Rep. Rahm Emanuel says he will help Barack Obama work in a bipartisan way.
CNN) — Rep. Rahm Emanuel insisted Sunday that he
would help President-elect Barack Obama work in a bipartisan fashion,
brushing off criticism that he would be a “hyper-partisan” chief of
staff.
“President Obama is very clear, as you look at his career, both in
the state senate, U.S. Senate, and the campaign, that we have to govern
in a bipartisan fashion,” he said on ABC’s “This Week.”
“The challenges are big enough that there's going to be an ability
for people of both parties, as well as independents, to contribute
ideas to help meet the challenges on health care, energy, tax reform,
education,” he said.
Obama announced last week that he had chosen Emanuel to be his chief of staff.
The Republican National Committee put out a press release shortly
thereafter that said, “Obama’s Broken Promise: After promising change,
Obama selects hyper-partisan wedded to special interests.” Minority
Leader John Boehner called Emanuel an “ironic choice” for a
president-elect who promised to “govern from the center.”
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, however, agreed with Democrats and called Emanuel a “wise choice.”
"Rahm knows Capitol Hill and has great political skills. He can be a
tough partisan but also understands the need to work together. He is
well-suited for the position of White House chief of staff," the South
Carolina senator said.
Graham said he and Emanuel worked together during the presidential
debate negotiations, and "when we hit a rough spot, he always looked
for a path forward."
Emanuel, who has a reputation as a tough political infighter, is
credited with helping Democrats take control of the House in 2006.
He was elected to the House in 2002 and is the fourth
highest-ranking member of the chamber's Democratic leadership. He
worked on President Clinton's first presidential campaign and served as
a White House adviser to Clinton.
The Chicago politician said Sunday that it will take a joint effort
from leaders of both parties to tackle the challenges facing the
country.
“Because the challenges … whether on the national security front or
on the economic, are looming large, and they're going to require both
parties and leaders of both parties, as well as independents, to offer
up ideas to how to meet those challenges,” he said.
Emanuel also said he thought Sen. John McCain would be a “partner” in working to solve those problems.
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