Bill Daley
The Architect
Structured and legacy-driven; builds the systems and institutions that last.
Bill Daley is a seasoned political leader with experience in high-level government roles, including serving as Chief of Staff. This interview reveals his emphasis on the importance of organization and structure in political leadership, showcasing his strategic yet practical approach to governance.
“Well, again, this is 25 years almost. So the world was very different. Bill Clinton, who I believe really felt for the average working person and understood the sort of needs of people, believed it was a big part of getting the U.S. economy moving in the 90s. And NAFTA was a piece of that.”
“They did it. And all of a sudden, he runs. And we fell pretty early on. Rich was strong. I do remember though a poll in 1982, and Rich hated polls, hated to talk about them, as you know. So the pollster was there, and Rich was beating Jane Byrne by enormous amount. And basically the pollsters said he can't lose this.”
“With him Patrick Also, not what you would want to repeat, but Oh, yeah. They figured they being the sort of white political characters, Byrne and the rest of them figured Rich was finished. He couldn't get re-elected. The white voters would hold against him. Black voters would hold against them for running against Harold Washington.”
“But you know, we learned a lot of that from my dad who used to, he didn't hold a grudge. He was tough and he had a lot of battles in his life, political, but he didn't hold the grudge and he understood the, you know, as I said, he had a lot of difficult times with the media. But he understood they had a role, as did my mother.”
The Axe Files with David Axelrod — Ep. 158 - Bill Daley
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