Ryan Lizza's People Magazine Love Letter to Rahm Emanuel

by Glenn Greenwald
by Glenn Greenwald

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel – who The New York Times described as "arguably the second most powerful man in the country" – is certainly one of the most controversial figures in Washington.  Prior to joining the Obama administration, Emanuel – in the Clinton administration and then as a high-ranking member in the House Democratic caucus – was at the center of countless political and personal controversies.   Emanuel has played the central role in much of the Blue Dog dominance in the House and many (if not most) of the worst Democratic capitulations to the Bush agenda.  Even in the four weeks that he's been in his current job, Emanuel has been the target of severe criticisms of his management skills from many precincts for his role in the Judd Gregg and Rod Blagojevich fiascoes and the Obama administration's questionable negotiating tactics in the stimulus package.   Both Jane Hamsher and Howie Klein yesterday identified just some of the current and past controversies that Emanuel has triggered.

Despite all of that, The New Yorker's Ryan Lizza has written a very lengthy profile of Emanuel – almost 5,300 words – that is so reverent, one-sided, and glorifying that it is hard to believe it wasn't written by Emanuel himself.  In fact, much of the piece consists of Emanuel praising himself and Lizza writing it all down uncritically.  It's almost impossible to walk on the streets of Washington, DC, without bumping into a vehement critic of Emanuel, but Lizza doesn't manage to include any comments from any of them. 

Instead – like a writer from People Magazine wanting to ensure continued access – he confines himself to quoting only Rahm's best-est friends:   David Axelrod ("one of Emanuel’s best friends"); Democratic Rep. Chris Van Hollen ("a friend of Emanuel’s"); and Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg ("an old friend" whose DC house Emanuel lives in).  Other than Lizza's inclusion of some light mockery by Fidel Castro of Emanuel's name, those are the only people who are allowed to speak about Emanuel in Lizza's piece (other than Emanuel himself).

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