In the wake of a State of the Union address heavy on confidence and promise, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough today charted a “urgent” and aggressive future for Democratic power.
After declaring that the White House “feels quite good” about the State of the Union, McDonough went on to hint that presumed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton would be a fitting flagbearer of President Obama’s progressive vision.
“I don’t worry about it,” McDonough said Thursday at a Politico Playbook Lunch, referring to how the dynamic between Obama and Clinton will play out as the 2016 campaign approaches. “I feel really good about where the Democrats are. We gotta be urgent about these two years and that’s what we’re doing.”
On the same day Obama continued a tour of red states — Idaho and Kansas — to promote his new policies, McDonough endorsed Clinton to carry the mantle.
McDonough said Clinton would be a “very good president” who is “unequivocally well prepared,” “absolutely dogged,” “very strategic” and a “decent and caring” person.
McDonough worked closely with Clinton during her four years as secretary of state under Obama.
In wide-ranging comments, McDonough revealed the context behind the White House’s act-first strategy in the aftermath of Democrats suffering dramatic defeats in last year’s midterm elections.
>>>Emboldened Liberals are ‘Still Full of Hope’ After Obama Charts Aggressive State of the Union
The morning after the midterms, Obama walked into the Roosevelt Room of the White House with a self-assured message.
“He looked at it as the start of a new period,” McDonough said. “He said, ‘Look, I am a competitive person. We have a clear opportunity to show our ideas work.’”
In traveling to red states this week after the State of the Union, Obama “wants to make clear he believes the country is not as divided” as some in Washington believe.
On his part, McDonough could not avoid politics altogether in his comments before a public audience.
Denis Mcdonough speaks with @mikeallen at #PlaybookLunch. | Photo: Rodney Lamkey Jr. pic.twitter.com/KeGEoZKBDW
— POLITICO Pro (@POLITICOPro) January 22, 2015
Below, The Daily Signal highlights some of McDonough’s memorable thoughts on the news of the day.
* McDonough weighed in on House Speaker John Boehner’s decision to act on his own to invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak before Congress in March. The White House said today that Obama would not meet with Netanyahu during his visit because it doesn’t want to interfere with Israel’s March 17 elections.
“It’s not a question of anger,” McDonough said about Boehner not consulting with the White House before inviting Netanyahu. “We don’t want to jump to conclusions. We have to make sure we approach this in a nonpartisan way. Our relationship with Israel is above partisan politics. That’s the way we will continue to approach this.”
* McDonough reiterated the White House’s opposition to an effort by Republican congressmen to enact additional sanctions against Iran. He said the Obama administration needs “time and space” as they continue diplomatic negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program.
“Rather than apply added sanctions or have Congress insert itself as a decider on the deal, there ought to be space to make this deal permanent,” McDonough said.
* The White House chief of staff pointed to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement as an area where some Democrats and the majority of Republicans could agree. McDonough also said he expects the White House to find common ground with Congress on cybersecurity and possibly corporate tax reform.
* On a lighter note, McDonough shed some light on Obama’s leadership style and work-life routine. Known as an avid reader of the news, Obama especially enjoys reading Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic and Tom Friedman of The New York Times on his iPad. McDonough says he rarely discovers interesting news that Obama hasn’t already read about. But that doesn’t mean Obama isn’t open to other perspectives, McDonough said.
“The president is already known as someone who wants to hear everybody in the room,” McDonough said. “If you’re going to a meeting with the president, you better be ready to say something because he will call on you.”