https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/demo/takeatest.html

In the test I took I showed a slight preference for the Democratic party and no preference to the disability programs.

-ep

That said, I’m glad he isn’t getting the post in the White House.

Making a mistake on your taxes, especially as it relates to riding around in a car and thinking it was free is understandable.  Dashle’s long track record as a legislator should negate any concern over his short stint as a lobbyist.

These are legitimate arguments and I was expecting the Obama White House to make them.  Especially considering that Daschle was one of Obama’s earliest supporters and clearly owed some debt of gratitude.  However, this administration said that it was going to try to set a higher standard.  That they weren’t going to have one set of rules for them and another for everybody else.  So I was surprised and heartened to see Daschle remove his name to keep the potential of those principles alive (for now).

Being a pragmatist you also have to be happy to see him step down.  Even if he was the most qualified person for the job, the controversy around his nomination would have crippled his effectiveness.

On the lighter side, here is one of Dashle’s campaign adds when he was in Congress.  As the friend who forwarded it to me said “That car is made of pure irony” (thanks LaterSkater).

My feeling is the growing financial crisis is largely responsible for the urgency to the process and has placed a premium on known quantities. This premium on known quantities is a large factor leading to Obama’s current nominations being so heavy on Washington experience. Obama’s first four cabinet nominations have more Washington experience than either Clinton’s or George W Bush’s (60, 58, 30 respectively) (3). That is even with Janet Napolitano, his nomination for Secretary of Homeland Security, having no Washington experience.

Change was one of Obama’s primary platforms during the primary and general election his appointment of these seasoned Washington insiders begs the question, “Will the same people who have been running Washington be able to or be willing to change it?” It is a fair question. With these people working for new leadership I still think the answer is yes.

One of Obama’s attribute that I found incredibly appealing during the campaign was his pragmatism. A step away from the ideological zealotry that has come to characterize Washington in recent years and towards a mindset that could start to solve some of the problems currently facing the country. I believe that this pragmatism is what is driving the current cabinet nominations. Here are some of the proposed or projected nominations so far and my thoughts if I have any (an * denotes someone that I am pretty confident the position has at least been offered to)

*Secretary of State- Hillary Clinton
The biggest and most controversial appointment so far by Obama. Personally I’m not sure how she is qualified for this position (although, what should the qualifications for the position be?). I know she was in the White House as First Lady for eight years but saying that is the same as running the White House is like saying that Yoko Ono was one of The Beatles. Ultimately I think this was a political move to keep her close and help bring the Democratic party together even more. Additionally I would be shocked if her Senate confirmation is not only successful but also quick and painless. The biggest pitfall I see in this move is if things don’t work out between Obama and Clinton it will be politically tough for Obama to fire her without significant fallout.

*Secretary of the Treasury- Timothy Geithner
This pick along with all of the economic team has been lauded by both the right and left. Tim has been heavily involved in the process already in his role as the President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York which should make the transition from Paulson to him smooth. Going with a known quantity that is respected on both sides of the isle should speed his confirmation.

*Secretary of Defense- Robert Gates
I believe this is a great pick for the position and is a realization of Obama’s commitment to try to have a bi-partisan administration. It is also example of an extremely pragmatic choice in that the Obama teams focus needs to be on the economy. Why transition the complexities of the war in Iraq to a new Secretary unless you have to? Additionally, you could skip the Senate confirmation process since he currently holds the position.

*Chief of Staff- Rahm Emanuel
Rahm is known as a bulldog and a fierce Democratic partisan, which is in stark contrast to Obama himself. I believe that is why Obama needed him, or someone like him with a leadership role in his administration. Somebody to play the hardass bad guy to Obama’s peace maker.

*Secretary of Health and Human Services- Tom Daschle
An 18 year veteran of the Senate and former Senate minority leader is well known by most of the sitting members of the Senate. Having been in the public eye as long as he has and serving in such prominent roles has already helped vet him. All of this adds up to a guy who knows all the players and should be easily confirmed.

*Press Secretary- Robert Gibb

*Secretary of Homeland Security- Janet Napolitano
A Washington outsider in that she has never held a position there, even though she has worked there for a time in her career. The only hiccup she might see during her confirmation is because she represented Anita Baker during the Clarence Thomas confirmation and some conservatives believe she may have coached the witness’s testimony (4). I think this is another great pick. A democratic governor from a red border state with extensive experience in border and port of entry issues. This nomination has drawn praise from both sides of the isle.

Secretary of Energy- Al Gore/ Jeff Bingaman

Ambassador to the UN- Bill Clinton/ Lee Hamilton

*National Security Adviser- James Jones
A former Marine general with extensive experience in Afghanistan. The perfect person to couple with Robert Gates.

*Attorney General- Eric Holder Jr.
Somebody who is well respected, was appointed to a judgeship by Regan and a leadership role at the Department of Justice by the Clinton administration. A personal friend of Obama who was by some accounts reluctant to leave his current job at a law firm to go back to the grind of Washington but was convinced he was needed. His only blip in confirmation might be his association with Clinton’s pardon of Marc Rich (4)

*Secretary of Commerce- Bill Richardson
Bill will probably be the toughest confirmation of all of the cabinet members. He was Secretary of Energy under the Clinton administration when some nuclear secrets were stolen from Los Alamos, some Republicans haven’t forgotten nor forgiven him for that happening under his watch(4). That said, I think he will ultimately be confirmed and has the experience and political cache to be successful.

Overall I love how the cabinet is shaping up after doing additional research with the possible exception of Clinton who I am still on the fence over. All the nominations seem like easy confirmations, helping to avoid the risk in not getting people confirmed and the associated embarrassment. The quick confirmations will allow his team to hit the ground running and begin addressing the long list of issues currently facing the country.

(1) Cabinet Members: http://www.cnn.com/interactive/allpolitics/0811/interactive.obama.white.house/index.html

(2)Obama Cabinet vetting historically fast:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/25/obama.cabinet/

(3) Obama’s Cabinet Picks Heavy on Washington Experience
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,455545,00.html

(4) Past Controversies Hang Over Obama’s Cabinet Picks
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2008/11/22/past-controversies-hang-obamas-cabinet-picks/

For the first time I stumped for a candidate, some would say relentlessly. I donated seven different times to his campaign. I started a blog as a platform to help explain why I knew this was the person we needed to elect. I was invested in his campaign, he is MY candidate.

I was prepared to discuss his economics, I was prepared to discuss his foreign policy, I was prepared to discuss his character, I was prepared to discuss almost every reason why he should be elected. I hadn’t spent much time thinking about how I would feel if we won.

The moment didn’t hit me fully until his speech, and my brain still hasn’t fully embraced it as our new reality. Surreal, awesome, invigorating, overwhelming, all can be used to describe what I felt but perhaps none more so than pride.  Proud that boys and girls around the world can see that in America there is no ceiling on their potential because of their skin color, because they came from meager means, because they don’t have family connections none of this matters.  As long as they are smart enough and determined enough.

I was proud of how this was accomplished.  That an unprecedented number of people donated time and money to work to realize the change they wanted to see. From people that put off law school a year to work for the campaign to CEO’s making calls for Obama during their lunch breaks (both of those are stories from people I know personally).  We proved that in America, you can have the change you seek if you are willing to work for it.

Here are some of the texts I received as the results came in:

- This is surreal
- I’m so excited! I have my Obama shirt on.
- Damn Right!
- I am in blissful shock. Congratulations to you and these here United States.
- I am so proud right now. It’s a good feeling and about time.
- Congratulations!!! I am so happy
- Yes we did!!!!!!!!!!
- He kicked ass

Here is his acceptance speech in case you haven’t seen it:

We were the Ones we HAD been waiting for….

In case you were wondering, his grandmother did get to vote for her grandson.  She submitted an early ballot.

I wonder if the various pundits who said Obama going to visit his grandmother was a political stunt feel like crap now.  Or the guy who thought it was ‘disgusting’ that he didn’t fly commerical to Hawaii to see her.  Or Michael Savage who predicted that she would die on the eve of the election so Barack could use it in stump speeches for sypmthy votes.  They put the Ass in Class.

Jefferson, Washington, Lincoln, FDR, Kennedy, Reagan all shared this quality.  The ability to remind us, that we are Americans before we are conservatives or liberals.  To remind us there are common ideals that we all agree on.  To remind us that we have a shared destiny and more in common than we have separating us.
From this foundation our greatest Presidents were able to forge a country, to abolish slavery, to save the Union, to navigate us through a depression, to lead us to victory in a World War, to put Americans on the moon, to defeat communism and make us believe in ourselves again.  Nothing great has ever been achieved in this country or anywhere else without that type leadership.

Only one of the candidates running now has the potential to bring us together to do such great things.  Only one candidate now has the ability to inspire us as a country to work harder, sacrifice more and believe we will have a better future because of it.

It is clear that Obama has this potential.  You can see it in the size of the crowds that come to hear him speak in places ranging from Arizona to Florida to New York to Berlin.  You can see it in the millions of people he has inspired to become engaged in the political process for the first time or the first time in a long time.  You can see it in the millions and millions of people that have donated to the campaign in a way that Newt Gingrich describes as ‘historic’.

Caroline Kennedy recognized this almost a year ago.  She wrote a great piece stating that Obama made her feel the same the way people always told her father made them feel about this country, inspired and hopeful about America.   It struck her because nobody else had ever made her feel that way about politics, read the full piece here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/opinion/27kennedy.html

I do like Obama’s policies better than McCain’s, that is why my brain is with Obama.  My heart is with Obama because I feel with his leadership our generation has the opportunity for great things.  I would like to be a part of doing great things.

Here are some of our other great Presidents at work:

Reagan:

Obama- DNC

Obama- Yes We Can

JFK- Ask What You Can Do for Your Country

Lincoln

Jefferson

FDR