Podesta to Fuming Liberals

In the past several months, I've come to see why many loathe liberals. They're stuck. They're as stuck in their own self-righteousness as the conservatives on the right, which prevents them from seeing anything out of their field of vision. They're unbending.
I love Bernie Sanders' stance on issues, but I think he lives largely in an alternate universe. Most Americans just aren't that progressive. Claire McCaskill, on the other hand, emphasizes fiscal restraint, democratic values and pragmatism. She is more aligned with average Americans.
We need the the extremes from the left and the right because they push ideas, but they shouldn't dominate debates.
Many of the liberal pundits, Paul Krugman comes to mind, live in ivory towers just like the conservative pundits on the right. They have no idea what the average American is feeling. That's clear from the fumes coming from the liberals livid about the COMPROMISE Obama announced yesterday. Many of them wanted the fight to go on even if it meant millions losing their unemployment benefits.
Since when did COMPROMISE become such a nasty word? I actually liked how this COMPROMISE got done and it was done in a matter of days. The democrats and republicans ought to be able to do that for most issues. Anyway, John Podesta, who heads up the Center for American Progress has a message for liberals:

Progressives need to be clear and honest about what just happened on taxes and the economy. Since the midterm election, it has been clear that the Congressional Republican Leadership was perfectly prepared to see middle and working class tax cuts expire and extended unemployment insurance end unless millionaire tax cuts were extended. All the talk about decoupling and extending middle class tax cuts from the cuts for millionaires was wishful thinking at best and just political talk at worst and no strategy could have produced it during the lame duck.

So President Obama was faced with a choice: he could trade a few more years of unnecessary and wasteful tax breaks for the rich in exchange for assistance to the unemployed, additional targeted tax relief for working families through the refundable earned income tax credit and child credit, and keeping tax rates low for 98 percent of Americans; alternatively he could allow taxes to rise on everyone starting in January. At the end of the day, President Obama decided he couldn’t abandon the millions of Americans who are struggling to keep their families afloat, who are diligently searching for work, and who simply cannot afford higher taxes right now, even though the Congressional Republican Leadership was more than happy to do so if we wouldn't pay their ransom.

It was a steep price, but this deal will mean about 2 million jobs saved or created over the next two years. On balance, I think the President was right to choose helping working Americans over a December conflagration. But the question hanging over Washington and the country today is how will he avoid repeating the same scenario being played out again and again for the next two years? That’s a question that is keeping me awake at night.

Podesta Says Politics Today Sucks - Video

Finally everyone is getting a clue.

Valerie Jarrett on Meet the Press Oct. 18

The first thing David Gregory does is throw up "Obama's economy" stats on the screen, laying blame. Gregory knows, anyone who's paying attention knows, that Obama is not to blame for those stats. There's no feasible way that democrats or republicans could've turned the economy around within 10 months.
The economic mess we got ourselves into will take time to recover from. We're at a point in history, reckoning with a number of different things, such as other nations emerging as more economically powerful, more educated than the U.S.
The nation's economy is fundamentally screwed up. It's been driven by greed at the top and consumer greed for more things. That kind of economy is not sustainable.
The question is, what's to be done?
At the roundtable, they discuss Maria Shriver's new report, A Women's Nation, which gives fuel to the idea that workplaces need to be more accommodating to families.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Clinton Succeeds! Kim Jong Il Issues Pardons For Journalists

Update: Bill Clinton has left North Korea. But are the journalists with him? See the families' statement here.

I just heard the news on NPR--Kim Jong Il issues a special pardon. More to come.
Yay for Bill Clinton! Nice job Hillary. Good job Obama administration. Kudos the whole way around.

There had been some question as to whether Obama signed off on Bill Clinton's travel to North Korea. But of course. David Axelrod confirmed that the White House had signed off on the trip. Reports say that the journalists' release was prearranged.
The White House was trying to keep the humanitarian aspect--bringing Euna Lee and Laura Ling back home--separate from the diplomatic efforts of resuming six party negotiations on North Korea's nuclear programs (wapo).

The former president and his party were greeted early Tuesday at an airport in Pyongyang, the capital, by Yang Hyong Sop, vice president of the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, and by Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan, North Korea's official news agency said. Kim Kye Gwan is the chief nuclear negotiator for North Korea, raising questions about whether Pyongyang hoped to use the visit to make progress on the impasse over its nuclear weapons.

Photos and televised footage showed Clinton, who is deeply respected in North Korea, smiling and chatting with a young girl who presented him with a large bouquet of flowers.
....
Clinton was accompanied on the trip by John Podesta, who was his White House chief of staff, served as Obama's transition chief and is president of the Center for American Progress. Also seen in photos released by the Korean media were David Straub, former head of the Korea desk at the State Department, who is now at Stanford University; longtime Clinton aide Douglas J. Band; and Justin Cooper, who has worked with the William J. Clinton Foundation. In a sign of the significance attached to the visit in North Korea, the English-language version of the Korean Central News Agency Web site declared, "BILL CLINTON ARRIVES HERE," in extra-large type.

A spokeswoman for the Center for American Progress referred questions about who funded the trip to the State Department. News of Podesta's role came as a surprise to staffers at the center. He was believed to be on vacation in Truckee, Calif.
WaPo

Former U.S ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton argued against Clinton's trip, saying it gives North Korea an upper hand.

Obama's Taking Over WhiteHouse.gov

John Podesta, co-chair of Obama's transition team, sent out a email notifying of the transition from change.gov to whitehouse.gov, the new online community starting tomorrow. Sign up here.

If you visit Whitehouse.gov now, it says President you know who. Tomorrow, I'm looking forward to a change. 

Obama To Announce Who's at the Table

Obama's promise of transparency in government is coming to life:

MEMORANDUM
From: John Podesta
To: All Obama Transition Project Staff
Date: December 5, 2008
Re: “Seat at the Table” Transparency Policy – EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY

Overview:
As an extension of the unprecedented ethics guidelines already in place for the Obama-Biden
Transition Project, we take another significant step towards transparency of our efforts for the American people. Every day, we meet with organizations who present ideas for the Transition and the Administration, both orally and in writing. We want to ensure that we give the American people a “seat at the table” and that we receive the benefit of their feedback.

Accordingly, any documents from official meetings with outside organizations will be posted on our website for people to review and comment on. In addition to presenting ideas as individuals
at www.change.gov, the American people deserve a “seat at the table” as we receive input from organizations and make decisions. In the interest of protecting the personal privacy of individuals, this policy does not apply to personnel matters and hiring recommendations.

Scope:
The following information will be posted on our website:
1. Documents: All policy documents1and written policy recommendations from official
meetings2 with outside organizations.
2. Meetings: The date and organizations represented at official meetings in the Transition
headquarters or agency offices, with any documents presented as noted above.

This scope is a floor, not a ceiling, and all staff are strongly encouraged to include additional materials. Such materials could include documents (recommendations, press releases, etc.)
presented in smaller meetings or materials or made public by the outside organization without a connection to an official meeting.

If you have any questions as to whether documents should be included, please email [Redacted].

Process:
Prior to an official meeting with an outside organization or organizations, Obama-Biden Transition Project staff members will inform attendees that any documents provided will be posted on our “Seat at the Table” website found at www.change.gov. Suggested language for email invitations is: “By presenting or submitting any document at a meeting with the Obama- Biden Transition Project, you agree to allow the document to be made public and posted on
www.change.gov.” At the completion of each meeting or upon receipt of such documents,
                                                            
1 This policy does not apply to non-public or classified information acquired from the Agency Review Process and
internal memorandum.
2 An “official meeting” is defined as a meeting with outside organizations or representatives of those organizations
to which three or more outside participants attend. 

Transition staff will provide the documents to [Redacted] with the date of the meeting, a list of
the organizations in attendance, and the topic of the meeting.

Obama's Rules For Transition Team Lobbyists

During a briefing today at the Presidential Transition Team headquarters, Obama Transition Co-Chair John Podesta announced the strictest, and most far reaching ethics rules of any transition team in history. The rules are:

Federal Lobbyists cannot contribute financially to the transition.

Federal lobbyists are prohibited from any lobbying during their work with the transition.

If someone has lobbied in the last 12 months, they are prohibited from working in the fields of policy on which they lobbied.

If someone becomes a lobbyist after working on the Transition, they are prohibited from lobbying the Administration for 12 months on matters on which they worked.

A gift ban that is aggressive in reducing the influence of special interests.
Statement of Thomas Mann
Brookings Institution

"The ethical guidelines released today for the Obama transition are tough and unequivocal. They will prevent some honorable people with rich experience from serving in the transition. That is a real cost but it is more than balanced by the strong signal sent by the President-elect. He aspires to attract to government able individuals whose highest priority is to serve the public interest. This is a very constructive step in that direction."

Statement of Norm Ornstein
American Enterprise Institute

"Restoring trust in government is a prerequisite to enacting good policy and the tough choices the country needs. This ethics policy for the transition is a far-reaching, bold and constructive step to do just that. The policy may exclude some good people with deep experience in their fields, but it will also exclude those who see government service as a springboard to financial success, or who are more intent on pleasing future potential employers or clients than making tough choices in the public interest. As much as anything, this ethics policy is a statement about the tone and tenor of the Obama administration. It is a good sign."

Statement of John Podesta
Co-Chair of President-elect Obama and Vice President-elect Biden's Transition Team

"President-elect Barack Obama has pledged to change the way Washington works and curb the influence of lobbyists. During the campaign, federal lobbyists could not contribute to or raise money for the campaign. Today, the President-elect is taking those commitments even further by announcing the strictest, and most far reaching ethics rules of any transition team in history."

Obama Team Reviewing Every Government Agency

Election day hoops

CNN: Podesta pointed out that there is a lot the president can do without waiting for Congress, and voters can expect to see Obama do so to try and restore "a sense that the country is working on behalf of the common good."

"I think that we're looking at -- again, in virtually every agency -- to see where we can move forward, whether that's on energy transformation, on improving health care, on stem cell research," he said.

Podesta, chief of staff under President Clinton, is president and CEO of the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank that he founded.

Podesta said Sunday that preparations for Obama's transition have been in the works since early August.
Asked what members of the team have learned from past administrations, Podesta said they knew they had to act quickly.

"I think one of the most critical things ... that we focused on was it was important to name a White House chief of staff early and build a White House staff right from the beginning to go along with the Cabinet's [selection] process," he said.

Obama named Rep. Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff two days after the election.

Tom Ridge, the former secretary of Homeland Security, said Friday that he thinks Obama deserves "expeditious handling of his appointments in the Senate of the United States."

"I would do everything I could to encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle," he said on CNN's "Larry King Live." "It's a difficult time enough, as it is, with transition. You've got 4,000 to 5,000 appointments to fill."

Podesta said he thinks Obama "intends to move very quickly" in naming other members of his senior leadership.

Yahoo: WASHINGTON – President-elect Obama plans to use his executive powers to make an immediate impact when he takes office, perhaps reversing Bush administration policies on stem cell research and domestic drilling for oil and natural gas.
John Podesta, Obama's transition chief, said Sunday Obama is reviewing President Bush's executive orders on those issues and others as he works to undo policies enacted during eight years of Republican rule. He said the president can use such orders to move quickly on his own.
"There's a lot that the president can do using his executive authority without waiting for congressional action, and I think we'll see the president do that," Podesta said. "I think that he feels like he has a real mandate for change. We need to get off the course that the Bush administration has set."
Podesta also said Obama is working to build a diverse Cabinet. That includes reaching out to Republicans and independents — part of the broad coalition that supported Obama during the race against Republican John McCain. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has been mentioned as a possible holdover.

Obama's Transition Team

Obama announced the key members of his transition team Wednesday. The team will be co-chaired by John Podesta, President Bill Clinton's former chief of staff; Valerie Jarrett, a longtime Obama confidante; and Peter Rouse, Obama's chief of staff in the Senate.

Obama also may have a press conference before week's end to announce top White House appointments. Reports say Obama would like to announce key nominations such as secretary of state and Treasury chief before the end of the month. Among the top contenders for Treasury secretary: Larry Summers, former Harvard president and deputy Treasury secretary. The thinking is that because he has already been through the confirmation process, his appointment would likely sail through. And some reports say Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) has been offered the White House chief of staff job.

Advisers:

The Obama campaign released the names of the people who will help guide the changeover: John Podesta, President Bill Clinton's former chief of staff; Valerie Jarrett, a longtime Obama confidant; and Peter Rouse, Obama's chief of staff in the Senate, will serve as co-chairs of the transition team. They will be assisted by an advisory board that includes Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano and several former Clinton Cabinet members: William Daley, who served as commerce secretary; Carol Browner, the former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency; and former Transportation and Energy Secretary Federico Pena.

Full team:

The Transition Economic Advisory Board will help guide the work of the Obama-Biden transition team in developing a strong set of policies to respond to the economic crisis. The Board includes:

• David Bonior (Member House of Representatives 1977-2003)
• Warren Buffett (Chairman and CEO, Berkshire Hathaway)-will participate via speakerphone
• Roel Campos (former SEC Commissioner)
• William Daley (Chairman of the Midwest, JP Morgan Chase; Former Secretary, U.S. Dept of Commerce, 1997-2000)
• William Donaldson (Former Chairman of the SEC 2003-2005)
• Roger Ferguson (President and CEO, TIAA-CREF and former Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve)
• Jennifer Granholm (Governor, State of Michigan)
• Anne Mulcahy (Chairman and CEO, Xerox)
• Richard Parsons (Chairman of the Board, Time Warner)
• Penny Pritzker (CEO, Classic Residence by Hyatt)
• Robert Reich (University of California, Berkeley; Former Secretary, U.S. Dept of Labor, 1993-1997)
• Robert Rubin (Chairman and Director of the Executive Committee, Citigroup; Former Secretary, U.S. Dept of Treasury, 1995-1999)
• Eric Schmidt (Chairman and CEO, Google)
• Lawrence Summers (Harvard University; Managing Director, D.E. Shaw; Former Secretary, U.S. Dept of Treasury, 1999-2001)
• Laura Tyson (Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley; Former Chairman, National Economic Council, 1995-1996; Former Chairman, President's Council of Economic Advisors, 1993-1995)
• Antonio Villaraigosa (Mayor, City of Los Angeles)
• Paul Volcker (Former Chairman, U.S. Federal Reserve 1979-1987)