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Originally Posted by Milkman  I think Obama picking insiders is good. They know how Washington works, they'll make less mistakes because they have experience, and they can battle the partisan attacks, more easily.
I don't believe in "outsiders" going to Washington, because "outsiders" have a horrible track record. |
This is the main problem with the way Washington works. The "need" for insiders is mainly because without them the other insiders would make life too hard on those that are not "insiders", and things would get too bogged down.
IMHO the answer is not to kowtow to the insiders but to call them out. Step up to the plate and take them on, not play the game by their rules.
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Originally Posted by Milkman ^ But, Chitown, I'm serious.
The upper echelons of this enormous and complicated government should be filled with experienced people. People that know the tricks, and know where the bodies are burried. Lobbyists, PACs, watering down legislation, and bureaucracies that drag their feet.
Down the ladder, I am sure there will be some fresher folks.
"Change" was only a political slogan, as we all know. I remember hearing that line for the 1992 election. I think Ross Perot, used it.
There is change. But it's not wiping the slate entirely clean with "outsiders" who come to Washington who have to spend a year consulting with people to teach them how things work. |
Know the tricks? Where the bodies are burried?
Again this are the problems with the system. There should be no tricks, there should be no bodies. Elected officials need to start doing what is right for their electorate, voting in their best interest - not trading favors, and learning the tricks to try and funnel pork into their district. Pork is not what is best for the country or a given district in the long run.
The only reason they need to spend time to learn how things work is because the insiders of the past have set up the system to make this a requirement. It really should not be so difficult, and anyone with a basic college education (and many with just a basic high school education) should be able to grasp/understand the fundamentals of how the US system is supposed to work - not necessarily how the system currently works, but how it is supposed to work.
IMHO the only area that does require people with some level of existing experience are those related to foreign relations. And even then the folks with the experience don't necessarily have to be the very top people.
I am a bit disapointed in the folks Obama has chosen to date (too many with lobbiest ties and too many with Clinton ties), but the outcome of these picks has yet to be seen. Hopefully things will turn out better than I expect.