Pay Cut, Scrutiny Await Axelrod in DC

Strategist turned senior adviser enjoys unparalleled access

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama’s coterie has grown substantially since taking office, but nobody has as much access as David Axelrod, campaign strategist turned special adviser. Though he spends his days fine-tuning every speech, poring over polls, and orchestrating political battles, the New York Times reports, Axelrod is wary of any comparison to a similar figure in the Bush administration: Karl Rove. More»

Expecting big losses, they're pushing for big changes

(NEWSER) - Pressure is mounting on President Obama to gut his inner circle, which House Democrats blame for crafting a losing 2010 strategy. In recent weeks, David Axelrod has held strategy sessions with a series of senior Democratic strategists and lawmakers, but many participants walked away so frustrated that they quit and started their own competing gatherings, the Wall Street Journal reports. More»

(NEWSER) - With decisions that some presidents don’t make in 4 years packed into his first 100 days, what President Obama’s advisers deride as a “Hallmark holiday” presents a legitimate occasion for a report card, and for a Politico team to catch up with White House insiders. “I don’t want to go through accomplishments, because I feel like I’m just walking around with a punch card,” Rahm Emanuel says. More»

Look out for these White House plugs next Wednesday

(NEWSER) - President Obama's savvy advisers may scoff at his 100th day as a "Hallmark holiday," but they're happy to tell reporters how to cover it. Politico lists what the White House is spinning:

• Obama's not overambitious, just a promise-keeper—right down to that new pup.
• His broader vision is unclear because it's so different.
• He's in touch with the people.

President's push for budget support not looking much like 'new politics'

(NEWSER) - President Obama's consolidation of power is looking more like old-fashioned Chicago politics than the "new politics" promised, Karl Rove writes in the Wall Street Journal. The president has mobilized outside groups and the remnants of the campaign machine to target lawmakers skeptical about his spending plans, initially going after Republicans but now taking aim at Democrats as well, Rove writes. More»