Chuck Schumer may be Washington's go-to guy in the Empire State, but that doesn't mean the administration likes him. He's just the guy who gets the job done.
The White House has tapped Schumer to fill important roles as of late, including walking Sonia Sotomayor through the Supreme Court confirmation process, which began last week. When Schumer wanted a potential opponent of his bud Kirsten Gillibrand to back out of the senate primary in 2010, President Barack Obama personally gave Rep. Steve Israel a call and asked him to bow out, which he did.
Schumer's been a New York senator for a decade. He knows the lay of the land, he works hard and he knows what political strings to pull to get what he wants – hence his influence in the West Wing, says White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.
"I talk to Chuck, I don't know if it's every day, but it's numerous times a week," Emanuel told The New York Daily News. "You never leave a conversation without learning something or getting a good idea, or without him willing to help the President. ... I can't speak highly enough of him."
Speak for yourself, Rahm. Schumer may be wily, but he's got a reputation for being aggressive at times – a characteristics that make plenty of Obama staffers roll their eyes when they hear his name, reports the Daily News. The senator's maneuvering to get close to Obama for a photo op at a recent credit card-bill signing, for example, incurred some hostility from those who witnessed his political play.
While remaining publicly respectful toward the senator, White House staffers have demonstrated their frustration in subtle ways – suggesting other senators would have done as great a job when Schumer was tapped to lead important healthcare legislation, for example, or not saying sorry when Obama left his name out when praising Emanuel for winning the Democrats the majority in the House – an accomplishment Schumer was crucial in achieving -- according to the Daily News.
What explains the slights? Well, Schumer's never been afraid to butt heads with the White House. He also opted not to support Caroline Kennedy, Obama's good friend, in her efforts to fill Hillary Clinton's vacant senate seat, which bugged some White House aides, reports the Daily News. His ties to Wall Street haven't won him any points either.
Just because White House aides aren't big fans of Schumer doesn't mean the aversion to the senator ascends to the Oval Office, however. Emanuel said so himself.
"No bull----, all crap aside, I don't know who's saying whatever," he told the Daily News. "I'm speaking for the chief of staff to the President of the United States. The chief of staff takes his phone calls and returns his phone calls."
But why is the president's Chief of Staff weighing in on this at all?
Get this: Schumer asked him to.
Talk about pull. Schumer was so worried that the Daily News article would portray him in a negative light that he asked Emanuel to go to bat for him.
Schumer's gone to bat for the White House as well – guiding the administration through the confirmation of Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner despite his tax issues, garnering support from labor groups and legislators who don't like one of Obama's bills and working doggedly toward compromise on healthcare reform, among other efforts.
No one has to like Schumer just because he's good, but when you're going up against tough opposition, you want a guy who can get things done.
"He's sort of like the Bill Belichick or Bill Parcells of coaches," former Clinton White House aide Chris Lehane told the Daily News. "You may not like him, but you want to play for him because he's a winner."
