All the president’s hacks

By Michelle Malkin  •  November 5, 2009 10:37 AM

Personnel is policy.

Obama’s policy is the Perpetual Campaign.

Which is why he has surrounded himself with nothing but campaign goons.

Dan Gerstein has an excellent column on all the president’s hacks:

The president’s top advisers are not just overly political, they are almost totally political. Indeed, this West Wing is stacked with “hacks”–campaign professionals who are acculturated to think, act and win in the hothouse environments of elections, not to govern a bitterly divided country in extremely difficult times.

That doesn’t mean these staffers are unprincipled or unqualified; they are widely known to be smart, skilled team players. But they (and the few loyalists who fill out the Obama inner circle) come collectively to their highly influential jobs with a monochromatic mindset. And increasing evidence over the last several months–most notably the dramatic drop the president has suffered among independents–has indicated that this mindset is limiting, diminishing and potentially finishing to the Obama presidency.

Now, new presidents always bring trusted campaign advisers into their administrations. But they usually mix them with a range of serious governing professionals, who come with a very different ethos, to balance out the politicos and bring diverse perspectives into the presidential inner circle. This White House is disproportionately different. But Obama’s West Wing is devoid of governing wise men (think Leon Panetta for Bill Clinton, James Baker for the first George Bush and Clark Clifford for multiple Democrats). It is stocked almost exclusively with political pros and a handful of Friends of Barack whose main and often dominant frame of reference is partisan or personal.

Or as I put it: Nothing but tax cheats, crooks, and cronies from A to Z.

Posted in: Barack Obama

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  1. #836723
    On November 5th, 2009 at 10:51 am, ArizonaNeanderthal said:

    Good-keep those campaign hacks, fellow travelers and big mouthed jerks around. As long as the issues are what they are WE SHOULD WANT A BITTERLY DIVIDED COUNTRY. Let the folks see just how corrupt this den of thieves, marxist and cartoon characters really is.

    Barack HUSSEIN Obama and ilk have only ill will towards anything I consider American. We need him to fail on everything so as to let the people turn out his whores in the Senate and House all the sooner. He and his could rape and pillage Chicago at will as Illinois and Fedzilla kept pouring money in. It should not take long to see that that model will not work on a national scale. So let political pros and Friends of Barack loot and pillage; better to get it over with then merely fester.

    Yes I know there are the Good Ship Lollipop types who keep saying “We can work it out”. They are wrong; WE ARE A BITTERLY DIVIDED COUNTRY-we were under Reagan and a bunch of Bushs and I will not make nice with Obama.

    Moderation: we give up half today and they come for the other half tomorrow.

  2. #836729
    On November 5th, 2009 at 10:52 am, Marc said:

    Let’s not forget one of the people who Obama was not able to get appointed. I refer to the infamous Charles Freeman, who was slated to be the guy who would give Obama his “intelligence briefing” each morning. As it turned out, Freeman was so partial to the communist government of China that he would make Chairman Mao blush. Freeman has criticized Deng Xiao Ping for not cracking down hard enough on the students back in 1989. He thought the Chinese Red Army should have been much more ruthless in cleaning out students from Tienemen Square. This was the same Charles Freeman who was un unabashed supporter of Hamas, Hezbollah and every other Islamic extremist organization. When even the Dems wanted no part of the infamous Charles Freeman, he blamed his failures on “international Jews”.
    And this was a guy who Barack Obama thought was ideally suited to give him his national intelligence briefing each morning?

  3. #836731
    On November 5th, 2009 at 10:54 am, Craig said:

    That doesn’t mean these staffers are unprincipled or unqualified; they are widely known to be smart, skilled team players.

    You’re being WAY TOO generous. Here let me fix that for you:

    That does mean these staffers are unprincipled and unqualified; they aren’t widely known to be smart, skilled team players.

    There, much better.

  4. #836740
    On November 5th, 2009 at 10:59 am, verogolfer said:

    That doesn’t mean these staffers are unprincipled or unqualified;
    Yes, Chicago-style campaigners and consultants have such an ethically sound and morally pure reputation. Aren’t they known as a secular Salvation Army due to their high principles? LOL.

  5. #836747
    On November 5th, 2009 at 11:04 am, Rogue Cheddar said:

    they are widely known to be smart, skilled team players.

    Yeah, if you’re talking about a Russian sports team.

  6. #836750
    On November 5th, 2009 at 11:06 am, txvet2 said:

    How’s that next book coming, Michelle? Should be practically writing itself!

  7. #836752
    On November 5th, 2009 at 11:08 am, Rogue Cheddar said:

    But Obama’s West Wing is devoid of governing wise men

    Tru dat!

  8. #836757
    On November 5th, 2009 at 11:11 am, b-cat said:

    Which is why he has surrounded himself with nothing but campaign goons.

    That word was unnecessary.

  9. #836762
    On November 5th, 2009 at 11:14 am, beenthere said:

    . . . governing wise men (think Leon Panetta for Bill Clinton, James Baker for the first George Bush and Clark Clifford for multiple Democrats

    Uh, the only thing these men had in common was their hatred for conservatives.

    I do not know who this Dan Gerstein is, but from what I read in the long quote above I am unimpressed. He strikes me as being one more moderate\pseudo-con wonk who cannot begin to grasp the fact that the Democrat Partyhas become a popular front fanatically determined to flatten and bury this country.

    With this one statement he completely undercuts his argument:

    That doesn’t mean these staffers are unprincipled or unqualified; they are widely known to be smart, skilled team players.

    Unprincipled and unqualified is exactly what the are. And there is no contradiction between that and being “smart, skilled team players.” Sorry, but I find Mr. Gerstein’s statements incoherent and unhelpful.

  10. #836771
    On November 5th, 2009 at 11:21 am, DBNinKY said:

    Indeed, this West Wing is stacked with “hacks”–campaign professionals who are acculturated to think, act and win in the hothouse environments of elections, not to govern a bitterly divided country in extremely difficult times.

    Truer words, people…truer words.

  11. #836789
    On November 5th, 2009 at 11:32 am, right_on said:

    Campaigners? These people got their “Creds” as spin doctors…that means, propagandists. It begs the question for those out there who adore “The Chosen One;”

    If the agenda is so good for America, why does one need to shape the message, lie about it’s true purpose and the results of it’s actions?

    The answer is simple; if the truth were told from the outset, very few would join the leftist extremists in supporting it. No spin required.

  12. #836796
    On November 5th, 2009 at 11:40 am, Hangfire said:

    The Republicans have bent over backwards to accomodate these leftists.

    When they realize that “backwards” is not the direction the left wants them to bend, the pendulum will finally shift the other way.

  13. #836807
    On November 5th, 2009 at 11:45 am, happyscrapper said:

    Does Obama have ANY moderate or conservative people in the WH right now?? ANY at all?? Are they all radical, left-wingnut Mao worshipping goons? No need to answer that. If the American people would just wake up from that long, lazy sleep they have been in for decades, it would be obvious what is happening. Even then, a certain percentage of them won’t care. But a lot of them WOULD care and would join in to do something about it. The MSM is barely starting to wake up, and I doubt they will do much of anything. Just keep exposing these a$$hole$ as you find them, Michelle. The TRUTH will set us free!!

  14. #836819
    On November 5th, 2009 at 11:51 am, Savage24 said:

    Everybody in the Obama White House has only one objective, and that is the destruction of the country. Nothing good can be said for them.

  15. #836831
    On November 5th, 2009 at 11:55 am, tarpon said:

    The propaganda directed at the American people continues, meanwhile our troops are dying, the economy in shambles and Oba-Mao preaches on.

    Oba-Mao, the reader, not a leader.

    How is that hopey changey thing working out for you? Tired of it yet?

  16. #836860
    On November 5th, 2009 at 12:09 pm, Hangfire said:

    And HBO is the “Hail Barack Obama” channel. I dumped HBO. It makes MSNBC look like Glenn Beck.

  17. #836880
    On November 5th, 2009 at 12:23 pm, rocketman said:

    ***
    President Abraham Lincoln knew that his knowledge was lacking in many areas when he became President. He chose talented and experienced people to fill the Federal department leadership positions around him–even though some of them worked against him for their personal advancement.
    ***
    Read A TEAM OF RIVALS for insight in how well this worked–his picks allowed the North to win over the South in the Civil War. It preserved our country and freed the slaves. Secretary of War Stanton and Seward (Alaska purchase) were outstanding–as were the financiers who built up the war machine.
    ***
    President Bush 43 chose the brilliant and many talented Condi Rice for SOS. A woman of many talents–chosen for her skills–not for her skin color.
    ***
    President Obama (PBUH) chose the political hack Hillary Clinton for SOS–a laughingstock to the world–to “put her on ice” politically. She fits right in with the rest of his choices.
    ***
    Class will tell–and lack of class is soon obvious to all. Compare VP Dick Cheney and VP Joe (gaffmaster) Biden.
    ***
    John Bibb
    ***

  18. #836931
    On November 5th, 2009 at 1:17 pm, cheapseat said:

    THE FLOTUS has a staff of 22 assistants billing the gubmint ofer 1.75million per annum to tend her garden and keep her notes. the only flotus to have more than 1 assistant since eisenhower, who paid for his wife’s assistant himself, was of course our last liberal co president hillary clinton who had 3 assistants. this prima-donna has 22. and we wonder whether the budget could be cut without significantly hurting the economy. cut flotus’ staff, and take the keys for air force 1 away from this globe trotting idiot. there is a significant start.

  19. #836938
    On November 5th, 2009 at 1:26 pm, Regulus said:

    Hope-a-Dope’s bunker/Palace Guard administration is the result of winning a victory with a Hollywood movie mindset: at the end every plot line is supposed to be neatly concluded, the bad guys don’t come back, the monster stays dead, the marriage to the romantic interest never hits turbulence and it’s “Happily Ever After” as the credits start to roll.

    In Hope-a-Dope’s universe, when he won last November:

    1. The Republican bad guys are supposed to either see the error of their ways and submit or flee into the darkness, never to cause any trouble again;

    2. The monster (i.e., international terrorism and foreign nation rivalries and threats) is supposed to just lay down and die;

    3. The marriage to the romantic interest (i.e., the American People) remains in a perpetual state of bliss; and

    4. All previous sub-plot conflicts are to be resolved, by Deus ex Machina if need be, and no new conflicting sub-plots will take their place.

    Then it’s on to enjoying the fruits of “Happily Ever After” while the credits roll: golf every weekend, swank date nights and vacations to Hoi Polloi-free resorts, whisking off on his private jet to Europe to collect the equivalent of an Oscar based on nothing more than a script proposal, flattering magazine cover shoots, Weygu steak and champagne parties at the White House, etc.

    Hope-a-Dope obviously had no idea of what he was going to do after moving into the White House, other than to revel there and to work on his 2012 sequel. That’s why he has quickly turned over the reins to Nancy-n-Harry and an assortment of “Czars” who will keep the real world at bay and let him go on “living the fantasy.”

    Hope-a-Dope’s tenure in the presidency resembles the lyrics of a song by the Kinks, the end of which goes,

    “Oh I wish my life was a non-stop Hollywood movie show;
    A fantasy-world of celluloid villains and heroes.
    Because celluloid heroes never feel any pain;
    And celluloid heroes never really die.”

    “Hope-a-Dope in the White House” remains, however, one film that I’d walk out of even on an airplane.

  20. #837057
    On November 5th, 2009 at 3:19 pm, Danceswithdachshunds said:
  21. #837116
    On November 5th, 2009 at 4:36 pm, Snowfire said:

    Regulus 836938

    I have never thought of Obama in this light. I totally agree with you. An interesting concept.

    Maybe he was recruited and groomed by person or persons unknown to assume the throne, so to speak, and was told all you have to do is just enjoy yourself, we will tell you what to do and what to say, just have fun.

  22. #837190
    On November 5th, 2009 at 5:52 pm, maisy said:

    I prefer to think of them as
    GYPSIES,TRAMPS and THIEVES
    In fact that woud be a great campaign song for 2010!!!!

  23. #837242
    On November 5th, 2009 at 7:09 pm, ArizonaNeanderthal said:

    A Vimp
    AVamp
    bit of a
    Tramp

    but we don’t do that I guess.

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