The Note: Obama’s ‘Change’ Meets Reality
EmailABC News’ Rick Klein reports in Thursday’s Note:
Since the most transparent presidential transition in history is translucent at the moment, while the most open process ever is continuing behind doors marked “private,” here’s some of what the president-elect is learning:
1. Being more organized than Bill Clinton and less formal than George W. Bush doesn’t make a successful White House by itself — but may be a good start.
2. A new politics requires old faces — and those Clinton folks really don’t look so bad when it’s time to fill out a Democratic administration. (Even Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton herself may not be so bad to have around . . . )
3. That online army he brings with him doesn’t take orders from the top.
4. Being president-elect can mean acting like a president only when you want — but there are some crises too big to avoid.
5. There are a few campaign promises that may not be so bad to ignore for a very long while.
As the Bidens meet the Cheneys, Hank Paulson meets reality, the GOP meets to ponder a new path, Sarah Palin meets a few more cameras, John McCain meets politics again, and Alaska’s Uncle Ted meets the real fallout of his actions . . .
Read the rest of The Note — and get all the latest on the 2008 election, Congress, the White House and the wide world of politics every day — from Rick Klein by bookmarking this link.
The various political scenes playing out all over Washington and beyond lack a major player: President-elect Barack Obama.
The no-drama edict/reality of the Obama campaign has morphed seamlessly into the transition, no leaks, no errors.
But can it last? With each new issue, and with each new name, the realities of governing threaten to clash with the rhetoric of campaigning.
Change is so hard to track — with new faces like Rahm Emanuel, John Podesta, Larry Summers, Madeleine Albright, Ron Klain, Tom Daschle, John Kerry, James Steinberg . . . (Think the Netroots are happy about this?)
Your new players (hope you kept your old program): “The Obama transition team yesterday rolled out a new list of officials who will help guide the process, singling out the Treasury, Defense and State departments as its first three areas of focus,” Anne E. Kornblut and Michael Abramowitz write in The Washington Post. “Three policy-oriented Democrats — Melody Barnes, Lisa Brown and Don Gips — will serve as co-chairs of the agency review process, the office of President-elect Barack Obama said.”
The list “sheds light on the types of people his administration will lean on and what institutions may claim clout in the new Washington,” The Wall Street Journal’s Laura Meckler and Jonathan Weisman report. “The group is filled with second-tier veterans of the Clinton administration and workers in the technology and financial sectors. It includes four former lobbyists, three top campaign fund-raisers and two former employees of troubled mortgage giant Fannie Mae, with some overlap among them. Four people in the group have ties to the consultant McKinsey & Co. and two have experience leading high-tech start-ups.”
“16 out of 19 of these folks worked in some capacity for the administration of President Clinton, which will no doubt cause some to question just how much ‘change’ can really come of these appointments,” ABC’s Jake Tapper reports. “But on the other hand, one can’t expect Democrats who can be relied upon to help run a government to just pop out fresh from thin air.”
Get used to it, says ABC’s Sam Donaldson: “Successful presidents surround themselves with experienced people. That doesn’t always work out – consider the outgoing Bush administration — but when they don’t do that, it almost never works out — consider the Carter administration.”
Continue reading today’s Note by clicking HERE.
ABC News’ Hope Ditto contributed to this report.
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“with new faces like Rahm Emanuel, John Podesta, Larry Summers, Madeleine Albright, Ron Klain, Tom Daschle, John Kerry, James Steinberg”
Clintonista re-treads.
Now, that’s Change.
Posted by: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the O-Bomb | November 13, 2008, 4:09 am 4:09 am
If anyone believes that the change Obama is referring to his him filling his cabinet with a bunch of high school grads fresh out of Mr. Smith’s government 101 you will be disappointed. I believe the change is not about who you surround yourself with but rather how you use those people to benefit all Americans.
Posted by: Dave in Ma. | November 13, 2008, 4:38 am 4:38 am
At this point, all “change” needs to be is a departure from the policies and offenses of the Bush Administration.
Posted by: BarackIsCool | November 13, 2008, 4:55 am 4:55 am
It is immediately clear that Obama duped over half the voting population with his “change” mantra.
Posted by: tina | November 13, 2008, 5:01 am 5:01 am
Clinton years were prosperous for the USA. What is so wrong with that? At least people were working and we were at peace. And the country had a+ in the finances instead of a gigantic deficit.
Posted by: Rose Szymanski | November 13, 2008, 5:06 am 5:06 am
The whole package scares me to death
Posted by: Rose | November 13, 2008, 6:13 am 6:13 am
So, Obama’s critics before the election said he’d “convert” America to socialism, and now they’re saying he’ll govern in a way that’s too traditional? What a bunch of grumpy old grandpas. Thank god your time is over.
Posted by: Bill | November 13, 2008, 6:18 am 6:18 am
If I remember correctly, Obama’s civilian service plan would be voluntary, in exchange for college tuition credits. That makes your scary “cut and paste” post about “forced labor camps” and a universal draft just more right wing prognostication. You guys should give it a rest. Your predictions haven’t been very accurate for the last eight years.
Posted by: Fred l. | November 13, 2008, 6:22 am 6:22 am
“Here’s how it would work. Young people will know that between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five, the nation will enlist them for three months of civilian service…..”
We did exactly similar three months training before starting college in the communist China (the time just after cultural revolution, they may dropped such program now). It is also quite interesting to see that the new government will bailout car industry. In the pst 3 decades during the economic reform in China, Chinese government let those state-run manufactories to go bankrupts in order to stimulate private enterprise, competition and free marketing mechanism. That’s a big reason China has achieved a great development in economy. Now, in the US, the new government will just take an opposite way…
Posted by: qq | November 13, 2008, 6:38 am 6:38 am
5. There are a few campaign promises that may not be so bad to ignore for a very long while.
===============
I hope my $1000 is not among them.
Posted by: Americans 1 | November 13, 2008, 6:39 am 6:39 am
It is immediately clear that Obama duped over half the voting population with his “change” mantra.
Posted by: tina | Nov 13, 2008 10:01:41 AM
How so Tina. He hasn’t even taken office yet. Besides, getting the republicans out of the white house is the change we needed.
Posted by: d | November 13, 2008, 6:42 am 6:42 am
“Clinton years were prosperous for the USA. What is so wrong with that? At least people were working and we were at peace. And the country had a+ in the finances instead of a gigantic deficit.”
That’s not a problem to have those Clinton people on service since they are good. The problem is that these are something (“old Washington politics”) Obama criticized when he ran against Hillary. Is he very much like an opportunist? Or he just does not care if he can keep his words?
Posted by: qq | November 13, 2008, 6:48 am 6:48 am
The speculation about the U.S. losing its AAA credit rating has morphed from a blog story to a CNBC story. Sorry, but in this environment, we won’t get anything new and will lose a lot of spending we’ve come to take for granted.
If our rating is downgraded, it may well signal the beginning of the death of the U.S.
Its that big – much bigger than some guys in a cave, bigger than who won what election, and would be potentially the worst development in the history of the nation since at least when the Brits burned down our capital city.
Posted by: Paul | November 13, 2008, 6:59 am 6:59 am
Where is this guy? Since he got elected the stock market has been in a freefall and he’s nowhere to be found. Here’s what he’s done so far:
-Named Rahmbo his Chief of Staff
-Went out on a date
-held one ridiculous press conference where he looked scared, insulted Nancy Reagan, avoided answering any direct questions and generally sounded lost
-had a meeting with President Bush after which the details were immediately leaked to the press
-put out an online job application for his administration that highlights the fact that he wouldn’t even be able to pass the background test to work for his own administration.
Will you still raise taxes on the highest income earners? I will uhh cut ahh taxes for ahh 95% of uhh working families.
I am, however, very interested to see how a populist who got elected by making impossible promises to gullible people will reconcile his campaign promises with the realities of the office. He has never made a decision that has actual consequences aside from potentially damaging a campaign or his image.
Our lives are now in his hands.
The President can’t vote present.
Posted by: Marx My Words | November 13, 2008, 7:30 am 7:30 am
WWwwwooooooo…..;;;;;
Do something about the stockmarket….
More than 1800 points down since last Tuesday…..
Posted by: Americans 1 | November 13, 2008, 7:33 am 7:33 am
Are we talking about the same Clinton? The one I remember is the one that cost the tax payers in the millions for the investagation into his personel life at the oval office. Those who agree with his leadership for the country are those who live for themselves only. They lie every time their lips move. The thought of having the Clinton era over again in this new administration is nothing short of a nightmare. Wake up America.
Posted by: CHARLIE | November 13, 2008, 7:35 am 7:35 am
In my opion, the reason for Obama choosing former Clinton’s administration people is because he lacks the experience in politics and foreign policy and need people that worked for a president to train him for the presidency. Clinton had a good administration but didn’t need training because he was a former governor. Obama ran for the senate twice, won the second time and won the presidency. Obama had been planning to do this for a long period of time, reading books on MLK, JFK and RFK. He certainly did dupe the people of this country and they will learn to regret it later on when he becomes a ruler rather than a president. Rep. Broun is right in what he said and I said it months back. There is a sound in all his speeches like dictatorship and I could read him like a book without the cover. After he is sworn in all the voters will then get a taste of him and his policies. A key advisor stated on Tuesday, that higher taxes is on the way. I believe Obama lied on the tax deal. We are all going to pay the price of the tax increase. I agree with Joe the plumber who caught Obama off guard. What I would like to know is are the senators going to pay higher taxes or is it just for the public alone. Obama is a very slick wheeler dealer person and learned it all from Rezko. In my estimation, he is not trustable and the majority of the people in this country were eaten up by his words.
Posted by: Mariann Pepitone | November 13, 2008, 8:15 am 8:15 am
Marx My Words: You are absolutely right in what you just said. I said the same thing weeks ago. I didn’t vote for him and I don’t regret it even if McCain lost. I feel I did the right thing. And I would do it over again. Obama fooled the majority of the American people by his fake speeches and promises. This generation of young college students fell overboard to elect him in and they will certainly get a taste of it later. He will become a ruler and will dictate what he wants and doesn’t want. Rep. Broun said the right words and he shouldn’t be sorry for saying what I already knew.
Posted by: Mariann Pepitone | November 13, 2008, 8:23 am 8:23 am
d: And getting a democrat like him for president is a nightmare. And you will live to regret it later on after he is sworn in. The real Obama will step forward and he will dictate what he wants done and doesn’t want done. Emanuel does not like Hamas and Obama is good friends with Hamas and always was. Evidently you were not aware of the fact he was friends with him before he ran for president. I can’t wait to hear about the explosion between Emanuel and Hamas.
Posted by: Mariann Pepitone | November 13, 2008, 8:28 am 8:28 am
Charlie,
its too late, the bad dream continues.
Posted by: usa | November 13, 2008, 9:25 am 9:25 am
Marianne Pepitone: do you have even th slightest understanding of 7th grade civics? Obama can no more become a ruler than my dog can. Our system of government comes with a series of checks and balances to prevent that!
Posted by: William J. LePetomaine | November 13, 2008, 9:42 am 9:42 am
o rly, William? Like all the checks and balances that have restrained Bush, right?
Posted by: lol | November 13, 2008, 12:18 pm 12:18 pm
That Barack Obama is surrounding himself with many from the Clinton administration is what makes me feel better, more hopeful and positive about an Obama Presidency.
Bill Clinton remains the BEST and the only 2 term Democratic President in more than a generation and achieved so much with a capable team that he assembled.
Without these proven hands at the wheel- I would be real nervous with a rookie President with 20 something fringe left net-roots surrounding him- I am glad that Obama is not going down that road.
Posted by: American Voter | November 13, 2008, 2:05 pm 2:05 pm
I wonder if all the people that he has chosen to work for him would pass his application process….hmmm
Posted by: Carrie | November 13, 2008, 5:13 pm 5:13 pm
The Congress will be Democrat(filibuster-proof)
The President will be a Democrat.
There aren’t any more Southern Conservative Democrats(Dixiecrats),
they are now minority party Republicans.
The US Supreme Court goes with the political flow.
If it walks like a duck,looks like a duck and quacks like a duck,it is a dictatorship.
Posted by: hal halop | November 14, 2008, 2:04 am 2:04 am
Reality! Politicians all lie to win. We will see the biggest change in America. More Taxes! Much More! More abortions! More gay marriages. This is what voters voted for. Now lets add the Clintons into this picture. After all their family resembles what we see in America today. The people from the Clinton administration will carry on their old ways of politics. Don’t fool yourself into beleiving in change with these folks. OH! its to late if you voted for Obama.
Posted by: CHARLIE | November 14, 2008, 4:51 am 4:51 am
Rose Syzmanski:
We were at peace during the
Clinton years? I guess Kosovo doesn’t
count for you! What about Oklahoma City,
Columbine, The first WTC Bombing, Waco?
I guess you forgot that Janet Reno
and Jaime Gorelick set up the
“intelligence wall” that prevented the
FBI and CIA from sharing information!
That led to the 9/11 plot not being
discovered in time!
Oh Yeah. Rose, everything was
Honky Dory when Bill Clinton was
president! Was your head in the
sand during the whole 8 years of the
Clinton Administration?
Posted by: reaganfan | November 14, 2008, 8:41 am 8:41 am
Here are some facts and reality about the change our new President wants to do with his tax plan.
According to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, “without substantial cuts in government spending” Obama’s plan – and McCain’s, too – “would substantially increase the national debt over the next ten years.” Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor told FactCheck.org that the Tax Policy Center’s analysis “fails to take in account Senator Obama’s spending cuts, including ending the Iraq war.” That’s true, but Obama’s proposed cuts are dwarfed by the Tax Policy Center’s projected deficits. Obama’s new spending programs might be completely offset by new revenue and spending cuts. But overall spending will still exceed overall revenue, and the nation would face at least 10 more years of annual deficits.
Get your wallets ready to pay more taxes. You can thank the voters.
Posted by: CHARLIE | November 14, 2008, 11:37 am 11:37 am