Posted on 11/13/2014 5:26:22 AM PST by Whenifhow
White House Ebola response coordinator Ron Klain may have become an accidental folk hero to fans of crushing bureaucracy everywhere on Wednesday, when a U.S. senator asked high-ranking Obama administration officials to describe his work.
The vague answers sounded like something plucked out of a Dilbert cartoon.
'Even though the President has named a so-called Ebola “czar” to coordinate our response,' Senate Appropriations Committee ranking Republican Richard Shelby complained, 'all reports indicate that he has no actual authority to direct government agencies here.'
He asked two cabinet secretaries and two other experts what Klain has 'brought to the table' in his role as government-wide coordinator.
Assistant Defense Secretary Michael Lumpkin praised him for 'an excellent job of doing that, just that singular focus on coordinating.'
snip
All the witnesses said Klain had been in regular touch with them, ranging from 'every single day' to 'countless times,' but no one articulated a specific task he took on or accomplished.
Klain wasn't present in the room: The White House has kept him away from both Capitol Hill hearings convened since his appointment last month.
Dilbert, a widely read comic strip by Scott Adams, follows the foibles of a man caught in the cogworks of a big-company bureaucracy.
Shelby asked Burwell whether Klain has the authority to direct government agencies to do anything, and she replied that his 'coordination' authority stops where government power begins.
'Policy coordination with regard to the execution of the agencies' responsibilities – those sit with me and with the heads of our operating divisions like Dr. Frieden,' she said, referring to the CDC director who has been the administration's public face on Ebola preparedness and epidemiology.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Full Title:
‘He has no actual authority’: GOP senator asks hearing witnesses what ‘Ebola czar’ has been doing – and gets answers straight from management-speak Dilbert cartoon
Dare not question Obama!
How much does he make & what is he doing to earn it?
http://time.com/3517062/ron-klain-history/
In a city where name recognition is synonymous with success, Ron Klain has made a virtue of being unknown. As Attorney General Janet Reno’s chief of staff, he is all but invisible to the public but recognized in Democratic circles as the man to have on your side in a political or legal fight. A rare mix of top-flight lawyer and savvy politician, Klain shepherded the nominations of Reno and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg through the Senate and steered the omnibus crime bill through the turbulent legislative process.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-attorney-general-lynch-20141107-story.html
Given (Loretta) Lynch’s inexperience with politics and Washington, it is possible the administration would team her with a Washington veteran as her deputy, someone like Ron Klain, a former chief of staff to Atty. Gen. Janet Reno and Vice Presidents Al Gore and Joe Biden. Obama recently named Klain to oversee the administration’s response to Ebola.
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/dec/30/nation/la-na-immigration30-2009dec30/2
December 30, 2009
White House prepares for immigration overhaul battle
The Obama administration is rallying allies to push for a package with better border security and a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants now in the U.S. The effort is sure to be a tough sell.
December 30, 2009
EXCERPT
As an aide to President Clinton, Emanuel co-wrote a memo on the political dynamics of immigration. He and Ron Klain, now the top aide to Vice President Joe Biden, wrote in 1994: “We must be seen as taking proper, forceful steps to seriously address the immigration problem without alienating the Hispanic and civil rights constituencies.
An Obama action—or lack thereof—I actually like. Obama has created a czar with no authority. I wish that were true of the other czars, and that authority to act flowed through Cabinet members vetted by Congress, the way it is supposed to.
What has he been doing?
Silly question. Collecting a salary of course.......and in a new job setting up another pension. He will be a quad dipper
Thanks for posting that info.
During the hearing yesterday, it seemed like the congress members were buying whatever those testifying were “selling”, bringing into focus the real consequences of people like Gruber influencing policies.
[Live Thread] Federal Government Response to Ebola (Senate Appropriations)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3226267/posts
Video of hearing
http://www.appropriations.senate.gov/webcast/full-committee-hearing-us-government-response-fighting-ebola-and-protecting-america
This is like the Sopranos where the guys would be sitting around on lawn chairs at a construction site. They’d get paid for not working.
He’s been busy - influencing people...
From the article:
‘It’s a very important role,’ added Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell, ‘in terms of when a whole-of-government effort is occurring.’
‘And Mr. Klain has stepped into that role and added value to our policy coordination.’
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson insisted that it’s critical to have ‘somebody who is dedicated full-time in the White House who is doing exactly that.’
All the witnesses said Klain had been in regular touch with them, ranging from ‘every single day’ to ‘countless times,’ but no one articulated a specific task he took on or accomplished.
There is a dilbert cartoon and pics on the page if anyone wants to upload to the thread.
— Vice President Biden delivers remarks to an AFL-CIO and AFT summit on career and technical education and workforce development. This afternoon, Biden, Ron Klain and Valerie Jarrett will meet with humanitarian, faith and NGO groups as part of the government response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
Am I the only one here who thinks this “ebola scare” is way overblown?
value added policy coordination....... now that’s a bureaucrat’s dream job
My guess is he threatens media outlets into silence on the subject with the IRS boogeyman
Am I the only one here who thinks this “ebola scare” is way overblown?
****
They are asking for .... $6.18 Billion
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/11/05/letter-president-emergency-appropriations-request-ebola-fiscal-year-2015
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
November 05, 2014
Letter from the President — Emergency Appropriations Request for Ebola for Fiscal Year 2015
Dear Mr. Speaker:
Today, I ask the Congress to consider the enclosed emergency appropriations request for Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 that includes $6.18 billion to implement a comprehensive strategy to contain and end the Ebola outbreak at its source in Africa, enhance domestic preparedness, speed the procurement and testing of vaccines and therapeutics, and accelerate global capability to prevent the spread of future infectious diseases.
The request includes $4.64 billion for immediate needs and $1.54 billion in contingency funding to ensure that there are resources available to respond to the evolving epidemic both domestically and internationally. This funding structure was used by the Congress in 2009 for the emergency supplemental for the H1N1 pandemic influenza.
My foremost priority is to protect the health and safety of Americans, and this request supports all necessary steps to fortify our domestic health system and prevent any outbreaks at home. Over the longer term, my Administration recognizes that the best way to prevent additional cases at home will be to contain and eliminate the epidemic at its source in Africa.
Specifically, the request includes resources for domestic hospital and State and local preparedness; resources to support training as well as the acquisition of appropriate protective equipment; medical and non-medical management of Ebola treatment units and community care centers; infection control; contact tracing; laboratory capacity; disease surveillance; emergency operation centers; education and outreach; burial teams; addressing food insecurity and other adverse impacts of the outbreak in affected areas; and testing and development of new vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics.
The request also includes resources to strengthen global health security by reducing risks to Americans by enhancing the capacity of vulnerable countries to prevent disease outbreaks, detect them early, and swiftly respond before they become epidemics that threaten our national security. The Global Health Security Agenda will accelerate and expand international capabilities to deter infectious disease threats like Ebola, by: standing up emergency operations centers; providing equipment and training needed to test patients and report data in real-time; providing safe and secure laboratory capacity; and developing a trained workforce to track and end outbreaks before they become epidemics. These are the same activities that are necessary to combat the spread of Ebola and reduce the potential for future outbreaks of infectious diseases that could follow a similarly devastating, costly, and destabilizing trajectory.
My Administration requests that the funding described above be designated as emergency requirements pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended.
I urge the Congress to act expeditiously in considering this important request, the details of which are set forth in the enclosed letter from the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
Sincerely,
BARACK OBAMA
How much is he getting paid to do nothing???
****
They are asking for .... $6.18 Billion
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/18/obama-ebola-nonprofits_n_5845090.html
Obama: We ‘Need’ Nonprofits To Effectively Fight Ebola Crisis
The Huffington Post | By Eleanor Goldberg
Posted: 09/18/2014
“Charities and individual philanthropists have given generously, and they can make a big difference,” Obama said during a visit to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday. “And so we’re not restricting these efforts to governmental organizations; we also need NGOs and private philanthropies to work with us in a coordinated fashion in order to maximize the impact of our response.”
++++++++++++
**On September 30, 2014, the CDC announced that Thomas Eric Duncan, a 42-year-old Liberian national visiting the United States from the west African country of Liberia, had been diagnosed with Ebola in Dallas, Texas.[12][13]
Gettin’ paid.
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