating the financial industry and more emphasis on a larger message and not day-to-day tactics.
Another source of dissatisfaction among Democrats (and some Republicans) is the job performance of Ben Bernanke as head of the Federal Reserve. The Senate is expected to vote soon on whether he should continue in that office, and a rebellion against him appears to be brewing.
To help shore up his political standing, Obama is planning to make more use of David Plouffe, his 2008 campaign manager, as an informal White House adviser. Plouffe has been talking periodically to the president, the White House staff, and strategists at the Democratic National Committee for months. He has spent most of his time, however, working on his recent book and developing business in the private sector. Obama aides say the goal now is to have Plouffe play more of a role in formulating House, Senate, and gubernatorial strategy for the remainder of this year.
Plouffe is considered an expert in identifying trends, and Democratic strategists hope he will help them recognize early-warning signs of political peril such as the voter anger in Massachusetts that propelled Republican Scott Brown to victory in the special Senate election last week to fill the seat held by the late Sen. Edward Kennedy.
- See the members of Obama's inner circle.
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