It\u2019s no longer a surprise that most progressives have come to the conclusion that if President Barack Obama was ever a progressive, he is not one now.\u00a0 Among the suggestions that have been offered for the president is that he reconstitute the inner circle of his staff.<\/p>\n

Geithner, Summers, Emanuel, Vilsack, Orszag, individuals who progressives are happy to have seen leave the administration or hoping that they\u2019re shown the way to the door in short order.<\/p>\n

Progressives want individuals who have minimal corporate ties, are not conventional politicians, think outside the box, and most importantly, will stand firm on liberal principles.\u00a0 This doesn\u2019t mean that there won\u2019t be compromise, but that when it occurs there is a quid pro quo<\/em>.\u00a0 No more of the \u201cgive-aways\u201d like the public option or continuing tax cuts for the wealthy.\u00a0 If the Republicans and remaining Blue Dogs<\/a> in the Democratic Party want something from the president, he must insist on getting something of equal or greater value from them.\u00a0 His staff for the first two years of his administration has been of little help in this regard.<\/p>\n

So who might be individuals who could offer President Obama sound advice and improve his skills in the game theory<\/a> of negotiations?\u00a0\u00a0 I’d like to suggest the following people:<\/p>\n

\n
• Morris Dees<\/strong>; co-founder and chief trial counsel for Southern Poverty Law Center<\/li>\n
• Barbara Ehrenreich<\/strong>; author, advocate for working poor<\/li>\n
• Christine Fair<\/strong>; prof Georgetown U; counterinsurgency analyst<\/li>\n
• Thomas Friedman<\/strong>; columnist, New York Times<\/li>\n
• Naomi Klein<\/strong>; author, political activist<\/li>\n
• Ted Koppel<\/strong>, retired foreign correspondent for ABC News and host of \u201cNightline.\u201d<\/li>\n
• Paul Krugman<\/strong>; columnist, New York Times<\/li>\n
• George Lakoff<\/strong>; professor of linguistics, University of California, Berkeley<\/li>\n
• Michael Moore<\/strong>; author and film-maker<\/li>\n
• Bill Moyers<\/strong>; journalist, public commentator, former special assistant to Pres. Lyndon Johnson<\/li>\n
• Robert Reich<\/strong>; professor of public policy, U-Cal, Berkeley, author, former Sec. of Labor (Clinton)<\/li>\n
• Shirley Sherrod<\/strong>, former Georgia state director of Rural Development for USDA<\/li>\n
• Norman Solomon<\/strong>; journalist, media critic, anti-war activist<\/li>\n
• Ted Turner<\/strong>; founder CNN; philanthropist; former owner, Atlanta Braves<\/li>\n
• Elizabeth Warren<\/strong>; professor of Law, Harvard; administrator, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

  These individuals have a lot in common, most of which are strengths.\u00a0 Collectively there is not enough diversity in the group; there need to be more minorities, women, and younger individuals.<\/p>\n

  One significant factor that they all have in common is that none of them is currently an elected official.\u00a0 That\u2019s important because President Obama weakened the ranks of Democrats in the Senate by selecting sitting senators to leave their positions to join the Cabinet such as Hillary Clinton and Ken Salizar.\u00a0 This is most significant; think of how the health care discussion and resolution could have gone differently had Hillary Clinton still been in the Senate, particularly after the death of Ted Kennedy.\u00a0 There are plenty of qualified advisors to call upon without drawing down the ranks of progressives in another branch of government.<\/p>\n

  Most of the individuals in the group are familiar with corporate America, but to our knowledge, none have connections that would put them in a position to suggest public policy that would be for their personal gain.\u00a0 If you\u2019ve seen the movie Inside Job<\/a>, you can tell how compromised Larry Summers was in the White House.\u00a0 Tim Geithner was a regulator who didn\u2019t regulate; Rahm Emanuel was way too much of an insider\u2019s insider.<\/p>\n

  So please share with us your thoughts on our suggestions for new staff.\u00a0 You may want to add your own names, feel free to do so in the comment section below.\u00a0 This is a terrific opportunity for us to be positive in carrying out a key item in the Occasional Planet\u2019s<\/em> orbit: \u201cProgressive viewpoints and creative thinking on issues and events.\u201d\u00a0 Bill Clinton showed that a president can recover in years three and four of his administration; Barack Obama can do so as well, but he will not only need a little help from his friends; he\u2019ll need some new friends.<\/p>\n

  For a similar perspective on President Obama and his advisors, you can read Robert Reich of Tuesday, December 7, 2010<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  It\u2019s no longer a surprise that most progressives have come to the conclusion that if President Barack Obama was ever a progressive, he is<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5990,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[273,10,16],"tags":[768,94,491,769],"yoast_head":"\n