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douglas9

(4,358 posts)
Mon Jan 23, 2023, 09:28 AM Jan 2023

'Catastrophic Decision': Progressives Rip Choice of Jeff Zients for Chief of Staff

Reports Sunday that President Joe Biden has chosen Jeff Zients to replace outgoing White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain were met with alarm among progressive watchdogs, who pointed to Zients' disastrous tenure as the administration's coronavirus czar as well as his history in the corporate world—where he built a fortune investing in healthcare companies accused of fraud.

Klain, who developed a solid working relationship with progressives in Congress, is expected to depart shortly after Biden's State of the Union address on February 7.

Revolving Door Project executive director Jeff Hauser called the elevation of Zients to White House chief of staff a "catastrophic decision," saying in a statement that "the Biden administration has been at its best when it has been on the attack against corporate excesses that wide majorities of Americans find abhorrent."

"Americans are appalled by profiteering in healthcare—Jeff Zients has become astonishingly rich by profiteering in healthcare," said Hauser. "Americans are aghast at how social media companies have built monopolies and violated privacy laws—Zients served on the Board of Directors of Facebook as it was defending itself against growing attacks from both political parties."

The Revolving Door Project's Daniel Boguslaw and Max Moran wrote for The American Prospect last year that Zients—who was replaced as Covid-19 response coordinator back in April—has "controlled, invested in, and helped oversee" healthcare companies that "were forced to pay tens of millions of dollars to settle allegations of Medicare and Medicaid fraud."

https://www.commondreams.org/news/progressives-jeff-zients

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'Catastrophic Decision': Progressives Rip Choice of Jeff Zients for Chief of Staff (Original Post) douglas9 Jan 2023 OP
"Catastrophic decision" Seriously? Which Galaxy are they pipe dreaming on? msfiddlestix Jan 2023 #1
not a good look. CurtEastPoint Jan 2023 #2
disastrous tenure? when they got how many shots in how many arms? mopinko Jan 2023 #3
"Progressive watchdogs?" Just A Box Of Rain Jan 2023 #4
Yawn. This Zients fella Karma13612 Jan 2023 #5
The Chief of Staff isn't a policy position. Calista241 Jan 2023 #6
Why did Klain leave? Captain Zero Jan 2023 #7
Agree. It's not a policymaking position (eye roll!). Those whose political Hortensis Jan 2023 #11
This message was self-deleted by its author Celerity Jan 2023 #8
Cough. Kid Berwyn Jan 2023 #12
The sky is falling! inthewind21 Jan 2023 #9
Quite the clickbait headline they created Renew Deal Jan 2023 #10

msfiddlestix

(7,282 posts)
1. "Catastrophic decision" Seriously? Which Galaxy are they pipe dreaming on?
Mon Jan 23, 2023, 09:41 AM
Jan 2023

I feel like my progressive friends have truly lost their ability to comprehend where the hell we are politically.



I guess it would have to take another five-ten years of the likes of tfg cult to totally take over before they finally effing get it.





mopinko

(70,120 posts)
3. disastrous tenure? when they got how many shots in how many arms?
Mon Jan 23, 2023, 09:49 AM
Jan 2023

in the face of a full on propaganda blitz against it?

Karma13612

(4,552 posts)
5. Yawn. This Zients fella
Mon Jan 23, 2023, 11:22 AM
Jan 2023

Has some great experience and creds.

And with the nickname Mr. Fix-It, I’m confident he will be perfect for right now.

Calista241

(5,586 posts)
6. The Chief of Staff isn't a policy position.
Mon Jan 23, 2023, 11:40 AM
Jan 2023

He's the guy who calls people and tells them the Presidents decision. He'll manage Biden's calendar, and call the people that don't get meetings to tell them they don't get a meeting; or vice versa.

The CoS's opinions don't really matter as much as people seem to think.

Hortensis

(58,785 posts)
11. Agree. It's not a policymaking position (eye roll!). Those whose political
Mon Jan 23, 2023, 12:45 PM
Jan 2023

identity is opposition are just making up "the sky is falling" excuses to oppose. Except for the genuine irrational extremists among them who can rigidly equate business with evil, but their emotional distress is pathetic.

And of course you're right for opinions. CoSes are chosen and trusted to channel the president's.

It is still a hugely powerful and busy position within its limits of assisting the POTUS in his job. Any who implemented opinions the president didn't approve wouldn't last long at all. (Except in the broken WH of an astonishingly incompetent ex- president, of course, but that has nothing to do with normal.)

Response to douglas9 (Original post)

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