By JEFF ZELENY and PETER BAKER
Published: 11-07-08
CHICAGO — President-elect Barack Obama said Thursday afternoon that he selected Representative Rahm Emanuel a fierce and consummate navigator of the capital’s political terrain as his chief of staff because he has “deep insights into the challenging economic issues that will be front and center for our administration.”
“I announce this appointment first because the chief of staff is central to the ability of a president and administration to accomplish an agenda” Mr. Obama said in a statement. “And no one I know is better at getting things done than Rahm Emanuel.”
A veteran of the Clinton administration and a fellow member of Congress from Illinois Mr. Emanuel has been a close adviser to Mr. Obama. He informed Mr. Obama of his decision on Thursday morning saying he would step down as the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives to help guide the Obama administration.
“Now is a time for unity” Mr. Emanuel said. “I will do everything in my power to help you stitch together the frayed fabric of our politics and help summon Americans of both parties to unite in common purpose.”
In a statement he added: “Like the record amount of voters who cast their ballot over the last month I want to do everything I can to help deliver the change America needs. We have work to do and Tuesday Americans sent Washington a clear message — get the job done.”
Mr. Obama will make his first post-election visit to the White House on Monday accepting an invitation that President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush extended to him and his family after he won election as the nation’s 44th president on Tuesday.
“Michelle and I look forward to meeting with President Bush and the First Lady on Monday to begin the process of a smooth effective transition” Mr. Obama said in a statement. “I thank him for reaching out in the spirit of bipartisanship.”
In a day that saw several developments related to the transition it was announced that Mr. Obama would hold his first post-election news conference Friday morning following a meeting with his top economic advisers in Chicago. He is not expected to announce any cabinet appointments during the session aides said though he is eager to keep the focus on the economy during the first days of his transition.
Mr. Obama himself remained largely out of public view on Thursday. He went for a morning workout about 9:30 a.m. returning to his home about 90 minutes later. In the afternoon he received his first intelligence briefing as the president-elect.
Even as Mr. Obama moved toward assuming power he was still building on Tuesday’s commanding victory. According to a New York Times analysis he added North Carolina to his column capping an extraordinary campaign in a state that had not voted for a Democrat for president since 1976.
Vote totals there show 49.9 percent for Mr. Obama and 49.5 percent for Senator John McCain. Counting North Carolina Mr. Obama now has 364 electoral votes to Mr. McCain’s 162 with 12 still to be decided — 11 in Missouri and one in Nebraska.
Across the country Senator Gordon Smith of Oregon among the most moderate Republicans in the Senate conceded defeat on Thursday to his Democratic rival Jeff Merkley.
Vote-counting in Oregon where people cast ballots exclusively by mail has not been completed. But so far the challenger has about 48.7 percent of the counted ballots to Mr. Smith’s 46.1 percent.
The victory in Oregon marks the sixth seat taken by a Democrat that had been held by a Republican and will give the Democrats and the two independents who usually caucus with them a 57 to 40 edge in the Senate with three not yet settled. In Alaska Ted Stevens holds a narrow lead despite his recent conviction on seven felony counts of failing to disclose $250000 in gifts and services he received; the race in Georgia is headed for a runoff and a recount will be conducted in Minnesota.
In addition to the Democrats’ gains of at least 6 seats in the Senate they have also picked up at least 19 in the House though Mr. Emanuel’s seat will now have to be filled in a special election.
Representative Emanuel a close friend of Mr. Obama’s from Chicago was said to have been concerned about the effects of becoming White House chief of staff on his family and giving up his influential role on Capitol Hill.
On Wednesday Mr. Obama named John D. Podesta a former Clinton White House chief of staff to lead his transition team along with Valerie Jarrett a longtime adviser and Pete Rouse his Senate chief of staff.
In turning to Mr. Emanuel and Mr. Podesta Mr. Obama sought out two of the hardest-hitting veterans of President Bill Clinton’s administration known for their deep Washington experience savvy and no-holds-barred approach to politics. Neither is considered a practitioner of the “new politics” that Mr. Obama promised on the campaign trail to bring Republicans and Democrats together suggesting that the cool and conciliatory new president is determined to demonstrate toughness from the beginning.
The selection of Mr. Emanuel known by some as “Rahmbo” because of his toughness was met with criticism by some Republican lawmakers. The House minority leader John A. Boehner of Ohio said in a statement “This is an ironic choice for a president-elect who has promised to change Washington make politics more civil and govern from the center.”
But Senator Lindsey Graham a South Carolina Republican who campaigned strenuously for his close friend Senator McCain called it “a wise choice.”
“Rahm knows Capitol Hill and has great political skills” Senator Graham said in a statement.
He added: “He’s tough but fair. Honest direct and candid. These qualities will serve President-elect Obama well.”
Fully aware of his reputation among his Republican colleagues Mr. Emanuel noted in his statement: “I want to say a special word about my Republican colleagues who serve with dignity decency and a deep sense of patriotism. We often disagree but I respect their motives. Now is a time for unity and Mr. President-elect I will do everything in my power to help you stitch together the frayed fabric of our politics and help summon Americans of both parties to unite in common purpose.”
At the White House President Bush said in remarks on Thursday morning that next week he and Mr. Obama would discuss the challenges facing the country. He said Mr. Obama’s staff was receiving intelligence briefings and that the Department of Justice had given security clearance to Mr. Obama’s transition team.
Given the economic crisis and ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan Mr. Bush said the White House was making an “unprecedented effort” to ensure a smooth transition in the first handover since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 2001.
“We face economic challenges that will not pause to let a new president settle in” Mr. Bush said. “This will also be America’s first wartime transition in four decades.”
Indeed Mr. Obama’s triumph on Tuesday was met with fresh signs of the daunting burdens to come.
President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia warned that he would deploy missiles if Mr. Obama built Mr. Bush’s planned missile defense system in Eastern Europe. In Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai pleaded with Mr. Obama to halt air strikes that have been killing civilians. And in the United States stock markets plunged on Wednesday and again on Thursday amid more dark economic news.
Beyond choosing staff members Mr. Obama must decide how active he intends to be in asserting leadership during the transition. He has conferred with Congressional leaders about passing a $100 billion economic stimulus package the week of Nov. 17 to pay for public works projects aid to cities and states and unemployment food stamp and heating benefits.
But Congressional aides said that if Mr. Obama could not win agreement from Mr. Bush and Senate Republicans they might scale the package back to about $60 billion then return in January with a broader plan.
Reporting was contributed by Jack Healy and Michael Luo in New York and Jackie Calmes Helene Cooper Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker in Washington.
