Today it was announced that Bill Daley, Obama’s Chief of Staff, after barely a year, suddenly resigned. Bill Daley was brought into the White House to offer a more business-friendly face to the administration, however Daley didn’t fit into an administration that was broadly anti-business.
It was widely known that Bill Daley would not remain should Obama survive re-election, but his departure nearly a year early is a sign that even Daley couldn’t alter the direction of the administration. Daley was quickly marginalized after his arrival at the Obama White House.
Major players in the White House expressed that Daley’s influence had been fading over recent months in the area of fiscal management and had become virtually non-existent on political matters. Bill Daley’s moderate views had no place in a left-wing dominated White House proving that his appointment was purely as a crumb for the business community.
Bill Daley, a seasoned businessman and former Commerce Secretary came to an abrupt end with the appointment of Jack Lew, Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget to replace him today.
Daley was often overruled by Obama Chicago insiders like Valerie Jarrett, leaving him ineffectual. If nothing else it’s surprising Bill Daley put up with the level of disrespect he faced from the “chosen few,” in the administration.
Daley’s downward spiral was accelerated when he tried to work with Congressional Republicans, something he learned from serving in the Clinton administration. Daley suggested Obama work with Speaker Boehner to “go big” on a deal during the summer debt ceiling negotiations while Obama’s close friends wanted Obama to take a tougher “take it or leave it,” approach.
Obama Senior Adviser David Plouffe and incoming Chief of Staff Lew were in favor of a big deal with Boehner while National Economic Council Chairman Gene Sperling was opposed. Sperling won and Daley lost.
Daley’s moderate views and his willingness to work with Republicans made him widely unpopular with White House staff leading to deterioration in his role in administration efforts. Daley’s businessman’s approach to the nation’s fiscal issues ran in direct opposition to key White House advisors that wanted more liberal policies.
Daley was a statesman in an administration dominated by political partisans. Within weeks of accepting the job last year Daley was a dead man walking. Unfortunately for the nation and likely Mr. Obama’s re-election chances, Obama chose to follow the direction of his far left advisors. Daley posed a threat to Obama’s radical liberal inner-circle and destroying any influence Daley had became a key objective of the Obama team.
Daley’s departure sets the table for full-on progressive governance for the remainder of the Obama administration and leaves yet another bad taste in the mouths of America’s business leaders.