Seamless Transition?

[OhMissScarlett]

*chuckle*

Right. After the dog's pissed all over the rug for the past eight years and the drunken brawls every weekend left the place pretty well trashed.

Yep. Toothpaste over the nail holes is a spot-on analogy for what's happening now, I'd say...

That's the only "strategery" he has left.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

That's the only "strategery" he has left.

*snerk*

 

[jomar]

Yes, it's time to dust off Camelot, but it's a little naive to expect the transition from a 20-percent-approval conservative Republican White House to a palm-branches-under-his-feet liberal Democratic White House to be anything close to seamless. The nice-nice will only be superficial rhetoric. It's not time to lose a sense of the realistic--the new administration can't really use the fairy dust assumptions with what has to be done now.

I think so too. With all the arrogance the Bush administration has displayed and all the crap they've pulled it's hard to believe they're gonna be an open book now. Hope so.

Misty, I think you are mistaken about the Clinton White House's lack of cooperation transitioning to Bush 43. It was one of the shortest ever and one of the smoothest according to the NY Times.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE1DC1039F930A35757C0A9629C8B63

As I recall and as partly reported in the linked article, the Bush team didn't want to listen to intel concerning terrorist activity and rejected Sandy Berger and Madalyn Albright's efforts to advise them on Afghanistan. The basic Afghanistan invasion plan and strategy was the Clinton Administration's plan that had to be hurriedly implemented after 9-11.

If I recall correctly, Bush was especially warned about Bin Laden, but seemed disinterested.

 

[epiphany65]

Even if Bush dislikes Obama, which I have no reason to believe he does, I'm sure he respects the office to which he's been elected and because of that will want a smooth transition. Obama began assembling a transition team some time ago (as did McCain) which will help the process along. Clinton didn't do this till after he was elected, which made it much more difficult.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

EPIPHANY

People were expecting Obama to have his cabinet picked and ready to go. Pelosi said she planned to go to work immediately after the election.

Well, the Messiah aint ready to go to work because he has no players. He's a chump off the street who got invited in to do brain surgery. Like Hillary said 'All Obama brings to the table is a speech he gave in 2002.'

 

[SEVERUSMAX]

I was about to make a snide remark about how "gracious" Republicans are, but, you know what, instead, I'm going to try and get into the spirit of discussion the author of this thread intended.

I would like to ask a couple of questions of you Republicans:

Why are you Republicans? (And "Bill Clinton" is not really sufficiently explanatory)

What are you talking about when you go off about the "godamn Liberal media"? (Please provide specific examples and not just overall feelings that you have.)

Why is there so much negative sentiment toward the Democrats?

Lots of Republicans talk about being scared of what will happen when a Democrat gets into the White House; what do you (or other Republicans) believe is going to happen?

Actually, I'm not a Republican this year. I'm an independent, steadily moving from a Libertarian world-view to a center-right one. There's a difference.

 

[sr71plt]

Maybe Bush finally feels guilty for the condition in which he's left this country.
He's like a renter, trying to put toothpaste over the holes in the wall.

The new Newsweek has a feature precisely on Bush the Lesser not feeling guilty about any of this. I tend to think that's true. (I think Bush the Greater is feeling guilty enough for both of them, though. And Jeb is just livid at his brother for messing up the family tent.)

 

[Selena_Kitt]

And Jeb is just livid at his brother for messing up the family tent.)

I don't think that's a new feeling for Jeb.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Jeb Bush is Dubya with a hard-on for the average Joe. Dubya is merely stupid, Jeb is nasty.

 

[sr71plt]

I think so too. With all the arrogance the Bush administration has displayed and all the crap they've pulled it's hard to believe they're gonna be an open book now. Hope so.

I don't think it will be one-sided dismissive arrogance. One of the missteps I think the Obama people made in the campaign was in not getting chummy with Hillary when they had won over her. All of the give in that, I think, was from Hillary--and I think what she gave them despite their arrogance toward her made all of the difference in the eventual outcome.

(And no, I wasn't pining for a Hillary win--or for an Obama win either--just observing.)

 

[Selena_Kitt]

I don't think it will be one-sided dismissive arrogance. One of the missteps I think the Obama people made in the campaign was in not getting chummy with Hillary when they had won over her. All of the give in that, I think, was from Hillary--and I think what she gave them despite their arrogance toward her made all of the difference in the eventual outcome.

(And no, I wasn't pining for a Hillary win--or for an Obama win either--just observing.)

I agree.

 

[Belegon]

Misty, while I have to admit I share the same view of the comment downplaying Clinton being a mistake in a post about "getting past it all"...

I also believe that YOU are sincere in wanting to do so. I also think a great portion of Republicans will also....including John McCain, who in my opinion looked increasingly uncomfortable as the campaign proceeded. I think the reason his concession speech was so well presented is because he finally wasn't grimacing at the things he was saying.

However, Bush is just trying to save face. He is trying to give a final impression that is more positive in the hopes of repairing some small portion of his legacy.

Just my opinion.



FACT: We are ALL going to need to be cooperative to get out of this hole.

I could care less about the "blame game." Talk to me about moving forward. That is my opinion also. And it has ALWAYS been the way I approach things.

 

[OhMissScarlett]

The new Newsweek has a feature precisely on Bush the Lesser not feeling guilty about any of this. I tend to think that's true. (I think Bush the Greater is feeling guilty enough for both of them, though. And Jeb is just livid at his brother for messing up the family tent.)

Sadly, I'm sure you're right. In order to feel guilty, he'd have to realize he did something wrong in the first place.

 

[Lee Chambers]

However, Bush is just trying to save face. He is trying to give a final impression that is more positive in the hopes of repairing some small portion of his legacy.

I think he's also concerned about how Obama might handle the issues in Iraq and Afghanistan and wants to make sure he knows all the details before he makes a decision.

My biggest worry concerning Obama is if he's willing to listen to General Petraeus. Say what you want about the administration, but I honestly believe Petraeus is the best hope we have for dealing with matters in the middle east.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

SCARLETT

Guilt is resentment. It really is.

 

[DesertPirate]

I think he's also concerned about how Obama might handle the issues in Iraq and Afghanistan and wants to make sure he knows all the details before he makes a decision.

My biggest worry concerning Obama is if he's willing to listen to General Petraeus. Say what you want about the administration, but I honestly believe Petraeus is the best hope we have for dealing with matters in the middle east.

I think he's a better commander than Powell or Shwarzkopf.
He does get results.

 

[matriarch]

In UK, when we have a general election, if the incumbent's party is beaten on the day, there is no transition time. They move out of No. 10 that day, and the new incumbent moves in the same day.

That's just the way it goes over here.

 

[Liar]

That's brutal. Our guys get two weeks.

Probably based on the time it takes to unstaple all the Lenin or Burke posters from the walls.

 

[Safe_Bet]

Amy using Safe_Bets Log-in:

I am a proud Log Cabin Republican. I am a proud Log Cabin Republican who voted for a Democratic President for the first time in my life. I made my decision based upon many factors; however, I ultimately made my decision because I could not morally support the Pro-DOMA plank of the Republican party. I also made my decision because I believed that Obama might well be the only person who can form a coalition strong enough to get us out of the hole in which we find ourselves.

That said, I do not believe that Obama would have been elected if many Republicans had not felt as I did and “crossed the aisle” to vote for him. I find it EXTREMELY disingenuous that, when someone offers their desire to support someone whom they did not vote for based upon THEIR convictions and to work together for the good of this Country, everyone feels at liberty to dump scorn and insults upon them.

Therefore, I would kindly like to ask that you all knock your shit off. If you wish to gloat, then gloat. If you wish to hurl insults and not give a damn about what is best for this Country, then do so. But just remember that it is going to take ALL of us to fix this mess. If it makes you feel good to be divisive then GREAT, knock yourselves out. Keep in mind however, you are acting EXACTLY like you accused the others of acting and that reeks strongly of hypocrisy. Conversely, if you really care about what kind of Country will exist in the next decades we need to work together to achieve it.

 

[sr71plt]

Amy using Safe_Bets Log-in:

I am a proud Log Cabin Republican. I am a proud Log Cabin Republican who voted for a Democratic President for the first time in my life. I made my decision based upon many factors; however, I ultimately made my decision because I could not morally support the Pro-DOMA plank of the Republican party. I also made my decision because I believed that Obama might well be the only person who can form a coalition strong enough to get us out of the hole in which we find ourselves.

That said, I do not believe that Obama would have been elected if many Republicans had not felt as I did and “crossed the aisle” to vote for him. I find it EXTREMELY disingenuous that, when someone offers their desire to support someone whom they did not vote for based upon THEIR convictions and to work together for the good of this Country, everyone feels at liberty to dump scorn and insults upon them.

Therefore, I would kindly like to ask that you all knock your shit off. If you wish to gloat, then gloat. If you wish to hurl insults and not give a damn about what is best for this Country, then do so. But just remember that it is going to take ALL of us to fix this mess. If it makes you feel good to be divisive then GREAT, knock yourselves out. Keep in mind however, you are acting EXACTLY like you accused the others of acting and that reeks strongly of hypocrisy. Conversely, if you really care about what kind of Country will exist in the next decades we need to work together to achieve it.

I think you're making too much of what is being said on this thread. No one here is on either the Bush or the Obama transition teams, so they have little personal significance in the transitioning. No one here, as far as I could see, has been saying "no, I ain't goin' try to get along." Those you think are saying this are probably just the ones saying the transition isn't going to be a picnic and that it's probably not all that constructive to set this as a goal for the transition (and thus a measure for disappointment down the road).

I've seen some "let's start the smearing now" on some of the other threads (and called the poster on that behavior), but if it's on this thread, I've missed it.