October 25, 2012

"Mitt Romney’s transition team... 'The Readiness Project..."

"... plans a series of modest but quick accomplishments if he were inaugurated, and is preparing for the likelihood that he will butt heads with the conservative wing of the House Republicans as he seeks a fiscal 'grand bargain.'"
Romney’s transition has grown to more than 100 officials, preparing dossiers on potential nominees and gaming out legislative strategy. Only a few weeks ago, the exercise had an air of make-believe, even to some of the participants. “Now, we’re shooting with real bullets,” a Romney adviser said. One Republican official said Romney doesn’t plan “an ideological crusade — he wants to come across as a problem solver, primarily on the economic side”: “Everything Romney does is going to be focused on bringing down barriers to economic growth and providing certainty to businesses.”

114 comments:

Mogget said...

Ahhhh.... The sound of adults at work. Music to my ears.

David said...

Binders!

Matt Sablan said...

It really is important to have a good transition team.

edutcher said...

Some cautionary notes, but it looks as if they're going to be ready to govern and not rule on Day One.

harrogate said...

Hello concrete jungle

wyo sis said...

This is so reassuring. I almost believe they can undo Obama care.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Premature?

Hagar said...

I would think that Romney being Romney, he will seek to establish a ruling coalition with as many "blue dog" Democrats as he can find.

garage mahal said...

“Everything Romney does is going to be focused on bringing down barriers to economic growth and providing certainty to businesses.”

Release the Certainty Fairies! Fly. Fly like the wind!

Wheeeeeee!

Anonymous said...

So conservative ideological purity got thrown under the bus?

harrogate said...

"So conservative ideological purity got thrown under the bus?"

Nope. More like, pretense driving the bus.

Matt Sablan said...

Inga: Yeah. Sort of like how Obama refused to close Gitmo and continued using drones and adhered to special business interests. Sometimes the fringes of a party are disappointed.

harrogate said...

Matthew,

In what way do you anticipate Romney not adhering to ideological purity on economics?

Nathan Alexander said...

So conservative ideological purity got thrown under the bus?

Concern troll is very concerned.

Anonymous said...

Ain't happening. Check out Nate Silver, the SMARTEST POLLSTER on the PLANET.

We at the WH (west wing) have written statements that we will win. The polls will force voters to do what the press wants. IT IS THE CIRCLE WITHIN.

We will win. We always win.

GOP will lose. GOP always loses.

Sammy said...

And this is from Politco...so you know they weren't going for the puff piece or to make Romney look favorable.....




It'll be nice to have competent adults back in charge....


Now if we can only turn the Senate a republican majority so we don't have the weirdo, loser Reid controlling the Senate and trying to fuck up everything.

Anonymous said...

Ain't happening. Check out Nate Silver, the SMARTEST POLLSTER on the PLANET.

We at the WH (west wing) have written statements that we will win. The polls will force voters to do what the press wants. IT IS THE CIRCLE WITHIN.

We will win. We always win.

GOP will lose. GOP always loses.

Christopher in MA said...

So conservative ideological purity got thrown under the bus?

No. It means adults realize the mess the Taupe Dope has left and know they need to address that first while silly children like you stand on the sidelines to scream "war on women!" "Handmaid's tale!" and "BusHitler!"

You see, sugar tits, unlike you, conservatives realize that Obama's foolishness needs to be eradicated before any "ideological purity" (which, I suspect to you means discouraging women from sandblasting their uteri) can be dealt with. Perhaps if your precious Obamessiah had considered working with the opposition instead of sneering "I won" and "you'll have to read the bill to find out what's in it," we wouldn't be in the mess we are today.

Not that it matters to you. "Obama is awesome!"

alan markus said...

Today RCP moved North Carolina from "Lean Romney" to "Toss-Up". That puts Obama 201 EC & Romney 191 EC (-15). Same range as 10/11 through 10/17.

<a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/2012_elections_electoral_college_map.html>RCP Electoral Map</a>

harrogate said...

"Perhaps if your precious Obamessiah had considered working with the opposition instead of sneering "I won" and "you'll have to read the bill to find out what's in it," we wouldn't be in the mess we are today."

Such idiocy in that comment, so little time.

harrogate said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
alan markus said...

Try that link again:

RCP Electoral Map

Methadras said...

Inga said...

So conservative ideological purity got thrown under the bus?


You stupid cow. If you believed that conservative ideological purity was at play here then you are a bigger moron than I gave you credit for. What you are seeing is putting in place a plan to govern by minimizing and making as efficiently as possible way to get agreement within the republican establishment and to take that approach as a bi-partisan method that can have the desired effects. Conservativism isn't shutting people out, it's getting them to see a different methodology to produced results.

I fully expect you to wither away once Urkel is removed like the human wart he is. Stupid whore.

Anonymous said...

Well, I'm glad he kept GITMO open and droned the hell out of the terrorits.

As for the far right fringe, of which there are plenty, serves them right to have a Romney, but do we KNOW what he will really do? I guess it will all depend on which special interest group yells the loudest, or which way the wind blows.

If he wins, I hope liberals will be pleasantly surprised and severe conservative purists will be crying in their oatmeal. Isn't that mean of me?

Revenant said...

Personally, the thought of a hundred "experts" busily at work in the government fills me with dread.

Fixing what's wrong with the economy is a simple one step process: stop. You work for the government and you're trying to make things better? Stop. You don't know what you're doing. Cut it out.

harrogate said...

"...and making as efficiently as possible way to get agreement within the republican establishment and to take that approach as a bi-partisan method that can have the desired effects."


Because in the minds of Althouse idiots of the fuckteenth order, getting agreement within the GOP constitutes bipartisanship.

Anonymous said...

Meth, put on your bib, you're foaming at the mouth again, sheesh.

jrberg3 said...

This is from Politico.....seems more like an attempt to frustrate and/or diminish the enthusiasm of Romney voters.

PatCA said...

Ah, Mogget, I agree. Can we just relax and live for a while now that the juveniles are being sent back to school?

Lem the artificially intelligent said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
victoria said...

Really Sammy? Politico is firmly in the right wing's pocket, next to Fox news and righties like Rush.


No fair, no balanced. Just junk.


Vicki from Pasadena

Revenant said...

do we KNOW what he will really do?

Inasmuch as it is possible to "KNOW" what a politician plans for the next four years, we have clearer indications from Romney than from Obama.

Hell, Obama flip-flopped on sequestration in less than sixteen hours, earlier this week, from "it will not happen" to "it'll happen within the first six months of 2013". This is an excellent example of why business owners hate the dumb son of a bitch -- it isn't just that his ideas are bad, it is that he switches them so often they can't even plan around them.

Anonymous said...

I will personally deliver the Obama Vegan Pizza to anyone who wants to bet. I know things. I know the results.

Obama will get 55% of votes.
His Electoral College total is: 310+

You see, I am the best analytic working for the CORE (COmmittee to Re-Elect). I have an office in the WW. I travel to Chicago virtually every-weekend.

We will defeat the GOP, lock stock and 50 loaded barrels (each state has a barrel).

yashu said...

Ahhhh.... The sound of adults at work. Music to my ears.

Exactly. If Americans choose 4 more years of the Obama administration over Romney-- god, what a tragic wasted opportunity. This is exactly the kind of competence, expertise, leadership, and executive ability this country desperately needs right now.

LincolnTf said...

Most important thing Romney could do would be to reverse the R.O.E changes instituted by Obama in Afghanistan. Our casualties have more than doubled as a direct result of that decision. Obama was both stupid and evil during his tenure, but that was by far his most murderous policy.

jrberg3 said...

"So conservative ideological purity got thrown under the bus?"

The only people who believe Romney is an ideologue are Obama sycophants.

Nathan Alexander said...

Such idiocy in that comment, so little time.

If you had anything at all, you'd have time to say it.

But that was an accurate statement.

When asked why he didn't incorporate GOP input into a bill, Obama replied it was because "I won".

And Nancy Pelosi did say we had to pass the Obamacare bill to see what was in it.

Why do you embrace falsehoods so readily?

You don't seem that stupid, so it must be epistemic closure: you can't accept anything as possible that you don't already believe.

Anonymous said...

Every-press outlet has been in tele-conference with us. Our motto is:
- Discourage the enthusiasm of the GOP.
- Make Mitt be a throw-back of last century - women rights gone, etc.
- Make Obama the right course for our FUTURE. Forward, and on ward.

We have been talking to press every-hour.

Every-reporter is on-board. GOP is DOA on Nov. 6.

Doc Holliday's Hat said...

Hey remember when the "post-partisan" guy created an administration of ideologues that refused to even consider Republicans for things like a take-over of one-sixth of the economy. Yeah, this seems like the opposite of that.

Methadras said...

Inga said...

Meth, put on your bib, you're foaming at the mouth again, sheesh.


Yeah, you would know about bibs right? Considering you've been wearing one while on your knees in front of Urkels pants. Wouldn't want to get your blouse all messy. Shut the fuck you dumb twat. You're opinion is meaningless, you traitorous harpy. You defend a traitor, you become a traitor. Ask a US ambassador and 3 of his attaches what it's like to fight for your life only to lose while their bosses watch and do nothing. Oh, that's right you can't. They are dead and the president you've been fellating in defense of has nothing to say and you still defend it. Fuck you traitor whore.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

The only people who believe Romney is an ideologue are Obama sycophants.

My fellow Americans...

I see a future in which there is a Romney is like Obama tag.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Great... no I cant use the great word sycophants for a while.

Mike Tanis said...

Earlier today I sent my congressman (Sean Duffy, WI7) a letter asking him to work harder than ever to take advantage of the short window of opportunity the Republicans will have next year.

I'm very glad Romney is treating his transition with the seriousness it deserves. If the stars all align and R's win the Senate and the Presidency while holding the House then they will have one short year to repeal Obamacare and fix the budget.

I say one year because by the second year of the Congress the political battles will be too intense for meaningful action.

I don't know if it's possible but I hope Romney, Boehner, and McConnell can put together a 100-day plan that leaves the opposition reeling and unable to mount a defense.

Christopher in MA said...

Perhaps if your precious Obamessiah had considered working with the opposition instead of sneering "I won" and "you'll have to read the bill to find out what's in it," we wouldn't be in the mess we are today."

Such idiocy in that comment, so little time.


Care to point out the "idiocy?" Or shall I just save you time and paste your "mean old Mitch McConnell said he only wanted Obama to have a single term, wahh wahh wahh!" nonsense as your response?

Revenant said...

Most important thing Romney could do would be to reverse the R.O.E changes instituted by Obama in Afghanistan.

I'm hard-pressed to think of an issue less important to this country than "what the ROE are in Afghanistan".

Christopher in MA said...

As for the far right fringe, of which there are plenty, serves them right to have a Romney, but do we KNOW what he will really do?

He won't apologize for being an American. I realize that will piss you off, but fortunately Romney actually likes this country.

Revenant said...

I see a future in which there is a Romney is like Obama tag.

Isn't there one already? They spent a good portion of the foreign policy debate struggling to find subjects they disagreed on.

chuck said...

he wants to come across as a problem solver

Well, that is what he is, so nothing surprising there. I hope someone else can supply some of the ideology and ideas that will be needed to make the fixes more permanent.

Nora said...

I have no doubt that Romney is way more serious, responsible, and capable person, than Obama can ever be. Obama wins only on demagogery, and even that only if he can lie and insinuate with impunity.

jrberg3 said...

"I see a future in which there is a Romney is like Obama tag."

I agree, but I'm still voting for him.

LincolnTf said...

The ROE get people killed directly, almost every day. The rest of Obama's disasters take longer to end in death.

Nora said...

... may be Obama can win in golf and basketball too

garage mahal said...

Love it when Methadras gets all serious and preachy, with his avatar of a baby with a bird top of its head. It definitely lends credibility to his commentary.

Anonymous said...

Meth doing his best to be the epitome of the repulsive, vulgar, disgusting conservative Althouse spoke of a few weeks back.

Meth your buddy Whoresoftheinternet wants you to be his guest blogger.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I agree, but I'm still voting for him.

That sounds like the bride saying... but I'm still gonna marry him.

Nora said...

Inga said...
So conservative ideological purity got thrown under the bus?

Ideological purity is progressive notion. That's why they wear tinfoil hats, you see, to avoid ideological contamination.

Revenant said...

The ROE get people killed directly, almost every day

No, keeping our troops in that worthless shithole is what is getting them killed.

For pity's sake, a good percentage of the fatalities consist of our troops being murdered by our own "allies".

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Its a dandy in San Francisco.

Revenant said...

your buddy Whoresoftheinternet wants you to be his guest blogger.

Allie never does get tired of that trick, does she.

Anonymous said...

Revenant, true. I don't know of any liberals who want to keep troops in the hell hole known as Afghanistan.

yashu said...

“Everything Romney does is going to be focused on bringing down barriers to economic growth and providing certainty to businesses.”

Eyes on the ball; beautiful.

That tells me that what's first on Romney's agenda largely involves dismantling and dissolving governmental excrescences and arbitrary power (mostly but not only born under Obama).

Christopher in MA said...

Love it when Methadras gets all serious and preachy, with his avatar of a baby with a bird top of its head. It definitely lends credibility to his commentary.

As opposed to the pigfucking party hack who changes his avatar more frequently than his underwear.

What happpened to the American flag and bald eagle, garbage? The revulsion just get to be too mucch for you?

Anonymous said...

Well, Rev, don't they sound alike, like two peas in a pod?

Paul said...

All I can say is Romney better not stab the people in he back who voted him in like Bush 41 did.

If he does that he will be a one termer like George Herbert Walker Bush. Don't think we can't vote him OUT if we voted him IN.

Methadras said...

garage mahal said...

Love it when Methadras gets all serious and preachy, with his avatar of a baby with a bird top of its head. It definitely lends credibility to his commentary.

10/25/12 8:45 PM
Blogger Inga said...

Meth doing his best to be the epitome of the repulsive, vulgar, disgusting conservative Althouse spoke of a few weeks back.

Meth your buddy Whoresoftheinternet wants you to be his guest blogger.


The two of you are the most discredited bunglers of the truth this blog has ever seen. You wouldn't know what credibility was if it was tattooed on your misshapened sloped forehead, you retarded trog. While you're saddling your mother for the next anheuser busch christmas photo, Inga is preparing her next foray into how much more of her soul is left to sell to defend a traitor POTUS while playing the victim. Again.

To say that you two are peas in a pod would be an understatement. Both of you are scum, no one will care when you die and i hope that happens as fast as possible and as horribly as possible.

Anonymous said...

Paul, he's already done it. From severe conservative to mild moderate!

jrberg3 said...

"Meth doing his best to be the epitome of the repulsive, vulgar, disgusting conservative Althouse spoke of a few weeks back. "

Yeah because only conservatives are vulgar right? And racist?

Give us a break already.

Methadras said...

Revenant said...

your buddy Whoresoftheinternet wants you to be his guest blogger.

Allie never does get tired of that trick, does she.


It's from her official internet blog victim response sheet. She's gone through so many of them, she's recycling them all over again.

Anonymous said...

Ah Meth, a warm, fuzzy and cuddly conservative. I hope all you conservatives here are PROUD of him, he's representing you.

jrberg3 said...

"That sounds like the bride saying... but I'm still gonna marry him."

Hardly, I voted for him as a governor and know what to expect. And I have since moved from Mass. to a state where my vote will matter.

YoungHegelian said...

If Romney didn't have a transition team in place by now --- no matter what the polls showed --- he would be a very dangerous fool.

Obama's got one, too, for use if they lose. A lot smaller because his guys are already in place, and they just need co-ordinators with the Prez-Elects teams.

The real questions are 1) Who's on Romney's team? & 2) Who's going to survive from transition team to administration?

Methadras said...

Inga said...

Ah Meth, a warm, fuzzy and cuddly conservative. I hope all you conservatives here are PROUD of him, he's representing you


Honey, keep the smear where it counts most, on your face. Even Obama laughs at what a fucking tool you are while he zips his pants up and gives you a hat tip and some spare change for a wet nap.

jrberg3 said...

"Paul, he's already done it. From severe conservative to mild moderate"

Again your devotion to Obama's talking points has you brainwashed!

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I'm really curious...

Doesn't this news of a Romney looking down the road beyond the election upset independents?

You know, Romney acting as if he won... not humble?

millionarebillionare behavior?

Not upsetting.. not even a little?

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Cabrera is looking bad at the plate.

Revenant said...

It's from her official internet blog victim response sheet.

More or less. It is a multi-step process for her:

1. Throw out a comment designed solely to elicit angry responses.
2. Whine about the angry responses.
3. Ramp up the drama by accusing people of misogynistic racism.
4. Go to step 2.

Repeat ad nauseam. Allie isn't happy in a thread until it is devoted solely to her feelings. :)

Triangle Man said...

The plan:

1) Lower taxes on the people making the most money.

2) Cut funding for regulatory agencies, or eliminate programs entirely

3) Roll back financial regulation

4) Something about healthcare

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Hardly, I voted for him as a governor and know what to expect. And I have since moved from Mass. to a state where my vote will matter.

Hah!

I thought you were talking about voting for Obama.

Thats funny.

Known Unknown said...

Ah Meth, a warm, fuzzy and cuddly conservative. I hope all you conservatives here are PROUD of him, he's representing you.

In Inga's world there are no individuals.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Rev, why don't you just ignore me? That would be easy, wouldn't it? Don't feed me if you don't like the attention I get on these threads.

Drago said...

harrogate: "Because in the minds of Althouse idiots of the fuckteenth order, getting agreement within the GOP constitutes bipartisanship."

LOL

Did an obama supporter really just write this?

Too funny.

The left has absolutely no self-awareness.

Drago said...

The obama "plan":

Glossy full page photos.

LOL

Sam L. said...

AKB, fingers in ears, saying Nyaah, Nyaaah...

Nathan Alexander said...

Rev (and Inga),
No, keeping our troops in that worthless shithole is what is getting them killed.

I have to disagree.

From 2002 to 2008, just over 600 US casualties, never more than 155 in one year.
From 2009 to present, 1512 deaths. Never less than 317 in one year.

Afghanistan didn't suddenly become a shithole for no reason between 2008 and 2009.

Something happened to make that difference.

Our troops are just as well trained, just as well-equipped.

But with lousy leadership and bad strategic decisions, you get more deaths.

A President with the resolve to stick to it, and the intelligence to make good decisions for leaders, and Afghanistan would be in much better shape now. Iraq would be in better shape, too, with better leadership.

Everything in the Middle East went to shit in direct correlation to something that happened on 20 Jan 2009: the ascension of a significantly incompetent Commander in Chief.

garage mahal said...

Judging by the weird dream sequences of cock sucking mentions, I'm guessing Methadras is a closet case that came from some sort of gay reparative therapy that went horribly wrong.

Nathan Alexander said...

harrogate: "Because in the minds of Althouse idiots of the fuckteenth order, getting agreement within the GOP constitutes bipartisanship."

The only way the left's statements of "tolerance", "compassion", "unity", "bipartisanship", etc, make any sense at all is if you realize they don't consider non-liberals to be worth considering as people at all.

Non-liberals/progressives are cartoon characters to them, not really real, and so worthy only of complete dismissal.

Epistemic closure is how they avoid cognitive dissonance on an hourly basis.

yashu said...

I'm really curious...

Doesn't this news of a Romney looking down the road beyond the election upset independents?

You know, Romney acting as if he won... not humble?


I think there's a significant distinction between presuming inevitable victory and looking down the road at getting down to work. One is premature self-congratulation; the other is diligent preparation. I actually think there's humility to that: to take with the utmost seriousness the gravity and difficulty of the job (potentially) before you.

As opposed to confidently believing that your mere presence in the White House will by itself heal the planet (politically, spiritually, and climatologically), and that you're so talented and knowledgeable that you could do a better job of anything than anyone else in your administration.

If Romney (god willing) wins, I doubt you'll see him preening behind the trappings of the "Office of the President-Elect" (like Obama did) before his inauguration. He's going to be way too busy with actual work; he won't care to appropriate the regalia of presidential power.

Revenant said...

Rev, why don't you just ignore me?

For the same reason I do anything else here: for my own amusement and the occasional enlightenment of others. :)

Seeing Red said...

Defund the EPA!

1st thing after his speech as president should be to sign an executive order that stops all depts from insituting any regulation.

Seeing Red said...

--Rev (and Inga),
No, keeping our troops in that worthless shithole is what is getting them killed.


It's good enough for Chicago.

Revenant said...

Afghanistan didn't suddenly become a shithole for no reason between 2008 and 2009. Something happened to make that difference.

Yearly casualties increased at an accelerating rate from 2002 through 2010. Since 2010 they have been sharply declining.

That aside, your argument amounts to "it is critically important that we throw away American lives on a useless mission at a somewhat slower rate than before". I'm not buying it; if you care about the lives of our troops, the correct number to waste on a useless mission is zero.

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

Why was North Carolina moved back into toss-up status on RCP? All the polls they have listed have him up with a comfortable margin.

Known Unknown said...

I'm trying to calculate Inga's comments posted vs. comments deleted ratio. It's trending toward 1.

Synova said...

"In what way do you anticipate Romney not adhering to ideological purity on economics?"

Neither Romney nor Ryan ever had an economic policy/plan that appealed to serious Tea Party sorts. Never.

So of course they will butt heads with that portion of Congress that is not going to think they're aggressive enough.

This notion of "ideological purity on economics" is a fantasy. I'm not certain if it's primarily a fantasy created by the Obama campaign or if it's just a natural projection of liberals' own beliefs in ideological purity.

chickelit said...

LincolnTf said...
Most important thing Romney could do would be to reverse the R.O.E changes instituted by Obama in Afghanistan.

I agree with Lincoln. And long after we leave Afghanistan, those who were there will not forget Obama's rules. Eventually they will compare that to what he did in Libya. They will find commonality

Just a prediction.

@LincolnTf: I get it.

heyboom said...

I'm really curious...

Doesn't this news of a Romney looking down the road beyond the election upset independents?

You know, Romney acting as if he won... not humble?

Acting like he's won would mean he's going into the Oval Office and measuring for curtains. I'm pretty sure independents are smart enough to understand the need to be prepared for a win.

heyboom said...

I'm really curious...

Doesn't this news of a Romney looking down the road beyond the election upset independents?

You know, Romney acting as if he won... not humble?

Acting like he's won would mean he's going into the Oval Office and measuring for curtains. I'm pretty sure independents are smart enough to understand the need to be prepared for a win.

chickelit said...

I'm really curious...

Doesn't this news of an Obama looking down the road beyond the election upset independents?

You know, Obama acting as if he deserves to win... not humble?

Acting like he's won would mean he's going into the Oval Office and remeasuring for final curtains. I'm pretty sure independents are smart enough to understand the need to be prepared for an Obama win.

chickelit said...

Some things don't need repeating...

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

That was good response to my question yashu... I hadn't seen it because I was away in the other tread.

Geoff Matthews said...

Good.

Geoff Matthews said...

Good.

Methadras said...

garage mahal said...

Judging by the weird dream sequences of cock sucking mentions, I'm guessing Methadras is a closet case that came from some sort of gay reparative therapy that went horribly wrong.


Yes, I'm sure you repeat this sequence to yourself all the way down to pride as affirmation to yourself that you're good enough, you're smart enough, and doggone it, people like you. Your delusions make me laugh so hard that I fell off my unicorn.

Bruce Hayden said...

I think there's a significant distinction between presuming inevitable victory and looking down the road at getting down to work. One is premature self-congratulation; the other is diligent preparation. I actually think there's humility to that: to take with the utmost seriousness the gravity and difficulty of the job (potentially) before you.

My impression of Romney, esp. when he was in college, but presumably after he left and went into business too, is that he was always the most prepared, and left nothing until the last minute. So, if he had 11 weeks to prepare for something, he would split it into 10 parts, do one a week, and be ready a week in advance. No cramming for this guy. Combining this with being very bright, and you probably have the reason why he graduated first in his class at BYU, and was probably able to do better than Obama at Harvard LS (and BS) while raising a family (which continues, I think, to be rare in law school).

Obama, Clinton, and to some extent maybe Bush (43) were seemingly more the type to wait until the last minute and then cram - but Obama probably didn't cram all that much, giving his somewhat lackadaisical personality. He, in particular, seems the type to fake it a lot, sliding by on personality instead of hard work. His work habits seem worse than mine, sleeping in late, doing a little work, and spending much, if not most of his time as President enjoying the perks. This is possibly a result of never really having a real job before this - a job where you had to be at work at a specified time, and work diligently throughout the day, the sort of thing that most of us learn at minimum wage jobs when we are entering the workforce (and must keep up throughout our work lives in order to keep our positions).

The point of this is that neither Clinton nor Obama had smooth transitions. Six months into Clinton's first term, a number of his White House staff still didn't have security clearances. That sort of thing.

Romney just comes across to me as someone who wants to be properly prepared, and that means having as much as he can in place if and when he is inaugurated. And, that means getting some of the transition work done early, if at all possible. There is a lot to do - a lot of people to hire, important regs to identify for change, etc.

I should also add that it appears that the Obama people also are looking at a transition, but their job is less. Still, there would likely be changes in personnel and priorities in a second term. I chair a committee that is trying to get access to both transition teams right now, and esp. Romney's, given that his transition would be the more significant one. The belief being that this is the best time to impact long term strategy (in our case, in the area of innovation, small business growth, and access to venture capital - all things effectively downplayed by the current Administration).

test said...

One Republican official said Romney doesn’t plan “an ideological crusade — he wants to come across as a problem solver, primarily on the economic side”

Whoever said this doesn't understand much about the modern political environment (presuming this is substance rather than marketing). The people he refers to as "on an ideological crusade" are the only ones interested in solving the problems. If this is Romney's position his efforts are going to be a complete waste of time.

Nathan Alexander said...

That aside, your argument amounts to "it is critically important that we throw away American lives on a useless mission at a somewhat slower rate than before". I'm not buying it; if you care about the lives of our troops, the correct number to waste on a useless mission is zero.
If there is no coherent leadership, then yes: it is throwing away lives.

But there were increasing casualties throughout WWII. Should we have given up because it wasn't worth throwing away the lives of the troops?

Why don't you talk to the troops?

Heck, why does the MSM avoid talking to the troops?

While the troops don't want their lives thrown away for political purposes, if you talk to the troops, most actually believe in the mission, just like most believed in the mission in Iraq.

Morale was always high when Petraeus was in charge, because he had a plan and executed it effectively, under Bush's leadership.

Very few supported the Surge under Bush. But he didn't want the deaths to that point to be in vain, and he knew he had the right leader to turn it around.

He stuck to his principle despite extreme opposition...

...and was shown to be correct.


Until feckless leadership threw most of the advances/successes away by cutting and running out of Iraq.

And threw away the advances in Afghanistan by failing to develop a coherent plan besides copying the style of the Iraq surge without the substance, without the coherent plan behind the plus-up.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

Revenant said...

Personally, the thought of a hundred "experts" busily at work in the government fills me with dread.

Fixing what's wrong with the economy is a simple one step process: stop. You work for the government and you're trying to make things better? Stop. You don't know what you're doing. Cut it out.


While I certainly understand your point of view, you have to look at our current situation. There are tens of thousands of laws and regulations that currently empower various people with various agendas in various agencies to do various things to people and businesses. It will take a lot of people a lot of work to roll back a lot of this malarkey while keeping those laws and regulations whose benefits outweigh their costs.

Fandor said...

Ann, maybe in the closing days of the campaign Republicans should paraphrase Nancy Polosi and say,"We have to get rid of Obama before we know if we can do without Obama".

Original Mike said...

“Everything Romney does is going to be focused on bringing down barriers to economic growth and providing certainty to businesses.”

Four year late, but would be so, so welcome.

Original Mike said...

Has Romney designed his "President-Elect" shield yet?

Asking the important questions.

{/snark}

Revenant said...

It will take a lot of people a lot of work to roll back a lot of this malarkey while keeping those laws and regulations whose benefits outweigh their costs.

I respectfully disagree. If we eliminated every regulation on the books, the net effect would be a huge positive.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

Revenant said...

I respectfully disagree. If we eliminated every regulation on the books, the net effect would be a huge positive.

Even if that is true, it does not mean that there are no regulations whose benefits outweigh their costs. Even if that is only 1% of the regulations, it would take a lot of work to pick out that 1% to keep.