Podesta: There Will Be "Multiple Republicans...Spread Throughout The Administration."

[malik flavors]

Citigroup Should Be Held Accountable, Obama Aide Podesta Says

By Edwin Chen

Nov. 28 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. government should demand accountability and changes at Citigroup Inc., as well as from automakers, in exchange for any financial assistance, a top transition official for President-elect Barack Obama said.

“It seems to me that the government ought to demand accountability,” including on executive compensation, John Podesta said in an interview on Bloomberg Television’s “Political Capital with Al Hunt,” scheduled to air today.

“If we’re going to have one rule, we ought to apply it to all of the financial institutions that we’re taking a look at,” Podesta said. “That’s my personal opinion.”

In the case of Detroit, lawmakers are demanding from auto industry executives a concrete plan on going forward while others are asking for management changes. The government hasn’t made those demands of Citigroup.

Podesta, a former chief of staff in the Clinton White House, also said Obama would complete “virtually the whole Cabinet” by Christmas, and the new president’s team will reach beyond the Democratic Party.

There will be “multiple Republicans” in the administration,” Podesta said. “You’ll see them spread throughout the administration.”

Obama, who is further along in making key appointments than any of his recent predecessors were at this point in the transition period, is expected to announce his national security team next week. It will be led by Senator Hillary Clinton, his erstwhile rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, as secretary of state and Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=akf_DTv.v8ic&refer=home

[joeybee12]

1. There's no Labor or Education Secretaries...give those to Repukes..

...that'll make everyone happy. :puke:

[w4rma]

2. Expected. There are still no economic progressives in the Obama administration.

This is just the next step.

[Thrill]

3. Did you miss the Melody Barnes and Austan Goolsbee picks?

[rockymountaindem]

4. Goolsbee is our progressive yardstick?

Oy.

[w4rma]

6. Austan Goolsbee is Senior Economist to the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI): That's the DLC policy

group.

[Radical Activist]

10. There's Obama.

Or by progressive do you mean socialist?

[gkhouston]

5. "Spread Throughout the Administration"... sounds like a chipper-shredder may be needed.

:scared:

[Dis Pater]

7. Karl Rove gives praise for the cabinet and appointments so far

In the WSJ-

Thanksgiving Cheer From Obama
He's assembled a first-rate economic team.
By KARL ROVE


Mr. Obama's announcement of his economic team on Monday provided surprisingly positive clarity. He picked as Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, the respected, soft-spoken New York Fed president. Mr. Geithner has been a key player with Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke in confronting the financial crisis. Every major decision in the rescue effort came only after the three agreed.

The National Economic Council director-designee, Larry Summers, is another solid pick. Mr. Summers has been an advocate for trade liberalization, he was the Clinton administration's negotiator for the financial deregulation known as Gramm-Leach-Bliley, and he even attempted to rein in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the 1990s.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122783239069463007.html
But, overall, Monday's announcement of Mr. Obama's economic team was reassuring. He's generally surrounded himself with intelligent, mainstream advisers. Investors, workers and business owners can only hope that, over time, this new administration's economic policies bear more of their market-oriented imprint.

[AtomicKitten]

8. My hope is that Obama is a good wrangler of people.

Because the hawks will be barking. Makes me really nervous.

[Radical Activist]

11. As a state Senator and US Senator

he was pretty good at getting some Republicans to go along with progressive bills he passed. I'd be pleased if he does the same thing as President. Screaming about how you're more liberal than everyone else may impress some people but Obama passed more progressive bills in two years as US Senator than Kucinich has in his entire career.

[Radical Activist]

9. No surprise. He said he would do that during the election.

You get more done by including people with differing viewpoints, and you usually end up with better results, even if you don't follow everyone's advice.