Rahm Emanuel predicts uphill climb for Obama re-election
(CNN) – Rahm Emanuel left his post as White House Chief of Staff more than a year ago, but on Sunday the Chicago mayor waded back into presidential politics, saying his former boss’ reelection was far from a sure thing.
“There's no doubt there's a challenge politically because the economy is not where the American middle-class family needs it to be for their bottom line,” Emanuel said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Emanuel said the American people would hold President Barack Obama and other elected officials accountable for the faltering economy when they cast their votes in 2012.
“Everybody in public life, everybody in corporate life, is accountable for that result,” Emanuel said. “And corporate life, you deal with it, if you're a public company with stockholders. For the president of the United States, for members of Congress, also as you know, their ratings are low. They're facing challenges. You're accountable to try to get the results so the middle class can achieve the middle class gains.”
The Chicago mayor said despite the uphill battle, Obama is still making decisions with the goal of long-term success, rather than immediate political gain.
“I often advised the president about doing the quick, political thing, and he looked at the long-term,” Emanuel said. “And he rejected the quick, and political. Because it wasn't in America's interest. That's true of both financial reform, health care, the bigger decision. And he's never lost his fight for America. And he did make decisions that were in the long-term interest.”
Emanuel took square aim at the current GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney, predicting economic catastrophe should the former Massachusetts governor be elected president.
“There would not be an auto industry if Mitt Romney was president,” Emanuel said. “He would have said, let it go bankrupt.”
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It depends on how many republican lies, are swallowed by the electorate. Judging from the past, it's going to be one hell of a battle.
The economy isn't recovering as fast as it could be because the Republicans want Americans to suffer and our economy suffer so they have a better chance at regaining power. Pretty freakin' sick, if you ask me.
BTW, let's play a quick round of "Name that Republican," by identifying who said this:
"We’re going to close the unproductive tax loopholes that allow some of the truly wealthy to avoid paying their fair share. In theory, some of those loopholes were understandable, but in practice they sometimes made it possible for millionaires to pay nothing, while a bus driver was paying ten percent of his salary, and that’s crazy. Do you think the millionaire ought to pay more in taxes than the bus driver or less?"
Which Republican said this? RONALD REAGAN.
9.1% unemployment will doom this president!!!!!! This country is on the verge of CIVIL WAR and you better get ready for it!!
More could have been done if the House and Senate talked with the president more. I would have like to have more president talking to the American public about what he wanted to do; this goes for the health care and other legilislative priorities.
Our president doesn't need any repubs around when his own people talk as they do!! Emanuel says he has" an uphill climb"": and his vice president. says he thinks the Republicans can beat him. Didn't your mothers teach you little boys that confidence in what you are doing is half the battle..Who needs enemies with these guys around??? They're wrong, of course ,as we will see in 2012!!!!
Not least thanks to Mr. Emanuel's rather disastrous advice. He took over a huge political asset on the way up.
And left a wreck desperately fighting to survive. Better luck with Chicago.
Unfortunately, luck has nothing to do with it.
Hey four and the door see u in 2012 when u be kissing obama ring cause he is so gonna win by landslide victory
Read Mr. Emanuel's book The Thumpin and you will see what this White House did to Gov. Palin. All the frivolous ethics complaints are right out of his playbook.
uphill fight? what else is new? stating the obvious hardly seems newsworthy to me !!!
Why does anyone ask these " job creators" how many jobs they have created since they got the tax cut by Bush Junior.
It has been over 10 years. They ask the President over and over. Why they are not asked?
The President is not a dictator. He has to deal with a group of people who are determined to defeat him even if they destroy our country in the process
"predicts uphill climb"......this is so unlike members or ex-members of this administration. Not sure what mind game they are trying to pull, but it won't work. The American people know what a corrupt dangerous administration we now have and they won't allow them to continue their path of destroying this great country of ours.
It comes down to this: The GOP just doesn't have anybody strong to put up as an alternative.
The Mayor of "Chi-Town" has spoken !
Few can take the heat , and even fewer can take the cold !
Obama 2012
If one of the GOP presidential hopeful is elected in 2012 the majority of Americans will enjoy the chewing gum offered by the GOP president and GOP-controlled congress. But the sweetness of the chewing gum won’t last long and all the middle class of Americans regardless of they are either REPUB or DEM will keep chewing the tasteless rubber for another 4 years under the president Pseudo-Bush.
anybody but bho in 2012
the alternatives is these presidential candidates who don't even know how to jumpstart the government.. every plan i see from these candidates including 999 plan, will only make povertyworse.. i see another world war 3 in the making, because every one of these candidates wants to prove that american is powerful, instead of try to go for peace... its this image of world power that had other countries is trying to go against us, and religious wise they thinking that we're evil.. no i'll vote for Obama again, warts and all.
This is why Emmanual left the administration. Obama brought all his Chicago cronies with him, with no business or economic experience, ruined the economy, so they all split, didn't want to be a part of his failed legacy.