Politics aside, you gotta admire the Democrat’s positioning machine

Posted by Joe Franscella, 10-1-2010:

Market leadership is all about positioning, doesn’t matter if that market is IT, consumer or politics.

Today the Obama Administration made former Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel’s departure from the White House official. Emanuel now heads back to Chicago to run for the Mayor’s seat. Talk about your long-term positioning strategy in action — nicely played Dems!

If Emanuel succeeds — and BTW he’s not running against an incumbent as current Mayor Richard Daley is not seeking re-election — he’s in a perfect spot to succeed his now former boss as President, if Obama wins in 2012 that is.

If Emanuel wins, his term as Mayor will expire in February 2015, just ahead of the end of (again if he wins) Obama’s second term, which ends in 2016. Can you say perfect timing to run for President?

By removing Emanuel from the top seat and placing him into a tough-and-gritty city ripe for reform and rescue from the recession, the Dems get to position Emanuel as:

•    A successful reformer (the recession will probably end within the next few years and he will get to take credit for Chicago’s recovery regardless of whether or not he has anything to do with it)
•    A Washington outsider but someone who understands Washington politics (he will have been gone from the Beltway for at least four years by the next Presidential election but has spent significant time within it)
•    Oprah’s neighbor

Again, well played Dems, you should get the National MarCom award for long-term positioning strategy.

One final thought, if I was a Chicago resident, I would be very excited over the prospect of Emanuel taking over my town, talk about a man who could scoop up federal funds. I don’t think anyone since Senators Byrd and Kennedy have ever been in that advantageous of a position.