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Is Obama still living in the 90s?
Obama appears to still be living in the 90s with his choice of ex-Clintonites and being super selective on who he chooses to be working for him. According to Daniel Schor on NPR, Obama picked out Rahm Emmanuel and Hillary Clinton because he though they have experience. But the world is a completely different place than it was dring the nineties. The United States now has try to end two wars and solve the financial crisis. To do this requirres fresh new minds and not veterans from the Clinton administration. Also Obama appears to fear that press would go after anyone with something in their closet due to the fact that applicants applyng for positions in his administration must have a perfect record. This appears to be mainly a 90s fear when the press had nothing to write about but scandals . With the economy in the toilet, I doubt that the public would have much of an appetite for tabliod stories about the Obama administration. Moreover Obama his once again limiting his choice of advisors and viewpoints. Obama needs to realize that the nineties are over and that he needs new perspectives even though they could offered by someone, who may not have a perfect private life.
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The is getting to be a weary meme. How can he be about change if he is bringing folks from the Clinton administration? While superficially this seems to make some sense. It is only superficial. While fresh minds with new ideas are great and yes are needed. You do not form a new administration with people who do not know how the systems works. How the different agencies function, especially when doing transitional reviews. Given the times we are in, President-elect Obama does not have the luxury of time. He must hit the ground at a full sprint. The advantage to having some of these former Clinton staffers on board is that they know where they screwed up in the transition from Bush I. They know where the potential mind fields are hidden.
Finally, I never thought change was all about people. It is about policy and direction. Obama sets the policy and the direction.
November 15, 2008 10:27 AM | Reply | Permalink
Obama does need to bring in a new generation of creative and innovative thinkers.
But...
The Clinton administration lasted for eight years, and the last Democratic administration before that ended 28 years ago, in 1980. That means just about every viable Democrat out there who has any experience at all working in the executive branch of government worked for the Clinton administration.
It is simply inconceivable that a new president could staff an effective administration entirely out of executive branch rookies. He needs a lot of people who have experience, and know how the federal government works.
So we are going to get plenty of Clintonites. That's just a fact of life.
November 15, 2008 10:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
Nice of you, and a whole lot of others, to allow Obama to constitute his administration before condemning him.
Oh, and by the way, Obama has not announced his selection of Sen. Clinton for any position in his administration.
November 15, 2008 11:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
TPM'ers used to hate all things Clinton. But now that Obama saturating his cabinet with his ex-buddies, on second thought, the Clinton administration rocked! Because Obama must be defended no matter what.
Hypocrites.
November 15, 2008 1:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's a pretty sweeping generalization, isn't it.
November 15, 2008 2:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Truthseeker, that's the straw man fallacy. Look it up.
November 15, 2008 5:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Careful -- you might accidently expose "truthseeker" for the far-right lunatic fringe troll he is. ;)
November 15, 2008 6:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
In fact, TPMers did not hate all things Clinton -- we leave that to foul-mouthed America-haters such as you.
In fact, as mopst TPMers knew and know, the Clinton administration was successful -- outside the far-right false smears slung at it throughout its eight years. It not only balanced the budget, but also left a budget SURPLUS.
Let us all guess: "truthseeker" is FOR balanced budgets and budget surpluses -- UNLESS they are the results of Democratic administration, in which instance balanced budgets and surpluses are "bad for America".
What are YOU about "truthseeker"? The only thing you know how to do: tear down anything which isn't stupid, which dares put country ahead of party, and with the usual retardate lunatic-fringe petty hate-speech which invokes "logical fallacies" without the least clue as to what they are, or whether they are even relevant or applicable.
Ugly is as ugly does, "truthseeker"/troll. All you do here is spew irrelevant and inapplicable negativity and ugliness. All you do here is trash, trash, and trash, anything not Republican/lunatic fringe. And when you REALLY want to avoid the DESERVED heat for wasting bandwidth -- on SOMEONE ELSE'S wlefare dime -- you BLOCK responses to your hate-shit.
Who's the hypocrite, "truthseeker"? Borrow a mirror and look into it.
November 15, 2008 6:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
This peurile complaint is getting very old very quickly....
November 15, 2008 3:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yep. One wishes the political neophytes would shut up and listen.
Beginning with troll "truthseeker".
November 15, 2008 6:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, I agree, the world has changed completely. In the 90's I would wake up, boot up my Windows95 machine and surf the internet. Now I boot up my Windows XP machine and surf the internet. My old computer from Taiwan has been replaced by one from China. Instead of a Nokia phone I now have a SonyEricsson. Instead of a VCR I now own a DVD recorder, and instead of taking the metro in one city, I now take the metro in another. Instead of a super cheap German cappuccino maker I now have a super cheap Italian one. I traded in my futon for a foam mattress. Instead of a Republican Congress to ignore my wishes, we now have a Democratic Congress to ignore my wishes. Instead of inheriting a recession from President Bush, we're now inheriting one from President Bush. My cheap rusting ancient car now has 6 inches more clearance than my old one. My disposable razor now has 3 blades instead of 2.
Imagine someone who fell asleep in 1995 and woke up in 2008 - it would just seem like flying to a different planet.
November 15, 2008 4:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
=D
touché
November 15, 2008 6:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
You know, you can get razors now that have, like, five blades. A brave new world is out there if you're willing to pay for it. I'm withholding judgment on Obama's follow-thru until I see the closeness of his Cabinet members' shaves. With news coverage being broadcast in HD, we now have the ability to scrutinize such things.
November 16, 2008 5:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
90's? More like 60's. I have to chuckle at all the young folks who thought you were voting for change and you were going to get rid of the boomers, etc. They're back!!!
November 15, 2008 5:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's called "experience" and "continuity".
It's called "institutional memory".
Look at the last 8 years, beginning early 2001, as a detour off the mainstream road, and the Obama administration's first year or so as getting the vehicle out of the wilderness and back onto that road.
November 15, 2008 7:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Am I wrong, or was Obama alive in the '90s? And if he was, do you think he still lives there, or do you think he's alive now? Because I'm sort of confused by your reasoning...
November 15, 2008 7:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
I liked the 90s. Can I live there too?
November 15, 2008 8:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obviously of course, because Rahm Emanuel and Hillary Clinton were working in Washington in the 1990's, they haven't learned anything since then.
How patronizing.
November 15, 2008 10:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Which decade would John McCain have picked to style his admin from? He has a few of them to choose from.
November 16, 2008 1:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
John McCain is a flapper.
November 16, 2008 5:21 AM | Reply | Permalink