Serving the United States "at the Pleasure of the President" has always been high in the mind of politicians and citizens - whether for the power, or the recognition, to be of service, or for the money.
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Patronage - a powerful tool of those who govern! |
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Tuesday, 12 May 2009 - 12:21 PM |
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PRESIDENTIAL-APPOINTMENTS.ORG |
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Inside Links FAQS 2008-2009 Presidential Transition Appointments Requiring Confirmation Consumer Related Regulatory Agencies Transparency Data Base Creation Developing Policy on Appointments Types and Varieties of Executive Appointments Intense Job Searches by Presidential Appointments.org The Mission of This Presidential Appointments Page |
Nominations Moving The Obama White House nominations are now moving along through the Senate after some political delays. For a 100 day marker, Obama is somewhat ahead of the experience of recent Presidents. That is probably because of the level of crisis at the moment, and the strong vote count in the Senate. Even so - getting jobs filled earlier is a constructive circumstance which makes government more efficient. 04-29-09 Non-confirmation Jobs at Stake The jobs not requiring Senate confirmation are now being filled by the Obama Administration. Now is the time to get vitas ready and submit for a job you wish to have Most of these will be filled in the next six months. 4-09-09 Supreme Court Opening Sadly, the serious illness of Justice Ginsberg, announced today - will have the Justice Department and the White House polishing up the short list of new possible nominees to the Supreme Court. President Obama is likely to nominate a women, and more likely to nominate a liberal Justice. Such an appointment will maintain the present balance of gender as well as politics on the Court. 2-06-09 The Obama Cabinet is Complete The Obama Cabinet is complete. The President-Elect's personal White House Staff and the staff of various Counselors in various areas, such as in the many economic subjects which are so important right now are taking shape. Among the inquiries we get at this site, most applicants for the less obvious positions are now doing their political due diligence in preparation of their applications. Most do not buy into the concept that the White House is never willing to make appointments without consultation with Representatives, Senators, Governors and other political forces related to the application. It is absolutely essential that applicants for patronage positions recognize the power of politicians in the ultimate decisions. Certainly, the White House may act against that consultation, but they won't like. In short - put together good communications with the elected politicians and party officials from your community or state to support your application for an Executive appointment. 12-24-08
Very interesting photos of the Inaugural setting by McCulloch. Photos on this site are from the public domain or credited if the photographer is known.
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On Behalf of the People Appointees in Trouble The torture issues presently before the Country raise tough moral, political, and legal questions which approach Constitutional proportions. Presidential Appointees are at the core of the issue - men and women appointed by President George W. Bush are on the firing line facing serious challenges and punishments for their conduct. A fundamental issue in the consideration of appointee responsibilities is where a person's loyalties are placed - with the President who appointed that person - or to the Constitutional and legal principles of the United States. At the end of the Second World War there was general consensus that everyone from the top - Hitler in that war - to the lowest solider and civilian - had a duty to moral authority first - and political authority second. More than a few men died on the hangman's noose for violating that idea. Now the issue is raised again in the current torture cases. At present, there is a split of political leadership on the subject. So far - the people at the bottom of the chain of command - people who probably did the actual torture of terrorists are outside the risk area for prosecution. These are largely civil servants who are not political appointees of the President of the United States. However, at least four Justice Department appointees, Secretary Rice, Attorney General Gonzales, and perhaps both the President and Vice President are at risk of punishment for violating the law in order to justify known torture violations. At the least, there are going to be massive criticisms of these men and women. These issues of loyalty occur in every administration. The recent Bush administration which demanded dogmatic loyalty to administration policy seemed to have more allegiance to the President than to the the laws of the Nation which challenged his policies. The next years will be a time when we as a Nation reexamine the responsibilities of Presidential appointees to the Law and their conduct On Behalf of the People. (04-24-09) Presidential Transitions When the present administration was elected in 2000 there was a period of about ten months as the transition took place. While the White House understood the risk of terrorist activity, it is an open question about whether they were ready for the September 11 attack. At the very least it is clear that the terrorists understood that this was an unstable time which occurs at the end and the start of each presidential administration. When this inauguration of a new government is in place in 2009, the transition will be far more prepared for any kind of interim problem. The leadership of each political party is fully aware that there can be no space for outsiders to take advantage of this weak moment in American government. A new administration has a brief time to get a clear understanding of present American policy and the facts which support that policy. Because of the changing personnel it is critically important that the presidential appointments get made early and confirmed as soon as possible. Historically it takes as much as a year for the primary appointments to be made, confirmed and the personnel installed in their new positions. This delay is very practical because it is much like any other employment project. Candidate applications must be completed and submitted. Backgrounds must be checked. Qualifications must be examined. Politicians who have recommended candidates must be satisfied that correct appointments are being made. All of this must be done as carefully and completely as possible - on On Behalf of the People. Corporate - Organization Interests Non-Governmental Organizations and private corporations not only have great interests in which person is appointed to which federal position, but many have strong access to high talent. These entities are training grounds for many people who enter public appointed service for a period of time. Please consider discussing this opportunity for service by contacting me at: Director@Presidential-Appointments.org SNAIL MAIL ALERT: Surface mail to Capitol Hill is now diverted someplace - New York we hear - where it is opened, scanned and sent to the Hill in digital form. If you are communicating with Congress - consider a fax, an e-mail, or hand it to a Field Office representative of a Senator or Congressman near you. 1-1-09 High End Patronage Update: Now that the Illinois seat is filled by the former Governor - the Congress has an itch to amend the Constitution to make Senate replacements elective rather than appointive. If they get around to it - the amendment is likely pass. The Governor appointment system through the last century has produced some strange and not very representative people - wives, kids, buddies, etc etc. Watch for an early move to amend! 2-06-09 The President-Elect's open Senate seat in Illinois has reminded us of really high end forms of personal patronage tucked away in our Constitution's 17th Amendment. That power of appointment is vested in the Governors of the several States. From the signing of the Constitution until April 18th, 1913, the state legislatures selected Senator - with increasing abuse and corruption until the new amendment gave that power to the People in the following words of the 17th Amendment: "The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures. When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of each State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct. This amendment shall not be so construed as to affect the election or term of any Senator chosen before it becomes valid as part of the Constitution." The Governor of Illinois has appointed a replacement under this power for the seat of Barack Obama. He apparently tried to "sell" the appointment - a common abuse in patronage issues, although fiercely illegal and criminal. The outcome is still in question. 1-1-09 Contact us at: 617 504 3699 |
05-12-09 - The Obama White House Staff has generally been selected and settled in to work. This is unusually early in his administration, and reflects on the program Obama had to get his administration in place during the period after the nomination was secured in the summer and the election in November. The success of this plan is reflected in the across-the-board activities of Obama in the earliest months of his administration. As the impact of the recession became clearer in the fall of 2008, he realized being ready to govern in this area on the January 20th Inauguration Day was going to be critical. At this point in the spring - that appears to have been a first class idea. The war issues and other legislative issues have moving along firmly - also reflecting this policy of being ready when his President-Elect status was clear. Important Supreme Court Article about Obama - Click here 05-03-09 New Supreme Court Nomination and Confirmation The President's nomination process is an ideal opportunity to understand how Supreme Court appointments work. There will be plenty of politics, but few more important appointments in any Presidency. Follow the details on the Supreme Court Page. Federal Judge faces Impeachment A Ninth Circuit Federal Appeals judge who participated in the drafting of the Bush Administration Torture memos faces impeachment for his work in the Justice Department - before he was appointed to the Bench. This is an appointee case worth watching because it is going to illustrate the long term implications of one's conduct as a Presidential appointee. It seems probable that the Judge will retain his position - but will always be marked with the torture problems in the Bush Administration and will not advance to higher position. (04-24-09) Strategic Steps in Getting an Appointment 1. Excellent, comprehensive resume'. 2. Submit to White House address on appointments. 3. Send vita copy and brief letter to any Governor, Senator, Representative, Member of Democratic National Committee, State Chairman Democratic Chairman, or other politician to endorse your application. 4. Send vita other friends, associations, contacts, with brief letter asking for their endorsement for the job. 5. Call the White House and work your way through the phone system to try to find a live person in appointments area to send application to that person's desk, and try to get contact number and any advice you can about who to contact. 6. Study the internet carefully to be sure you know everything possible about the job, policy, and President's policy on the job you want to have. 7. Renew your inquires to political contacts often - talk to assistants and office staff - persistence counts! 8. Be willing to take a position different than you originally want if they offer it. 4-24-09 Seminar Discussions A logical part of preparation for public service is seminar discussion with others interested in a similar task, and the valuable instruction in that informal sort of setting. Select Seminars for other preliminary information on our planned regional seminars.
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John Isaacson, page owner, graduated from Washington University Law School - He was involved in Missouri state politics as campaign manager for Governor and as state Republican Campaign Chairman in 1963-1964. Isaacson was an Air Force Intelligence Officer in Europe during the Berlin Crisis under John Kennedy - President Nixon appointed him to serve on the President's Commission for the Observance of the 25th Anniversary of the United Nations, serving on the Executive Committee and the China Subcommittee which recommended the admission of China to the United Nations. His political experience includes meetings with Presidents Harry Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon, and Ford. He enjoyed a long personal friendship with Eleanor Roosevelt and Edna Gellhorn, the founder of The League of Women Voters. Isaacson has traveled extensively throughout Europe and the Near and Far East. He now lives in western Montana near the Rocky Mountain Continental Divide in Butte Montana, the "Richest Hill on Earth." |