Time: President Obama is often mocked for failing to change Washington …. but behind the scenes of the Beltway perpetual-conflict machine, he has made quiet progress towards reforming Washington — not politically, but bureaucratically. The most important reform, launched two years ago today, was tucked inside his unpopular stimulus package, and inside his new budget, he’s trying to expand it.
The reform is a simple concept that certainly ought to be post-partisan: Harnessing the power of competition in the spending of taxpayer dollars …. Obama has tried to divert funds into competition-based, peer-reviewed, results-oriented grant programs that reward only the worthiest applications. The best-known is the Race to the Top education program, but the stimulus hatched similar competitions in energy, transportation, housing, health care and broadband. And Obama’s 2012 budget proposes new races to the top in everything from juvenile justice to workforce development to agricultural research.
….The $4.35 billion Race to the Top program … shows how competition can create laboratories for change. By setting clear goals and guidelines … the program encouraged 41 states to change laws or policies before the feds even spent a nickel … the impact of a program that amounts to less than 1% of the education budget will extend well beyond the twelve states that won grants….
……At his Cabinet meeting today, Biden will present the good news of the Recovery Act, which helped avoid a depression, reduced the unemployment rate by 2%, cut taxes for 95% of Americans, bailed out every state to prevent mass layoffs, funded over 75,000 projects to upgrade roads, parks, sewers and just about everything else, and made unprecedented investments renewable energy, health information technology, broadband, the smart grid and much, much more — with no earmarks and virtually no fraud. But to Washington Republicans it’s the “failed stimulus.” That was their story in 2009, when they opposed it en masse, and after their sweeping victories in November, it’s hard to see why they would want to change it. Anyway, most Americans believe it…..
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The Obama Diary 
I have complete faith in you President Obama.I believe in your integrity so continue to work behind the scenes at changing Washington while the critics and idiots continue to bash you
ditto what fred said! =)
‘I have complete faith in you President Obama’. It’s worth repeating, Fred and Marcia. IMO The FIRST politician to merit this kind of trust in my lifetime.
BUT AT WHAT POINT IN TIME WILL AMERICANS WAKE UP AND SEE THE GOOD THIS PRESIDENT HAS DONE AND IS TRYING TO DO???? WHEN WILL MAINSTREAM AMERICA SEE WHAT IS REALLY GOING ON????