stephanie
12-06-2008, 03:39 PM
I wonder if they'll have to salute a picture of the little Marxist every morning..
By NEIL A. LEWIS
Published: December 5, 2008
WASHINGTON — Brenda Benton, a veteran media relations employee with the Los Angeles Police Department, is now part of a record-breaking political phenomenon.
. Benton was so thrilled with the election of Barack Obama as president that she has become one of about 300,000 people who have, so far, put themselves forward for posts in the new administration. At the equivalent time in the George W. Bush transition eight years ago, with his election still in dispute, there were about 44,000 applicants, according to Clay Johnson, who led the Bush transition effort. Mr. Johnson said the final figure was about 90,000.
In 1968, President-elect Richard M. Nixon’s aides were so uncertain about the availability and willingness of people to take administration jobs that they sent more than 70,000 letters to everyone listed in Who’s Who in America, asking for names of potential federal appointees.
But that is surely not a problem at Obama transition headquarters in Washington, where more than 50 staff aides have been busily classifying and downloading résumés into a computer system that lists applicants’ special skills and, one official said, what notable political sponsors they might have.
The excitement about an Obama administration along with the cyclical pent-up eagerness of Democrats denied the employment bounty of the executive branch for eight years has fueled the surge, although the unraveling economy may be adding its own boost.
The presidential historian Michael R. Beschloss said that “it’s hard to find a parallel in modern times to this degree of enthusiasm for going into government,” all the more striking in a period previously known for cynicism about government employment.
Ms. Benton, an African-American who is well-known in Los Angeles political circles, said she would love to work in some way for the future first lady, Michelle Obama, because she is greatly impressed “with her style and the dignified way she handles situations.” Ms. Benton has sent her résumé to www.change.gov, the transition clearinghouse, and has begun thinking about who she knows who could put in a good word.
Obama officials have said they might have more than double their current number of applications by Inauguration Day. “There are a lot of people who want to work in the administration,” David Axelrod, a senior Obama aide, exulted to reporters this week. “That’s great. That’s great for the country.”
read it all here..
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/06/us/politics/06seek.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
By NEIL A. LEWIS
Published: December 5, 2008
WASHINGTON — Brenda Benton, a veteran media relations employee with the Los Angeles Police Department, is now part of a record-breaking political phenomenon.
. Benton was so thrilled with the election of Barack Obama as president that she has become one of about 300,000 people who have, so far, put themselves forward for posts in the new administration. At the equivalent time in the George W. Bush transition eight years ago, with his election still in dispute, there were about 44,000 applicants, according to Clay Johnson, who led the Bush transition effort. Mr. Johnson said the final figure was about 90,000.
In 1968, President-elect Richard M. Nixon’s aides were so uncertain about the availability and willingness of people to take administration jobs that they sent more than 70,000 letters to everyone listed in Who’s Who in America, asking for names of potential federal appointees.
But that is surely not a problem at Obama transition headquarters in Washington, where more than 50 staff aides have been busily classifying and downloading résumés into a computer system that lists applicants’ special skills and, one official said, what notable political sponsors they might have.
The excitement about an Obama administration along with the cyclical pent-up eagerness of Democrats denied the employment bounty of the executive branch for eight years has fueled the surge, although the unraveling economy may be adding its own boost.
The presidential historian Michael R. Beschloss said that “it’s hard to find a parallel in modern times to this degree of enthusiasm for going into government,” all the more striking in a period previously known for cynicism about government employment.
Ms. Benton, an African-American who is well-known in Los Angeles political circles, said she would love to work in some way for the future first lady, Michelle Obama, because she is greatly impressed “with her style and the dignified way she handles situations.” Ms. Benton has sent her résumé to www.change.gov, the transition clearinghouse, and has begun thinking about who she knows who could put in a good word.
Obama officials have said they might have more than double their current number of applications by Inauguration Day. “There are a lot of people who want to work in the administration,” David Axelrod, a senior Obama aide, exulted to reporters this week. “That’s great. That’s great for the country.”
read it all here..
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/06/us/politics/06seek.html?partner=rss&emc=rss