Amongst myraid other roles that he has held over the years John Podesta was Bill Clinton's White House Chief of Staff from october 1998 until January 2001 and was the co-chairman of the Obama-Biden transition project which oversaw the smooth transfer of power from Bush to Obama following the President's election. During the transition period he determined not to take a position in the Obama administration in order to devote all his time and energy to managing the transition. He is currently president of the liberal think tank 'The center for American Progress' which was founded in 2003 to counter-balance right wing think tanks such as the ignoble Heritage Foundation. He is an important informal advisor to Obama on a wide range of issues; including climate change, healthcare and economics.
He was interviewed yesterday/today (depending on your time-zone) on the BBC World Service by the excellent BBC News Journalist Carrie Gracie.
The link and highlights are over the jump.
The programme website is here;
anyone should be able to listen using this link since BBC radio programmes don't require a licence fee. If you can't listen from the states let me know and I'll try and track down an alternative link.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/...
I've transcribed extracts best as I can but there's bound to be a few errors so apologies in advance. Please let me know if you spot anything glaring and I'll fix it.
There’s nothing controversial or 'breaking' about this interview; its appeal will mainly be to the policy wonks and those fascinated by the minutiae of political dealings. But I'm recommending it to everyone for the simple joy of hearing an in depth, candid intelligent interview in which relevant questions are met with considered answers.
That in itself is a thing to savour in this age of 24 hour news cycles and spin.
Here's a few choice quotes, I urge you to listen to the interview in full. It's only 30 minutes long and Podesta gives a clear impression of what it's like to work for President Obama, whose leadership style he describes as 'moderate and collegial' and how he views the challenges Obama faces and his approach to them.
For me the overall highlight was Carrie Gracie's Football (soccer) metaphor to describe Obama's Republican opponent's attacking style; 'when they call him a communist, socialist or a fascist they are playing the ball and not the man' (This refers to an illegal tackle in which the attacking player does not make a legitimate attempt to get the ball but instead simply physically attacks an opposing player. The implication is that Obama's opponents can not win by playing according to the rules of the game. They can not win the arguments and so resort to ad hominem attacks.)
'There's a role to play for people on the outside who can provide an independent voice and sometimes a critical voice ... when the president is a few degrees from where he needs to be'
I think it's safe to say that many Kossacks have been providing such an 'independent voice' in pressing for meaningful healthcare reform. The decision of 30 senators to sign a letter addressed to Harry Reid backing the public option yesterday is testament to the ability of ordinary voters to counteract the influence of vested interests. I was a little disappointed that Podesta concentrated solely on the role of Washington insiders; the think tanks, lobbyists etc and did not discuss the role of grass roots organisations in bringing about progress. Obama's election campaign after all surely could not have been so successful without the input of grass-roots campaigners.
'I think they (Obama admin) are doing very well under extraordinary challenging circumstances...both from the security perspective but most critically from the economic perspective of what President Bush handed off to President Obama, they were facing the most extraordinary challenges I think a president has faced since Roosevelt was inaugurated in 1933...I think the president moved extremely quickly to pass a recovery bill only 25 days in to the administration. We're further along than we ever have been on reforming the healthcare system in the country. He's made major advancements in moving the country to a clean energy base from a dependency on coal and oil and he's made major improvements and major investments in the public education system in the county...He's off to a tremendous start.'
Podesta makes some on-the-money points here. Some have quiped (unfairly I think) that Obama won the Nobel peace Prize simply 'for not being George W. Bush' But this remark isn't without a grain of truth. Obama has faced a massive uphill challenge from the day he took office and although he's not moved fast enough in many areas (DADT being a prime example) overall his achievements have been admirable and give cause to hope for much more substantive change in the next few years.
'He is prepared to sit down with his political opposition and listen to them...to try to seek common ground...he (Obama) wants to hear from everybody in the room. If you're in the room at a discussion he assumes you're there for a reason therefore you ought to have either information or an opinion.'
Now, isn't that just very, very, very refreshing!
'They (Obama and Bill Clinton) share something in common that has been the best about progressive politics in the history of the united states, which is theyare both orientated to reform and experimentation... with a clear eye to trying to improve people's lives.'
Okay, I shan't transcribe any more for now since I'm a bit worried about lifting too much straight from the interview and infringing copyright.
I hope I've whetted your appetites and you'll go to the website to hear the interview in full.
The interview goes on to cover:
*The Republican's opposition to Healthcare reform, which Podesta describes as designed to break Obama's momentum.'
*The rescue of the two journalists from North Korea.
*Carter's recent comments on racism.
*The relationship between Hillary, Bill and Obama.
*'Horse trading' around healthcare.
*How a failure to deliver healthcare would diminish Obama's prestige and political capital not only in America but perhaps also around the world.
*The shift in Global perception of America.
Happy Listening :)