Obama Spokesman: President-Elect Will Focus on Strengthening the Economy But Can't Work Miracles
CHICAGO—President-elect Barack Obama will focus relentlessly on helping the middle class and strengthening the economy when he takes office January 20, but he doesn't want Americans to think he can work miracles, says chief Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs.
Gibbs told U.S. News in an exclusive interview yesterday that the 100-day framework often used to assess a new president's achievements—which started with Franklin Roosevelt's hyperactive first three months in 1933—may be outmoded because today's problems are so numerous and complex.
Attempting to lower soaring expectations, Gibbs says 100 days is an "arbitrary time period" that probably doesn't apply anymore.
Gibbs's concern about expectations seems well founded. A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released yesterday finds that nearly two thirds of Americans say Obama will change the country for the better. Majorities say Obama will improve race relations, lift the economy, stabilize financial markets, make the United States safer from terrorism, lessen dependence on foreign oil, reduce global warming, win the war in Afghanistan, and remove U.S. troops from Iraq without causing a major upheaval in that country, the poll says.
Gibbs, who is expected to be named soon as the new White House press secretary, adds that Obama won't be rushed into making his cabinet appointments. "He understands every appointment sends tremendous signals throughout the country and throughout the world," Gibbs notes.
Obama's standard is pragmatic rather than ideological as he seeks to represent everyday people who haven't had a government that was "on their side" for years, the spokesman says. He adds that Obama judges each finalist for an appointment by assessing whether he or she shares "a philosophy of getting things done." Obama also wants advisers who favor openness and are good team players.
Gibbs says Obama is trying to balance veterans with newcomers in his administration. The main point, Gibbs argues, is that Obama himself is the change agent. He compares Obama to a new quarterback on a team of veterans. "The guy calling the plays" makes the difference, Gibbs says.
Reader Comments
Change (for the better, we hope)
He asked for the job and we gave it to him. Now it's time for him to make good on all his campaign promises -- every singe one. Americans wanted change and he made us believe he could do it. He'd better deliver.
100 Day Theory
Robert Gibbs is simply a politician who is trying to set the stage in the even that there is a disappointing start to the Obama presidency. The 100 day theory holds truer today than in the days of Roosevelt. The reasons that it still holds true include but are not limited to the following:
1. Communication is now taking place nearly at the speed of thought. Decisions can be communicated and therefore enacted much more quickly than in the time of FDR. A clear consistent message by Obama would help immensely.
2. Perception drives change more than ever before. In the time of FDR fundamentals drove the market. Today, perception of the economy and market drives the market more so than does fundamentals.
3. Economists have had the benefit of 7 decades to understand the affects of the New Deal and can model any NEW NEW Deal with computers so as to predict the impact on the world economy.
4. The rate at which change occurs doubles every five years. Given this is not a straight line progression since FDR's time, one can imagine that the rate of change can offset complexity to a degree.
5. Lastly, the American public is ready to accept leadership and change.
My advice Mr. Gibb is to not lower expectations for your candidate, nor inhibit is ability to lead by offering less. The danger in that comes from creating an attitude by President-elect Obama's constituency of "....just another politician who can't keep promises". DARE to hold yourself and your president to a higher standard.
times make a man
Just as the Chinese saying goes"Bad times make a good man", times make Obama the president. American people need change, and they hope and want to believe Obama could be the man Who can bring them change.
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