One Hand Tied Behind His Back
Sep 10, 2009 Glenn Beck, Obama White House, Rachel Maddow
Maddow takes down Beck’s “czar” hysteria:
David Weigel has a good rundown on this nontroversy at the Washington Independent; it’s just another form of GOP obstructionism aimed at hampering Obama’s ability to govern. Effective leadership consists of delegation to competent subordinates; block the subordinates, and you block the leader.
The GOP is exacerbating a systemic problem with the executive branch. The New York Times reported in August that less than half the president’s appointees are in place:
While career employees or holdovers fill many posts on a temporary basis, Mr. Obama does not have his own people enacting programs central to his mission. He is trying to fix the financial markets but does not have an assistant treasury secretary for financial markets. He is spending more money on transportation than anyone since Dwight D. Eisenhower but does not have his own inspector general watching how the dollars are used. He is fighting two wars but does not have an Army secretary.
He sent Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to Africa to talk about international development but does not have anyone running the Agency for International Development. He has invited major powers to a summit on nuclear nonproliferation but does not have an assistant secretary of state for nonproliferation.
Noting that Obama is actually ahead of previous administrations in terms of getting posts filled, the fact that only 43% of these vital posts have someone in them — eight months into the Obama administration — tells you the process of vetting people and getting them confirmed has gotten very cumbersome. There is serious work to do, and Obama has one hand tied behind his back.
