Richardson Withdrawal Mars Seamless Transition

[babylonsister]

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2009/01/richardson_withdrawal_mars_sea.html

Richardson Withdrawal Mars Seamless Transition
Chris Cilizza

snip//


Despite the setback posed by the Richardson news, polling suggests Obama has built up plenty of good will during his transition process and is not likely to be knocked off track by today's news.

A CNN/Opinion Research Company poll conducted just before Christmas showed more than eight in ten voters approved of the way Obama had handled the transition; a USA Today/Gallup survey done in mid-December showed 75 percent of the sample believed Obama had handled the transition period well.

The job of the Commerce Secretary is somewhat indeterminate and is considered a secondary Cabinet post -- less important than the top jobs like State, Defense, Treasury and Attorney General. While Richardson's business friendly record likely would have helped the Obama Administration in its outreach to that crucial community in the negotiations over how to heal the economy, it's hard to see it as badly derailing those efforts.

Make no mistake: Obama and his team would have preferred that this Richardson withdrawal had never happened -- particularly on the eve of the president-elect's trip to Capitol Hill tomorrow to make the case for his economic stimulus plan.

But, this is far from a death blow for Obama's momentum heading into the inauguration.

[Jennicut]

1. Stupid. Clinton had several nominees blocked or who dropped out

One measly one means nothing.

[babylonsister]

3. He mentioned that at the link...

Richardson's sudden -- and surprising -- departure is in keeping with the recent history of filling cabinet posts, where at least one of the president-elect's choices winds up not making the gate.

For President George W. Bush that was Linda Chavez (Secretary of Labor); it was Zoe Baird (Attorney General) for President Bill Clinton and John Tower (Secretary of Defense) for President George H.W. Bush.

[Jennicut]

4. Yup, all presidents in recent times have had this happen.

Not all nominees are perfect and many don't tell the truth about what is going on in their backgrounds. I like Bill Richardson but it would hurt Obama more if he is investigated during the confirmation process.

[EstimatedProphet]

2. Richardson withdrew from Mars?