Jarrett: Barack Obama’s Cabinet and Senior Staff Will Be Diverse
One of President-elect Barack Obama's biggest challenges in forming his government is balancing the need for experience with his desire to bring change and a diverse wave of newcomers to Washington, says Valerie Jarrett, cochairwoman of the Obama transition team.
"It's like a jigsaw puzzle," Jarrett told U.S. News yesterday. Obama wants to populate his cabinet, subcabinet, and senior White House staff with people who know the ropes, but he also wants people from a variety of backgrounds who reflect the nation's gender, racial, geographic, and other differences, she said.
So far, Obama appears to be surrounding himself with veteran Washington officials, including U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel, a former senior adviser to President Bill Clinton whom Obama named last week as his White House chief of staff. The speculation about cabinet officers and other administration leaders is also dominated by Washington insiders and officials who served in the Clinton years.
But Obama aides say he remains intent on bringing new faces and new thinking to his government and not just choosing Democratic officials from the past. He also intends to expand his outreach into the Republican Party, aides say. "It's complicated, and it's so important that he gets it right," Jarrett says.
"Our challenges as a country are daunting," she added, referring to the deeply troubled economy, two wars, and problems in the healthcare system and elsewhere. "Probably never before has a president taken office with the magnitude of challenges we are facing today."
Jarrett, a Chicago businesswoman and former senior city official, is a longtime confidante of Obama and his wife, Michelle.
Jarrett said Obama is eager to bring conciliation and healing to Washington, as he pledged to do during his campaign. One sign of that is his belief, explained to the media this week, that Senate Democrats should allow "independent-Democrat" Joe Lieberman to caucus with them, even though Lieberman endorsed Republican presidential nominee John McCain, campaigned with McCain, and had harsh criticism of Obama's fitness to be commander in chief. Obama spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said, "We don't hold any grudges."
In other Obama-related developments, John Podesta, cochairman of the Obama transition, told reporters at a briefing yesterday that Obama would insist on very strong ethical standards for his transition team—including the rule that federal lobbyists cannot contribute to or raise money for the transition. This is designed to limit lobbyists' influence.
Podesta said the transition would employ 450 people and have a budget of $12 million.
Reader Comments
rahm emmanuel
What country did emmanuel's family come from; or were they born in USA. If so, where?
Thank you
RE: Demonizer Demopcrats
Scott of PA, I have to strongly disagree with you. If you had done some independent research instead of just listening to partisan talking points, you realize that blame lies on both sides. Did Democrats push through legislation to make home loans more available to poor and working families? Yes. But nobody forced the loan officers at these lending institutions to create loans that did not require any income verification. No one in Washington D.C. forced the banks to have accounts on hand who would sign loan papers saying that it was possible for a plumber to make $120,000.00 a year. Note the use of the word "a plumber". Not a specific plumber who was trying to buy that specific house, but any plumber. In short, the lending officers called these loans "liar" loans. Republicans believed in non-governmental interference with free markets so much that when someone in the Federal Reserve argued that CDS (Credit Default Swaps) should be regulated, it was squashed. When some Democrats and Republicans wanted to overhaul the uses of CDOs (Collateral Debt Obligations), the rest of their colleagues screamed about capitalism and market self regulation. Look, I'm angry to. My parents own a little convenience store. It is losing money at a rate of $500.00 a month. They work 7 days a week, 15 hours everyday. They are going to lose their business and most likely the house I grew up in. I hate the fact that these politicians gave money to rich bankers with my parents tax dollars. Now is not the time for partisan politics. It is the time for clear thinking and pragmatism. Doesn't it bother you that we basically live in two Americas? One America that listens and watch liberal news & TV while another America watches conservative news & T.V.? Is it any wonder that it is so easy to demonize one another? I never would have believed how much bile and distaste I first felt and even the notion of visiting FOX News website. But I got past it because liberal and conservative America have got to communicate with one another. God Bless...
Demonizer Democrats
It's ashame that democrats want to demonize the republican party. The issues of our economy and the failure of the housing market can be directly traced back to the democrats who wrote laws forcing mortgage companies to give loans to undesireables...fact. Then, for the past 8 yrs they have done everything to undermine president Bush and the republicans from calling him a chimp, misguided, and doing their best to stall legislation in congress the first six years.
For Brandon of Il...go back to school Hillary's healthcare reform was a miserable failure. Thankfully she didn't get elected prez. It's gonna be bad enough when Obummer screws this country for four years. You blindly followed your Messiah now you will reap what you've sown.
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