If Barack Obama were to win the election in November, who would be in charge of his government management reform initiative, which relies heavily on information technology? It wouldn't be his running mate.
In the Oct. 20 issue of New Yorker magazine, author Ryan Lizza writes about what role Joe Biden may play as vice president. In the article, Lizza writes that Biden, when being interviewed by Obama for the chance to be his running mate, told Obama that he had no interest in government reform him that he had no interest in heading up Obama’s government reform plan. It seems that Kathleen Sebelius, the governor of Kansas who Obama was seriously considering for the V.P. slot, had indicated her willingness to take on the reformer’s role. An excerpt from the article about Biden’s interview with Obama, which took place on Aug. 6 in Minneapolis:
He [Obama] also tested Biden’s understanding of how broad his role would be, as opposed to that of another contender—apparently, Kathleen Sebelius, the governor of Kansas and the only woman known to be on Obama’s short list. “He said, ‘Well, you know, if I offered this to somebody’—he named her, a person—he said, ‘That person would be very happy if I assigned them to reorganize the government.’ And he said, ‘They’d be very happy doing that. How about you?’ ” That didn’t sound like much of a job to Biden. “No,” he told Obama. “That’s not what I want to do.”
Vice President Al Gore headed up President Bill Clinton’s government reform effort called Reinventing Government, and later becoming the National Performance Review. But that job, according to Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., who lost to President Bush in 2004, put Gore “on the sidelines.”
Al Gore studied this history, and his idea, according to the Senate Historical Office’s study, was to be “a general adviser to the President, who took little direct responsibility over specific programs.” That was why Gore didn’t want to head Clinton’s task force on health-care reform, “believing that it would consume all of his attention.” Gore did make, however, a major exception to this rule by taking on a project to streamline the federal government—a task that Kerry told me made Gore less available to lobby his old friends in the Senate. “Frankly, I don’t think Clinton used Gore for that very effectively,” Kerry said. “I think when he was given reinventing government it put him on the sidelines.”
And what about John McCain’s running mate, Sarah Palin?
Biden asked Obama for little more than access and influence. By contrast, Sarah Palin seems to have greatly circumscribed her potential role in a McCain administration. “My mission is going to be energy security and government reform,” she told a crowd last month. “And another thing near and dear to my heart, it’s going to be helping families who have special needs and children with special needs.”
Lizza made no mention of Bush’s the President’s Management Agenda.
Does it matter who is in charge of the president’s government reform plan?
COMMENTS
"The beginning premise of both campaigns was that CHANGE was required."
Huh?!
Perhaps I fell asleep at the wheel but it seemed to me that there was only one party expounding change "in the beginning."
The other stressed their war-creditials and experience (please read "I have already done that.")
If the past tense of that message was to be understood, then change was not the result experienced; until it behooved the underdog to get on board with the populous movement.
Once more, Brett (Maverick) re-invents himself.
Doubting Thomas 10/21/08 11:44 am ET
Hmmm... An old adage comes to mind. Something about beggars and chosers?
Joe sounds mighty picky for someone who wants on the ticket so badly.
Tip Off 10/21/08 11:38 am ET
Whoever gets this job will need to be able to navigate between the traditional role of the executive - interacting with OMB and the agencies, and as important, navigating a reform agenda with Congress - they have been the missing indgredient in previous reform efforts (GPRA, NPR, PMA).
Organizationally, no position spans both of those domains, so the key skill for whoever takes this on must be able to work across the executive and legislative branches.
Jim Loving 10/20/08 04:34 pm ET
Clearly, Palin is the VP want and need.
John A. Jauregui 10/20/08 11:22 am ET
The begining premise of both campaigns was that CHANGE was required. Therefore to answer your question; "It absolutly does make a major differance who is in charge of the reform plan". So we now are already starting to hear one party back peddling on the very issue that the camapigns were launched on. On the other hand the GOP party contrary to what the liberal press has continue to mis quote, take out of context and in some cases just flat out lie about has made it clear as to who will be responsible for the reform.
It is obvious that Biden is an empty suit when it comes to standing up for what his party states that they are for. He like most of the other Liberals are in this race for themselves not for the people as they continue to try to make the public believe.
Americans who are truly proud to be an American and really want their country to be a d stay strong need to really get the facts and not rely on one sided jounalism to do their fact finding and canidate research for them. Allow the real facts to speak for them selves and then vote based on knowledge not miss-stated or slanted information.
Signned: A Very Proud by Very Converned American.
Tom Shea 10/20/08 09:25 am ET
Not sure if it matters who is in charge of it, but it needs to have a priority given to it.
voice_in_dc 10/20/08 08:24 am ET