William Daley: New White House Chief of Staff

President Barack Obama announced the appointment of current chairman of JPMorgan William Daley as the new White House chief of staff during a White House ceremony, according to NPR. Daley comes in as the replacement for former Rahm Emanuel, who left the position to pursue his ambition of becoming Chicago's next mayor.

Daley is a well-respected businessman who has been on the board of multiple billion dollar corporations. He has also served the government in the past as former President Bill Clinton's Commerce Secretary, and was former Vice President Al Gore's campaign chairman during his presidential run.

Obama praised Daley highly while speaking in the East Room. According to the New York Times , the President referred to Daley as an experienced public servant and devout patriot. Daley also had compliments for Obama, saying how honored he was to have gotten the appointment. Daley also mentioned his admiration for Obama's leadership. He even compared Obama to former President John F Kennedy while recounting a childhood story.

Daley's father once held the position former White house Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is currently gunning for. Well respected by Wall Street elites, Daley's appointment has been applauded by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The president of the Chamber released a statement, saying Daley's appointment was a "strong appointment" while highlighting his numerous accomplishments in the business world as reported by NPR .

Generally, there are mixed views on Daley's appointment. Daley is a man who understands what businesses need to run successfully and definitely has the knowledge to help pass policy that will be beneficial to the economy. However, he is a Wall Street insider, which makes many skeptical of his motivations. He will probably serve as a bridge between Obama and the Republican Party who now have control of Congress. Daley is known to be conservative in his approach and his appointment eases the minds of many who feel the Obama administration has been too liberal in their stances.

Daley's appointment also makes it harder for the Republicans to play the obstructionist role. Many of the ideas Daley proposes will probably be ideas Republicans have supported in the past. It will be interesting to watch how the political games unfold as the new congress resumes its duties. While Daley will almost likely have some level of opposition from the Democratic Party, his appointment has been another centrist move by Obama, who continues reaching out to the right and center of the nation.