Pete Rouse reflects on his contributions to Barack Obama's political career, which he supported in a variety of roles from 2005 to 2014, including chief of staff to Senator Obama from 2005 to 2009, co-chair of the 2008 Obama-Biden Transition Project, senior advisor to the president from 2009 to 2010, acting White House chief of staff from 2010 to 2011, and counselor to the president from 2011 to 20 14. Rouse is an expert in organizational design and management, and he outlines the process by which he helped develop the structure of Obama's Senate office and White House, and describes how these structures operated and evolved throughout the period of his service. Rouse details major legislative and policy initiatives with which he was closely involved, including the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Affordable Care Act, proposed energy and climate legislation, and negotiations with the Republican caucus over several federal budgets. Rouse also discusses Obama's strategic approach to his U.S. Senate tenure, the 2008 Democratic Party primary and general election campaign, Republican opposition to the Obama administration's legislative initiatives, the importance of President Obama's written correspondence with ordinary people, and his long career mentoring public servants in Washington
Presidents--United States; Presidents--Transition periods--United States; Organizational effectiveness; Organizational change; Climatic changes--Law and legislation--United States; Rouse, Peter; Obama, Barack; United States; American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009; Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
Format
oral histories
Genre
Interviews
Date
2021
Physical Description
255 pages
Note (Biographical)
Pete Rouse served as chief of staff in Barack Obama's U.S Senate office, senior advisor to the Obama 2008 presidential campaign, and co-chair of the Obama-Biden Transition Project. Rouse also served in several capacities in the Obama administration, i ncluding senior advisor to the president, White House chief of staff, and counselor to the president. Prior to his work in the Obama White House, Rouse worked for more than 40 years on Capitol Hill, where he came to be known as the 101st Senator. Among other positions, Rouse was a longtime staffer for Senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota, who was senate majority leader from 2001 to 2003
Note
Interviewed by Dov Weinryb Grohsgal on December 7, 2020, and January 8, February 18, and April 2, 2021. This interview is part of the Columbia University: Obama Presidency Oral History
Note (Provenance)
Peter M. Rouse, Gift, transferred from Columbia Center for Oral History Research 2023