Game Change

Daley's Appointment Signals Shift to Middle

Obama reaches out to Republicans, business.

Don’t be fooled by the dynastic name: William Daley’s appointment to be White House chief of staff is a shakeup for the Obama administration. He may have known the president for years, but he’s hardly a member of Obama’s inner sanctum in the way of other Chicago veterans like Rahm Emanuel, David Axelrod, and Valerie Jarrett. He’s also positioned to reach out to a newly Republican House and to the business community, which was demonstrated with the immediate praise from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “That’s money,” said an Obama ally of the Chamber's reaction. Liberals are less than thrilled by Daley’s appointment, however, with MoveOn.org’s Executive Director Justin Ruben calling his close ties to “Big Banks and Big Business” “troubling.” Going forward, Daley’s appointment demonstrates Obama’s intention to run down the center in 2012, and to a shift away from an improvisational campaign-style of politics to a one more methodical and focused.