on a trip in March to South America, tensions mounted in Libya, and NATO leaders discussed whether to intervene. In a March 20 photograph, Daley and Obama take a conference call with world leaders from a makeshift secure setting in Rio de Janeiro. When the president’s inner circle gathered
in the White House Situation Room on May 1 to watch the raid of Osama Bin Laden’s Pakistani hideaway, Daley was there, the only one in a suit and tie, grimly watching the dramatic interna- tional siege unfold, the moment captured in a now-famous photograph. Known for his low-key persona and his ability
to build consensus across the chasm of party and ideology, Daley stands in contrast to Emanuel, the hard-charging former congressman who preceded him as chief of staff. Though touted as a possible candidate over the years, Daley has never thrown his hat in the electoral ring. “Bill Daley has a very steady hand,” says Alan
Gitelson, professor of political science at Loyola. “He’s a two-for-one: he’s someone Obama can trust, and he comes out of the business commu- nity, so he has an easier time talking to conserva- tive members of the House and Senate.” Daley says his experience in government and
OFFICIAL WHITE HOUSE PHOTO BY PE TE SOUZA
President Barack Obama talks with Chief of Staff Bill Daley in the Cross Hall of the White House, March 3, 2011.
circles, they didn’t have a close personal relation- ship when Daley arrived in the West Wing on January 13. Daley says he did have long-standing ties to Valerie Jarrett, a senior White House advisor, and David Axelrod, the Chicago political operative who heads up Obama’s political team.
would underwrite the cost of the opening week- end for Chicago’s downtown Millennium Park, one of his brother Richard’s high-profile initia- tives. JPMorgan then made a $5 million donation to the new modern-art wing of the Art Institute of Chicago. By 2007, Daley was the bank’s head of cor-
porate responsibility worldwide, accountable for government relations, philanthropy, and environmental issues. Then came a call from the White House in
mid-December of last year, asking Daley if he’d consider the chief of staff post. Though both Obama and Daley hail from Chicago Democratic
A day in the life Daley meets with Obama from six to eight
times a day, including a final wrap-up before the president heads to his White House residence for the evening. Daley says it didn’t take long to fit in with Obama and his team of advisors. “These multiple meetings force you to de-
velop a relationship quickly,” Daley says. “He’s a good manager.” The days are long—Daley arrives at the White
House by 7 a.m., works there until 7 p.m., and, after dining or attending an evening event, gets home by 10 p.m., so he can rest up and do it all again. He travels with the president as well. While
the corporate world brings him an appreciation of both: the dynamism of private enterprise and the challenges faced by governments that provide public services. Risk is palpable in both worlds. As a banker, Daley weighed proposals for financing from entrepreneurs, the idea-genera- tors whom he sees as the ultimate risk-takers in our society. In the public arena, he says the politi- cians play that same role as they try to sell ideas to voters and their elected colleagues. Daley bridles at those who say you need to
run government like a business. “That’s a fallacy a lot of people get stuck on,”
he says. “You can’t take all that you do in the private sector and think you can implement it in the government setting. They have different purposes, different pressure points.” Daley’s bipartisan approach comes at a crucial
time for Obama, midway through his four-year term, observers say. Emanuel provided the politi- cal muscle Obama needed among Democrats when they ruled both Houses of Congress, says Stephen Wayne, professor of government at Georgetown University. Now it’s time for a more nuanced approach, which he says Daley has mas- tered during his early tenure in the White House. This approach has served him well in the past. “Washington is the center of politics and gov-
ernment, and has great importance in the busi- ness world,” Daley says. “It has been the nexus for me in both parts of my life. If you like to play in this stuff, this is the ultimate place to play.”
SUMMER 2011
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