Shuffling the deck...... I mean the staff.

“Shuffling Staff, Obama Strives for a Recharge After a Tough Fifth Year”

Peter Baker

December 13, 2013

The New York Times

                Changes are a common occurrence.  Ways of living won’t always be the same as they were the day before or even the month before.  President Obama has been in office for 5 years, the 5^th year proving far more vexing than his 4^th.  Talks of changes were wondering around the White House for some time, and they have finally been revealed.  These changes have been regarding the personnel of the White House and to President Obama.

                The president has been seeking to recalibrate a White House operation that failed to win passage of most of his top legislative priorities for the year, struggled to preserve his public standing and bungled the rollout of his signature health care program.  The article states that a new  people and changes can sometimes “recharge” a program that was “stocked” with exhausted people, but the problem is is that nobody knows whether it’ll be a success or just and effort.   President Obama had opted against a dramatic announcement of the changes to new advisors.  

                “The latest came Friday, when he replaced his legislative director, Miguel Rodriguez, with Katie Beirne Fallon, an aide with ties to Senate Democratic leaders. That followed the recruitment of John D. Podesta, President Bill Clinton’s last chief of staff, and the return of Mr. Obama’s former adviser Phil Schiliro.”  Someone stated a metaphor to describe this situation as “needing fresh horses”.  “We’re in Year 5 of an administration,” said Jay Carney, the White House press secretary. “People come and people go after working harder in these jobs probably than they’ll ever work in their lives.”  “But,” he added, “I think those are specific on-off, if you will, assignments and personnel moves that I think reflect the normal kind of churn you see in White Houses over the years.”

                What do you think? Do you think that it was the right decision for Obama to replace some of his personnel? This decision could go good or could go bad.  It was go good in a sense that you would have “a fresh pair of eyes” on the situation, but it could go in a bad way in the sense that the people that have been working on the situation for years are being replaced by people who aren’t familiar with the situation.  I guess time will tell how this will work out, hopefully it will.  What do you think?