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December 13, 2008

Shocking Development!

The Office Of The President Elect makes a bold and innovative and Changey Hopey Cabinet choice for HUD: someone who...served in the Clinton Administration


CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) -- President-elect Barack Obama has chosen Shaun Donovan, New York City's former housing commissioner, to be his secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

Obama used his weekly radio address to announce the selection.

"As commissioner of housing preservation and development in New York City, Shaun has led the effort to create the largest housing plan in the nation, helping hundreds of thousands of our citizens buy or rent their homes," Obama said.

He said HUD is essential in the effort to address the mortgage crisis, which he said "not only shakes the foundation of our economy, but the foundation of the American Dream."

"To stem the rising tide of foreclosures and strengthen our economy, I've asked my economic team to develop a bold plan that will dramatically increase the number of families who can stay in their homes," Obama said. "But this plan will only work with a comprehensive, coordinated federal effort to make it a reality."

Donovan has experience working in business, academia and at HUD during the Clinton administration.

So far it seems that Obama's priority has been the Full Clinton Employment Act of 2009...

Look, these folks all may be competent and well meaning and do a terrific job; for the sake of our country I pray they do, in fact.

But for someone whose core message was "Change We Can Believe In"...where's the change?

Posted by Mr. Bingley at December 13, 2008 07:38 AM

Comments

Then again, there's also the old saying, "better the devil you know than the one you don't."

I guess I keep telling myself things could be a LOT worse. (And some of my more liberal friends' heads are exploding just a little over some of the cabinet picks.)

Posted by: ricki at December 13, 2008 08:04 AM

Things ARE a lot worse the way it was left for the Democrats to clean up. See what the Peace Generation is doing about it at The University of Obama http://TheUniversityofObama.com

Posted by: Thomas at December 13, 2008 09:43 AM

Where's the change? With a little luck and of lot hard work, mostly in your pocket, after taxes.

Posted by: JeffS at December 13, 2008 11:43 AM

For all of you who can't see change coming, look at it this way. Obama's change is in the policies, the oversight, the administering, and the intelligence.. And, perhaps a few new laws and regulations... Not in new people. Remember what happened to Jimmy Carter and his new [out of the beltway] people, or the early first term of Clinton's new people.. Recognize that we now have a thoughful, intelligent Pres. elect who knows how to bring change.. Give him a chance.

Posted by: nick at December 13, 2008 05:07 PM

Yeah, I'm with Ricki. I can't complain too much that he's bringing in Clintonistas. Better them than the frothing leftoids that I feared he might bring in.

Posted by: Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life at December 13, 2008 05:56 PM

"Recognize that we now have a thoughful, intelligent Pres. elect who knows how to bring change.. "

Changing America into another Zimbabwe isn't the kind of change I want.

" Give him a chance."

He'll get as much a chance as Dubya got starting in the 2000 election cycle which is to say, none whatsoever.

Posted by: Gunslinger at December 14, 2008 11:42 AM

nick, bringing in Clintonistas isn't necessarily the mark of a "thoughtful, intelligent Pres". It could also be the mark of someone who ran his campaign on fluff and sugar, and suddenly realized he had to back up all of his promises.

Watching him realize that he can't keep all those promises is one of the few bright spots of the election.

I'm with Ken, at least we aren't seeing the screaming moonbats that supported his election. But the Clinton administration caused some of the problems that we have today. Or at least aggravated them considerably. Spin it anyway you like, nick, but I don't see much "hope and change" so far. Nor "transparency". More like the same old s**t.

I'm also with Gunslinger -- The Mighty O! gets a chance equal to what Dubya got. Except to say that I'll try to keep an open mind about his actions, and not go into screaming fits while dancing with paper mache' heads about some supposed slight.

Posted by: JeffS at December 14, 2008 12:39 PM

I think most of the jackboot ideologues are going in on the sub-cabinent level. No congressional approval requiired for most.

Sooo, the guy that gamed the system to get more subprime loans into the system is now the grand boobah of the whole system. One stop shopping. What's not to like.

Posted by: yojimbo at December 14, 2008 07:11 PM

This cabinent is not that diverse, looks like he is choosing all white males, please dont get me wrong i am not a racist at all, but should the cabinent consist of little more color. I know some of you might say, pick the right person for the job, but HUD secretary should have been a brother or sister, just saying, change hasnt not come in my opinion based on the cabinent picks

Posted by: rtevents55 at December 15, 2008 09:04 PM