YHTBFKM: Follow-Up
My now notorious "You Have To Be Fucking Kidding Me" post raised a few eyebrows, hackles and gorges. If it made you stop and think, so much the better. We need more of that.
Look. We got our wish. The MSM does now pay attention to blogs. When they strike a current of discontent, they seize on it. Worst of all, our petty grumbling serves to further energize and validate the opposition.
We have to trust that Obama knows what he's doing until he proves otherwise. Or at least wait until he's sworn in to start petitioning for impeachment hearings.But are these anything more than predictable political attacks, and is it fair to brand Obama's picks as retreads?That's the money graph. Picks not nearly as big as big as Obama's deeds -- Pool of qualified candidates small. Brriiiiiing! Class dismissed.No, say many analysts, who argue that there is a limited pool of Democratic operatives with government experience qualified for top cabinet jobs.
Obama's personal brand is so strong, after two years campaigning on change that his cabinet picks may be less important than his own actions and rhetoric.
Such are the myriad crises facing the nascent Obama team, the president-elect may have concluded that while some officials may hark back to a previous era, he cannot afford to snub the best Democratic brains.
And had he sent a group of neophytes to Washington, he would surely have been pilloried for picking people short on experience.
Former president Bill Clinton, who came to power in 1993, decided not to stack his administration with veterans of the Jimmy Carter administration, which was seen as a failure.
But he soon hit trouble and had to call in Washington hands like veteran White House operative David Gergen.
"With the economy in such critical shape, to not choose people with experience would be foolhardy," said Martha Kumar, a political scientist with Towson University.
Truth is, I disagree - right down to the floor. Yes, I understand that we don't want to rampage around shouting hysterically at each other, reheating Clinton pro/con. Fully agree.
But the "Chill the fuck out, Obama's got it" schtick? Ummm, Obama didn't say that, in the whole campaign or his books. Somebody else said it, and it sounds cool.
When it comes to Cabinet, here's my test question. Are the TIMES we are in ones which present the kinds of challenges which call for an "Intelligent, Best of Class, Known Democratic Names" Or are they, "Qualitatively Different From The Last 20 Years" kinda times?
I view them as closer to the latter. Do I therefore hope to see people selected who have "done well" within & by furthering many of the organizations & policies which have led us to here? No, I don't. Which makes some of the economic picks troubling to me, and - since these times are going to dramatically change what can be done in other fields - also means I feel the same about other, non-financial picks.
Perhaps Obama is gaming it, and will surround the big names with new, out-of-the-box thinkers, people who spend the last 20 years out in areas which were at the time marginal, but which will increasingly be seen as central to our recovery. I donno. Maybe he views that as the times unfold, and public opinion shifts, he'll change these Cabinet members, but feels he has to start with them, so he can get some initial traction with the powers that be. That's possible. I'm not convinced it's the right move though, if he is.
So if you want to take a shot at those who focus on the personality politics & potential clashes, feel free. I agree, that stuff is pretty much a waste of time. But let's leave out any blanket admonitions to "Chill" or "Be mindful, great painter at work," or - worse - try to dampen down critical thinking about this because of the MSM. Let's be clear. The MSM has its own interests, and they ain't the same as ours, and if we hand them a control with a mute button, they ain't gonna just hit it once. We'll be wearing gags for years.
November 23, 2008 3:57 PM | Reply | Permalink