As he carefully picks the members of his cabinet and White House inner circle, President-elect Barack Obama faces an additional challenge: pleasing the ranks of the more liberal members of the Democratic Party. And there are indications that he has not been entirely successful.
As The Times’s Peter Baker reports today, his choices have “deeply frustrated” some liberals though many are taking a wait-and-see approach:
But so far, they are mainly muting their protest, clinging to the belief that Mr. Obama still means what he said on the campaign trail and remaining wary of undermining what they see as the most liberal president sent to the White House in a generation. They are quietly lobbying for more liberals in the next round of appointments, seeking at least some like-minded voices at the table. And they are banking on the idea that no matter whom he installs under him, Mr. Obama will be the driving force for the change they seek.
As Mr. Baker notes, Obama aide Steve Hildebrand answered some of the criticism coming from liberal quarters in an article on the Huffington Post over the weekend in which he urged the “left wing of our party” not to be too hasty in drawing conclusions about the president-elect’s cabinet appointments to date.
On Mr. Obama’s schedule today: a meeting with former Vice President Al Gore to discuss climate change and other issues. As the Politico’s Jonathan Martin notes, Mr. Gore aides say he isn’t visiting the president-elect for a job interview:
Gore intends on continuing his work on the environment and energy from the outside rather than accepting a post.
“This meeting is a continuation of their conversations about climate and energy and how policies to address them can help the economy and jobs,” said Kalee Kreider, a Gore spokeswoman. “Former Vice President Gore still believes his calling at this time is to help educate the public about the issues through his roles at the Alliance at Climate Protection and other work.”
Mr. Obama and his advisers are also likely to be keeping a close eye on the pending agreement between the White House and Congressional Democrats on bailing out the automobile industry.
The Inauguration Besides cabinet appointments, no topic has been getting more buzz in Washington recently than the plans for Mr. Obama’s Jan. 20 swearing-in ceremony and the accompanying parades and parties. But as The Times’s Katharine Q. Seelye notes, striking the proper tone for a celebration in tough economic times can be tricky:
“There’s no question that people are in tough times,” said Linda Douglass, a spokeswoman for Mr. Obama’s inaugural committee. “But we hope that this will be an event in which we celebrate our common values and shared aspirations.” She added, “What we are looking to achieve is a tone that is hopeful.”
The Washington Post lays out some of the logistical challenges inauguration week, including the issue of transporting hordes of people in and out of the city on buses:
The sheer size of the charter bus contingent, carrying as many as a half-million people, has an enormous cascading effect on the rest of transportation planning. Widespread street closures downtown will prevent charter buses from dropping passengers off at events, so officials need to figure out where buses will park. The parking locations, in turn, will affect where and how many people squeeze on to packed Metro trains.
ad_iconCity officials say the number of buses could exceed 10,000. More than 5,000 passenger carrier companies with more than 23,000 vehicles have interstate operating authority within 1,000 miles of Washington, from Maine to east of the Mississippi to Miami, according to City Administrator Dan Tangherlini. The city’s call center staff began contacting hundreds of bus companies over the weekend to ask about bookings, he said.
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