janmcn - thanx for the catch - am doing too mmuch today with cooking, laundry and my mother's phone calls.

meant david axlerod. and david plouffe is probably on the phone often, too!

back to cooking and laundry - later.

Axelrod and Plouffe are political advisors - don't think they get much input on policy decisions.

Can't imagine why you think that. Axelrod is one of the closest people to, and has unlimited access to Obama. He is Obama's "go to" guy. I'd say he has about as much influence on policy in this administration as anyone.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/09/us...pagewanted=all

Interesting article which does nothing to change my opinion that he is a political advisor and not involved in policy making. He frames the message and helps the president's communication of policy. From the article......
Mr. Axelrod rejects the comparison [with Rove], saying that he is more of a protector of Mr. Obama’s image and message than a policy maker or strategist intent on remaking the country’s political DNA, as Mr. Rove often talked about.

"The circle around Mr. Obama has grown exponentially since he arrived in the White House. An army of new assistants, deputies and advisers surrounds him, but it is Mr. Axelrod who sits the closest to the Oval Office. His proximity is a symbol, in a unique West Wing kind of way, of how close he remains to Mr. Obama."

"Mr. Axelrod has played a major role in framing the message of the domestic agenda, from the economic stimulus plan to health care. He has devoted far less time to foreign policy, given the amount of time the president spends dealing with the nation’s fiscal crisis."

I'm still not sure how you can downplay Axelrod's influence with Obama on his policy decisions. I'm also not sure why you want to.

I would say from this article it is clear that his job is exactly that of helping craft the message that Obama sends in order to put things in it's best light in care of Obama's image.

Is there another reason you wish to separate Axelrod from Obama's policy decisions?

I have zero desire to seperate Axelrod from Obama's policy decisions, it seems to be the fact as far as I can see. Again, Richie, I agree he helps craft message, which is what you are saying apparently - that is a far cry from crafting policy.

ed - how about this scenario:

axelrod speaking to the president:
if you shape the policy this way your image will be that of a fool; but if you shape the policy this way your image will be that of a hero.

thus, policy is influenced and an image is saved. maybe simplistic - and maybe not.

axelrod is a brilliant strategist, he has access to everyone in the administration from the ground up, he provides policy guidance from the outset all through the process to the final policy presentation to and by obama. to admit that axelrod has that kind of power and influence would be to diminish the perception of the power and wisdom of the president - therefore, admission of anything close to that will never be spoken.

an opinion like yours is just what david axelrod wants promoted...hold fast to it...and i will hold fast to mine.

You say tomatoes, I say tomaatoes

He is a brilliant POLITICAL strategist. I don't know where you got the statement that I bolded about policy guidance. Look, I have no interest in trying to defend or promote Obama or Axelrod. My original point was that Axelrod is a political advisor to Obama and not a policy advisor and I made it simply to clarify his role. It may be a matter of semantics we are arguing here - he is a major player in what is COMMUNICATED to the public, I see no evidence he gets involved in the actual crafting of policy. I honestly don't have any personal interest in this debate other than to defend my original comment.

Are you serious, you see no distinction between crafting message and crafting policy?