The House of Representatives voted, 244 - 148 on the President Obama’s Economic Stimulus package yesterday. The bill passed the House without any Republican votes (and without 11 Democratic votes).
The $819 million House Bill now goes to the Senate where there will be some modifications and additional programs including added tax cuts. The U.S. Senate will vote on the package early next week.
The President’s work to reach across the aisle and help end partisan politics, as we discussed yesterday, did not bring any votes with it. Even following the vote, the President hosted a cocktail party in the White House for the Congressional leadership of both parties and both houses.
There is a good chance the Senate version of the economic stimulus package might bring some Republican support. Senate Republicans tend to be more moderate than their House colleagues and the Senate Democratic Leaders are making some modifications requested by their GOP colleagues.
The time and effort spent by the President and his senior staff to reach out to GOP members was more of an effort to build long-term good-will and cooperation than solely to achieve support for the immediate legislation moving through both Houses.
When campaigning, it is easy to call for an end to partisan politics and return to civility. And when the campaign ends and governing begins, it is just as easy to use the power of the majority or the unwillingness to cooperate of the minority to slip back into the business as usual mold.
To break out of this partisan box and to begin a cooperative dialogue, someone has to cross the line and make a long-term investment to begin a thaw. In politics at all levels, you have to invest some good will into the bank before you try to make a withdrawal.
You can’t expect compromise on any one measure, especially at the 11th-hour when you realize you need other party’s votes without having that relationship before you need it.
President Obama’s efforts have begun a long, slow process to invest good will in the bank. Hopefully leaders of both parties will follow his lead.
Isn’t that what the voters in the U.S. wanted when they voted for change and for President Obama?
Isn’t that the best we can all hope to do as we have the opportunity to serve our constituents when we govern?
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
A trip up the avenue and across the aisle
President Obama took a short trip, one he made a week ago for his inauguration, from the White House up Pennsylvania Avenue to Capitol Hill yesterday to continue to reach across the aisle to GOP members of the House and Senate to gain support for his proposed economic stimulus package.
As you recall from last week, the President met with key members of the GOP membership of both houses last week in the White House to live up to his commitment to embrace his own call for working as much as possible in a nonpartisan fashion on critical issues.
The meeting last week did not result in any commitment from the Republican leadership to support the President’s package. The President got an earful relative to complaints that Democratic leaders in both houses were excluding GOP members from discussions and the drafting of the economic stimulus package. There are other GOP complaints also that specific programs included in the bill do not contribute to job creation or infrastructure investment.
Yesterday the President’s trip to the Capitol were clearly noted and appreciated by the Republican leadership in both houses. It is still not likely many GOP members will vote to support the President’s package in either house, as drafted by Congressional Democrats. The package does not require GOP votes to pass and it is likely the bill could be signed into law within a fortnight.
Politically, the GOP runs the risk of not supporting a hugely popular President on an issue of primary concern to the nation – stopping a plummeting economy. If the Dem effort proves to be successful, they gain a legislative record against GOP members and candidates running in the mid-term, 2010 Congressional elections.
All 435 members of the House of Representatives are up for election every two years. In the US Senate for the 2010 election, 34 seats are up as the Senate has staggered six-year terms. In addition there will be at least 2 other Senate seats up for election, part of special elections to fill vacated seats due to Presidential appointments of Senators to his Cabinet.
The President’s efforts and trip to the Capitol to meet exclusively with Republicans might not have garnered the bi-partisan support he wanted to signal confidence and unity in stabilizing the plummeting US economy. Yet, this was an excellent investment by the President for long-term relations with GOP members in Congress. That investment could bring bi-partisan support on future Presidential initiatives, and certainly is a smart move to reduce purely partisan, political procedural problems in the future, even if it does not bring votes.
One of the most important election promises made by President Obama was to change the way business is done in Washington, a very tall order for anyone to accomplish. While bi-partisan support for the $825 million-plus economic stimulus bill was not achieved, the President’s effort succeeded in achieving an important step.
Yesterday the tone of partisanship was turned down a few notches and there was a bit of a thawing yesterday, a return to a time when bi-partisan discussions and considerations where the norm.
There is a long-way to go for anyone to believe that politics in Washington has changed. However, it appears that a short-trip taken by a Democratic President out of the White House and into the Capitol might just be the first big step in the right direction.
Without winning legislative support, the President achieves confidence in his leadership and maybe the economy as well. Maybe a victory without any votes
Note: A story and audio from National Public Radio on GOP reactions to the President’s visit can be found at:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99942802
As you recall from last week, the President met with key members of the GOP membership of both houses last week in the White House to live up to his commitment to embrace his own call for working as much as possible in a nonpartisan fashion on critical issues.
The meeting last week did not result in any commitment from the Republican leadership to support the President’s package. The President got an earful relative to complaints that Democratic leaders in both houses were excluding GOP members from discussions and the drafting of the economic stimulus package. There are other GOP complaints also that specific programs included in the bill do not contribute to job creation or infrastructure investment.
Yesterday the President’s trip to the Capitol were clearly noted and appreciated by the Republican leadership in both houses. It is still not likely many GOP members will vote to support the President’s package in either house, as drafted by Congressional Democrats. The package does not require GOP votes to pass and it is likely the bill could be signed into law within a fortnight.
Politically, the GOP runs the risk of not supporting a hugely popular President on an issue of primary concern to the nation – stopping a plummeting economy. If the Dem effort proves to be successful, they gain a legislative record against GOP members and candidates running in the mid-term, 2010 Congressional elections.
All 435 members of the House of Representatives are up for election every two years. In the US Senate for the 2010 election, 34 seats are up as the Senate has staggered six-year terms. In addition there will be at least 2 other Senate seats up for election, part of special elections to fill vacated seats due to Presidential appointments of Senators to his Cabinet.
The President’s efforts and trip to the Capitol to meet exclusively with Republicans might not have garnered the bi-partisan support he wanted to signal confidence and unity in stabilizing the plummeting US economy. Yet, this was an excellent investment by the President for long-term relations with GOP members in Congress. That investment could bring bi-partisan support on future Presidential initiatives, and certainly is a smart move to reduce purely partisan, political procedural problems in the future, even if it does not bring votes.
One of the most important election promises made by President Obama was to change the way business is done in Washington, a very tall order for anyone to accomplish. While bi-partisan support for the $825 million-plus economic stimulus bill was not achieved, the President’s effort succeeded in achieving an important step.
Yesterday the tone of partisanship was turned down a few notches and there was a bit of a thawing yesterday, a return to a time when bi-partisan discussions and considerations where the norm.
There is a long-way to go for anyone to believe that politics in Washington has changed. However, it appears that a short-trip taken by a Democratic President out of the White House and into the Capitol might just be the first big step in the right direction.
Without winning legislative support, the President achieves confidence in his leadership and maybe the economy as well. Maybe a victory without any votes
Note: A story and audio from National Public Radio on GOP reactions to the President’s visit can be found at:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99942802
Clearing the Air
President Obama is receiving kudos from environmentalists today and concern from the automotive industry after signing a directive for reconsideration of California’s request for a waiver from U.S. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) to establish stricter automobile emissions standards than required by the national government.
The same waiver was rejected by the Bush administration after heavy lobbying from automobile manufacturers and other national business associations on the grounds that there should only be one, national standard. California has historically been an environmental leader in many areas of regulatory reform, and at least 13 states have adopted California’s lead on requiring the sale of vehicles meeting the stricter emissions standards. Other states are interested in passing similar state legislation.
California began pursuing emissions, or “tail-pipe” standards in 2002 as a way of nudging the federal government, which did not have any such standard. US EPA was required to approve the California standard to allow enforcement but did not do so, prompting numerous lawsuits, which also slowed consideration. US EPA finally established a national standard, however, it was much lower than California’s proposed requirements for cars, SUVs, pick-up trucks and vans.
In signing the directive, President Obama has signaled his administration’s intent to aggressively regulate automotive greenhouse gas emissions and live up to a campaign promise to reduce U.S. oil dependency. The automobile industry was somewhat subdued in their response as reported by multiple media outlets yesterday, reiterating a commitment to work with the President to achieve environmental goals hopefully in one, acceptable national standard.
Environmental organizations, and others, including California’s Republican Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger (in this part of the world also known as “The Governator”), believe the auto industry was not making good faith efforts in air quality and consumption initiatives. The hammer of regulatory authority certainly helps move initiatives further and faster in this area and probably will lead to California’s emissions standards becoming the national standard. While there is industry grumbling on this decision, it is hard to push too hard against the President’s action due to his popularity and the fact the US government has become an investor in the US auto industry through financial bailouts approved by Congress.
While this was an important environmental step leading to the implementation of the California emissions standards, it is also a good sign on another level. The President seems to be encouraging state and local governments to be innovators and leaders in policy development. It is good to see an issue like this and this early in the President’s tenure not be shoved immediately into a traditional tug-of-war on power and authority between federal and state governments.
The message that doing something is better than doing nothing is a good first environmental step for an environmental agenda, long dormant in the U.S.
The same waiver was rejected by the Bush administration after heavy lobbying from automobile manufacturers and other national business associations on the grounds that there should only be one, national standard. California has historically been an environmental leader in many areas of regulatory reform, and at least 13 states have adopted California’s lead on requiring the sale of vehicles meeting the stricter emissions standards. Other states are interested in passing similar state legislation.
California began pursuing emissions, or “tail-pipe” standards in 2002 as a way of nudging the federal government, which did not have any such standard. US EPA was required to approve the California standard to allow enforcement but did not do so, prompting numerous lawsuits, which also slowed consideration. US EPA finally established a national standard, however, it was much lower than California’s proposed requirements for cars, SUVs, pick-up trucks and vans.
In signing the directive, President Obama has signaled his administration’s intent to aggressively regulate automotive greenhouse gas emissions and live up to a campaign promise to reduce U.S. oil dependency. The automobile industry was somewhat subdued in their response as reported by multiple media outlets yesterday, reiterating a commitment to work with the President to achieve environmental goals hopefully in one, acceptable national standard.
Environmental organizations, and others, including California’s Republican Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger (in this part of the world also known as “The Governator”), believe the auto industry was not making good faith efforts in air quality and consumption initiatives. The hammer of regulatory authority certainly helps move initiatives further and faster in this area and probably will lead to California’s emissions standards becoming the national standard. While there is industry grumbling on this decision, it is hard to push too hard against the President’s action due to his popularity and the fact the US government has become an investor in the US auto industry through financial bailouts approved by Congress.
While this was an important environmental step leading to the implementation of the California emissions standards, it is also a good sign on another level. The President seems to be encouraging state and local governments to be innovators and leaders in policy development. It is good to see an issue like this and this early in the President’s tenure not be shoved immediately into a traditional tug-of-war on power and authority between federal and state governments.
The message that doing something is better than doing nothing is a good first environmental step for an environmental agenda, long dormant in the U.S.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
A belated good wishes to all on the anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns!
The 15-day celebration of the Chinese New Year starts today and if you didn’t already know it, this year is the Year of the Ox. The same birth sign of President Obama, the Chinese Zodiac and tradition states some of the characteristics of those born under the Year of the Ox are bright, patient, hardworking and unwavering. The Ox is also known to be inspiring to others.
Maybe the Ox is not the most electrifying sign in the Chinese Zodiac, but those traits seem perfectly matched for the challenging days we are all facing today.
There has been much political and media speculation about what will happen to the huge, diverse grassroots campaign machine President Obama and his team built and successfully employed during the Presidential Campaign. The extensive use of multiple electronic tools, coupled with old-fashioned neighbor-to-neighbor in person networking built the most active, committed campaign network, virtually unprecedented in American political campaign history.
The President’s campaign organization has been officially renamed, Organizing for America. Federal campaign finance rules and regulations restrict the use of campaign names, e-mails, and other apparatus by the White House. The new Organizing for America is housed within the DNC, (Democratic National Committee, the Party’s political operation). Since winning election, President Obama and his campaign team talked about the need to keep the huge network of very diverse, many first-time participants in politics active.
In an e-mail this weekend to supporters who are part of the network (full disclosure here, I was a contributor and supporter to the President’s campaign and yes, I did receive an e-mail), the campaign team is beginning the process of starting to link supporters together to rally and be active in upcoming policy initiatives that will come out of the White House.
There is little doubt the biggest battle to come will be the initiation of healthcare reform. Vested and very powerful interests have money and powerful relationships in both Houses of Congress to potentially alter, hijack or kill efforts to alter America’s very broken healthcare system. Lessons learned from President Clinton’s 1993 and 1994 attempts to implement healthcare reform, including the creation of universal health care, were killed off by multiple coalitions who poured money into lobbying Congressional members.
One of the biggest efforts used to defeat the President’s healthcare initiative was the creation of a national, public media campaign against healthcare reform – warning of the “dangers” of national healthcare and the nightmares it would bring with it. Those efforts included calls for citizens to directly contact their members of Congress to vote against any healthcare reform legislation. The campaign against reform, lead by coalitions of medical interests, health care insurers, and related interests and industries were very successful.
President Clinton was not the only person to face defeat in health care reform. Presidents Nixon and Truman were also thwarted in their attempts to implement healthcare reform.
The powerful grassroots coalition built for the election of President Obama would certainly play a key role and be a new, very powerful tool in any new attempt to move healthcare reform to the top of the domestic agenda. If the network can be activated and organized, it would make it difficult for other interests who oppose changes to healthcare to have the legislative playing field to themselves.
This evolving organization, and the role it will play in the President’s legislative initiatives, will be fascinating and might be a new lesson in the power of political organizing.
Congressional members have already expressed some concern about the napping giant, the President’s huge grassroots network, and how it will impact their ability to negotiate, make decisions and ultimately vote as they have to weigh their constituents and campaign supporters demands.
Can the Obama team really mobilize a huge group of citizens who think their work as citizens are now done?
Most Americans seem to believe their responsibility as citizens end at the ballot box. There is a harder job required, and it is holding elected officials at all levels of government responsible to be representatives of the voters. The Obama team is now going to try to use their campaign infrastructure to make this connection. And it is a hard sell as Americans switch their attention and focus to the Academy Awards, and other entertainment distractions.
So the challenge is there and now the first steps are being taken by Organizing for America to test this brave new world.
The 15-day celebration of the Chinese New Year starts today and if you didn’t already know it, this year is the Year of the Ox. The same birth sign of President Obama, the Chinese Zodiac and tradition states some of the characteristics of those born under the Year of the Ox are bright, patient, hardworking and unwavering. The Ox is also known to be inspiring to others.
Maybe the Ox is not the most electrifying sign in the Chinese Zodiac, but those traits seem perfectly matched for the challenging days we are all facing today.
There has been much political and media speculation about what will happen to the huge, diverse grassroots campaign machine President Obama and his team built and successfully employed during the Presidential Campaign. The extensive use of multiple electronic tools, coupled with old-fashioned neighbor-to-neighbor in person networking built the most active, committed campaign network, virtually unprecedented in American political campaign history.
The President’s campaign organization has been officially renamed, Organizing for America. Federal campaign finance rules and regulations restrict the use of campaign names, e-mails, and other apparatus by the White House. The new Organizing for America is housed within the DNC, (Democratic National Committee, the Party’s political operation). Since winning election, President Obama and his campaign team talked about the need to keep the huge network of very diverse, many first-time participants in politics active.
In an e-mail this weekend to supporters who are part of the network (full disclosure here, I was a contributor and supporter to the President’s campaign and yes, I did receive an e-mail), the campaign team is beginning the process of starting to link supporters together to rally and be active in upcoming policy initiatives that will come out of the White House.
There is little doubt the biggest battle to come will be the initiation of healthcare reform. Vested and very powerful interests have money and powerful relationships in both Houses of Congress to potentially alter, hijack or kill efforts to alter America’s very broken healthcare system. Lessons learned from President Clinton’s 1993 and 1994 attempts to implement healthcare reform, including the creation of universal health care, were killed off by multiple coalitions who poured money into lobbying Congressional members.
One of the biggest efforts used to defeat the President’s healthcare initiative was the creation of a national, public media campaign against healthcare reform – warning of the “dangers” of national healthcare and the nightmares it would bring with it. Those efforts included calls for citizens to directly contact their members of Congress to vote against any healthcare reform legislation. The campaign against reform, lead by coalitions of medical interests, health care insurers, and related interests and industries were very successful.
President Clinton was not the only person to face defeat in health care reform. Presidents Nixon and Truman were also thwarted in their attempts to implement healthcare reform.
The powerful grassroots coalition built for the election of President Obama would certainly play a key role and be a new, very powerful tool in any new attempt to move healthcare reform to the top of the domestic agenda. If the network can be activated and organized, it would make it difficult for other interests who oppose changes to healthcare to have the legislative playing field to themselves.
This evolving organization, and the role it will play in the President’s legislative initiatives, will be fascinating and might be a new lesson in the power of political organizing.
Congressional members have already expressed some concern about the napping giant, the President’s huge grassroots network, and how it will impact their ability to negotiate, make decisions and ultimately vote as they have to weigh their constituents and campaign supporters demands.
Can the Obama team really mobilize a huge group of citizens who think their work as citizens are now done?
Most Americans seem to believe their responsibility as citizens end at the ballot box. There is a harder job required, and it is holding elected officials at all levels of government responsible to be representatives of the voters. The Obama team is now going to try to use their campaign infrastructure to make this connection. And it is a hard sell as Americans switch their attention and focus to the Academy Awards, and other entertainment distractions.
So the challenge is there and now the first steps are being taken by Organizing for America to test this brave new world.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Political Business As Usual
Winter has returned to California and badly needed rain and snow are here again. The gray skies have not dampened spirits at all and skiers are excited to get back into the Sierra Nevada, and the rest of us are hoping for an end to a long three-year drought.
Today is proving to be a lesson in leadership – with President Obama living his promise to reach out across the political aisle. As this is being written, the President is meeting with House leaders from both parties to work though differences on the President Obama’s proposed $850 million-plus Economic Stimulus package.
The new package proposed by the President back in December, is being negotiated by members of both houses (the Senate and the House) and representing the majority party (Democrats) and the minority party (Republicans) of both houses. Republican members, especially in the House, have been pushing back against the total projected costs as well as some specific programs proposed for funding not helping create jobs.
Much of the frustration by the GOP minority of both houses (GOP is a common use for Republicans and stands for “The Grand Old Party”) have been the expressed frustration they were locked out of the process of putting the package together on the Hill by Democratic Congressional leaders.
While the Dems have more than enough votes in each house to move the package without support of the GOP, the President realized he needed to make the effort to stifle traditional partisan political tactics in order to live up to his lofty promise in his Inaugural Address.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
The desperate need to move the stimulus package is clearly a concern for the President. When he discussed the need for this massive investment in December, the President had hoped to be able to have the package ready for his signature upon his arrival in the White House. The mechanical writing of the bill, coupled with objections by the GOP in both houses has slowed the effort to pass the legislation and deliver it to the President for his signature.
So, the temptation to jam the bill through by Democratic leadership as fast as possible, over Republican objections is pretty high. The political credit of being able to have delivered a stimulus package over GOP objections could be a useful political tool for the mid-term Congressional elections, just a short time off in 2010. For the GOP, the ability to prevent or severely negate the Dems funding proposals could be a needed political victory needed in making the case for their members in the 2010 election cycle.
Sounds like political business as usual.
President Obama is reaching out to both Dems and GOP leadership, not that he has too, but he said he would. The bigger picture here is the Bush administration ignored and virtually treated the legislative branch as marginally relevant. It was not just the Democratic members who felt ignored by President Bush. GOP members of both Houses openly expressed frustrations and outright anger, at the Executive Branch’s belief they solely were going to run the country.
At the end of the day, the effort to build relationships on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue are critical for the success of both branches and both parties.
The President’s long-term ability to move his larger political initiatives into law are limited without building goodwill and support on Capitol Hill. There is a long road to build as far as relationships between the White House and the Hill and relationships between the two parties.
The meeting today does not mean the proposed economic stimulus package will meet all GOP concerns. Whether the package gets altered and concerns addressed is yet to be seen. The new target date for the bill to land on the President’s desk is February 16.
Today’s meeting in the White House is a good starting place to live up to avoid the old trap of “Do as I say, not as I do.”
More on the relationship between the White House and Congress next week!
Today is proving to be a lesson in leadership – with President Obama living his promise to reach out across the political aisle. As this is being written, the President is meeting with House leaders from both parties to work though differences on the President Obama’s proposed $850 million-plus Economic Stimulus package.
The new package proposed by the President back in December, is being negotiated by members of both houses (the Senate and the House) and representing the majority party (Democrats) and the minority party (Republicans) of both houses. Republican members, especially in the House, have been pushing back against the total projected costs as well as some specific programs proposed for funding not helping create jobs.
Much of the frustration by the GOP minority of both houses (GOP is a common use for Republicans and stands for “The Grand Old Party”) have been the expressed frustration they were locked out of the process of putting the package together on the Hill by Democratic Congressional leaders.
While the Dems have more than enough votes in each house to move the package without support of the GOP, the President realized he needed to make the effort to stifle traditional partisan political tactics in order to live up to his lofty promise in his Inaugural Address.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
The desperate need to move the stimulus package is clearly a concern for the President. When he discussed the need for this massive investment in December, the President had hoped to be able to have the package ready for his signature upon his arrival in the White House. The mechanical writing of the bill, coupled with objections by the GOP in both houses has slowed the effort to pass the legislation and deliver it to the President for his signature.
So, the temptation to jam the bill through by Democratic leadership as fast as possible, over Republican objections is pretty high. The political credit of being able to have delivered a stimulus package over GOP objections could be a useful political tool for the mid-term Congressional elections, just a short time off in 2010. For the GOP, the ability to prevent or severely negate the Dems funding proposals could be a needed political victory needed in making the case for their members in the 2010 election cycle.
Sounds like political business as usual.
President Obama is reaching out to both Dems and GOP leadership, not that he has too, but he said he would. The bigger picture here is the Bush administration ignored and virtually treated the legislative branch as marginally relevant. It was not just the Democratic members who felt ignored by President Bush. GOP members of both Houses openly expressed frustrations and outright anger, at the Executive Branch’s belief they solely were going to run the country.
At the end of the day, the effort to build relationships on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue are critical for the success of both branches and both parties.
The President’s long-term ability to move his larger political initiatives into law are limited without building goodwill and support on Capitol Hill. There is a long road to build as far as relationships between the White House and the Hill and relationships between the two parties.
The meeting today does not mean the proposed economic stimulus package will meet all GOP concerns. Whether the package gets altered and concerns addressed is yet to be seen. The new target date for the bill to land on the President’s desk is February 16.
Today’s meeting in the White House is a good starting place to live up to avoid the old trap of “Do as I say, not as I do.”
More on the relationship between the White House and Congress next week!
President Obama's First Day
President Obama and his team had quite a first day. Yes, the meeting with advisers on national economic issues and shifting focus from the war in Iraq to supporting the government of Afghanistan was critical. Day one saw action and a commitment to take on the big issues and drive to action immediately to make good on campaign promises.
I think the most important order of business for day one had more to do about how President Obama wants the nation’s business done by his administration. The President brought all of his staff into a room in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, the large historic office building on the grounds of the White House, just to the left of the West Wing as you look at the White House from Pennsylvania Avenue. The President had Vice President Joe Biden give the oath of office to the staff, officially swearing them in.
President Obama announced he was signing Executive Orders restricting pay increases among his top staff and he was restricting the ability of appointees from being able to leave public office and lobby the Administration (called the revolving door) for the entire life of the Obama Administration. This would last until the year 2017, assuming the President serves the maximum two, four-year terms allowed by the Constitution. Staff members and appointees who were lobbyists have a two-year restriction on working on any issue they represented as lobbyists.
The current legal restrictions allow staff to lobby former agencies and colleagues after a one-year timeout. The perception of impropriety in American politics is pervasive. In Washington D.C., there has always been a feeling the revolving door allowed former staffers easy access to decision makers (elected officials and key staff members). Those relationships are the coin of the realm for lobbyists and people with those contacts garner large salaries from lobbing firms – the so-called K Street businesses. As different administrations come and go, staffers move in and out between the White House, multiple agencies and K Street.
Additionally, the President took other actions to make this administration more transparent and open to scrutiny. President Obama undid two Executive Orders signed by former President Bush that restricted the release of Presidential documents and the other that protected executive office documents from the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
“Transparency and rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency,” said President Obama.
He added, “However long we are keepers of the public trust, we should never forget that we are here as public servants, and public service is a privilege.”
What a great start to governing and a critical breath of fresh air in the West Wing and hopefully throughout all levels of government in America.
I think the most important order of business for day one had more to do about how President Obama wants the nation’s business done by his administration. The President brought all of his staff into a room in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, the large historic office building on the grounds of the White House, just to the left of the West Wing as you look at the White House from Pennsylvania Avenue. The President had Vice President Joe Biden give the oath of office to the staff, officially swearing them in.
President Obama announced he was signing Executive Orders restricting pay increases among his top staff and he was restricting the ability of appointees from being able to leave public office and lobby the Administration (called the revolving door) for the entire life of the Obama Administration. This would last until the year 2017, assuming the President serves the maximum two, four-year terms allowed by the Constitution. Staff members and appointees who were lobbyists have a two-year restriction on working on any issue they represented as lobbyists.
The current legal restrictions allow staff to lobby former agencies and colleagues after a one-year timeout. The perception of impropriety in American politics is pervasive. In Washington D.C., there has always been a feeling the revolving door allowed former staffers easy access to decision makers (elected officials and key staff members). Those relationships are the coin of the realm for lobbyists and people with those contacts garner large salaries from lobbing firms – the so-called K Street businesses. As different administrations come and go, staffers move in and out between the White House, multiple agencies and K Street.
Additionally, the President took other actions to make this administration more transparent and open to scrutiny. President Obama undid two Executive Orders signed by former President Bush that restricted the release of Presidential documents and the other that protected executive office documents from the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
“Transparency and rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency,” said President Obama.
He added, “However long we are keepers of the public trust, we should never forget that we are here as public servants, and public service is a privilege.”
What a great start to governing and a critical breath of fresh air in the West Wing and hopefully throughout all levels of government in America.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
January 21, 2009
SACRAMENTO - In the cold light of dawn, from Washington through the Midwest, the Rockies, Southwest and all the way to the West Coast, the celebration is complete and the clean up began. The President and his core staff (sans a few remaining Cabinet Secretaries such as Secretary of State Nominee Clinton and Treasury Nominee Geithner with some issues to clean-up before their full Senate votes) went right to work.
There are still ceremonial activities taking place this morning, but the President’s key meetings today include pressing domestic and foreign policy issues. As promised, he dives into the economic stimulus package being hammered out with the Congressional leadership and meets with his military and foreign policy teams to swiftly make the shift from Iraq back to struggling Afghanistan.
The President’s Inaugural Address seems to be widely well received nationally throughout today’s media coverage. There is a good analysis and audio of the entire speech for you, courtesy of National Public Radio (NPR) .
While maybe not the most extraordinary of President Obama’s speeches, there were definitely striking lines and thoughts in the speech. While the overall tone was deeply serious, the tone was subdued and very direct to match these most challenging times.
President Obama’s speech was written purely for the audience of the American people. The speech aimed to settle nerves and build support and trust on the actions and initiatives the President will need to advance. I thought one of the most important messages in his speech on the frozen steps of the U.S. Capitol was the need for all Americans to actively take responsibility in working through the economic and other challenges this country faces. My favorite part of the speech was when the President said:
The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works – whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end.
Isn’t that what we should always strive for, whether we are in government trying to work toward solutions, or outside of government looking to support our people, our economy and our nation, whether we are in Edinburgh or Washington D.C.?
The media was highly focused on the historical significance of America electing and supporting the inauguration of an African American President. There were moments throughout the day that were highly emotional and the significance of this moment was lost on no one. Millions of people from all walks of life went to Washington D.C. to personally witness the proceedings of this peaceful change of power. There was unity and everyone seemed to be of one color in the frosty, Northeastern weather – everyone was blue.
Click here for full coverage of the Obama Inauguration
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Even the most cynical, political hack could not help feel the connection between the wonderful feeling of glee and the national excitement of the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama. As far away from
Signs inviting people to come join community breakfasts (Washington D.C. is 3 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time) to watch the inauguration live abound. As do community dinners, some special church prayer group meetings as well as drink specials and Tequila shots for Inaugural happy hour celebrations at local bars throughout
The overwhelming desire for change President-elect Obama trumpeted and promised for more than two years though the grueling, bitter process of a national Presidential political campaign has arrived in full. Yes everyone feels and seems to want that change badly. One can only hope the President-elect feels as positive and electrified by the possibilities of this new political dawn as the majority of Americans seem to be expressing these final hours before the new administration takes control.
Never has any person in American history ever come to power at a time of total policy meltdown – in domestic politics, in American foreign policy and virtually in a global economic crisis. Yet, none of that seems to matter today in
The excitement and relief of being able to shed a President and an administration who, for eight long years, decimated America’s reputation in global affairs; seemingly ignored the principals of the founders of this Country embodied by the Constitution of the United States and exacerbated a highly partisan, Laissez-faire approach to economic and domestic policy making. At a minimum, there will be no love loss with almost former President Bush and his team.
Enough said.
President-elect Obama and his new team have their work cut out for them. Yes, today, the feeling over here is one of, well to coin the phrase made famous by Mr. Obama’s campaign, hope. There is an overwhelming and comforting feeling that the American people picked the right person, for the right job at the right moment to regain the machinery of our nation and to help lead us out of this very dark place we find ourselves today.
My worry, even on this glorious day - Can the notoriously fickle American public give President-elect Obama the time, the flexibility and the support he will need to get our country going forward again? That is the big question as expectations have surpassed all possible solutions to the myriad of problems inherited from the departing Bush régime.
For every problem, real or imagined, Americans from every walk of life seem to be saying that President Obama will fix it. Unlike Jimmy Savile, OBE, President-elect Obama can’t fix everything and even the top ten agenda items; foreign and domestic are going to be tough challenges requiring money, time and the support of Congress.
Enough of that for today.
The breeze is light and the surf is up. On this day, in the unexpected warm sun of an outrageously beautiful picture postcard day in
“Yes, we can!”
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