Rahm Emanuel
Illustrating Emanuel's penchant for exploiting crises for political gain, he remarked, "A crisis is a terrible thing to waste." [1][2]
Prior to his election to Congress, he had worked in the Bill Clinton White House from 1993-1998, first serving as Assistant to the President for Political Affairs, and then Senior Adviser to the President for Policy and Strategy. He also worked as a banker in Chicago, and is known for his highly aggressive style.
Emanuel was appointed to the board of scandal-plagued quasi-governmental mortgage giant Freddie Mac by President Clinton. [3][4] While Emanuel was on the board, Freddie Mac misreported its net income in 2000 by 30.5 percent, in 2001 by 23.9 percent and 2002 by 42.9 percent according to the SEC. Freddie Mac's failure is regarded as one of the precipitating events of the Financial Crisis of 2008.
In the White House Emanuel's aggressive demands for a stimulus package won passage of the liberals' $789 billion bill in February, but alienated Republicans (only three of whom voted for it). His seizure of control of the Census Bureau from the Commerce department led Senator Judd Gregg, a leading Republican, to reverse himself and reject the job of Secretary of Commerce. Emanuel released control of the census to head off complaiints of political interference.
Background
He is the son of a prominent physician, Dr. Benjamin M. Emanuel, who was born in Jerusalem. Emanuel and his wife Ann have three children:, Zacharias, Ilana, and Leah. Emanual has a bachelor's degree from Sarah Lawrence College (1981), and a master's degree in speech and communication from Northwestern University (1985).
References
- ↑ Rahm EmanuelYouTube- you never want a serious crisis video
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122610420534009957.html
- ↑ Emanuel Was Director Of Freddie Mac During Scandal, ABC News, November 7, 2008.