Obama Begins Planning Presidential Transition

The Obama campaign has begun to prepare a transition team already, more than three months before the general election, and a little more than four weeks before Sen. Obama receives the official nomination of the Democratic Party, according to a report at The Atlantic's blog. A senior campaign adviser told The Atlanitc's Marc Ambinder that the campaign has undertaken to begin the process of a presidential transition in order to be able to tackle the "complexity and the organizational challenge" that such a transition would require.

"[Obama] has tasked s small group to begin thinking through the process. Barack has made his expectations clear about what he wants from such a process, how he wants it to move forward, and the establishment and execution of his timeline is proceeding apace."

The decision could pose some risks for the Obama campaign, which has been showing a disturbing tendency to take the election almost as a mere formality. Republicans pounced on the report, sending out an e-mail to media outlets titled "Barack Obama Audacity Watch." Republicans accuse Obama and his campaign of acting like a White House in waiting, claiming press privileges that are only afforded to Administration officials and comparing the candidate to a sitting president.

Two such incidents have occurred on Obama's foreign trip this week. In one, an Obama foreign policy adviser demanded that a press briefing remain off the record. Reporters had to remind the adviser that only White House officials can give press briefings on background. In another, an Obama campaign adviser, in response to questions about Obama's Berlin speech, said, "When the president of the United States goes and gives a speech, it is not a political speech or a political rally." Reporters, again gently reminded the adviser that Obama is not yet the president. The most famous example of the Obama campaign's growing self-assurance is the faux-presidential seal that the campaign debuted at a meeting of Democratic governors that Obama attended. The seal was roundly ridiculed in the press and was immediately dropped by the campaign.

The Obama campaign's confidence about the eventual election outcome is not borne out in the polls. The Real Clear Politics poll average shows a four point lead for Obama nationally, with no poll showing him ahead by more than seven points. The Gallup and Rasmussen tracking polls show the race as a statistical dead heat. Obama's advisers may be attempting to create an air of inevitability around the candidate as a means of countering voter unease at Obama's relative lack of experience compared to Sen. John McCain. But voters are traditionally averse to go along with attempts to anoint a president. Despite the media buzz surrounding him, Obama will have to earn the trust of the voters; and he can start by stopping his campaign from seeming to take the voting for granted.
Obama Begins Planning Presidential Transition - Political Machine

LOL...he better have a transitional plan "B" for visiting McCain in the White House. This reminds me so much of the "04" elections with the media and european love affair for Kerry.

Have a good one!:s4:

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Originally Posted by Psycho4Bud

...This reminds me so much of the "04" elections with the media and european love affair for Kerry.

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And we all know Obama is just the man to fill Kerry's flip-flops...er...I mean shoes.
Were Osama running for president of the world, I might worry.

Can't wait to see his elitist campaign worm it's way thru the 527 ads pointing out his past, his record, his "evidentaly you were not listening" tactics. Especially with regards to his own statements. One of two things appear to be happening...
...either he thinks we (Americans) are morons, and won't remember the words that came out of his own mouth.
-or-
He is a moron being guided by other morons that mistakenly think that all Americans are morons.
Whichever it is...a vote for Obama is moronic.

Will sure love to see whom he has in mind for his cabinet.
Here's some likely candidates...(the short list)

Rev. Wright...Reparations Disbursement Chief -and- Nation of Islam Uplift Committee
Bill "pentagons suck' Ayers...Homeland Security Chief
Susan Rosenberg...ATF Chief
Mrs. Osama...Chief - Department of Disambiguation of False Hope and Revisionist Re-Education

I've been plannng the transition for the last 8 years. Well, not so much PLANNING it as hoping for it. It can't come soon enough....

So Obama is a moron for having a presidential transition team. You guys do know that the federal government mandates funding for presidential transititons for both parties? McCain's PTT should've started working as well.

It's planning ya know. That's why you have a presidential transition team.

I know but this is usually put into place a bit closer to the general election....he's assuming the better but should be prepared for the worse. I think it would be in his best interest to have a transition team for becoming a senator for once.:D

Have a good one!:s4:

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Originally Posted by thcbongman

McCain's PTT should've started working as well.

It's planning ya know. That's why you have a presidential transition team.

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I don't think McCain is putting together a team. He's just decided, what's the point? You know? It would be like putting together a transition team for the off-chance that you might win the lottery. Or getting plans in place for if the aliens come to take you to Pluto. It's so remote that you just deal with it if it happens. McCain would make a better use of time putting together a plan for the freak news that he was the long lost heir to the throne of Oompah Loompah Land. And he knows it. He's not bothering with a team

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Originally Posted by Psycho4Bud

I know but this is usually put into place a bit closer to the general election...

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Not true at all.

Talk to any campaign team from either party of the last 8 presidential elections or to the chairs of both the RNC and the DNC. The transition planning teams go into fully active mode just as soon as the candidates are determined after the primaries are over or even before, like in McCain's case, when the candidate becomes apparent at the end of the primaries. This is one of the many reasons why the party governance organizations want the candidates to be determined long before the conventions, in fact. So these transition teams can get operational sooner than later because it makes for a smoother transition into office once the general election is over.

It's transitional presumption/assumption of office that happens on both the Republican and Democratic sides. Has been this way for a long time and will continue to be. Nothing sinister here.

I think it is presumptive of McCain to assume Obama has beat him and not even form a team. He should give himself some credit. He still has a shot. Put a team together McCain! Don't just give up!

C'mon, John!! Fight the good fight, man. You can do it. Don't just roll over. Don't let the "audacity of hopelessness" get you down!!

Hmmm.... Maybe McCain can find a personality out there when he's campaigning. Perhaps Cindy can buy him one. He's seems to be sorely lacking in that area. I never realized how important being a good public speaker was more than this election. McCain sounds like a bad actor flubbing his lines. Very frustrating. How can you believe his speeches when he doesn't even sound like he believes them himself?:wtf:

It seems that we often ended up with better candidates and Presidents in the days before electronic media. As an example, Lincoln would likely not get elected nowadays with the tendency to focus on looks and elocution. He didn't look that good and he had a high, reedy-sounding voice that wasn't considered pleasant.

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Originally Posted by Iguana

It seems that we often ended up with better candidates and Presidents in the days before electronic media.

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Yeah, that was in the days before bias, election-engineering and proclamatioins of false hope by the tabloid networks. (CBS, NBC, ABC)
"No need for the incompetent socialist to be vetted...trust us..."

thcbongman: No, Osama's a moron for thinking we won't remember his congressional stances, his past associations, his abandoned 'quasi' religion, his socio-marxist policies...

I love it. Obama rags on all of the citizens of the USA for not learning foreign languages, saying that â??I agree that immigrants should learn English.â?� But then he went on to poke fun at those who argue that â??we need English onlyâ?� and Americans who â??go over to Europe, and all we can say is â??merci beaucoup.â?? â?�

â??Instead of worrying about whether immigrants can learn English â?? theyâ??ll learn English â?? you need to make sure your child can speak Spanish,â?� he said. â??You should be thinking about how can your child become bilingual.â?�

Am I missing something...? Did Obama learn a couple of new languages for his overseas trip...? Any guesses how many languages his kids speak? One.

Tens of millions of taxpayer dollars taking a trip to everywhere but Main Street, USA...many hundreds of thousands of Middle Eastern and European 'fans' watching his every sermon...yet it doesn't look like he gained a single vote back here where the croud matters. Quite the effective use of taxpayer dollars to support his international campaign, 'eh?

Too bad he and his senatorial staff refused to go into the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center without the camera crews and campaign personel. (against hospital policy) Would have been a good human thing to do, regardless if politically profitable or not.

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Originally Posted by happiestmferoutthere

I never realized how important being a good public speaker was more than this election. McCain sounds like a bad actor flubbing his lines. Very frustrating. How can you believe his speeches when he doesn't even sound like he believes them himself?:wtf:

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And Osama's stammering thru ill concieved statements and speeches is normal...? Every other sound out of his mouth is a vowel not associated with the speech. Um...a...a..um..er..ah..