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In reply to the discussion: BREAKING: Obama names Ron Klain Ebola Czar [View all]geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)118. Was waiting for the Solyndra talking
point.
Maybe you can throw in a Benghazi reference for good measure.
Here is a hint: he was signing off on billions of dollars of loans.
But, you requested a link showing Biden's team was in charge of the stimulus:
From the start, (Biden) was put in charge of implementing the recession-fighting American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, $821 billion of new spending and tax cuts that squeaked through the Senate only after Biden helped win three Republicans' votes.
"He talked to me about the stimulus bill," recalls former Republican senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania. "I concluded that it was indispensable to save the country and perhaps the world from a depression." Specter later switched parties -- something Biden had been pushing him to do for decades as they rode Amtrak to and from Washington.
As the economic stimulus czar, Biden held 22 meetings of top government officials and 57 conference calls with governors and mayors. He traveled to more than 40 project sites and referred to the Washington operations center as a "war room."
He stands in for the president overseas, having traveled to 26 countries, nearly as many as Obama. He's been to 35 states on government business and 41 in all, counting more than 150 political events and fundraisers.
"He talked to me about the stimulus bill," recalls former Republican senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania. "I concluded that it was indispensable to save the country and perhaps the world from a depression." Specter later switched parties -- something Biden had been pushing him to do for decades as they rode Amtrak to and from Washington.
As the economic stimulus czar, Biden held 22 meetings of top government officials and 57 conference calls with governors and mayors. He traveled to more than 40 project sites and referred to the Washington operations center as a "war room."
He stands in for the president overseas, having traveled to 26 countries, nearly as many as Obama. He's been to 35 states on government business and 41 in all, counting more than 150 political events and fundraisers.
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/washington/2011-05-31-biden-vice-president_n.htm
More:
It was five years ago this month that the new president signed the $800 billion Keynesian stimulus package, also known as the Recovery Act. A few weeks later, he put Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. in charge of overseeing its implementation. As the vice presidents chief economist at the time, as well as a member of the economics team that helped to shape the package, I was an active participant in this important chapter of our economic history.
...
But before I close, a quick word about a positive aspect that doesnt get enough attention and in the spirit of learning for next time, is essential: the Recovery Act was well and cleanly implemented. Efficiency and oversight were well balanced; in fact, Id argue that the transparency and oversight structure should serve as a model for future stimulus programs. I can also tell you that from where I sat, a big part of the credit for the acts successful implementation should go to Vice President Biden and his chief of staff, Ron Klain.
http://mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/economix/2014/02/24/lessons-from-the-recovery-act/
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So Gramps McCain got his wish. Will the GOPers now complain about another "czar"?
The Velveteen Ocelot
Oct 2014
#1
I don't think appointed officials like the media or 'folks' to call them 'Czars'
Sunlei
Oct 2014
#53
Okay, I'll give you that. Thanks for the pep talk. You are probably correct.
KittyWampus
Oct 2014
#17
Wouldn't have hurt, though, to get a sompetent manager with SOME medical background.
WillowTree
Oct 2014
#50
I am with you on that. The guy doesn't have to get into it with medical knowledge
LawDeeDah
Oct 2014
#121
Why a political operative and not someone with experience in medical administration?
bklyncowgirl
Oct 2014
#10
Robert Oppenheimer 'managed' the Manhattan Project. But Opie was a nuclear
KingCharlemagne
Oct 2014
#51
what's needed is a manager with healthcare expertise and an understanding of epidemiology
cali
Oct 2014
#32
If I've got the right guy, wiki says his congressional experience is with insurance
HereSince1628
Oct 2014
#66
I'm entirely confident, given the time between idea and appointment...
cherokeeprogressive
Oct 2014
#55
Just last week John McCain demanded the appointment of an ebola "czar."
The Velveteen Ocelot
Oct 2014
#49