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The Transition/Pre-Inaugural Thread - Page 2

post #51 of 301
11/5/08 at 5:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nexus-7 View Post
I'm actually curious if Bush and Co. have big plans to fuck up everything they can before Obama takes office.
The Bush administration is garnering a fair amount of praise for what they've already done for the transition. I think they all just want to go home.
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post #52 of 301
11/5/08 at 5:18pm
Not a fan of the Rahm pick. He's strongly partisan and an attack dog. But with a bipartisan Cabinet, he might be a great pick.

And he'll take it (edit: he just did). There is no agonizing. Obama is a rock star. I'd be Obama's fucking DRIVER over being one of 435 do-nothing Congressmen.

As a moderate, I have a Democrat I'd like for SecDef: Sam Nunn from GA. He has incredible history on the defense committee, he's tough and experienced, and he's southern and a Democrat. Keep Gates for a while (Gates is quite good, believe it or not), and then transition to Nunn.

Agree about SecState. Biden would have been my first pick for SecState for McCain or Obama or Ronald McDonald. So Biden is the defacto expert there. Find someone who complements Biden and can learn on the job. Consider it a twofer.

Treasury will (and should be) the first pick. Energy should be the second. And Energy should be elevated to SecDef and SecState levels. Ever heard of DARPA? The companies that make your cellphones have. They do advanced technology work for use in defense, but that technology finds it way worldwide.

DARPA = Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
Why not EARPA = Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency? They should have fricking done that on 12 September 2001. But there is no time like the present.

Back to State...I'd like Hagel for State. If Obama is serious about "A Team of Rivals", as his hero Abraham Lincoln was, then State is the big splash. It's the most prominent Cabinet position, and Hagel is very well respected by every Republican with reason and lucidity. It's instant karma with respect to bipartisanship.

I love Colin Powell, but feel he can best serve as a special assistant. You don't want a career military guy as SecDef (and I say that as a once-military guy). You already have the JCS for that.

Great thread...this is where Obama gives real indicators on how he will lead. Biden was a great choice. May he continue that streak.
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post #53 of 301
11/5/08 at 5:20pm
What does Obama intend to do with the Department of Homeland Security? That's a Bush creation through and through, but I can't see it being dismantled at this point.
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post #54 of 301
11/5/08 at 5:30pm
Bush must be hunting hard for Bin Laden right now!
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post #55 of 301
11/5/08 at 5:31pm
Like I said, casting the cabinet is kind of difficult beyond positions like State and Defense (How do you go about picking someone for HUD? Or Education?) We'll get more as it comes down.

As for Homeland Security? That's going nowhere, we've got it, it's here.

Also I am very curious as to who will be Attorney General seeing Edwards screwed that pooch hard.
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post #56 of 301
11/5/08 at 5:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by myk View Post
The Bush administration is garnering a fair amount of praise for what they've already done for the transition. I think they all just want to go home.
Cool, I hope you're right.

I don't just mean the transition though, but anything they've been meaning to push through but hadn't gotten around to.

I usually don't post in the politics forums because I'm in over my head, so bear with me.
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post #57 of 301
11/5/08 at 5:37pm
And she was definitely a pooch. Yowzers, if you are going to ruin your future, alienate every woman in America, and cheat on your sick wife, it better be with Rachel Weisz caliber or better.

DHS is here to stay, but with the right leadership it could actually become useful. The idea behind it is fundamentally sound, especially as you expand it to deal with not just security, but safety (wrt natural disasters). They need to disentangle it from the morass of crap in DC though. Give it a singular purpose and function, separate from the FBI or CIA, and it'll be fine.

Maybe.
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post #58 of 301
11/5/08 at 5:41pm
Emmanuel has just agreed to be Chief of Staff
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post #59 of 301
11/5/08 at 5:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nexus-7 View Post
I don't just mean the transition though, but anything they've been meaning to push through but hadn't gotten around to.
Oh yes, indeed. From last Friday (Halloween, perfect for a horror story):

A Last Push To Deregulate

Quote:
The White House is working to enact a wide array of federal regulations, many of which would weaken government rules aimed at protecting consumers and the environment, before President Bush leaves office in January.

The new rules would be among the most controversial deregulatory steps of the Bush era and could be difficult for his successor to undo. Some would ease or lift constraints on private industry, including power plants, mines and farms.

Those and other regulations would help clear obstacles to some commercial ocean-fishing activities, ease controls on emissions of pollutants that contribute to global warming, relax drinking-water standards and lift a key restriction on mountaintop coal mining.

Once such rules take effect, they typically can be undone only through a laborious new regulatory proceeding, including lengthy periods of public comment, drafting and mandated reanalysis.

[more at link]
Keep your eyes on this, folks.
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post #60 of 301
11/5/08 at 5:59pm
Politically, folding Homeland Security would open him up to Fox News accusations of of "being soft on terrorism." But doing anything will do so, and it obviously shouldn't be his first priority to avoid that.

Renaming it however would be a start. Something that sounds less vaguely fascist or Orwellian. And then making it sure it doesn't violate civil liberties or jail people without due process. Or making it actually protect the ports.

I guess it still needs to exist, though if it weren't for the political consideration, which in coordination with another attack would give his opponents ammo in a future election, I would think it should become a division of the FBI.
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post #61 of 301
11/5/08 at 6:42pm
Transition team announced.
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post #62 of 301
11/5/08 at 7:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Felt Pelt View Post
Renaming it however would be a start. Something that sounds less vaguely fascist or Orwellian. And then making it sure it doesn't violate civil liberties or jail people without due process. Or making it actually protect the ports.

I guess it still needs to exist, though if it weren't for the political consideration, which in coordination with another attack would give his opponents ammo in a future election, I would think it should become a division of the FBI.
Renaming it would be great. The "Homeland" part of the name has always bugged me.

It will stay, the Department of Homeland Security is mostly just a combination of different government agencies that were brought into the same department when they used to be spread out amoung several departments. To help improve coordination.
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post #63 of 301
11/5/08 at 9:16pm
DHS is a terrible behemoth of an organization, but cutting through it will require Obama to spend political capital that is better spent elsewhere.

As to SCOTUS appointments, don't expect anyone who isn't wearing the robe right now. Diane Wood from the 7th Circuit is a shoe-in. She's awesome, liberal but intellectually honest, and can run circles around Sandy O'Connor.

And I echo the sentiment with Powell. Even with his Meet the Press endorsement, it's all too little, too late. He should have risen to the occasion when he had a chance to make a real difference in history, but sided with Bush. A pox on his house.
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post #64 of 301
11/5/08 at 9:41pm
The right is hitting the Emmanuel selection hard, saying Obama is going back on his promise to reach across the aisle and lost any good will he may have engendered with his speech last night.

I think that good will is probably feigned but that's their argument.
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post #65 of 301
11/5/08 at 9:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by myk View Post
The right is hitting the Emmanuel selection hard, saying Obama is going back on his promise to reach across the aisle and lost any good will he may have engendered with his speech last night.

I think that good will is probably feigned but that's their argument.
Did anyone honestly expect anything different from the the right wing of the Republican Party?
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post #66 of 301
11/5/08 at 10:04pm
Who the hell was he supposed to choose as Chief of Staff? Sarah Palin? John McCain? Mitt Romney?
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post #67 of 301
11/5/08 at 10:09pm
Well, here we go ... so much for a new spirit of bipartisanship.
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post #68 of 301
11/5/08 at 10:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by myk View Post
The right is hitting the Emmanuel selection hard, saying Obama is going back on his promise to reach across the aisle and lost any good will he may have engendered with his speech last night.

I think that good will is probably feigned but that's their argument.
The Democrat picked a Democrat to be his Chief of Staff! J'accuse!
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post #69 of 301
11/5/08 at 11:01pm
Thread Starter 
What the hell.
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post #70 of 301
11/5/08 at 11:02pm
Thread Starter 
The thing on Obama's website about "no lobbyists" says a lot about how he's living up to his campaign promises, moreso than the Emmanuel pick. I especially liked the bit about not being able to take a lobbyist job for two years after your post ends. There was also a small bit on HuffPo about Brokaw being tapped for Press Secretary, which would be awesome, but it would also give the Republicans a ton of ammo.

In really obscure shit, Howard Dean as Sec of Health and Human Services makes a lot of sense. But it's also the Department of HHS.
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post #71 of 301
11/5/08 at 11:03pm
You mean, the Republicans are caught running a perpetual campaign? You don't say!

Like I said earlier, the notion that Rahm Emanuel as Chief Of Staff is a harsh partisan pick like a slap in the face has NO BASIS. Why would Obama put a Republican in the clutch position that has ostensibly more to do with administrative affairs than with drawing up the nuts and bolts of policy? Especially when you need someone you can trust implicitly in that role?

More idiotic demagoguery. Sigh. The GOP might need to pick their battles better.
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post #72 of 301
11/6/08 at 12:15am
Powell for... Secretary of Education? So says Keith.

What?
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post #73 of 301
11/6/08 at 12:27am
It's Chief of Fucking Staff. Jesus, what a bunch of fucking crybabies.
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post #74 of 301
11/6/08 at 12:39am
Ed! Don't you see?! He's already lying!

Next thing you know, he'll show us he was a communist Muslim all along!
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post #75 of 301
11/6/08 at 12:39am
He can counteract this bad will by appointing Palin for Secretary of Education. Rest easy.
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post #76 of 301
11/6/08 at 12:45am
A black president with a Jewish Chief of Staff? Yes please.

In all honesty, I've always liked Emmanuel. He's tough and he doesn't take nonsense.
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post #77 of 301
11/6/08 at 12:55am
The concept of picking the guy deemed best for the job doesnt cross anyones mind out there at all it seems.

Even after this election war is over, its all about party affiliations, dealings and who slighted whom when and why. Pathetic ,really.

If Obama picked an entire cabinet of independants cause he thinks they ll do the job best in the way he wants it done, thats absolutely fine.
There isnt some retarded "republican quota" to fill. I bet that if there are republicans best suited for a job he wants done that way, he ll appoint them.
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post #78 of 301
11/6/08 at 12:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dranbon View Post
A black president with a Jewish Chief of Staff? Yes please.

In all honesty, I've always liked Emmanuel. He's tough and he doesn't take nonsense.
I wonder what all the "OBAMA IS A MUSLIM WHO WANTS TO KILL ISREAL!" camp think about the fact that his Chief of Staff is Jewish.
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post #79 of 301
11/6/08 at 1:16am
Do you think there is any chance Obama will cut into the ridiculous Pentagon budget? The US currently spends more on military and defense than the rest of the world combined. Homeland Security and the terror alert level scale are another thing in need of a huge sledge hammer.
Or maybe he has learned a lesson from JFK and won't confront the military industrial complex.
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post #80 of 301
11/6/08 at 1:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Drew S. View Post
I wonder what all the "OBAMA IS A MUSLIM WHO WANTS TO KILL ISREAL!" camp think about the fact that his Chief of Staff is Jewish.
According to them, Jewish Democrats not named Joe Lieberman aren't really Jewish.
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post #81 of 301
11/6/08 at 1:48am



(The tie. It's that tie that made me think of it.)
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post #82 of 301
11/6/08 at 1:58am
That reminds me... when do you think we get our first GOBAMA movie starring Denzel? And will it be a serious HBO piece drama or a romantic comedy featuring Meg Ryan as Hillary Clinton?
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post #83 of 301
11/6/08 at 2:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by soylentgreen View Post



(The tie. It's that tie that made me think of it.)
That's wonderful. I couldn't resist one slight modification, though.

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post #84 of 301
11/6/08 at 3:41am
First Class 782 writes:
Quote:

Not a fan of the Rahm pick. He's strongly partisan and an attack dog. But with a bipartisan Cabinet, he might be a great pick.


I like the pick, if only from a relative historical perspective; Carter and Clinton picked virtual neophytes for CoS on the basis of their loyalty, and paid dearly for it. Emanuel, the operator's operator, knows Congress and should be an effective enforcer.
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post #85 of 301
11/6/08 at 4:51am
If anything choosing a hard-ass for chief of staff indicates that Obama's cabinet will be more varied than most. That way he won't have to be looking behind his back the whole time and he can focus on the policies.
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post #86 of 301
11/6/08 at 11:46am
Not sure how much faith to put in this, but...

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/elect...hort_List.html

EPA: RFK, Jr.
Ambassador to the UN: Caroline Kennedy
Defense: Powell or retain Gates
State: John Kerry
Energy: Schwarzenegger or Ed Rendell
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post #87 of 301
11/6/08 at 11:51am
Morning Joe had a very ackward moment with Chris Matthews this morning. They were asking him about the confusing over Rahm (why he was publicly pondering if he was going to accept it or not) and if this was a bit disorganized from the Obama campaign.

Matthews refused to comment, saying "I want this transition to do well, it is in our interested to ..." and then Joe and him had a very weird and tense exchange about the role of journalists.

Anybody see this?
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post #88 of 301
11/6/08 at 11:54am
"Morning Joe" this morning was picking on Emmanuel for his "stream of consciousness" to reporters when replying about taking the chief of staff position calling it bumbling and unprofessional. I had no idea what he was talking about, because they didn't play the clip and I thought it very forgiving of him to believe his audience actually understood the term stream of consciousness.

It's amazing the lengths Republicans will go to, considering they really should worry more about their own, on the way to extinction, party than what a possible chief of staff, of all things, says to reporters.

(Cap, unfortunately I missed the Mathhews bit. I wanted to see it because Matthews usually gets away with saying what he wants on the show.)
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post #89 of 301
11/6/08 at 12:05pm
OK, and I missed the first part. I'll post the clip when I find it, Matthews and Joe were not screaming at each other but you could tell they were pissed at each other.

Chuck T. kept out of the whole exchange, and joked about it. These MSNBC guys just don't like each other much.
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post #90 of 301
11/6/08 at 12:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt M View Post
Not sure how much faith to put in this, but...

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/elect...hort_List.html

EPA: RFK, Jr.
Ambassador to the UN: Caroline Kennedy
Defense: Powell or retain Gates
State: John Kerry
Energy: Schwarzenegger or Ed Rendell
That makes no sense. What in Rendell's background makes him worthwhile for energy? He's been speculated for HUD. I mean that makes more sense for the guy.

Like I said, there are better people that Kerry in my view for State.

Oh Reggie, Soylent. Those are avatar worthy pics they are
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post #91 of 301
11/6/08 at 2:25pm
The Uncabinet. Slate's Tim Noah on who Obama shouldn't appoint to his cabinet. That includes most of the people we've talked about.

I think he's right on. All visible cabinet positions should be new, smart people with big ideas. Their deputies should be seasoned managers who have done this before, such that the new secretaries can hit the ground running without having to spend six months learning how to order new pens. Obama's Emmanuel pick gives me hope that he's following that course of action.
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post #92 of 301
11/6/08 at 2:59pm
Emmanuel accepted Chief of Staff.
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post #93 of 301
11/6/08 at 3:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Spook View Post
The Uncabinet. Slate's Tim Noah on who Obama shouldn't appoint to his cabinet. That includes most of the people we've talked about.

I think he's right on. All visible cabinet positions should be new, smart people with big ideas. Their deputies should be seasoned managers who have done this before, such that the new secretaries can hit the ground running without having to spend six months learning how to order new pens. Obama's Emmanuel pick gives me hope that he's following that course of action.
I'm not a fan of Slate but I completely agree. Richardson and Kerry should not be Sec of State. As much as I like Richardson he's not right for the job (Even though from what I've heard including one guy who is an aide in congress the guy wants it bad. Which is why he didn't go for the open senate seat) and Kerry doesn't have foreign policy experience. Not compared to Biden.

BTW Spook Farmer's Market today. Be sure to check out that Peruvian Booth
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post #94 of 301
11/6/08 at 3:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by EdHocken View Post
I'm not a fan of Slate but I completely agree. Richardson and Kerry should not be Sec of State. As much as I like Richardson he's not right for the job (Even though from what I've heard including one guy who is an aide in congress the guy wants it bad. Which is why he didn't go for the open senate seat) and Kerry doesn't have foreign policy experience. Not compared to Biden.
The problem is that State almost requires somebody who's a known quantity on the international stage. You can't go with "young, bright and unknown" there.
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post #95 of 301
11/6/08 at 3:22pm
True, I mean JFK had some vets in there including Adlai Stevenson as Ambassador to the UN.

My thinking is that Lugar will get it.
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post #96 of 301
11/6/08 at 3:58pm
Ed, went a little meta there with your avatar?
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post #97 of 301
11/6/08 at 4:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Spook View Post
Ed, went a little meta there with your avatar?
Huh?
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post #98 of 301
11/6/08 at 5:41pm
http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/...es_emanuel.php

I never thought I would say this, but thank you Lindsey Graham!
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post #99 of 301
11/6/08 at 6:04pm
Huh. Weird, you have Harvey back. For a while, all I could see was a small picture that said "EdHocken's Avatar" with an arrow pointing towards your handle.

And I had to have lunch delivered today because I was working through it. Hopefully I'll get to try the place before I make partner or leave California.
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post #100 of 301
11/6/08 at 6:12pm
And if you want a job in the Obama-Biden Administration, you can always apply for one yourself.

http://change.gov/page/s/application
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