Regardless of whether the current President Trump accepts the results of the general election, the US "President-elect" Biden has begun the process of forming a new government. On Wednesday, Biden announced the appointment of his long-term assistant Ron Clay as chief of staff.
This is the first important appointment made by Biden after his "election". Who is the chief of staff is also regarded as the most important personnel decision of the elected president, and the president's governance style may be affected by this. Why did Biden choose Klein for an important position? What are its considerations? After all, there is a saying in Washington: personnel is policy.
key positions
The White House Chief of Staff (Chief of Staff) is one of the most important jobs in Washington, DC. As the "gatekeeper" and "steward" of the President of the United States, the chief of staff must act as a military adviser and advise the president on the one hand; on the other hand, he must run up and down to coordinate relations with political parties, Congress, and bureaucrats for the president.
CNN pointed out that the chief of staff is not included in the cabinet (the vice president and 15 ministers), but this key position enjoys the cabinet level. Who is the chief of staff is also regarded as the most important personnel decision of the elected president. The choice of
not only shows the president-elect’s view of himself—his strengths and weaknesses, what he thinks he needs most (and least need), but also sends a signal to Washington officials—what they will do with Kind of dealing with the White House.
Historically, the candidate for the chief of staff of the president-elect has often given a signal that the new government should give priority to consideration.
For example, Obama chose Washington "fighter" Ram Emanuel as chief of staff after his victory in 2008, to assist the new president with little political experience to quickly open up the situation in Washington after he took office.
Trump chose Reines Priebus, then the chairman of the Republican Party four years ago, and was seen as intending to repair his relationship with the establishment of the Republican Party.
Right now, Biden chose Klein, who had a high voice. He praised Klein as a "rare consultant" on Twitter and spoke highly of the latter's performance in dealing with the 2008 financial crisis and the Ebola epidemic.
"Klein has a wealth of experience and can work with people from different political factions. This is exactly what we need when we face the crisis and unite the country again," Biden said. Z2z
Klein said that he looks forward to assisting Biden in forming a talented and diverse team, while working to promote the reform agenda and seek a path to bridge the country's differences. According to the New York Times, Biden has taken the first step in appointing senior officials in the new government.
Loyal and trustworthy
The 59-year-old Klein was born in Indiana and graduated from Harvard Law School. He started playing for the Democratic Party in 1989. Since then, Klein has served as Biden's assistant for a long time and is regarded as his confidant.
In Biden's political career, he has almost always had the same group of people in his inner circle, including Klein. His relationship with Biden can be traced back to the late 1980s, when he was the general counsel of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Biden was then chairman of the committee.
In 2008, Vice President-elect Biden chose Klein as his chief of staff. During this year's election, Klein also served as a senior adviser to the Biden campaign team.
has rich experience
Klein also has rich experience in politics. He has served as chief of staff of two vice presidents, Gore and Biden, and has a certain reputation in assisting the Democratic camp in dealing with complex affairs. In 2010, Klein was also among the candidates for chief of staff considered by Obama.
CNN stated that Klein's resume is entirely from the "Washington establishment", which is why Biden chose him. By appointing Clay as chief of staff, Biden reiterated that experienced players are better than novices. "He knows Washington, and Washington knows him."
The New York Times described him as "come and calm" and full of wisdom. "As a political strategist, Klein is well versed in the power levers of the government's executive and legislative branches." The Washington Post commented that Klein is a strategist with both legal acumen and political acumen. In the past few decades, he has often become the driving force behind Washington policy. "From responding to the Ebola epidemic to candidate debates to the White House personnel appointments, his work is all-encompassing." At present, the Biden team is advancing the transition between the old and new administrations without the help of the Trump administration. Rhein’s experience will be very necessary.
returns to tradition
expects that Biden will resume the historical duties of chief of staff "gatekeeper", executive and chief adviser. Initial signs indicate that his presidency will follow tradition to a greater extent.
The Associated Press stated that Biden is seeking to use more traditional "insiders" to strengthen the new government, which is a surprising change compared to Trump's selection of a large number of "outsiders". It is expected that the Biden administration will stop and reverse the policies of the Trump administration and restore and expand the policies of the Obama administration. The selection of more experienced professionals by
also shows that Biden is working hard to get Washington out of the chaos of the Trump administration. Some Democrats hope that more traditional candidates will help rebuild the morale of thousands of civil servants who have been repeatedly frustrated under Trump.
"You are not just talking about people who are proficient in government functions, you are talking about people who respect government functions very much," said Ed Espinoza, the former political director of the Western states of the Democratic National Committee. "This is a key difference between the Trump administration and the Biden administration." Z2z
's anti-epidemic layout
Klein's appointment can also tell that Biden will make the fight against the new crown epidemic a top priority after taking office. Also in line with his previous promise.
In 2014, Obama decided to appoint Clay as "Ebola response coordinator." As the "spokesperson" of the federal government's response to Ebola affairs, Klein comprehensively coordinates the domestic epidemic response in the United States, as well as the United States' military deployment to help West African countries contain the spread of Ebola. At that time, Klein's anti-epidemic performance also earned him the title of "Ebola Master".
Since the beginning of this year, Klein has repeatedly criticized the Trump administration for its ineffective fight against the epidemic, and has received a lot of attention. Klein’s experience in the field of public health is crucial now that the cumulative number of confirmed cases of the new crown in the United States exceeds 10.53 million and the cumulative number of deaths exceeds 240,000.
In addition, Klein also assisted Biden in coping with economic recovery. In 2009, he assisted Biden in drafting a $800 billion rescue bill. Currently, the two parties in the US Congress are in a stalemate around the introduction of a new round of bailout bills.
Diverse Cabinet
In the past four years, Trump’s cabinet is dominated by whites and men, and there are even cross-borders. On the other hand, Biden promised to form a government that can reflect the diversity of the United States. His cabinet candidate list also shows the emergence of women, young people, and ethnic minorities.
This can be from Treasury Secretary candidate Lyle Brainard (female), Defense Secretary candidate Michel Fronoy (female), Housing and Urban Development Minister candidate Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance · Bartoms (female, of African descent) and others.
expects that Biden will announce some candidates for key positions in the next few days or weeks, but its cabinet formation process is still facing many major unknowns. Cabinet nomination needs to be approved by the Senate, which is currently controlled by the Republican Party. On January 5 next year, Georgia will hold a runoff election, or it will determine which party controls the Senate and affect the cabinet nomination confirmation process.
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