The New Team
Rahm Emanuel
By CARL HULSE
Published: November 6, 2008
As he prepares to take office, President-elect Barack Obama is relying on a small team of advisers who will lead his transition operation and help choose the members of a new Obama administration. Following is part of a series of profiles of potential members of the administration.
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graphics8.nytimes.com/.../05rahm_190a.JPG Tannen Maury/European Pressphoto Agency
Rahm Emanuel in August.
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Name: Rahm Emanuel
New job: Has accepted Mr. Obama's offer to be the White House chief of staff.
Will bring to the job: An unusual hybrid of high-level experience as a top adviser to President Bill Clinton together with proven expertise as a Congressional leader and political strategist. Mr. Emanuel is also a close friend of Mr. Obama, a fellow Chicagoan.
As the No. 4 Democrat in the House and an architect of the Democratic majority, Mr. Emanuel knows Congress from the inside out after winning his seat in 2002. In the Clinton administration, he was aggressive, frequently profane and instrumental in shaping domestic policy on issues like health care, welfare and trade.
He earned the nickname Rahmbo for his determination and take-no-prisoners approach — an advantage when trying to bring a thorny issue to resolution, but a style that can be off-putting to those accustomed to gentility. Mr. Obama might also decide to keep Mr. Emanuel on Capitol Hill to protect his flank, and the Democratic House majority. Should he resign his seat, Mr. Emanuel would be relinquishing a promising House career and aspirations to become speaker.
Is linked to Obama by: His Second City roots (Mr. Emanuel represents a slice of the north side of Chicago and adjoining suburbs) and his ties to the family of Mayor Richard M. Daley, which has been a source of support, guidance and experience for Mr. Emanuel, who was initially known for his fund-raising skills.
Mr. Obama has been close to Mr. Emanuel since arriving on Capitol Hill; Mr. Emanuel considers David Axelrod, Mr. Obama’s chief strategist, to be one of his closest friends. The three share a common policy view and would make a formidable triumvirate in the White House. Mr. Emanuel found himself under pressure during the Democratic presidential primaries to back Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, given his relationship with her husband. But he stayed neutral and ultimately endorsed Mr. Obama.
In his own words: “We’re going to put in front of the American people the fundamental question of this election: Who’s going to change the economic policies in Washington that resulted in a lower standard of living for middle-class families?” From an Obama campaign conference call with reporters on Sept. 12, 2008.
Used to work as: An investment banker for three years after leaving the White House and before being elected to the House. He banked $16 million while handling mergers and acquisitions with an emphasis on utilities. In his youth, Mr. Emanuel badly cut a finger on a meat slicer while working at an Arby’s. The wound became infected, and he lost half of the middle finger on his right hand. The shortened digit is something of a trademark.
Carries as baggage: Mr. Emanuel’s stint in high finance and his experience in the banking world opens him to some criticism of being too allied with Wall Street, not the image Democrats want to cultivate these days. Critics have asserted he was only able to succeed in the banking world because of his political connections. Since he is part of the Daley circle, Mr. Emanuel’s appointment as chief of staff could also create the appearance of a White House that is too Chicago heavy. His manner can also create enemies, and Mr. Emanuel has ruffled the feathers of many on Capitol Hill, particularly black and Hispanic lawmakers.
Is otherwise known for: Training as a ballet dancer. And his brother, Ari Emanuel, a Hollywood agent, is the model for the abrasive agent Ari Gold in the HBO series “Entourage.”
Biography includes: Born Nov. 29, 1959, in Chicago ... liberal arts degree from Sarah Lawrence College, masters from Northwestern ... married to Amy Rule, three children ... a regular swimmer and a voracious reader, using his hours aboard airplanes to consume books ... served briefly as a civilian volunteer on an Israeli military base during the Persian Gulf war of 1991.
from: www.nytimes.com/.../06emanuel.html
... a regular swimmer and a voracious reader, using his hours aboard airplanes to consume books
That makes him sound like Cookie Monster, eating all those books. :afraid:
I'd be even more impressed if he was a regular reader, voracious swimmer, and spent hours on airplanes in an EndlessPool.
What do it mean to be a regular swimmer? If you swim 40 to 80 laps three times a week, is that considered regular, just wondering?
As someone who spent hours on an Endless pool a few weekends ago, It is not a good idea. An hour on an endless pool is just enough.
I would say a "regular swimmer" means he wants a shot at Jeff Erwin or Hochstein. Actually, it's probably how people say they are triathletes after they do a single sprint triathlon or a runner after they do a single turkey trot.
Swim distances in triathlons, unless done in a pool, are never accurate. Also, transition time (the time to get to your bike) is sometimes lumped onto the swim.
If it makes people happy to call themselves triathletes after they have finished a triathlon, then let them be happy about it. Distance shouldn't matter. Usain Bolt most certainly can call himself a runner without doing a marathon.
I have noticed that some folks resort to doing Ironman triathlons because they get their butts kicked in a shorter triathlon. They figure they'd rather channel their determination and obsessive-compulsive tendencies into a positive avenue by doing an Ironman. Good for them, but the sprint triathletes that kicked their butts are no less triathletes.
It's good that he's been working on his swimming. A few years ago he did some sprint triathlons (maybe he's done more since?).
At the 2003 Accenture Chicago Triathlon
Swim pace 2:19 over 750 meters
Bike pace 19.9 mph over 13.6 miles
Run pace 8:09 over 3.1 miles
Overall place 194 of 1105
While none of his splits are particularly impressive (he was 40 at the time I believe), his swim split stands out as the slowest of the three. Oddly enough, he placed higher in the swim than in the bike or run, which tells you something about the state of swimming in triathlons, or maybe that the water was very rough that day, or the distance of the course not accurate...
In any case, I'd much rather have a "regular swimmer" (maybe a 3 times a week rec swimmer?) helping run our country than a couch potato.
Brian
I was going to ask what makes someone an actual triathlete if completing a triathlon isn't good enough.
I think the point was that triathlons, more than most sports, have become something for the masses (which I think is good) but does not imply any proficiency. If I say I'm a plumber, it implies I can fix a leaky fawcett among other things. If I say I'm a triathlete, it can mean I can do a sub 2 hour Olympic distance triathlon or it could mean, I own a swim suit, snorkel mask, running shoes, a 1974 Schwinn Varsity, and on occasion, use them in sequence.
I personally don't care what people call themselves (I prefer to call myself a bitter, broken-down ex-swimmer who likes to do triathlons. turn-ons--long walks on the beach; turn-offs--work, mean people, cloudy days).
Rahm, I now pronounce you a regular swimmer.
Certainly the same thing said about triathletes could be said about people who claim to be swimmers. To me a swimmer is a person who trains a few times a week and competes a few times a year. To most a swimmer is a person in board shorts and a noodle. So, we are not immune from the scrutiny.
Kurt - do you also like puppies and romantic candle light dinners by a fire on a bear-skin rug?
I have lots of respect for those that complete an Ironman. They are indeed triathletes. They usually are pretty nice folks as long as they don't think I'm less of an athlete for sticking to Olympic distances and shorter.
So, I guess not only can we say that Emanuel is a swimmer, but he is also a triathlete. :D
A triathlete friend of mine calls them "I-did-athons." He also competes in occasional OW races and thinks there is far less of this attitude in swim races.
I don't think the situation with triathlons/triathletes is all that much different than running and road races.
My friend also talks somewhat disparagingly of how easy it has now become (in his opinion) to qualify for some of the more prestigious marathons. He freely admits to being a run-snob.
For better or worse, I don't think swimming as a sport lends itself as easily to casual acquaintance. IMO even "mediocre" masters swimmers are far, far better swimmers than the average person on the street, or even the typical lap swimmer.
don't blame emanuel, someone from the media probably asked him if he exercises and he probably said he's swum on occasion and they translated that into regular swimmer
