Photo: BohPhotoIn a matter of hours, President-elect Obama will start holding transition meetings that he’s been planning for months. There are obviously a lot of issues to address, matters of great substance and important issues of style as well. I thought the McCain concession speech and Obama victory speech both set a very positive tone; but now comes the hard part.
So what do you suggest? If you had a seat at one of the tables where Obama will be meeting over the next days and weeks, what would be some of your suggestions for how he should shape his administration, address the economic mess, consider the energy future, engage the global community, and so on and so forth?
Feel free to float ideas that are general or specific, from personnel to philosophy. Also, what are some things to avoid?
Maybe we will cull the 10 best ideas and pass them along as a Bill of Suggestions from the Freakonomics readership.
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Respond to the people’s will.
I definitely think both Colin Powell and Hillary Clinton should get spots in the new administration.
Consider a national mandate on Flex Fuel vehicles, this will solve the energy independence thing, create competition for different fuels and help with the environment. Economically, it’s the way to go.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLRuGUPkyh4
Appoint John McCain to a cabinet position, or atleast a couple of Republicans to cabinet positions, to show a true effort towards bipartisanship that the people who did not vote for him can support. In the end this will help them embrace him.
Obama,
You ran on a platform of “change,” that we were not going to see “politics as usual.” You have a Democratic House and Senate. Stick to your promises. Don’t be politics as usual. With such concentrated partisan power, and sort of political groupthink will simply be a return to politics as usual. Cut spending, even in the face of your party.
In fact, make the party your own. Don’t just assume the mantle of leadership of the Democrats, seize it. Take it and tell them what to do, and tell them that we’re not doing politics as usual anymore in Washington.
That’s change I can certainly believe in.
~A
Surround yourself with kindred spirits, whose actions and beliefs will reinforce your own. We need strong leaders, not politicians and old friends and “Yes men,” to give you advice and support.
Listen to Paul Krugman and Nouriel Roubini.
A severe recession, at least another year of it, is already baked into this financial crisis, with unemployment going to be rising 30% or more over the next few years. Home prices are not going to stop declining until your second term, most likely. But if you don’t come at this thing hard enough, you won’t get another term.
Remember what FDR knew: that regulation and Government oversight gives consumers and investors confidence, and that markets need confidence to thrive.
Now that the race is over lets stop the blame game. I hope that Obama takes it seriously, and doesn’t just assume that “8 years of Bush polcies” led to this financial mess. I hope he tries to get to the bottom of it, and figure out why this happened, so that history doesn’t repeat itself.