Obama Gets High Marks From Clinton Administration Veterans
Why the new president cruises where Bill Clinton stumbled
Veterans of President Bill Clinton's administration say there are several reasons why Barack Obama has gotten off to a better start than their former boss.
First, Obama is more disciplined and efficient in making decisions and delegating responsibility than Clinton was back in 1993, when the last Democratic presidency got started, making for a smoother operation at the White House.
Second, the Clinton veterans, some of whom are currently working for Obama, say senior people in the administration coordinate constantly with each other, which sometimes didn't happen under Clinton.
Third, Clinton aides would frequently get into arguments about the timing of policy initiatives. "Today, we don't fight about sequencing" because Obama wants to do so many things at once, says a former Clinton aide who is now on Obama's team.
Another big difference is that the Obama team is more experienced in Washington and more mature than Clinton's team was, Clinton veterans say.
Many White House insiders add that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, a former Clinton adviser and an ex-congressman from Chicago, is a big reason for the improvement. "Having Rahm there makes a huge difference," says a former top Clinton aide. "He has very good relations with Congress. He knows how to navigate Capitol Hill." By contrast, Clinton and his first chief of staff, Mack McLarty, had to learn that for themselves.
Finally, Clintonites concede that the challenges are tougher today. "Clinton didn't get handed a basket full of crises as Obama has," according to another former Clinton adviser.
- Read about Obama's inner circle.
- Read about Obama's 12 most important decisions.
- Comment: What do you think about Obama's first 100 days?
Reader Comments
PRESIDENT CLINTON / PRESIDENT OBAMA
NOT THAT OBAMA IS NOT GOOD; BUT , PRESIDENT CLINTON WAS A GREAT PRESIDENT . IT'S EASIER FOR OBAMA BECAUSE :
1. HE LEARNED FROM CLINTON.
2. HE HAS MOST OF CLINTON'S STAFF.
3. HE IS THE APPLE OF THE MEDIA'S EYE .
CLINTON DID NOT HAVE ANY OF THE ABOVE MENTIONED ADVANTAGES .
The whine you hear is your own...
Somebody through some crackers at all the parrots chanting Bush's fault, Bush's fault, Baraaaaaaaack! Better yet, throw a cover over their cage so they will think it's night and go to sleep. Then leave the cover on for the next three years.
BO saw GWB'S wrong-way Iraq and went all in with an Afpakiran. BO's 2010 budget proposal was so 'really costly' that even democrats are quietly tuning it down. And BO's Geithner is trumping GWB's Paulson in bailing out Wall Street.
Only a BO could sell a plan to quadruple last year's deficit because in four years he would then 'halve' that quadrupled deficit. And only people without even a brain stem would buy it.
That Making Work Pay tax break from BO that put an extra $10 per week in your paycheck? It's only going to last two years. At least GWB introduced a new 10% income tax bracket at the bottom end so that the first $6,000 of everyone's income was taxed at 10% instead of 15%. Further, GWB's increased child tax credit, 10% tax bracket, and fix of the alternative minimum tax (AMT) reduced tax revenues much more than most of the "tax cuts for the rich."
Clinton vs. Obama
Why are you writing empty and ignorant articles like this? There is no comparison between the two. The times are different, Obama is enjoying a press that is in love with him, as well as seasoned people around him from the CLINTON White House. President Clinton was a good leader and did not spend us onto oblivion. The circumstances are so different that trying to compare the two must only be to further the "fairy tale" that Obama is perfect, which is ridiculous. Get a life and please write about something significant instead of trying to push an agenda, which can only be seen as a fantasy on your part. (Who are all these former Clinton people, providing you with this information? -- yeah, right)
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