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Transitions
TRANSITIONS....From the Financial Times:
The best-kept secret in Washington is that Barack Obama has the largest and most disciplined presidential transition team anyone can recall. Headed by John Podesta, former chief of staff in Bill Clinton's White House, it started work well before the financial meltdown hit in September but has been swamped by its implications ever since.
....The Democratic nominee has already reached an agreement with Harry Reid, the Democratic Senate majority leader, to speed up the often painstakingly slow Senate confirmation process for the hundreds of appointees who would populate an Obama administration. Many of Mr Clinton's appointments were still to be confirmed a year after he took office.
...."The level of detail that the Obama transition team is getting into is extraordinary — they are leaving no stone unturned," said a senior former Clinton administration official who has been consulted. "I have been getting calls that you'd expect in previous transitions to get maybe in December or never at all."
The article also notes that transition team insiders "are under strict orders from the Obama campaign not to talk to the media to avoid giving the impression Mr Obama thinks he has won already." Good advice. Apparently not all of them are taking it, though. Here's more from John Heilemann:
With the help of some 50 old Washington hands, Podesta and his people are drafting a book-length transition blueprint, with agency-by-agency policy agendas, including day-one, day-100, and year-one objectives, too. Résumés are already being collected. Daily conference calls and meetings occur. Of Obama's pre-transition planning — and, in fact, of McCain's as well — Clay Johnson has said, "The amount of work being done before the election, formal and informal, is the most ever."
....Almost certain to come first, perhaps within days, will be his economic and national-security teams. And with those choices, they say, he will want to send a message of centrism and bi-partisanship. It's conceivable that Obama will ask Bob Gates to stay on as Defense secretary; Chuck Hagel, too, might find a place high in the administration. But although there has been chatter that Obama might also retain Hank Paulson at the Treasury, the inside betting is on a Larry Summers encore. "They're gonna want somebody who knows the building, knows the economy, has been confirmed before and been advising them on economics," says the former Clinton aide. "I'd be flabbergasted if they chose somebody else."
to avoid giving the impression Mr Obama thinks he has won already
oops.
Obama himself told Rachel Maddow tonight that he thinks he's winning.
Never underestimate the ability of the Democrats to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory......
Larry Summers, who could have guessed? Nobody thought that Obama would be Clinton redux.
Summers, let us not forget, is Mr. "free trade", and as SecTreas at the end of the Clinton administration was a big proponent of PNTR and WTO membership for China.
Oops, anybody ever consider how our trade deficit led to the excess cash that fueled the housing boom? No secret about it, but it does seem to conveniently get left out of many discussions.
Also, Summers, Rubin and Greenspan were the troika that worked so hard to squash regulation of derivatives.
Woo-hoo, we're saved!
Don't misunderstand me, I much prefer Democratic to Republican economic policy. At least Democrats use vaseline.
I'll take Summers over Paulson. If he retains Paulson, I am retroactively changing my vote to Kodos.
I am curious what it means for us progressive liberals that Gates, who we excoriated, may be retained, and is now considered to have been relatively competent.
But what alex says. Free Trade was a wonderful idea in 92. 16 years later, it's time to acknowledge how we were gamed. More center right "liberal" economists are not change I can believe in, especially not if the guy wins in a landslide.
I think the idea of including Republicans on the Cabinet is a good idea. However, I hope/wish Obama can find good, capable Democrats to fill the big 3 positions: State, Defense, and Homeland Security.
Oh, and change the name on that last one. Heimat Sicherheit, er... Homeland Security - we can do better than that.
(I actually think Democrats should be used for all Cabinet posts. Republicans should be considered for the Cabinet only when said Republican is a Senator from a state where a Democrat governor will be able to appoint a successor).
John Kerry for SECDEF
Patrick Leahy for AG
Bill Richardson for Sec of State
Okay, Kevin, for an upcoming post:
Fantasy Cabinet! Draft Day is next Wednesday!
Atrios for Secretary of SUPERTRAINS
Guys and gals, I doubt very highly if this "chatter" is anywhere near accurate at this point. It's just idle gossip, so I wouldn't read too much into any of it. I'm personally going to go with the "I'll trust Obama's judgement" line until he proves otherwise.
Given right-wing projection (loudly accusing Dems of things they themselves do), I wonder how badly vandalized the White House will be at the transition...
jerry >"...Free Trade was a wonderful idea in 92..."
That was the 90`s replacement for government Foreign Aid that was part of our Cold War diplomatic weaponry. Get it ?
Fair trade is whole nother ball game. I hope we play that one this time around. Money`s gotta move ya know (as long as we continue to play the economic game by 17th Century rules anyway...).
"it`s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine..." - REM
Anyone know WHO is collecting those resumes? If you know what I mean...
Yes, that's exactly what I meant. Instead of hiring some Chicago Free Trade Orthodox Economists, how about hiring some Fair Trade Heterodox Economists?
I second making Atrios Secy of Supertrains, or maybe Secy of Transportation. (But I'd actually much prefer to see him run in a local race.)
If Al Franken fails in his bid for the Senate, and I absolutely hope he is successful, well in that event, I'd make him Head of the FCC. His long time experience with Sat Phones puts him way ahead of the game.
Can't we just admit Homeland Security was a mistake and make it go away?
The election ain't over yet. Let's not talk transitions before we know Obama made it.
Volunteer through moveon.org or directly at your local Obama Campaign office. Let's seal the deal so we can celebrate on Nov 5th.
I think Bob's overall point is that you have to play the ref's. The media are our referees. Liberals have an obligation to get indignant with the treatment of their leaders, especially in light of the fact that Republicans just make shit up whenever they feel like it.
It's particularly rich to hear conservatives who claim that Obama has no experience necessary to be president complain about this. They say it's presumptuous because he hasn't won. Well, no, he hasn't won, but the reason that both of these guys should be doing this is similar to the reason that both of these guys get Secret Service protection: one of them is going to be the next president. They are going to have less than three months to set up an administration and start executing policy soon after their people are confirmed. Even if some of what they do reflects the idea that they are going to win, who the hell in their right mind cares about that? If they don't win, they don't win, and the plans they make won't matter. If Obama is being as careful and diligent as this article seems to make him, it looks like he's giving us another example of the sort of leadership and executive foresight he supposedly lacks.
Sheila Bair (FDIC chair) for Secretary of Treasury. One of the rare competent Bushies. There had to be a few. A woman and a Republican. By virtue of her current job, she is very, very familiar with the chaos we're facing.
Volunteer through moveon.org or directly at your local Obama Campaign office.
The Obama campaign is sending out an avalanche of emails saying that, as of October 15, McCain+RNC have $20 million more cash than Obama+DNC. And they say McCain is just coming out with new attack ads.
They are making an urgent request for additional donations, which can be made online here.
Apparently not all of them are taking it, though.
That them would be... John Podesta, who really needs to be keeping his goddamned mouth shut.
But although there has been chatter that Obama might also retain Hank Paulson at the Treasury, the inside betting is on a Larry Summers encore. "They're gonna want somebody who knows the building, knows the economy, has been confirmed before and been advising them on economics," says the former Clinton aide. "I'd be flabbergasted if they chose somebody else."
Podesta is pushing Summers. Spiffy.
I would consider this ill-advised. The political optics might make stupid rich people happy, but we need a break from the past here.
max
['Not happy here.']
I love this Election, I really do! Good clear cut choices! Black-White, Old-Young, Hawk-Dove, Competent-Incompetent, Same old-Change,Organized-Scatter brained, Populist-Joe the Plumber, Republican Maverick-True Democrat! Being an Independent Voter, I can really appreciate the difference and it's sad the Party Faithful cannot see the real difference in the Candidates! It goes way beyond Color and Party Affiliation as the rest of the World can clearly see-It goes to Trust in Leadership and Hope for the Future!
The fewer Clintonites, the better.
yeah because the Dems have such a deep bench at the Executive level
No Clinton re-treads, please. I say screw bipartisanship, as well. Like the Republicans made any real effort to be bipartisan when they controlled the White House and Congress - give me a friggin' break. I say Day One - repeal every Bush Executive Order. Day Two - Bush tax cuts rescinded immediately. Day Three - Every civilian contractor on the Pentagon's payroll - fired immediately! Day Four - begin immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq, with the intent of being out completely in six months. Day Five - Begin criminal hearings into Bush corruption and convene a Truth Commission to begin inquiries into possible war crimes prosecution.
Screw incrementalism! We need radical and immediate reform and change in this country!
"More center right "liberal" economists are not change I can believe in, especially not if the guy wins in a landslide."
Posted by: jerry on 10/30/08
When "that One" wins in a landslide he'll clearly be the guy to set policy goals and Summers, who would be hard to beat, will be excellent for executing the plan.
I figured Alice Rivlin would be in the running for that position, but I'm quite happy with Summers. Maybe Rivlin would be good as head of the president's Council of Economic Advisers or at OMB.