“The American people…understand the real gamble is having the same old folks doing things over and over and over again and somehow expecting a different result.”
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"you don't think yourself into a new way of living; you live yourself into a new way of thinking."
What exactly would count as "change" in your book?
What decisions would either of you approve of, if any?
Moving the country in a direction (any direction!) requires a capable staff to be in place as soon as possible. Transition starts now.
I know the both of you are cynical, but I'm a bit pleased with 1) how quickly the transition is choosing its leadership, and 2) With the general qualifications of the people chosen (except at Central Intelligence).
Changing a culture doesn't require you choose people from outside the culture. It requires you choose people who see the same problems in the culture that you do, and who share your ideology on how to sculpt it toward your vision.
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If you could reason with religious people, there would be no religious people - House
What exactly would count as "change" in your book?
What decisions would either of you approve of, if any?
Moving the country in a direction (any direction!) requires a capable staff to be in place as soon as possible. Transition starts now.
I know the both of you are cynical, but I'm a bit pleased with 1) how quickly the transition is choosing its leadership, and 2) With the general qualifications of the people chosen (except at Central Intelligence).
Changing a culture doesn't require you choose people from outside the culture. It requires you choose people who see the same problems in the culture that you do, and who share your ideology on how to sculpt it toward your vision.
You're telling me that Obama shares Hillary Clinton's vision for the country? If that is indeed the case, then he has duped us all.
Look, I loved hearing that Obama was meeting with McCain, that Emanuel was getting with Repubs to tell them their ideas were welcome, but to see these cabinet picks of classic Democrat power players is absolutely disgusting.
CHANGE! = Bill Richardson, lets hope he doesn't do for Commerce what he did for nuclear security as the Energy Secretary.
CHANGE! = Tom Daschle - From Senate majority leader to uberlobbyist/Obama advisor to Health and Human Services.
CHANGE! = Oh yes, Hillary Clinton. Now THAT is some CHANGE YOU CAN BELIEVE IN.
I really don't give a shit if the picks are D or R, but these Clintonistas are a slap in the face for everyone who believed that Obama was going to put a new face, literally and figuratively, on Washington DC.
I'm all for recycling... but not particularly enthused about the Night of the Living Clintonistas. That said, I'd say his picks thus far show a balanced, realpolitik approach that is vastly different from the past 8 years of partisan bootlickers and ideologues. In that regard, we are seeing change.
Sure, I'd like to see more fresh faces untainted by years of DC "insiderness," but look at what happened to Jimmy Carter when he blew into town as an outsider, complete with his outsider entourage. He couldn't even rally his own party behind his agenda, let alone gain any allies amongst the Repubs. He took a self-righteous approach that pretty much uniformly alienated potential allies.
I'm all for recycling... but not particularly enthused about the Night of the Living Clintonistas. That said, I'd say his picks thus far show a balanced, realpolitik approach that is vastly different from the past 8 years of partisan bootlickers and ideologues. In that regard, we are seeing change.
Sure, I'd like to see more fresh faces untainted by years of DC "insiderness," but look at what happened to Jimmy Carter when he blew into town as an outsider, complete with his outsider entourage. He couldn't even rally his own party behind his agenda, let alone gain any allies amongst the Repubs. He took a self-righteous approach that pretty much uniformly alienated potential allies.
Obama is much more politically savvy.
I will refrain from calling this post backpedaling, because I sincerely hope you are right.
I would say right now the hard left is the most grumpy about how the Obama administration is taking shape. They were hoping for a much more leftist agenda (the one that FauxNews and Palin harped on constantly), and I think we're seeing a centrist govt taking shape... with leftist moments, which to me is a pretty accurate reflection of America's political orientation.
Obama is facing the most challenging economic environment in modern American history. He's going to need all the allies he can get to lead us out of this mess. Building those critical alliances is going to require compromises that will infuriate the ideologues.
I kind of wonder if the Clinton @ SecState pick is the deal he made with her after he wrapped up the delegates, and before he announced Biden. Think about it- by being able to assign her a powerful position (IMO arguably more powerful & higher profile than VP) he's able to bring her on board, without the exposure of a Clinton on the ticket.
Personally, SecState is a much more of a coveted spot and is far more influential on an international stage.
Now- I do think that this much more of a "same-old, same-old" political array than I had expected back in May, but I'd also have to backpedal a bit by saying that we are in a much more precarious situation than 6 months ago. Having a seasoned team that knows how a White House operates on day one might be preferable than a newbie team trying to find its way. Also- the biggest threat facing Obama's Adminstration is not the wounded Rebublicans- it's the drunk-with-new-found-power Congress; who needs a Rahm Emmnuel to crack the whip.
I want to see a couple of high-profile GOP'er in the Economic Team, though....
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"At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."
Also- the biggest threat facing Obama's Adminstration is not the wounded Rebublicans- it's the drunk-with-new-found-power Congress; who needs a Rahm Emmnuel to crack the whip.
Good point, though I wonder if Mitch McConnell will revert to rabid hound dog after Jan. 20. At the moment he's kinda wagging his tail and discretely wiping the froth from his chops.
Looks like some, but little, danger of running the shiny new administration on Clinton retreads. However, some previously junior/upper-level Clinton members are getting senior/top-level Obama positions. Makes sense for Obama to appoint some Dems with previous White House and administrative experience, to a point.
Even if you pick your least favorite appointment and view that person (Clinton, Summers) in the worst light available, these appointments are are not even comparable to Bush reappointing already discredited Nixon/neocon whack jobs (Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, etc.) and clueless politicos (Brownies anyone?).
Still problematic, but Obama's appointments appear competent. By that measure alone, Obama has put the country light years ahead of the darkness cast on the land by Bush/Cheney. Will be interesting to see how it plays out.
Hybrid Mode
