The Obama family will be meeting the Bush family at the White House today. There will be a tour of the president-elect's new home, and one figures all will be cordial, with plenty of smiles to go around. Yet published reports and statements by the Obama transition team indicate there's another agenda afoot. His advisers are compiling a list of Bush Administration policies that could be reversed by the new president.
This is nothing new. In his first full day in office, President Bush reinstated a global gag rule banning taxpayer dollars from going to family planning groups that performed or gave counsel on abortion. That rule had been overturned by President Bill Clinton. The Bush people had been dropping hints the past few weeks that he might use his executive powers to enact certain policies the president to be might find hard to reverse. The Obama team seems to be saying go ahead and try it.
Stem cell research limits, as well as proposals to drill for oil and gas in sensitive areas of Utah are two actions that could be reversed quickly. Transition co-chair John Podesta was blunt on Fox News Sunday, saying Bush is making moves that are "probably not in the best interest of the country". Some reports say Obama is looking at as many as 200 Bush policy positions, with an eye toward change. Those changes won't be announced, however, until Obama confers with his new cabinet, meaning not for awhile yet.
The other area of concern is the auto industry. New chief of staff Rahm Emanuel is lobbying the current president to help Detroit, and fast. Bad news at the end of last week from both Ford and GM bolsters his case. At the same time, Emanuel is linking any financial help from the government to forcing the industry to build more fuel efficient vehicles. This is something that's quite doable, and smart policy as well.
Obama and his team are moving fast. In fact, today's White House visit will last only 90 minutes. They're leaving immediately afterward, heading back to Chicago, and the business at hand.
Can Obama get Bush and the lame duck Congress to bend on some of these issues? You tell me.
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2 comments:
Do I think Obama has much chance of:
a. getting Congress to do some positive reform before they leave? No.
b. getting Bush to sign something if they do get something passed? No.
I've been wrong before. I hope I'm wrong about end of term legislation.
How lovely the White House will look with a young family in it. The Obama family.
I heard recently that, despite all the perks that come with living in the white house, the first family still has to pay for any food that their private guests consume
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