President Obama: Changing The Face Of Government For The Better

****

Juliet Eilperin: Obama Has Vastly Changed The Face Of The Federal Bureaucracy

Friday afternoon announcements in Washington are usually aimed at attracting as little attention as possible, but last Friday was different. President Obama’s decision to nominate Eric Fanning — an openly gay man — to head a branch of the military which only four years ago did not allow gays and lesbians to serve openly, was both historic and attention-grabbing. And it underscored an often-overlooked feature of the Obama presidency: Obama has presided over the most demographically diverse administration in history, according to a new analysis of his top appointments. The majority of top policy appointments within the executive branch are held by women and minorities for the first time in history. The shifts are significant enough, experts say, that they may have forever transformed the face of government. The Obama White House, by contrast, has established specific programs to boost diversity among appointees.

For the 1st time ever the majority of top exec branch posts aren't held by white men. Here's how @POTUS @vj44 did it wapo.st/1KsI5Xk

—
Juliet Eilperin (@eilperin) September 21, 2015

The Presidential Personnel Office targets historically black colleges and universities, as well as minority-serving institutions, as part of a new campus recruitment program. It has a liaison to identify candidates by working with leaders from underrepresented groups, including those who are LGBT or have disabilities. The impact of Obama’s diversity efforts could reverberate for decades in people such as Michael Blake, a son of Jamaican immigrants who was homeless as a child but worked on Obama’s two presidential campaigns and in the White House as associate director of public engagement. Last year, Blake won election to the New York State Assembly, with the help of a lot of other Obama alumni, including Marlon Marshall, who is now Hillary Rodham Clinton’s director of state campaigns and political engagement. Blake’s campaign slogan was about his transformation: “No House to the White House.”  Obama, Blake said, has helped create a new network of people of color now climbing the ranks of government. “He did that,” Blake said. “He grew that.”

More here

****

President Obama admin: 53.5% women and minorities W: 25.6% Bill Clinton: 37.5% washingtonpost.com/politics/obama… http://t.co/dkoA5knQj3

—
meta (@metaquest) September 21, 2015

Where did @POTUS actually deliver on change? For the 1st time ever white men are a minority of top exec branch posts wapo.st/1KsI5Xk

—
Ed O'Keefe (@edatpost) September 21, 2015

afternoon all

Honestly, I haven’t made this up – a Ron Paul-supporting freak actually thought it was good news that the former KKK guy endorsed the nutjob!

****

🙄

****

Jonathan Bernstein: I have to say: If I were running Mitt Romney’s campaign, I’d much prefer reporters going on today about a mini-flap involving one of Mitt’s sons going birther and then apologizing than have them reporting on the Santorum surge.

….in the long run (or perhaps even by Tuesday) this particular incident will be long forgotten, it still can’t hurt Romney with Tea Partiers to hint that his camp is on the same page with them culturally.

Of course, I’m not hinting, nor am I voicing any suspicion, that the Romney camp would actually do something like this on purpose.

Full post here

Get your mug here!

****

Reuters: New U.S. claims for jobless benefits rose last week but the underlying trend pointed to an improving labor market, while regional factory data showed the economy gaining momentum as the year ended.

The growth picture was brightened by other data on Thursday showing pending sales of previously owned homes jumped to a 1-1/2 year high in November, adding to signs of a tentative recovery in the housing market.

Indications the economy was wrapping up the year on a much firmer footing than had been previously anticipated leaves it better positioned to deal with headwinds from the festering debt crisis in Europe and fiscal tightening at home.

More here

****

Friend,

This holiday has felt a bit like one last long, deep breath before we plunge into 2012.

This time next year, I don’t want us to have any regrets. I want to be able to say we rose to the task, and got it done. We’ve all got some work to do right now.

Over the next 11 months we’ve got an organization to grow, voters to register, and people to get fired up.

I hope you’ll close out this year by donating $3 or more now to help make sure we’re ready for the next one.

Thank you so much, and happy new year,

Michelle

P.S. Also, when you donate today, you are automatically entered for a chance to be one of three supporters to have dinner with Barack and me.

****

If you have a few dollars to spare you can donate here:

OFA

or

through Donna Dem’s fundraising page at OFA:

Link

or through The Obama Diary’s OFA page:

Link

Whichever you choose, the money goes to the same place: Obama/Biden 2012. Thanks everyone.

****

The Official Store

****

Soooooooooo Presidential:

Twitter

child’s play

After reading “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” President Barack Obama greets second grade students at Long Branch Elementary School in Arlington, Va., Dec. 17, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Lots of new official White House photos released today – see them here

story teller

Transcript of the President’s conversation with the kids here

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

President Barack Obama poses with 2nd graders at Long Branch Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia on December 17, 2010. Obama reads book, including his new book “Of Thee I Sing,” to approximately 90 children