Nov 05 2008
Lame Ducks and The Transition
Time to move on with life and other important stuff.
The Lame Duck President and the Lame Duck Congress have just about two and a half months to sit in the shadow of “The One.”
Thanks to the economic mess and a genuinely messed up Republican Administration, the new Congress will be weighted heavily in favor of the new President. Since Barack Obama is already a Senator, he is in a position to play an immediate decision-making role in the Congress, something he never enjoyed as a Junior Senator, I’ll tell you.
First up on the President-elect’s agenda is naming his White House Chief of Staff, an announcement expected today or tomorrow, and then naming his Transition Team leadership. He has assembled a good team over the past few months, with quite a few familiar faces that will become more prominent in the coming weeks.
President Bush has promised cooperation, which is pretty much standard for power transitions in the United States, even between the political parties.
Probably second on the agenda of issues that need to be discussed include an economic stimulus package…another tax rebate? Perhaps. Since most of the Congress have been retained in office for another term, the “lame duck” label is hardly appropriate. They can act now on a package that will take effect after the new President’s inauguration. I don’t think anyone is too concerned about who claims credit for another “stimulus” package, Republicans or Democrats, since Obama will be involved in shaping it. The Republican members of Congress have to decide whether to work to improve the country’s economic condition or to be obstructionist. The fact of the matter is, the Democrats are in a position to get whatever they want.
Perhaps third on the new President’s agenda will be making connections with his counterparts around the World. Whether friend or foe, most World leaders eagerly await new leadership from Washington DC.
I believe that Mr. Obama has a well-thought-out course of action and is a real “take-charge” guy. He is said to be very relaxed and sure of himself. We have already seen that he keeps a cool head. Based on his “victory” speech in Chicago, the President-elect is low-key and all business.
