White House's Next Task: Rebuilding Policy Team

Wall Street Journal ^ | Oct. 28, 2010 | JONATHAN WEISMAN

[Second Amendment First]

President Barack Obama, with his party perhaps on the cusp of a major electoral defeat, also faces the burden of recalibrating his presidency while restocking the West Wing's depleted policy team.

The National Economic Council has seen its influence wane with the announced resignation of Director Lawrence Summers and the difficult search for a successor, say former White House officials. The scope and scale of its economic proposals have shrunk drastically and gained little traction.

The White House budget office remains without permanent leadership three months after the departure of former chief Peter Orszag, shifting responsibility to junior staff members as Congress struggles to pass a budget for fiscal 2011, which began this month.

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel's exit several weeks ago, meanwhile, robbed the president of one of his most powerful policy strategists. The National Security Council also faces a major transition, as James Jones gives way to new National Security Adviser Tom Donilon, admired for his administrative skills but not known as a policy maker.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs attributed the departures to "a natural churning of personnel."

Other administrations have lost important players in the first two years and at politically sensitive times. Doug Sosnik, a top official in the Clinton White House, said President Bill Clinton faced a similar situation in the run-up to the 1994 election, after he replaced Chief of Staff Mack McLarty with Leon Panetta that July. Only after the new political landscape clarified could Mr. Panetta make "the broad-brush changes" that remade the Clinton presidency and led to his re-election, Mr. Sosnik said.

[Second Amendment First]

The exodus and uncertainty as Election Day approaches, with polls showing Democrats could lose dozens of seats in Congress, has left the remaining policy makers gun-shy. "There seems to be a desire not to make much more policy, because there's a sense that the policy is what got them into trouble," a former White House official said.

IOW, we stepped in the sh!t.

[dforest]

I know Obozo has another whole crop of radicals and commies out there to choose from.

Oh goodie.

[GOP_Lady]

To be added or removed from the "The Wall Street Journal" Ping List, FReepmail GOP_Lady.

[FlyingEagle]

Better idea: Obie go golfing another 700 times and call it a done deal, retire and hasta la vista baby.

[Diogenesis]

Obama is filling the key positions with Syrians and Iranians.

[ExTexasRedhead]

The Imam can check with the Taliban and Al Qaeda to see if they have any hopefuls wanting a transfer and who want to work for Hussein. We won’t be able to tell the difference between them and Hussein’s Czars or other staffers.

[4Liberty]

Help wanted!

[GOP_Lady]

LOL. You're probably right, dear ExTexasRedhead!

The number of exits from BHO’s economic team is truly startling!

[GalaxieFiveHundred]

[Nervous Tick]

>> The National Economic Council has seen its influence wane with the announced resignation of Director Lawrence Summers and the difficult search for a successor

ROFL! Yes, it’s like looking for a fresh captain of the USS Titanic... *after* the old one helped steer it into an iceberg.

Who wants to go down with the ship? Don’t you all step forward at once! LOL.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Any Freepers in D.C. area with "ears to the ground" that can pick up any interesting movement, such as low level Obama White House interns, Fellows and staffers circulating resumes, resigning in waves to go to work in other parts of DC or back to school, or otherwise indicative factors of an organizational sinking ship?

Often these enemy movements don't make the headlines, just the big ticket item people who leave the White House, names and positions we all know.

But if there is a confirmable stream in the lower ranks of average people moving on--out of dispondency--after them being so pumped up to come to D.C. in 2008, then that speaks volumes about what is happening internally.

That is the kind of on the ground intel I would like to hear. Maybe this will start to transpire in Nov/December time frame (my theory).

Starbucks or Borders Bookstores around the White House must be interesting places to tactically hang around these days and listen inobtrusively to the Lib/Dem blue and green badgers' small-talk.

[SunkenCiv]

with his party perhaps on the cusp of a major electoral defeat, also faces the burden of recalibrating his presidency while restocking the West Wing's depleted policy team

They were depleted before they ever set foot in town. Thanks Second Amendment First.

[Second Amendment First]

The White House budget office remains without permanent leadership three months after the departure of former chief Peter Orszag, shifting responsibility to junior staff members as Congress struggles to pass a budget for fiscal 2011, which began this month.

This should be intersting! Nancy will regret having an early recess to send the cannon fodder out to slaughter.

[justsaynomore]

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs attributed the departures to "a natural churning of personnel."

That's rich. If a CEO of any decent business had employee turnover like that they would be fired in a heartbeat.

[Second Amendment First]

Now who wants to signup for the second Carter administration?

[Second Amendment First]

The democRATS are abandoning the ship.

[Second Amendment First]

Meanwhile, little on the policy front is advancing. "They haven't calibrated what they're going to do after the election," a former official said. "Are they going to pursue ambitious disruptions of the current economic policies, or are they going to play small ball?"

This is a start of the good news: Gridlock at worst.

[Second Amendment First]

The White House budget office faces a number of challenges. After the election, Congress must return for a lame-duck session to pass spending bills for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1. The process to develop the fiscal 2012 budget has already begun. OMB officials are poring over budget requests submitted by departments and agencies. On Dec. 1, the president's bipartisan commission on the federal debt is expected to issue its recommendations, which are supposed to provide the blueprint for deficit reduction in the next budget, due out in early February.

Here's where it gets interesting.

[unkus]

I know Obozo has another whole crop of radicals and commies out there to choose from.

Oh goodie.

---

Yep. They’re as thick as flies on dog crap.