WASHINGTON — Bill Daley, brother of Chicago’s mayor and Commerce Secretary under President Bill Clinton, is joining the board of trustees of the Third Way, a Democratic think thank whose agenda Daley characterized as “moderate, pro-business and pro-growth.”
Daley, 61, Midwest chairman of JPMorgan Chase & Co., announced the role in a far-ranging interview today, saying he wasn’t running for anything but knows plenty of people will be if and when Mayor Richard M. Daley steps down.
On his new role, Daley said he’s joining the Third Way board because the only way for the Democratic Party to retain a long-term majority was to reach out to independents and find a middle ground on issues from the economy to foreign policy.
Daley on other topics:
On White House spokesman Robert Gibbs’ statement that Democrats could lose control of the House after mid-term elections: “I can understand why Gibbs said what he said and I can understand why House members would go crazy. One’s an idiot to assume incumbents won’t lose a lot of seats. It’s historic. And you layer on the worst economy since the Great Depression and you layer on two wars.
On the economy. “This oil spill and the European things involving the PIGS –Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain, and some people include Italy — have put a big wet blanket” over the economy.
On the trial of Rod Blagojevich: “He didn’t think much of me. He referred to me in expletives deleted. The whole thing is like a reality TV show. There is some real disconnect between someone who is supposed to be serving the public and his actions and comments. Sad.”
On Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel’s aspirations to be Chicago mayor: “Rahm gets in line with a lot of other people who (want the job and) may not say it, but think it. It was like that for 20 years under Rich, it was like that for 20 years under my dad.
On whether his brother will run: “I don’t know.”
On whether Emanuel would win if his brother sat out the race: “That’s like trying to guess whether the Bears are going to win.”
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