by Mark Silva
Rahm Emanuel, architect of the ''thumpin''' that Democrats gave Republicans in the House elections of 2006, says his party could have averted the thumping it got in the special Senate election in Massachusetts this month.
CBS News' Katie Couric, calling the former Chicago congressman "a master political operative'' in an interview airing this evening on the CBS Evening News, asks him where he was "when Massachusetts was going down in flames for the Democrats?''
"Well, I was here at the White House,'' Emanuel says.
Was he "asleep at the switch? ''
"Well, I mean, as soon as it was brought to my attention, or the White House's attention, we immediately got involved in it,'' Emanuel says -- President Barack Obama flew to Boston to campaign for Democrat Martha Coakley near the eve of the vote. Republican Scott Brown handily defeated her in the contest for the seat of the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.
"You know, I suppose, Katie, you could say that I'm responsible for not having done more at the White House,'' Emanuel says, "but I think that, in this period of time between her winning the primary and us getting a phone call to get involved, we were immediately up there with whatever resources they asked for and more.''
"Would you say you dropped the ball?'' Couric asks.
"That I, Rahm Emanuel, dropped the ball?''
"The White House,'' she says. "The Democrats.''
"Look, you know, I don't want to re-litigate this, but it is no doubt in my mind we could have won that race,'' Emanuel says.
Amid rumors that Emanuel might not be long in his job -- though he has said he will serve at least through the year, Couric asks the chief of staff about his job security.
"Look, I mean, I think so, but you know, I've worked in the White House before and I work here,'' says Emanuel, who handled political matters for former President Bill Clinton.
"Every day the president of the United States can make any decision. You work there basically at their pleasure. So any day you could basically be told, you know, 'No more.' That's you know, what comes from working at the White House. I suppose, I mean, that's the way I look at it. And as long as the president wants me, I'm here.''
Comments
I'm glad nude model Scotty Brown won...
The Dems never really had 60 seats with right wing sell outs like weasel Joe Lieberman screwing up everything, now the can sit back and watch Brown slowly meltdown.
Brown can either vote like a true responsible moderate and retain his senate seat in two years, or, he can vote with the rest of the rabid right wing clowns in his party and lose his seat faster than he got it.
The ball's in your court Naked Scotty! Don't drop it!
Posted by: former Republican | January 27, 2010 6:06 PM
Scott Brown is already walking back his past associations with and endorsements of Teabagger Republican candidates.
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http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/77383-brown-camp-wont-say-whether-controversial-endorsement-is-legitimate
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Obama is on the right path if he makes HCR better before they pass it. And I can't wait to watch the Repubs explain why they're voting against crackdowns on Wall Street.
Posted by: dave | January 27, 2010 6:12 PM
Note to Sarah and the Teabaggers:
I think it's a safe bet Rahm could have rattled off the names of a few newspapers had Katie asked.
Posted by: Kenny Bunkport | January 27, 2010 6:19 PM
YOU LIE!.....oh, wait a minute...that hasn't started yet has it?.....nevermind.
Posted by: J Addison Graves Wilson | January 27, 2010 6:44 PM
Where was Rahm? Try where was Martha Coakley, her campaign manager, head of DSCC Bob Menendez... there's a long list of people who's only or main job it was to run this campaign!
Posted by: lizzie | January 27, 2010 6:50 PM
Rahm through healthcare, Rahm through more spending, Rahm . . . just wait in Nov 2010. It turns out there's a whole lot of us "mouth breathers", "teabaggers", "astroturfers", "dumb rubes", "etc". Just keep talking Dems. Show us all how smart you are!!!!
Posted by: THE REAL Thank GOD I'm a Conservative | January 27, 2010 7:08 PM
You're still "mouth breathers", "teabaggers", "astroturfers", "dumb rubes" ... We're all just learning that some supposed Democratic Senators are some of that as well. Stupidity and the inability to stop sucking from the corporate teet apparently are not exclusive to the GOP anymore.
Posted by: po | January 27, 2010 8:16 PM
STICK WITH THAT PO, SEE WHAT IT GETS YOU IN NOVEMBER. PERHAPS COPENHAGEN OR SOME OTHER EU LOCALE MAY HELP YOU PAY THE HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF TAXES AND LOWER FREEDOMS YOU SEEK. THIS IS, AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN A CENTER-RIGHT COUNTRY. YOU 10 % LOONY LIBTARDS HAVE HAD YOUR 5 MINUTES, AND YOUR "GRAND OPPORTUNITY TO NEVER WASTE A CRISIS" AND IT HAS OFFICIALLY EXPIRED.
*
ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Bobby Mobbie | January 27, 2010 9:10 PM
No, actually we're the majority now ... The 10% you reference are the percentage of Americans represented by certain Democrat-in-Name-Only Senate Demicrats. The Democrats start doing what the POTUS is proposing, everything will be just fine.
We'll clean up your mess, eventually ... We ALWAYS do
Posted by: Po | January 27, 2010 9:51 PM
Po I do not know what La La land you live in. Liberals only account for 20% of the voting population, 34% are conservative, and the rest are independent. So how does that make liberals the majority? You must understand that most people do not vote party they vote ideology. Now back to Rahm Emanuel. After so many people have saw who this man really is he could never come back to Illinois and run for public office. Just like November of last year and last week the liberals were saying that they will not loose and we all know now that they did. Here in Illinois it's primary season and the vote is next week. I hear incumbent Democrats distancing themselves from Obama. The blaming of the previous administration does not fly all that well here in Illinois. Not after all the liberal that hold office in this state and condition they have put us in. Well next Tuesday be the third shot that hits the ship called liberalism we will see. But, Po you really need to try to get better propaganda because what you're using is too easy to shoot down. You sound like the mainstream media pushing team Obama and the liberals propaganda about how the majority backed Obama care when the majority backs healthcare reform but not the way the liberals were going about it. So in closing, Po you go on watching MSNBC and listening to Air America. Oh I forgot Air America is no longer on the air because only 20% of the voting population call themselves liberals. And before you go off I do not listen to Rush Limbaugh or watch Fox news evening programming.
Posted by: Crooks_In_DC | January 28, 2010 2:27 AM
Nice try Po, but no majority, actually, not even close...check out the poll from Gallup.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/120857/conservatives-single-largest-ideological-group.aspx
The more you libs keep trying to show how "intellectually superior" you are, the more it helps our conservative cause.
Posted by: Barry J | January 28, 2010 8:25 AM
Yaaaaaaawn. Liberal ... Liberal ... MSM ... Liberal ...
I never said I was liberal or that liberals were the majority ... Nice try. You, like the MSM you ridicule, equate all dems as liberal. This is incorrect, as we see in the Senate.
I did insinuate that conservatives are not the majority ... And the Gallup poll cited proves me right. Thank you. Next.
Posted by: Po | January 28, 2010 2:35 PM
Keep trying Po...your exact quote was "Actually we're the majority now"...What majority would that be? The Dems who aren't beholden to special interest money?
Posted by: Barry J | January 28, 2010 4:04 PM
Po you're just like Obama. You got caught in a lie you can try to backtrack but it's posted above.
Posted by: Crooks_In_DC | January 28, 2010 8:10 PM
I'm so glad Nude Model Obama won...he gets to flex his glistening pecks while he terrorizes NYC with trials of Al Queda, gives the underwear bomber a lawyer and flies large jets back and forth over NYC with a fighter jet behind it.
Oh, well brawn and NO BRAINS.
Posted by: Free to Watch Whatever I Want | January 28, 2010 10:26 PM
I hope Emanuel stays in the White House, That will insure the Change in 2014, And Obama has never been caught in a LIE, Because he would have need to know it was the truth first. And that is hard when you are the #1 Dumb Rube in the country. being spoon feed everything
Posted by: Goon | January 29, 2010 12:05 AM