Why He Matters
Sean O’Brien didn’t shift from the private sector to politics in 2003 to toe the party line.
O’Brien was a older than the stereotypical intern when he first arrived on the Hill. The Democratic aide worked for three different lawmakers as he climbed the ladder to become chief of staff for Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.).
“The one thing that you could say ties Rahm Emanuel, Heath Shuler, and Mike Quigley together is that they have all stomped a lot of toes in this town. And I kind of enjoy that, frankly,” O’Brien said.1
O’Brien blends a genuine approachability, thoughtfulness, and a sharp sarcasm in his demeanor. His next-door neighbor in college, Saturday Night Live writer Seth Myers, talked him into taking improv classes, and last July, a story in The Washington Post featured his summer series of improv shows called “McSwiggin’s Pub,” where he skewered various aspects of life on The Hill.2 He said honing his ability to think on his feet helped his career even though he added: “I’m not saying I came up with all that much funny stuff.”1
A chief of staff who rants about both parties on the Hill in his free time might not appeal to most Congressmen. Luckily O’Brien’s boss is Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), an open critic of government and champion of reform. Quigley doesn’t blink an eye when O’Brien skewers politics, saying “It needs to be made fun of more.”2
With that, both his and Quigley’s jobs seems quite safe long term. In both a special election in 2009 and in the subsequent 2010 re-election, Quigley cruised to victory in his heavily Democratic district, winning roughly 70 percent of the vote each time.3,4 And O’Brien said he doesn’t see Quigley looking to jump to the next big thing, as his characteristics fit well in the populist style of the House.1
“He is going to be here for a while. He is kind of the kind of guy that can make his mark in the House,” said O’Brien, a speechwriting specialist who plans on staying for a while himself.1
Path to Power
O’Brien’s road has run through some distinctive offices. He’s worked for an ex-White House chief of staff, acurrent mayor of Chicago, a former NFL quarterback and one of the more respected Blue Dog Democrats in Congress. And that’s just Rahm Emanuel and Heath Shuler (D-N.C.).
Born on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, O’Brien attended Stuyvesant High School before heading off to Northwestern University. After earning a bachelors’ degree in American Culture, O’Brien wanted to be a writer. But people “with ‘www’ on the resume” were being hired at a much steadier rate than writers.1
“I rode the tech bubble and it was good to me,” he said of his eight years in IT. But his layoff in 2003 provided the spark to begin a new career, one that was more in line with his personality, and he and his wife Erin moved to Washington, D.C.1
Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.)
O’Brien’s congressional career started in 2003 as an intern for Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), then representing the fifth district on the north side of Chicago. He’d be hired full-time as a legislative aide by early 2004.O’Brien found an outlet for his wry writing style with Emanuel, who is hardly known for pulling punches.
“It was kind of a dream job for a while. Look at the headlines, and have something snarky to say by ten,” O’Brien said.1
His most circulated work, a mock love letter from Republicans to lobbyists he wrote for Emanuel in 2006, began with “Dear K Street Lobbyists, How do I love thee, let me count the ways” and gained traction in multiple media outlets.5
His penchant for writing has also fostered what he considers strength of his: speechwriting.1
Heath Shuler (D-N.C.)
Emanuel headed the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) during the 2006 election cycle, and while working for him O’Brien met many up-and-coming candidates, including newly-elected Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.). When Shuler took office, O’Brien won a job as his legislative director starting in early 2007.“[O’Brien] knew the bizarre, detailed minutiae of House legislative procedure, which was really helpful for a freshman office,” said Ryan Fitzpatrick, a Shuler legislative assistant under O’Brien.6
Mike Quigley (D-Ill.)
Opportunity opened up again when Emanuel left the House at the beginning his term in 2009 to serve as newly elected President Barack Obama‘s his chief of staff. Mike Quigley won Emanuel’s open seat, and O’Brien was suggested as a potential staffer. Soon O’Brien found himself working for his home district once again, this time as chief of staff.
The Issues
O’Brien and his bosses have no problems criticizing member of their own party when they disagree with them. At the same time, they would never be confused with Republicans. And while O’Brien clearly understands his role – his beliefs being subordinate to those of the man with the name on the door – he also feels lucky that his ideals have aligned well the lawmakers he has served.1
O’Brien praised both Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) and Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.) for fosteringcollaborative environments in their offices in which staff input was common. He also said he respected Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) despite being too low on the totem pole to “really be in Rahm’s line of fire.”1
The desire to reinvent government and change the way government works consumes his current boss, O’Brien said. The hockey-playing Quigley (his gear sits in the corner of the office) would like to ice fraud and waste in government and bring the budget under control without hurting the working class. O’Brien praised his consistency and ability to justify everything he does based on policy.1
Quigley’s push to provide taxpayers with a receipt to let them know where their money was spent (as he had done in Cook County) has garnered praise from as far left as blogger Ezra Klein7 and as far right as the thinktank Americans for Prosperity8.
“Good ideas don’t necessarily have a party allegiance,” O’Brien said. “There are certain things that just make sense.”1
Deficit Issues
O’Brien and Quigley are in line with the Democratic establishment on the issue of the federal deficit. “On the right, there is a collective denial on the tax issue,” O’Brien said, saying Bush’s cuts contributed to the deficit. “You can’t balance the deficit strictly on the backs of the poor and the old,” he said. “You have to look at why we are building weapons systems to fight the Soviet Union.”1
While Quigley supports labor and considers the working class the backbone of the country, O’Brien said, he also occasionally makes unions nervous. His criticism of the sustainability of pension systems, case-by-case consideration of trade agreements, and expectation of the same transparency from unions that he expects from government may not cause unions to shun Quigley, but they don’t breed unquestioned devotion.1
O’Brien said the Democrats also have their own collective denial about the deficit. He first noticed it when he was defending Shuler’s vote against the stimulus package orchestrated by the Obama administration. He called it a vote extremely easy to defend, saying not enough of it was focused on job creation while a bulk of it merely temporarily postponed and worsened fiscal problems on state levels.1
Gay Rights
Quigley, whose district includes the well-known gay neighborhood known as “Boystown,” actively supports gay rights.1
International Relations
O’Brien finds himself drawn to issues beyond U.S. borders. Even though military issues haven’t been a focal point for any of the lawmakers he has worked for, O’Brien took advantage of the opportunity to take classes at the Naval War College, earning his Masters in National Security and Strategic Studies. He visited Turkey and China on Congressional missions (“travel muddles things, and that’s necessary, because we have too much clarity,” he said). In addition to his quip about the antiquated nature of some of the U.S. defense strategy, he also questioned the wisdom of the grand scale of the War on Terror.1
“Al Qaeda sent 20 guys that had a wildly successful mission and provoked a $1.3 trillion war,” O’Brien said. “The whole point of a terrorist act is to do something small but create fear that is disproportionate to the act.”1
The Network
O’Brien’s first boss on the Hill wields the most notoriety. Rahm Emanuel was recently sworn in as the mayor of the nation’s third largest city, Chicago, after serving as Barack Obama’s right-hand man for the first two years of his administration.
O’Brien also said at times iworking for Emanuel was like “dealing with a hyperactive eight-year-old.”1
“Rahm is a machine. He sleeps four hours and wakes up paranoid,” O’Brien said. “I say this with all sincerity: I believe the United States has benefited from his high metabolism.”1
His next two bosses, Reps. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.) and Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) run more collaborative offices.
“Both Heath and Mike were very open to input,” O’Brien said. “Rahm had a tight grasp on stuff and a sharp policy mind. He was asking Mike about TIF – tax increment financing – reform [in Chicago]. Deep level, wonky reform stuff, and Mike’s the guy on that. But he doesn’t need Mike’s political advice.”1
Shuler, on the other hand, was a newcomer to the political scene. But the Heisman Trophy runner-up is probably more respected in Washington for his quick ascension to the forefront of the Blue Dog Coalition than for his work as a backup quarterback for the Redskins.1
Elected in 2006, just four years later he challenged Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for the House minority leader role. Despite low expectations and a 150-43 loss, he said he was pleased by that moderate democrats showed some notable resistance to Pelosi’s leadership.9
Shuler served as whip for the Blue Dog Coalition while O’Brien was his legislative director, and now serves as the Blue Dogs’ administrative co-chair.
“His dedication to public service is unquestioned, and it’s fun to work with somebody like that,” O’Brien said.1
But O’Brien couldn’t turn down the chance to go back to working for a lawmaker representing his home district, especially with the promotion to chief of staff and corresponding pay raise
Despite persistent partisanship, O’Brien says the climate is much less poisonous than when he first got to Congress, when he said Republican House Speaker Tom DeLay fostered a “culture of corruption,” based in part on rampant accusations that people questioning the Iraq War were unpatriotic. He praised Republican Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), however, giving him credit for following through on his promise to make the House more transparent.1
Footnotes
1. Sean O’Brien, WhoRunsGov Interview with Kyle Jahner, April 21, 2011
2. Manuel Roig-Franzia, “Hill Staffer Sean O’Brien mines Congress for comedy gold,” Washington Post, 7/23/10
3. John McCormick, “Quigley claims victory in race to replace Rahm Emanuel,” Chicago Tribune, April 7, 2009
4. Election 2010, IL 5th District Profile, NY Times.com.
5. McEwan, Mellissa, Shakesville, “Emanuel’s ode to the GOP,” April 26, 2006
6. WhoRunsGov Interview with Kyle Jahner, April 25, 2011
7. Ezra Klein, “Wonkbook: Happy purchase-the-federal-government day,” Washington Post, April 18, 2011
8. James Valvo, “Letter of Support: Nelson-Brown-Quigley Taxpayer Receipt Act, S. 437 and H.R. 1527,” Americans for Prosperity, March 7, 2011
9. Jonathan Allen and John Bresnahan, “Nancy Pelosi survives Democratic revolt,” Politico.com, Nov. 17, 2010