Obama Steals Obey's Staff Director

[babylonsister]

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/transition/2008/11/obama-steals-obeys-staff-direc.html

Obama Steals Obey's Staff Director

By CQ Staff | November 25, 2008 2:17 PM


Nabors, left, with Orszag, at today’s news conference


Here’s one more sign that President-elect Barack Obama and House Appropriations Committee Chairman David R. Obey of Wisconsin will have similar views on spending priorities: Obama has just hired away Obey’s staff director.

At today’s press conference, Obama announced that Robert Nabors, who heads the Appropriations staff and worked in the Office of Management and Budget under President Bill Clinton, will be the new deputy director of OMB. He’ll report to Peter R. Orszag, the new OMB director and currently the director of the Congressional Budget Office, whose appointment as Obama’s budget director had been expected.

Nabors’ departure comes at a critical time for Obey, as his staff prepares ideas for the mega-stimulus package the new Congress will probably try to pass before Obama is sworn in on Jan. 20. Still, his appointment to the No. 2 OMB job is likely to add one more layer of coordination between the White House and Congress and reduce the odds of disagreements that could trip up Obama’s congressional agenda.

Obama depicted Nabors and Orszag as a hard-nosed team that will help scour the budget for programs to eliminate, not just spend money freely.

“I think what the American people want more than anything is just common-sense, smart government,” Obama said at the news conference. “They don’t want ideology, they don’t want bickering, they don’t want sniping. They want action, and they want effectiveness. And that’s what Peter and Rob are going to help us provide.”

— David Nather

[democrattotheend]

1. Obey is pretty progressive, right?

So this pick should be encouraging...

[babylonsister]

2. Yes, he's a good guy (usually). Mr. No Nonsense. I love the idea

of Obama having these connections to Congress. Same with Waxman: one of his guys was hired, so I imagine that opens up the lines of communication even more.

[FrenchieCat]

3. Loved those 3 youngish guys standing up there......

Ruling our world!

Excellent.

[MadBadger]

4. Its more and more clear that Obama's WH will be run by more progressive people

His cabinet, which doesnt deal with the day to day work of the WH is the Public Moderate image.

[Shiver]

6. Exactly

I was just posted essentially the same thing, and have been saying such in other threads as well.

(one example of which --> http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=7920788&mesg_id=7921189 )

[Shiver]

5. This adds weight to my theory....

He's appointing people to the Cabinet that can get things done - positions that need Senate confirmation- and taking progressives for key advisory positions - positions which don't need confirmation.

The non-Cabinet advisers he's appointing have much more direct access to the President as well. The Cabinet doesn't meet every day, whereas people in many of these positions do.

[MadBadger]

7. Exactly my thinking above you

[Shiver]

8. Dude...

We gotta stop posting stuff at the same time... :P

[FrenchieCat]

9. Kind of like Advisor Melody Barnes who was an aide to Ted Kennedy

to be the director of his Domestic Policy Council....inside the White House.

[Shiver]

10. Spot on

In fact see the link I posted above for the post, in a Melody Barnes thread, where I first formulated this theory.