She's Not Gonna Get It

Last week's rumor (4.00 / 3)

She didn't really want it, she threw her name in to spoil the chances for Kerry and Richardson.

I know ... I'm just reporting the rumor.

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by: JimC @ Sun Nov 30, 2008 at 20:18:28 PM CST

This week's rumor (0.00 / 0)

I heard on the television this morning that she turned down the position as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee so she must have really wanted it.

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by: gradysdad @ Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 06:59:28 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Good for Obama! (4.00 / 2)

So far you have to admire President Elect Obama's leadership instincts in choosing his advisors and cabinet. Gathering intelligent and effective people around him to assist in advancing his agenda and to counsel him wisely so that he can do his best as President demonstrates his strength and confidence.

On the other hand, if Jennifer Donahue is ever looking for a job in the Obama Administration, under that criteria (i.e. intelligent and effective) "she is not gonna get it."

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by: gradysdad @ Sun Nov 30, 2008 at 20:21:12 PM CST

I don't agree ... (0.00 / 0)

So far you have to admire President Elect Obama's leadership instincts in choosing his advisors and cabinet.

So far, Obama's choices seem too influenced by the Clinton era. There isn't, frankly, much "change we can believe in."

Retreaded D.C. back to the Clinton days is not what most of my friends who supported Obama expected at all. Privately, and publicly, on some more liberal Web sites, there is a lot of grumbling about his picks and all of it is legit in my view.

Personally, I didn't know what to expect although picking Joe Biden as VP gave many a prediction on what President Obama might do: Pick a slew of supposedly "safe" people to not rile the Washington establishment, while at the same time, campaigning on a platform that he was going to rile the Washington establishment. This, at a time when we need a major shift in the way we do things away from the past of Reagan/Bush/Clinton/Bush, and into the future with something entirely fresh and new. I mean, keeping Gates on in Defense? That's almost criminal. You could say Clinton is an interesting pick for SOS, but there wasn't anyone else available? There are a slew of foreign "experts" who could fill that position with fresh, new ideas. Summers? Daschle? Reich? Listening to anything Rubin has to say at this point on anything? Why not just keep Paulson on? Come on.

Where is the David Bonior for Labor pick? Where is the Energy pick, someone who has actually developed alternative sources? I can't believe that some of you aren't more outraged by this. It isn't just enough to replace the Bush regime. We are in dramatic times. We need some dramatic picks here.


Politizine.com

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by: Tony Schinella @ Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 08:12:14 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Loyalty is the question (4.00 / 2)

As an original hopemonger, I'll say, the heavy leanings on journeymen DC insiders doesn't stress me out. First, I trust Obama's judgement and I have heard a chorus of DC insiders say, "Obama was right and I was wrong."

Next, it comes down to loyalty. IF Obama's picks are not loyal to America first, then they have no place at that level of government. I sincerely hope that folks like Rahm Emmanuel, Susan Rice and Eric Holder are taking the power they will have with the intent of serving the public, not Obama and certainly not some dead Clinton legacy.

It seems to me, in that situation, I would be loyal to s/he that would enable me to serve "We the people." In the '90s, that was Bill and Hillary. Now, it is Barack.

Not all these people go to bed reading The Prince. They all have most certainly read it, but I think many polinerds over dramatize the inner machinations of our gov't. It is clear that we "are not in Kansas anymore," but we are also not in "The Matrix."


"Ill writers are usually the sharpest censors." - John Dryden

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by: Jack Mitchell @ Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 09:28:59 AM CST

[ Parent ]

I was skeptical of some of these appointments at first too (0.00 / 0)

But the President-elect has a good point: he's picking people who know what they're doing to be technocrats.  Obama is the visionary of the operation.

--
Hope > Anarch-tea
Twitter: @DougLindner

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by: Douglas E. Lindner @ Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 13:13:34 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Is there a pundit at this point with a worse record of prediction? (4.00 / 3)

I mean, I know that most pundits thrive in the soft bigotry of low expectations, and there's an awful lot that are near 100% wrong. But certainly this record is approaching absurdity at this point.  

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by: Mike Caulfield @ Sun Nov 30, 2008 at 20:22:43 PM CST

I should add: (0.00 / 0)

I am frequently, boneheadedly wrong, and I do try to acknowledge my stupidity when possible.

But in this case I think it deserves a mention, because she and Bernard essentially concluded on national TV that Clinton would commit treason as SoS.

birch paper; on Twitter @deanbarker

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by: Dean Barker @ Sun Nov 30, 2008 at 20:39:10 PM CST

[ Parent ]

I agree. (0.00 / 0)

I think if I saw someone with a miserable record of prediction that did not go so far on the republican talking points i'd have less ire.

I think it is probably difficult to go on Tweety and get the truth out. It's a lot of cross-talk, and Tweety throws crazy absolutely insane stuff out at his guests, and what are you supposed to say. But if you are a professional pundit your one job is to try to bring order and sanity to that chaos, not to notarize it with your credentials.

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by: Mike Caulfield @ Sun Nov 30, 2008 at 21:50:31 PM CST

Matthews gets too little credit. (4.00 / 1)

He says a lot of objectionable things, but he also has plenty of actual insight.  He's real in that way: he can't keep his mouth shut, so you know he believes what he says.

Donahue, on the other hand, seems to have far too much faith in the Conventional Wisdom of the National Media, because it seems that's where her analysis comes from--even when they come to her for a New Hampshire perspective on New Hampshire.

--
Hope > Anarch-tea
Twitter: @DougLindner

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by: Douglas E. Lindner @ Sun Nov 30, 2008 at 22:48:03 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Donahue's a Republican (0.00 / 0)

she worked as press secretary to Republican Senator Hank Brown.

All of her "analysis" has Republican spin.

'Nuff said.

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by: Jennifer Daler @ Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 05:35:30 AM CST

I'm not convinced that disqualifies her (0.00 / 0)

If we dismissed every pundit who has worked for a politician as biased, we would have a pretty thin bench (and okay, that might be a good thing).

The real problem is that pundits who have worked as Democrats - Russert, Matthews, etc - thin their job is to bend over backwards and attack Democrats.

While pundits who have worked as Republicans believe their job is to fight media bias and... attack Democrats.

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by: elwood @ Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 05:55:35 AM CST

[ Parent ]

I'm not saying (4.00 / 2)

she should be disqualified over it. In fact, if she weren't so spin-happy and displayed a little objectivity once in a while, I'd have no problem with her having worked for an R.

Heck, if she were packaged and promoted as a Republican pundit, like Buchannen and others, I wouldn't have a problem with the spin cycle.

What gets me is she is presented as being non partisan and objective, and from what I've seen and read, she isn't.

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by: Jennifer Daler @ Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 06:44:21 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Republicans like to be right too. (0.00 / 0)

She's not brought on for her opinion, she's brought on for her analysis, and her analysis is very often wrong or based on demonstrably false premises.  Party affiliation doesn't do that to you.

--
Hope > Anarch-tea
Twitter: @DougLindner

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by: Douglas E. Lindner @ Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 07:47:41 AM CST

[ Parent ]

I don't dismiss her because she's a Republican. . . . (4.00 / 1)

I dismiss her because she's a moron, and she hasn't been right about a single prediction and "analysis" yet.  There is no accountability for crappy punditry.  None.

Pat Buchanan, Michael Murphy, and David Gergen are Republicans, too, but I listen to what they have to say.  They have worked on political campaigns and present a real insider view to public affairs.  They don't just retail whatever recycled brain fart that popped into their heads five minutes before airing.

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by: Dartmouth Dem @ Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 08:40:35 AM CST

[ Parent ]

And if she wasn't a moron. . . . (4.00 / 1)

. . . she'd realize that Obama would have nipped this baby in the bud a long time ago if he had concerns about Hillary's independence.  He would not have instigated a public vetting, only to deny and embarrass Sen. Clinton.  This would severely undermine his credibility with the press and Congress.

This is obvious to anyone who knows anything about politics.  Unfortunately, this does not include Ms. Donahue.

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by: Dartmouth Dem @ Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 08:44:17 AM CST

[ Parent ]

But the biggest sin (4.00 / 3)

of both Donahue and Andy Smith is ignoring their own polls when the results interfere with their own opinions. They don't offer any explanation of why the poll suggests something else - they just ignore it altogether.

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by: elwood @ Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 08:46:22 AM CST

[ Parent ]

btw, I question the CW about not being able to fire Hillary (4.00 / 1)

Barack is totally in charge.  Bet we'll see Hillary salute sharply.  And I'm not getting why people think he can't fire her.  The damage would be much greater for her than for him.

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by: Bill Duncan @ Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 09:19:05 AM CST

Totally (0.00 / 0)

Hillary is respected, but she ain't liked.

The suck ups will keep their lips firmy planted to the Billary arse and Obama just gave them a place to keep occupied, hovering in the Foggy Bottom cliques and Emabassy Row. They will circle around Hillary and Bill until they spiral into oblivion.

We will have a Billary camp for a long time, but, excluding a Chelsea rise, it will "slowly fade away."

"Ill writers are usually the sharpest censors." - John Dryden

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by: Jack Mitchell @ Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 09:51:40 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Friendships (4.00 / 1)

Jack, I thought you might appreciate this little tidbit from the press at the announcement this morning:

From the pool report: "The press announcement ended at about 10:30am central time and Obama walked out of the room arm in arm with Clinton."

Apparently, President Elect Obama does not hold any grudges. I think we all should try to emulate our soon-to-be new leader!

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by: gradysdad @ Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 12:35:30 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Indeed (4.00 / 1)

We all should.

I'm not going to pretend to be happy about this, but I will try to open my mind as wide as possible on it.

As I said last week, the president-elect is a better man than me.

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by: JimC @ Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 13:00:43 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Satellites and Pigeons (0.00 / 0)

G.,
I am fine with the Clinton nod. If Obama wants to yoke "all that is Clinton", more power to him. I say that like it they will work for him, but that is me just being the dick that I like to be at times.

Yoking the Clintons to haul for me and you is where it really is at. I want them working for us. With proper direction, they will be an asset.

Over the course of the GE, it became clear that all but a few hardcore deadenders came to support change, real change. So across America, voters have given Obama/Biden a ringing endorsement. However, there is still a mighty DC establishment, that habitates the "nooks and crannies" and they need to be given something productive to do. We all want to feel a part of this movement and the DC "satellites" that have made it their mission to hover close to the Clinton's want, and need, something to do.

I'm talking political appointees, techocrats, beauraucrats and the complete social fauna associated to the cozy beltway crowd. A huge faction, those affiliated to the Clintons, now have a respectable turf to trod.

So like feeding pigeons, Obama has cast some crumbs over at Foggy Bottom. Bill and Hillary can stride over, chin held high. Thier flock can swoop over to the crumbs and peck away, around their feet.

G.,
You have been in the room when a "principle" walks in. You have seen the swarm of the needy, self-important types; that swoop over, hands extended, smiles turned on. Those are the beasts of which I speak. DC is filled with them.

So, think. You and I now have top notch employees and their faithful, but relatively useless legions, will be whistling the same tune as most of the party.

Note: Though your concern is important to me, I am, at the same time, trying to convince the much blogged about "Hillary haters" why Obama is being so generous. That's why my tone is snarky.

Oh, and that is how I roll, yo!

"Ill writers are usually the sharpest censors." - John Dryden

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by: Jack Mitchell @ Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 14:55:50 PM CST

[ Parent ]

"At times?" n/t (4.00 / 2)

"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

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by: Kathy Sullivan 2 @ Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 15:09:34 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Well played! (0.00 / 0)

You gotta play it where it lies. ;v)

"Ill writers are usually the sharpest censors." - John Dryden

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by: Jack Mitchell @ Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 17:38:16 PM CST

[ Parent ]

What a great appointment! (4.00 / 4)

Hillary Clinton will be a terrific SoS! With piracy off of Somalia, human disaster within Somalia, heightened tensions between Inda and Pakistan, continued tensions in the Middle East, war in Afghanistan, whatever you want to call Iraq, ongoing issues in Latin America, the impact of the downturn in the global economy on both developing and developed donations, China, North Korea, Russia, on and on - the United States needs someone who is as smart and respected as Hillary Clinton running State.  




"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

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by: Kathy Sullivan 2 @ Mon Dec 01, 2008 at 10:20:30 AM CST