On Demand
Transfer of Power
Monday, November 10, 2008
Timothy Noah, senior editor at Slate, and editor of Reputation: Portraits in Power, talks about who Obama shouldn't pick for his cabinet. And Noam Scheiber, senior editor of The New Republic discusses the transfer of power and Obama's decisions so far as President-Elect.
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People have to keep in mind that OBAMA is human and there has been nothing in his closet rattling around except for reverend Wright.
Keep your expectations of OBAMA low and you won't be disappointed. Spitzer was squeaky clean and then what happened? He changed his name to John.
Obama is not who people think he is.
There is something lurking and the media is going to do what ever they can to suppress it as long as they can whether it is an affair or some sort of back room deal.
The best case scenario will be another Jimmy Carter administration.
Richard Holbrooke as Secretary of State ends my honeymoon with Obama, perhaps permanently. Holbrooke is John Bolton with a better haircut, and every bit personifies the take-no-prisoners, listen-to-no-one approach to foreign affairs as the Bush apparatus that we've long loved to hate.
Dear President-elect,
Please don't appoint Joel Klein to education. He seems to be revered by everyone in America except the parents and teachers of the New York City public school system! He has been a disaster. Please let's have some real scrutiny of these empty and destructive school reforms, and put a real educator in charge of education policy, and someone who can straighten out the mess that is NCLB. Diane Ravitch for Education!
Ann Kjellberg
Maybe Mr. Noah wants a cabinet position since he is such an expert and disagrees on everyone suggested?
Paul Krugman did NOT win the Nobel Peace Prize. He won the price for Economics.
What's wrong with this segment? What's wrong with this segment is that it dwells on the perceived negatives of people about whom most people know very little. Or at least there is no one to defend them from these negative characterizations which are reeally one person's opinion.
Democratic blogger Al Giordano makes an interesting case for Kerry at State, as follows:
Since Joe Biden is going to be Obama's wing man on foreign policy, the Secretary of State must be someone who Biden would be extremely comfortable working with on a daily basis.
Giordano argues that, since Kerry fits that bill better than anyone else, Kerry would be the "no drama" pick for Obama.
A side point from Giordano: Biden's elevation opens of the position of chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The next three in line for the position are Kerry, Dodd, and Feingold.
If Kerry moves to State, Dodd would be next up -- but Dodd might not want to give up his chairmanship of the Senate Banking Committee.
Feingold would be a strong progressive voice in that chair -- which could be interesting.
Obama to Bush today:
"Just don't touch anything else!"
(Then sitting silently for the other 59 minutes, staring).
Brian you still can't get the disdain out of your voice. Imagine you are still calling him Mr. Obama, Obama instead of President Elect Obama, yet you are still able to say president bush. wack!
I think it's weird seeing George Stephanapolous interviewing Rahm Emanuel
michael/1
advice 2u: fresh air
Well, those of us who want to avoid an unnecessary war with Iran does not have a friend in Rahm Emanuel.
From Antiwar.com
http://www.antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=13728
>>When the House Democratic majority passed a military appropriations bill slated for Iraq, a clause that would have prohibited an attack on Iran without a vote in Congress was deleted at the instigation of Emanuel and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
When Rep. John Murtha presaged the popular rebellion against the Iraq war by coming out against it in no uncertain terms, Emanuel urged Pelosi to refrain from endorsing his call for withdrawal, arguing that it would hurt the Democrats politically.
TAT5
little more detail Thanks
michaelw,
"Detail?"
You enjoy self indulgent knowledge of the unknown and the unfounded.
You should provide more detail.
Come on people..... We're all mutts.
I am multi-racial and NOT offended, annddd he said "mutt like ME" - stop trying to create drama where there is NONE Brian!
I thought Obama dodged the tax question rather poorly. He kind of went into campaign mode reciting other pieces of his platform, and it wsa a rather obvious dodge. I thought a better line would've been to reinforce the "I'm not President yet" line and just stressed that future events would dictate whether those tax increases would be put into effect after January.
Regarding the "mutts" comment, I thought it was funny but shocking at the same time. I'm not a racial "mutt", but I am a national "mutt". I'm sure if he were some mixture of European or some other larger ethnic group, nobody would've been offended.
Let's see.. I'm half Mexican and half Irish. That may not seem exactly biracial but I've suffered the same stereotypes any biracial kid would: my white peers have called me Spic and Mexican-American peers have called me gringa. But over the years I've come embrace my multicultural existence and jokingly refer to myself as a mutt on occasion. So when Obama said that word in the press conference I laughed out loud.
AWM from upper west side
Obama
Patriot Act
FISA
Death penalty
Bail out
Just to name a few wait he'll give you more
I've always called myself a "mutt." I've never thought of it as a derogatory word at all. People who do, must have some kind of chip on their shoulder.
I'm a mutt, my dog's a mutt, and we're both happy being mutts. I don't throw frying pans and curse in spanish, and I don't relate to any of Garrison Keillor's swedish jokes on PHC.
I've also never had much sympathy for people who desperately cling to their racial identity/culture either. I am incapable of seeing what the big deal is.
I'm just so very happy to not be burdened the way they are, and to be free to choose or create my own "traditions."
REA, I am lauging out loud too! B/C it is so ridiculous! The man can't say anything that they don't pick apart, they including BL is waiting for him to stumble.
michaelw,
What does any of this have to do with the spooky, paranoid, pseudo predictions of your initial post?
Because I percieve our politicians using the lens of reality and don't expect a pure progressive riding a unicorn to the presidency, I'm looking forward to seeing more from him.
I think we'll be OK. If not feel free to celebrate our misfortune.
I don't buy that Bush's team is going to fully cooperate with a smooth transfer of power and information. Bush's people have committed so many crimes, and put so much energy into destroying evidence and avoiding testimony under oath, that I can't believe they would give Obama's team full access to all the necessary info.
If "mutt" is controversial, we're a nation of too many people with not enough to do. How incredibly silly! I haven't heard this anywhere else so maybe it's just a matter of all of WNYC becoming as trivial as the Takeaway.
I'm a mutt, and often will refer to myself as such!
I'm a mutt, although most Americans wouldn't think so. My father's family is Neopolitan, whereas my mother's family is Sicilian. The Neopolitans say "See Naples and then die," to which the Sicilians respond "See Naples and drop dead." A lively household, was mine.
"Mutt" is fine, Brian; nobody cares. Give the guy a break; it was his first press conference as POTUS-elect.
WE WON! YAY!
I have always enjoyed my 'Mutt' status, believing that it is has enabled me to embrace the 'person' rather than their specific culture/race/religion. The 'self-identity' road has had it's struggles, but having this background has made me a 'natural' diplomat and brought much joy to my life. I am proud of Barack Obama, my President-elect, who also appreciates his 'Mutt-ness'. His recent humorous comment regarding puppy choices reminds us of that fact. He is a product of a loving family, blessed by his African roots as well as his White American roots. It's time that we as a nation, become comfortable with this too. Obama will bring his unique perspective to the Presidency of the USA. Let's consider how Blessed we are to have him as our leader!
I'm a WASP with Scottish, Irish, English, Danish, Spanish, French and American Indian ancestors as part of my heritage.
If that doesn't qualify as a mutt, I don't know what does. And yes, I've often referred to myself as such.
Plus, my most beloved dog was a beautiful mutt.
Isn't the 'melting pot' about embracing all ethnicities in their vagaries?
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