BloggeRhythms

Back on Saturday, January 22, an article by Christopher Cadelago, Laura Barron-Lopez and Sam Stein @politico.com/news was referenced in which they wrote: “Biden’s chief of staff started strong and earned plaudits. But, increasingly, he’s under scrutiny for the state of the presidency.”

They continued: “As Joe Biden limps into his second year in office, a common criticism has emerged among fellow party members: his top advisers are too insular, rigid and self-assured.

“At the center of it all is Biden’s chief of staff, Ron Klain.”

The reference was then made here that, “The situation is remindful of Woody Allen’s 1971 movie Bananas where in a tiny Latin American nation the hero, Fielding Mellish, a bumbling New Yorker becomes involved in its latest rebellion.

“In a classic courtroom scene, Mellish tries to defend himself from a series of incriminating witnesses. Although one of the witnesses does provide testimony favorable to Mellish, it’s delivered in Spanish a language Mellish doesn’t’ speak. The court clerk, when asked to read back this testimony, replies with an entirely different, wholly unfavorable rendition which doesn’t help Mellish whatsoever.”

This writer then surmised: “So, here we have a very possible happenstance where the duly elected President of the United States is a centrist, quite willing to work with opposing political leadership, solving the nation’s problems, but his Chief of Staff, Ron Klain is not, nor is his Press Secretary, Jen Psaki. And between the two of them, they are setting the national agenda whereas a senile, memory-lapsing, incompetent chief executive cannot.”

And now today, January 25, Sean Sullivan and Tyler Pager headline an article @The Washington Post: “Ron Klain had the perfect résumé. His first year showed the limits of that experience.”

The text goes on: “Klain, 60, is praised by many in the White House and on Capitol Hill for his responsiveness and organizational abilities, and most important, is said by close associates of President Biden to retain his confidence. But even some allies suggest that Klain's approach is not necessarily producing the desired results.

"I think that, by and large, he's making the trains run on time - even though some of the boxcars may seem to be empty some of the time," said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.

“Biden, with Klain's help, secured a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill and a landmark infrastructure package, which Klain's supporters cite as evidence of his effectiveness. But the president also has faced setbacks in taming the pandemic, failed to pass his marquee social spending and climate legislation, and spent much of the year enmeshed in messy congressional negotiations.”

And then the power of Kalin’s position begins to clarify, as the authors write: “Along the way, Klain has drawn criticism that he is overly concerned with elite opinion, as reflected in his active Twitter presence, and that he is aligned too closely with Democrats' left wing.”

An accounting of Klain's “turbulent year” follows “based on interviews with more than 60 White House and administration officials, Cabinet secretaries, members of Congress and other Klain associates. Many talked on the record, while some spoke on the condition of anonymity to be more candid about sensitive topics and private exchanges.

“Klain himself, in a wide-ranging interview, appeared to acknowledge that playing an inside-Washington game had been problematic for Biden in his first year, creating an image that the president spends most of his time in political negotiations. Klain vowed that Biden would spend more time on the road in 2022, interacting with Americans and showcasing his trademark style of backslapping empathy.

"I find him [Klain] to be incredibly effective," said White House senior adviser Mike Donilon. "There's enormous confidence in him. And, most important, he has the president's complete trust."

What follows serves to reinforce the thought regarding  a Bananas comparison: “Among the strongest criticisms of Klain come from Democrats who say he has forged an alliance with the party's left that has undercut Biden's effectiveness and hurt his political image.

 “Many complaints center on negotiations with Capitol Hill over Biden's agenda this past fall, with many Democrats charging that Klain acceded too often to the demands of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. At a critical juncture, the talks left House Democratic leaders, including Pelosi, feeling upset with Klain, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.

“The sore point was Biden's decision in late October not to press House Democrats to vote immediately for his bipartisan infrastructure bill, as Pelosi and her allies wanted. Liberal Democrats, by comparison, preferred to wait until they could ensure that a companion social spending and climate plan also had enough support to pass. Biden's senior staff was united behind his decision to hold off, according to a White House official.

“Some Democrats complained about Klain's frequent conversations with Congressional Progressive Caucus Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., saying they felt that allowed her to influence the White House strategy in a way that has been harmful to the party. White House officials dispute that notion, and Klain said he pushed clearly for an immediate infrastructure vote during a conversation with Jayapal, in which she warned the votes would not be there.

“One frustrated Democratic member of Congress, speaking on the condition of anonymity to talk more freely, accused Klain of creating "a monster" by empowering Jayapal, using an expletive to underscore the point.

“Klain also had a hand in drafting an unusually bitter statement excoriating Manchin after the senator came out against Biden's Build Back Better social spending and climate bill, according to a White House official.

“Manchin has complained publicly about the White House staff, and people close to him say those frustrations largely center on Klain. Manchin has told allies that he believes Klain has pushed Biden to embrace a more liberal policy agenda, adding that Klain must repair the relationship with him if the chief of staff is to be involved in future negotiations.

“Klain also had a hand in drafting an unusually bitter statement excoriating Manchin after the senator came out against Biden's Build Back Better social spending and climate bill, according to a White House official.

“A Manchin spokesperson said the senator and Klain have always had a working relationship.”

On the other side, among Republicans the Bananas scenario has fully taken hold, whereas “Klain has become something of a lightning rod. Aides to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., have taken to calling him "the prime minister," a derisive moniker meant to play into the slight that Biden is not up to the job of being president.”

“Critics say Klain has to be evaluated by the results, which they say are less-than-stellar for Biden's first year.”

"He's the guy in charge. Things aren't going well, therefore, it's his fault," said Bill Daley, who served as Obama's chief of staff after Emanuel. "That's just the price of admission in that job."

So, with all the backlash against Biden, the sinking in the polls, the wonderment about acceding too often to the demands of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, it seems we’re finding out that none of this is attributable to a senile chief executive at all. It’s the policies of his far-left chief of staff that’s taking the nation down the chute.

That’s it for today folks.

Adios