Bill Daley is stepping down from his job as White House chief of staff and will be replaced by budget director Jack Lew, a senior administration official said Monday.
Daley’s tenure has been plagued by complaints about his management style and his rocky relations with Congress. He already had ceded some responsibility in recent months, but his decision to leave his post surprised White House officials.
The job went to Lew because of his strong connections on Capitol Hill and his wide variety of experiences in government and the private sector, according to a second senior administration official. The transition will take place at the end of the month.
Like Daley, Lew previously served in the Clinton administration.
Jack Lew is also a longtime member of the Orthodox Union community – having been an active member of Congregation Beth Shalom of Potomac and the Riverdale Jewish Center.
From NBC’s John Yang — July 10, 2010:
As an Orthodox Jew, Jack Lew, President Obama’s choice to Director of the Office of Management and Budget, observes the religious restrictions on the Jewish Sabbath, which runs from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. He leaves the office Friday afternoons in time to get home before sundown, and does not use electric or electronic devices, including the telephone.
Once, while working in President Clinton’s director, Lew’s home phone rang one Saturday. He didn’t answer and a familiar voice could be heard from the answering machine, urging him to pick up the phone. Mr. Clinton said he understood the sanctity of the Sabbath, but that it was important that he talk to Lew. He even said, it was later reported, that “God would understand.”
Lew later consulted with his rabbi, who said that taking an important phone call from the President of the United States would be permissible on the Sabbath under the Talmudic teaching that work on the Sabbath is allowed in order to save a life.
(Source: Politico)
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14 Responses
Right, because he has nothing better to do than make a Jew his right-hand man in order to get the measly 2% of Jewish American (the vast majority of whom would elect him anyway).
Obama is wasting this appointment.
The liberal Jews would have voted for him anyway.
Torah Jews will not be fooled by ‘the chazir showing a kosher foot’, and claiming to be kosher.
Obama would probably love to stir up some divisiveness among the religious Jewish “voting bloc”.
Chief of staff is not the sort of position the attracts votes. It’s a low profile position in terms of the public.
A better explanation may be that he needs to get the budget under control, and promoting the head of the budget office might be a way to do so.
Appointing Joseph Lieberman to a high position (Secretary of State, Supreme Court) might be a better way to appeal for Jewish votes. Making some concession to Israel might help with anti-Obama Jews (e.g. moving the embassy to Jerusalem and recognition of Israeli sovereignity over at least part of Jerusalem).
Neither the Washington Post nor the Washington Times mentioned anything about his religion. It has to do with his experience in Washington behind-the-scenes politics and budgetary matters (and Daley moving to co-chair the Obama reelection campaign).
“Desperate for Jewish Votes” is a nasty and uncalled for editorial swipe that is unsupported by the chain of events leading to Lew’s appointment.
Daley’s resignation was not a shocker, and the drafting the OMB Director into the Chief of Staff position is a natural, especially in view of their common professional backgrounds.
#4 is absolutely correct. And in addition, when you claim that Obama is doing this to pander, you take away from the obviously notable accomplishments of Lew, as if to say that he did not deserve this post on his own merit. I find that shameful.
This insults Mr. Lew and denigrates his being derserving of the job by attributing it solely and cynically to politics. This is a very talented and able frum Jew. Put the politics away for a minute.
Pardoning Pollard (and rubashkin) would also garner more jewish support.
LET HIM FREE POLLARD IF HE WANTS THE JEWISH VOTE !!!!
#2 Do you know the man? What happened to “giving the benefit of the doubt”. I am not an Obamaa fan but would not label someone who is frum as a ‘chazir showing a kosher foot’ as you put it just to show my dislikes of Mr. Obama’s policies.
Right, because he has nothing better to do than make an ORTHODOX Jew his right-hand man in order to alienate the secular Jewish Vote. Who makes up your headlines?
@winny1 I think you may be the one that isn’t giving the benefit of the doubt. The comment was discussing Obama trying to show he likes Jews by sticking out his feet, even though the rest of his body screams that he doesn’t like Jews.
Proud orthodox jew– Read #2. It appears it can be translated to mean either one. We chose to look at it differently. Therefore, I stand corrected.