Read More of the Same Day's Blog

The heady coverage of Election Day and its aftermath is over. After expanding their half-hour newscasts to an hour on Monday and Wednesday and airing all-night results on Tuesday, things are back to normal. All three networks led with the Story of the Day, the first step of Barack Obama's transition to his new administration, the appointment of fellow Chicagoan Rahm Emanuel to be Chief of Staff of the White House. CBS filed its lead from the White House itself; ABC and NBC were both with the President-elect in the Second City.

"The Land of Lincoln has rarely had this much influence," mused NBC's Lee Cowan, as he noted that the two most powerful men in the White House will be from the Windy City. "The home of the President-elect is now also the home to the man who will be the gateway to the President." ABC's Jake Tapper reminded us that Chief of Staff Emanuel had been an operative in Bill Clinton's White House before he was elected the Congress. "Sharp tongued," was the way Tapper described him. CBS' Jim Axelrod called him an "aggressive, forceful and sharp-tongued Washington insider" with a "penchant for tough, straight--if a bit salty--talk." Axelrod described him as "very close" with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, "comfortable as an enforcer."

CBS' Wyatt Andrews consulted his network's in-house political analyst Dee Dee Myers about Presidential transition history. She was Clinton's press secretary when her boss was slow off the mark. "She did not get that job until seven weeks after the election." Myers used the euphemism "rocky" for Clinton's indecision. By contrast the incumbent's transition was smooth despite the month-long Florida recount dispute before George Bush officially won the job. Andrews argued that a speedy and aggressive transition--like Ronald Reagan's--was essential and hinted that John McCain's relentless teasing of Obama during the campaign for "measuring the drapes" was out of line.


Andrew Tyndall 11/7/08 8:27:02 pm

© 2010 Tyndall Report