Crises Force Obama to Deal With Events at ‘110 Miles Per Hour’
By Michael Tackett and Edwin Chen
Nov. 26 (Bloomberg) -- President-elect Barack Obama is finding new meaning in his campaign mantra “the fierce urgency of now.”
Events are forcing Obama to take a far more activist role than is typical of an election winner who hasn’t yet been inaugurated. The crashing economy and a power vacuum in Washington are putting pressure on him to speed up his transition and to convey the appearance of taking action weeks before he actually has the authority to do so.
“We never have seen a transition where a nation has been at war and in the middle of the most unprecedented economic crisis in history, and it is intensifying right in the middle of the transition period,” said Frank Greer, a Democratic consultant in Washington.
And it won’t get easier after he’s sworn in on Jan. 20.
“Your hardest day on the campaign trail in comparison will end up being your easiest day as president,” said Chris Lehane, a former White House aide.
Obama faces daunting questions about the fate of the U.S. automobile industry, the shape and scope of an economic-stimulus package -- likely in excess of half a trillion dollars -- and the potential rescue of more troubled financial institutions. His words now move markets even before he is sworn in.
On a possible bailout of automakers, Obama hasn’t staked out a concrete position. Rather he has strongly suggested he will support a rescue package if labor and management agree to cost- cutting measures and an aggressive push for more energy-efficient vehicles.
The Leaking Begins
Obama is also facing another new reality, namely that his campaign’s famed discipline for controlling the flow of information is giving way to leaks as he takes on the larger challenge of putting together an executive branch.
Dan Bartlett, who served as communications director for President George W. Bush, said he was told the Obama transition team didn’t want to make Cabinet announcements before Thanksgiving Day, yet was forced to when word seeped out beyond the inner circle.
The segue from campaign to transition can be difficult even without a crisis atmosphere.
“The top advisers, remember, they’re absolutely exhausted,” said Bartlett. “On top of that, they have to make personal decisions, grapple with housing issues, and what to do about their children and schools -- and then they’re also making decisions on governing, on top of the inauguration and inaugural issues -- all at a time when it’s supposed to be fun and euphoric. It can really become a grind.”
Praise From McCain
Senator John McCain, Obama’s Republican opponent in the presidential campaign, praised the transition effort so far.
“I certainly applaud many of the appointments that President-elect Obama has announced,” McCain said yesterday at a press conference in Phoenix. “Senator Obama has nominated some people to his economic team that we can work with, that are well- respected.”
Events have forced Obama into other changes as well. Presidents-in-waiting typically announce their national-security teams. Today will mark Obama’s third news conference in as many days to address the economic crisis.
Still, national security looms large: Obama has been briefed on the possibility that al-Qaeda or another terrorist group might strike during a time of perceived vulnerability.
Bush saw his transition truncated by a contested recount in Florida and faced nothing like the emergencies Obama confronts. The president did, however, withstand the legions who believed they held a political IOU for their support.
‘The Incoming Begins’
Clay Johnson, who helped run Bush’s transition, said that the day after the election “the incoming begins.”
“The volume is just unbelievable -- members of Congress, all the good-government groups, all the policy think-tanks,” he said. “Then you have other forms of incoming -- the sycophants, the toadies.”
So far, Obama has had to move quickly on both the policy and personnel fronts, while at the same time adhering to his notion that “we only have one president at a time.”
Said Lehane, “Team Obama knows that it must not just hit the ground running but hit the ground running at 110 miles an hour.”
“They are trying to react to the situation as it unfolds,” said Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 ranking Democrat in the Senate. “Some of the things that Barack said over the last few days was an effort to stop the bleeding or at least slow it down.”
The control that Obama’s staff could exert during the campaign in terms of schedule and message is also colliding with the often more chaotic act of governance.
No Closed Circle
The circle is no longer closed. When background checks are done on prospective appointees, the FBI interviews witnesses, senators and staff are consulted because they will be involved in the confirmation process and interest groups are briefed. Information spreads beyond transition gatekeepers.
“Washington, D.C., is a town that craves information,” Lehane said. “It is the liquidity that drives the political- industrial complex. To be successful, you have to be able to manage that information so it doesn’t overwhelm you.”
Lehane compared the difference to baseball pitches, one straight, the other a curveball.
“In the campaign, people are throwing hard, but it’s mostly fastballs,” Lehane said. “When they get to D.C., they start throwing breaking balls.”
To contact the reporters on this story: Michael Tackett in Washington at mtackett@bloomberg.net; To contact the reporters on this story: Edwin Chen in Washington at EChen32@bloomberg.net.
Last Updated: November 26, 2008 00:01 EST |
