Obama and Change: Office of Political Affairs Will Stay
[Guest post by DRJ]
Barack Obama plans to continue the Office of Political Affairs, Karl Rove’s office in the White House that was denounced by Democrats and some Republicans:
“President-elect Barack Obama has answered bipartisan calls for the disbandment of the White House office central to the Karl Rove-style politics the Democrat condemned as a candidate. The office stays.
Patrick Gaspard, a New Yorker and longtime labor operative, will head the Office of Political Affairs, the Obama transition announced on Friday.
Gaspard was national political director for the Obama campaign and has been an associate director for personnel for the transition.”
The office was originated by President Ronald Reagan and has been staffed by every President since to give them “a sense of the political impact of policies and legislation.” John McCain vowed to abolish it if he were elected President, and California Democrat Rep. Henry Waxman (who recently dethroned longtime Energy and Commerce Chairman John Dingell, “destabilizing a seniority system that has governed Democratic politics in the House for decades”) was an especially vigorous opponent of the Office of Political Affairs.
Others are disappointed Obama is not delivering on his promise to change Washington politics:
“Opponents of the office argue that a partisan political office has no business being in the White House.
“It’s not an office that should be subsidized by taxpayers, and it should not be part of the White House itself,” said Craig Holman, a lobbyist with the government watchdog group Public Citizen. The office has no benefit for the public, he said.
“I’m really disappointed,” Holman said of Obama’s decision. “I really didn’t think he was going to keep it.”
Politicians want to be re-elected but I’m sure it’s disappointing for those who think Obama is a different kind of politician. It’s early — Obama hasn’t even been inaugurated — but the media and blogs are already reporting on campaign promises Obama hasn’t kept. That makes me wonder:
I can’t think of any campaign promises Obama has kept. Can you?
— DRJ
He’s not doing anything to stop the Iraqis from kicking our troops out of their country, is he?
parsnip (1e884c) — 11/22/2008 @ 12:53 pmI guess it depends on who you believe and how you look at it. In my view, Obama has expanded his Iraq position in his comments to date.
DRJ (a50047) — 11/22/2008 @ 1:05 pm> I can’t think of any campaign promises Obama has kept. Can you?
I think the oceans have stopped rising.
Arthur (7eff67) — 11/22/2008 @ 1:19 pmThere was something about a puppy. Does that count?
rls (14b9d3) — 11/22/2008 @ 1:19 pmHe’s not doing anything to stop the Iraqis from kicking our troops out of their country, is he?
Was that one of his campaign promises? Not to stand in the way of troop withdrawal?
rls (14b9d3) — 11/22/2008 @ 1:21 pmI believe it was, rls.
parsnip (1e884c) — 11/22/2008 @ 1:27 pmIt’s not about how they redecorate the interior of the White House; it’s about one thing: who is holding the keys.
Of course, this also falls in line with typical lib thinking: there’s nothing wrong with socialism, they will tell you — in the right hands. In that spirit, they will make assurances that this will be a kindler, gentler WH pol office.
Icy Truth (aedb2f) — 11/22/2008 @ 1:29 pmFrom Ed Rollins,
They [Obama’s camp]created the greatest campaign operation in history. By placing that operation inside the White House, Mr. Obama will have a mechanism to push his legislative agenda. He has 3.6 million donors on file. Many millions of Americans contacted his campaign’s Web site and said they wanted to help. You can get a lot done with those sorts of numbers.
On top of the 3.6 mil donors, he also has contact info for 10 mil more, it makes sense he would keep this in place. Its amusing to think anyone seriously believed Obama, if he even could change politics in Washington, would.
Dana (79a78b) — 11/22/2008 @ 1:34 pm“By placing that operation inside the White House, Mr. Obama will have a mechanism to push his legislative agenda. He has 3.6 million donors on file. Many millions of Americans contacted his campaign’s Web site and said they wanted to help.”
Dana – Although there may be no controlling legal authority (sound familiar?), placing and using that kind of a partisan operation inside the White House is most certainly illegal, at least for Republicans. Remember the furor raised by the Democrats over the different e-mail systems or addresses used by Rove – one for party business and one for White House business?
daleyrocks (5d22c0) — 11/22/2008 @ 1:50 pmparsnip,
Candidate Obama promised to pull all US troops out of Iraq within 16 months, but he’s moved away from that since he won the Democratic primary. For instance, in July he said he might have to “slow the pace” of the withdrawal. His current position is to pursue a “responsible and phased withdrawal” to “responsibly end the war in Iraq.”
If Iraq and the Bush Administration agreement becomes effective, Obama probably won’t have to deal with his 16-month promise but I don’t think you can claim he hasn’t moved away from it.
DRJ (a50047) — 11/22/2008 @ 1:55 pmHow many White House emails will “disappear” over the course of the next 4 years?
Icy Truth (aedb2f) — 11/22/2008 @ 2:00 pmThe man is a creature of Chicago – style politics, replete with all of the machinations of gaining and keeping power. Nothing new was inherent in his rise via the power brokers of The Machine, so to those expecting something different one can only say they weren’t looking too hard at his background in the first place. Which means – almost everyone who voted for him.
Dmac (e30284) — 11/22/2008 @ 2:02 pmHussein O wrote all of his promises on a roll of toilet paper. The roll is now carried in his pocket for daily use. It’s a laugh a day watching Hussein O prove the brain dead liberal elites got what they asked for. A liar who is only interested in himself.
Scrapiron (dda662) — 11/22/2008 @ 2:44 pmHis new bail out plan is a doozie to. All of the welfare crowd who voted for him will be assigned to public works or no check. Remember when Michelle O said they would not be allowed to sit on their butts (“Barack won’t allow it”)and collect welfare. Can you say ‘new WPA’, slave labor at minimum wage? BWAHAHAHAHAHA
DRJ writes:
Ah, but that doesn’t matter. Even if every one of his policies are the same as GW Bush’s, he is not GW Bush, you see. And that is all that matters.
Hope and Change, folks!
it will be interesting watching trolls and the MSM defend the actions by Obama that were horrific Nazi like authoritarianism and gross stupidity when GW Bush did them. And they will, without blinking an eye (let alone having any shame).
I said it before, and I will say it again: this guy is nothing but an empty suit filled with a gale-force hurricane of self-involvement and privilege. I’m not sure he believes in anything but his own self-image.
Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.
Eric Blair (0ed61d) — 11/22/2008 @ 3:46 pmHe promised he’d win, didn’t he?
And over the summer, he promised he’d raise more money than anyone in history for his campaign.
Steven Den Beste (99cfa1) — 11/22/2008 @ 4:40 pmWell-played, Den Beste.
DRJ (a50047) — 11/22/2008 @ 5:32 pmMore illegal money than anyone else, for sure.
SDN (62a7fd) — 11/22/2008 @ 9:43 pm“All of the welfare crowd who voted for him will be assigned to public works or no check. Remember when Michelle O said they would not be allowed to sit on their butts (”Barack won’t allow it”)and collect welfare. Can you say ‘new WPA’, slave labor at minimum wage? BWAHAHAHAHAHA”
That would be a change for the better! Dump overpaid garbage collectors and replace them with folks suckin teet! Lord knows the productivity will be the same for much less cost.
IIRC Regan also made an attempt to git some folks off their asses and produce SOMETHING other than sewer!
TC (0b9ca4) — 11/22/2008 @ 11:55 pm[…] Patterico: Politicians want to be re-elected but I’m sure it’s disappointing for those who think Obama is a different kind of politician. It’s early — Obama hasn’t even been inaugurated — but the media and blogs are already reporting on campaign promises Obama hasn’t kept. That makes me wonder: […]
Left Already Disappointed With Choosing Obama : Stop The ACLU (665541) — 11/23/2008 @ 12:28 am[…] DRJ, though, thinks there’s some hope: “Politicians want to be re-elected but I’m sure it’s disappointing for those who think Obama is a different kind of politician. It’s early — Obama hasn’t even been inaugurated — but the media and blogs are already reporting on campaign promises Obama hasn’t kept. That makes me wonder:I can’t think of any campaign promises Obama has kept. Can you?” Then again, he’s two months away from inauguration. […]
Obama Shafts Progressives, Campaign Loyalists (139676) — 11/23/2008 @ 5:33 am[…] H/T: Patterico […]
Not change, but more of the same « Right as Red (076585) — 11/23/2008 @ 7:01 am“I can’t think of any campaign promises Obama has kept. Can you?”
He said he was looking forward to having Hillary work for / advise him
“The office was originated by President Ronald Reagan and has been staffed by every President since to give them “a sense of the political impact of policies and legislation.”
It can’t be that bad if Reagan created it. Is it?
imdw (7c85b9) — 11/23/2008 @ 9:21 amCampaign promises kept-he promised to get himself elected, and he did.
eaglewingz08 (98291e) — 11/23/2008 @ 10:18 amHe promised to end global warming, and the freezing whales in the Arctic shows he fulfilled that promise too.
[…] Obama keeps Bush-era political office. Steeping forward to 2001. […]
Chew on this: Turkey Day Edition « Chockblock’s blog (5c299c) — 11/23/2008 @ 3:34 pmHas Obama kept his campaign promises? He hasn’t taken office yet so we don’t know.
Jeff Shapiro (fbcd8b) — 11/23/2008 @ 5:39 pmBut never doubt Obama’s honesty and decency.
It would be very politically divisive of you to do so.
Greg Ransom (ff5e16) — 11/23/2008 @ 6:34 pmAnyone over the age of 30 who believes that any candidate will keep campaign promises probably still writes letters to Santa.
Barsinister (6c0215) — 11/24/2008 @ 9:23 am[…] Va a mantener la Oficina para Asuntos Políticos que creó Reagan, y que ocupó el maléfico Karl Rove con George Bush. Esta Oficina fue duramente criticada tanto por Demócratas como por Republicanos, porque no se entendía su función más allá de un intento del Presidente de contar con una herramienta más de presión sobre los legisladores. McCain había prometido eliminarla, como recuerda DRJ en Patterico. […]
¿Pero esto qué es? ¿Dónde está el Obama al que votaron? « Sarah Palin en Español (1ef651) — 11/24/2008 @ 3:01 pm