Black MBA - Winter 2008/2009 - (Page 22)

FEATURE The First Hundred Days he was with Doris Kearns Goodwin’s biography of Abraham Lincoln, “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln,” in which Goodwin discussed how Lincoln picked many of his chief rivals to be in his cabinet. Obama, who often quotes Lincoln, served in the same State Legislature years later and kicked off his presidential campaign in the shadows of the state capitol in Springfield, Ill., decided to emulate the famous statesman. He picked three former presidential rivals – Hillary Clinton to serve as Secretary of State, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson as Secretary of Commerce and Delaware Sen. Joe Biden as vice president. In addition, among his cabinet choices were former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle as Secretary of Health and Human Services, who will serve as the president’s point person on health reform; Eric Holder, the former No. 2 person at the Justice Department in the Clinton administration, as Attorney General; and Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano as head of the Homeland Security. Obama moved many in his inner circle to the White House, including strategist and family friend Valerie Jarrett, an African American, and David Axelrod, his chief strategist, both of whom will serve as senior advisers. The appointment of Holder at the Justice Department and Desiree Rogers to become White House social secretary are firsts for African Americans. Even before he can assume office, Obama has been the target of critics who complain he’s not acting soon enough. The then president-elect, on the other hand, pointed out that until he assumes office Jan. 20, George W. Bush is still president of the United States. Although Obama was elected amid high expectations, voters have slowly begun to realize that the country’s problems are so gigantic that progress will not come easily. An ABC News poll in late November found that although 50 percent of respondents felt before the election that Obama would be able to improve the economy significantly, this number had declined to fewer than 44 percent three weeks after his election. By late November, only 24 percent thought he would be able to do “a great deal” to improve the economy. These lowered expectations have taken place as Obama constantly reminded Americans that the economy “is likely to get worse before it gets better,” a move likely to extend his honeymoon. Valerie Jarrett, Obama’s confidant and close adviser, predicted that supporters on the left and critics on the right will both be disappointed at some point as they try to pigeonhole the new president. “I don’t think people realize how pragmatic he is,” she told the Trotter Group, an organization of African-American columnists. “He really wants to get things done.” She said the new president likes to draw on a broad range of opinions before making a decision, explaining, “In that room, there’s a certain element of pragmatism: ‘Let’s make sure what we are trying to accomplish is doable and 22 BlackMBA • Winter 2008/2009 • www.nbmbaa.org is actually going to change the lives of the American people. Let’s not be idealists, but let’s be realists.’ I think that’s the part of him that will make him an extraordinary president.” There’s another side of Obama the public may not see as well. Jarrett told the Black columnists, “I can remember after the primaries, some people whom had been very strong Clinton supporters – including some members of my own family – said to me, ‘How’s Senator Obama going to respond to me? I wasn’t with him.’ I said, ‘You all don’t get this. He is as inclusive as he could be. He doesn’t hold grudges.’” This could not have been clearer than with Democratic leaders in the Senate, who were upset with Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman for not only campaigning for John McCain and speaking at the Republican National Convention but making personal attacks on the Democratic nominee. Lieberman opposed Obama even after the Illinois senator had traveled to Connecticut to campaign on his behalf. Lieberman, who lost in the Democratic primary in his state and then won the general election as an independent, caucused with Democrats in the last session of Congress. He was chair of the Homeland Security Committee, a post leaders wanted to take away as punishment for his disloyalty. But Obama urged the Senators to leave him in his post and they complied. Obama also has embraced Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel. Though Emanuel remained neutral in the Democratic primary, Obama appointed him White House chief of staff. To turn the economy around, Obama will need the help of his friends and former political foes, and everyone wants a piece of the pie. He will be under considerable pressure to assist cashstrapped states. According to the Rockefeller Institute of Government, state revenues dropped sharply from the third quarter of 2007 to the third quarter of 2008. Of the 42 states for which data was available, after adjustment for inflation, total revenues were below their 2007 level in 36 or the 42 states. And Spriggs, the economist, predicts conditions will worsen. “We’re in a dire situation,” he says. “The problem is political leaders don’t want to say that because they are afraid it’ll produce panic. A couple of these state unemployment funds are going to go bankrupt. We are at record levels of people getting unemployment benefits for a prolonged period. They were not built to withstand prolonged periods of extended unemployment.” Having strongly supported a bailout for Wall Street, one of Obama’s biggest challenges will be to come up with a similar plan for Main Street, Spriggs says. “He has to revamp the safety net because it does not exist anymore,” he explains. “We can’t be fooled into thinking that tax cuts are a safety net. They work only if you have a job. The problem we’re about to have is a lot of people are not going to have jobs.” mba http://www.nbmbaa.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Black MBA - Winter 2008/2009

Black MBA - Winter 2008/2009 Contents Preserving Dr. King’s Legacy: Harry E. Johnson is Six Years and $100 million into his First Fundraising Effort Online: www.nbmbaa.org and www.blackmbaonline.com Up Front: Inauguration Takes Over D.C. From the President: Connecting With the Basics The First 100 Days – Already in Progress Back to Basics: Finances 101 Is the Middle Class Disappearing? – Your View From Medals to MBA Conference Highlights Market Forces: The Job of Trying to Find a Job in a Tight Market Applying to an MBA Program?: Avoid Making these Five Critical Mistakes How They Did It: Catching up with the Winning Teams from NBMBAA’s 2008 National Case Competition Change It Up: If a New Job is at the Top of your New Year’s Resolutions, it’s Time for Careful Planning and Preparation Bull Market: Now is the Time to Take Advantage of Web 2.0 On the Move: Member News, Promotions and More Backstage at BET: NBMBAA’s Leadership Institute Takes on BET’s Case for Growth Toronto Rising: NBMBAA’s Toronto Chapter is on a Progressive Track, Building Strong Partnerships and Exposure as Membership Climbs NBMBAA® Chapters: Find Your Local Chapter Here Do What You Love: Turning Your Passion into a Successful Business Requires Patience, Planning and Plenty of Hard Work Above and Beyond: Meet the Winners of the 2008 Wells Fargo/NBMBAA Entrepreneurial Excellence Award Decorating by Design: Michelle Rider Leaves Corporate Life for Entrepreneurship Culture Shock: Black Museums Nationwide Appeal for Greater Support from the People whose Heritage they Strive to Preserve Gear Up for 2009: Books to Herald Success in the New Year Advertiser Index: Who’s Who in the Issue

Black MBA - Winter 2008/2009

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