Is Obama doing a "Nixon to China" thing with his cabinet? (0.00 / 0)

At first glance I am not thrilled with some of Obama's cabinet selections.   Gates is at the top of my concern list and Clinton is also on the list.  

Maybe I'm abnormally optimistic or naive but I wonder if Obama is picking people who will be effective in delivering the Obama agenda BECAUSE they have been historically opposed to it.    

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by: richgreer @ Thu Dec 04, 2008 at 19:12:00 PM UTC

Then you're going to miss the boat a lot. (4.00 / 1)

You don't get any wins if all you bet on is done deals. I think it's extremely important what a national leader says even before s/he does it. For one thing, it signals what s/he can be held accountable for as time goes on. More important, it begins to define the environment in which the leader's priorities can survive the political hammermill.

At this point I'd say "approve", not "somewhat" and not "strongly". If things don't turn out well I'll have no problem changing my mind.

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by: DaveW @ Thu Dec 04, 2008 at 19:12:42 PM UTC

Chris I give you 100% approval ratings. (0.00 / 0)

We won the Battle. Now the Real Fight for Change Begins. Join MoveOn.org and fight for progressive change.  

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by: bluethunder @ Thu Dec 04, 2008 at 19:15:07 PM UTC

OT -- MoveOn (4.00 / 1)

It would be interesting if you did a diary about why you think MoveOn is the vehicle of choice "to fight for progressive change."

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by: DaveW @ Thu Dec 04, 2008 at 19:31:39 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I think on the whole (4.00 / 3)

Obama has handled the discussion around the economy pretty well.  I would certainly put myself in the "approve camp".  As a a Keynesian, I like the fact that he is concerned with the stimulus package being big enough, which I think is exactly the question to be worried about.

I worry about Iraq, and whether we are going to get out soon enough.  Certainly his foriegn policy team leans right.  I also worry that he doesn't fully understand globalization and the challenges it creates for workers - but I felt that way during the primaries.  

My expectations for Obama were the following:
*Get out Iraq, don't invade Iran
*Restore the Rule of Law, make liberal Supreme Court Appointments
*Get close to Universal Health Care
*Reverse the Bush tax cuts

Of the four listed above, the only one that I have concerns about right now is Iraq.  I really never expected much beyond the list above.  

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by: fladem @ Thu Dec 04, 2008 at 19:31:40 PM UTC

We should all be skeptical and (4.00 / 3)

demand proof.  

Excellent, Chris.

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by: Tom Wells @ Thu Dec 04, 2008 at 19:36:13 PM UTC

Maybe (4.00 / 1)

you should conduct a poll here and see which front page diarist gets the highest approval ratings.  

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by: munodi @ Thu Dec 04, 2008 at 20:06:55 PM UTC

Yes (4.00 / 1)

You should be proud to be a skeptic. One thing to be suspicous of is an "approval rating" poll. It's simply a measure of popularity. Right now, Obama is popular. Ask most Americans to name his Cabinet choices -- and you know what the answer will look like.  

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by: damitajo1 @ Thu Dec 04, 2008 at 21:22:43 PM UTC

what constitutes a "successful" transition? (0.00 / 0)

I "approve" of how he's "handling the transition" and handling his "job as president-elect" because he hasn't made any clear blunders and still has the trust of the electorate (and through his steady and reassuring personal style might actually be expanding it). That's the main job of Obama's transition in my view, staying strong, popular, and retaining his political capital until he's in the White House and can actually implement policy. I "disapprove" of his cabinet picks, mainly Gates and the economic team.

As for disagreement within the party, I agree that being a dissident Democrat and a skeptic is a comfortable place to be.

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by: dave marley @ Thu Dec 04, 2008 at 21:27:41 PM UTC

FWIW I'm also feeling uneasy about his picks and actions since winning (0.00 / 0)

I get the "He has to govern from and pass through the center before getting to the left" thing, and have even pushed it here and elsewhere. But part of me can't help but wonder whether that explains his picks and moves, or whether this IS Obama, someone who has his left side, but also his right side, and is increasingly more at ease with his right side, now that he's part of the establishment and has real power.

I fear that this isn't a necessary evil, but how he actually intends to govern, from the center-right, because it's where he'll find it easiest to govern, at least from the point of view of the political and media establishment--his true base now. The left helped get him elected, but the center-right will help him govern--if he obliges it.

And I suspect that he will. He is simply not a conviction politician. He is not an idealist or idealogue. He is, in the current lexicon, a "pragmatist". And what could be more pragmatic than to govern via the path of least political resistance? Or, perhaps, he sees himself as an "adult", who has no intention of catering to the "whims" of either the right or left. It's not as if he didn't constantly say this while campaigning. We're too "partisan". He's a grown-up.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to guess how he'll govern.

"Those who stand for nothing fall for anything...Mankind are forever destined to be the dupes of bold & cunning imposture" -- Alexander Hamilton

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by: kovie @ Fri Dec 05, 2008 at 05:45:41 AM UTC

Obama Transition (0.00 / 0)

For strategic reasons, I'm okay with Gates. It provides Obama with a consistent policy abroad for the near future when he will rightly have his attention focused at home. There can be no meaningful movement in Iraq for well over a year. Any troops returning from Iraq won't begin for over 6 months. Then they will train up and resupply--again, well over a year--before they are considered for redeployment to Afghanistan.
Gates provides nicely for the requirements Obama has currently. It has added advantage of showing bi-partisonship, whether another republican gets the gig, only time will tell.
Dashle will be excellent at HHS.
Economic issues aren't really my thing, so I'm willing to wait and see about those guys.
Clinton at state definitely has it's advantages, both politically and internationally--Keeping Bill busy fer four years was gonna be a challenge anyway, what better incentive for him to behave than the wrath of Hillary et. al
I'm very pleased with the national security team--I expect big things from them in yr. 3 or 4 and beyond.

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by: greggy44 @ Fri Dec 05, 2008 at 06:58:39 AM UTC