media comments on Faux "Office of the Pres Elect"

[kaydee457 13]

It's a matter of "judgment" and lack of ethical conscious to inflate ones importance by using inappropriate props before one has earned the right to do so.

His podium is adorned with big letters "the Office....", and a tiny Presidential Seal that he hasn't the right to use, legally, or ethically as it undermines the importance of the current President.

I think this display is akin to a Military man wearing medals he never earned, or perhaps putting on his collar that extra star he's yet to have earned.

President-elect Barack Obama is looking very presidential these days. When he makes an announcement, he is ringed by American flags and stands behind a lectern that has a very presidential-looking placard announcing "The Office of the President-Elect."

But the props are merely that. Under the Constitution, there is no such thing as the Office of the President-elect.

Technically, Obama will not even become the president-elect until the Electoral College convenes after the second Wednesday in December and elects him based on the results of the Nov. 4 general election, as stated in the Constitution.

So what is Obama's executive authority in the weeks leading to Jan. 20?

In the 11 weeks between Election Day and Inauguration Day, the next president must ensure a smooth transition by selecting political appointees to manage key agencies and offices within the Executive Branch, and by creating the policies that will define the new administration -- all while respecting the authority held by the current president.

The Presidential Transition Act -- created in 1963 and amended in 2000 -- establishes formal provisions for the transition period by outlining training and other assistance that the president-elect and his team of advisers can receive as they prepare to assume office.

The amended bill -- co-sponsored by lawmakers including former Sen. Fred Thompson, Sen. Joe Lieberman, and Sen. ####### Durbin -- calls for the "training and orientation of high-level presidential appointees," among other things, as well as more efficient background checks to ensure individuals are properly vetted and confirmed for office.

"New administrations face a series of hurdles they must overcome to accomplish this essential task before they can begin to govern," Lieberman told Congress in 1999 while arguing in favor of the amended legislation.

The original bill also allowed the president-elect and vice president-elect certain "services and facilities," like suitable office space to conduct transition operations, public funds to pay their staff's salaries and money to transport workers to and from Washington.

Obama has employed over 500 staffers to assist in his transition operations -- working from a nondescript office building in downtown Washington and from locations in his hometown of Chicago.

His transition team has received a budget of $12 million -- $5.2 million of which was allocated by Congress, and the rest from private donations of under $5,000.

As president-elect, Obama is also given the same highly classified intelligence briefings that President Bush receives on a daily basis. And Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden get full Secret Service protection, which Obama also received during the Democratic primaries and general election campaign.

But the "Office of the President-Elect," while critical in building the future government, has no official power -- which Obama himself acknowledged during his victory speech in Chicago on Election Night.

"It is an office -- it's just a quasi-government office for planning the takeover of the government," said Stephen J. Wayne, a professor at Georgetown University's department of government.

"Obama has no formal power as far as the existing government is concerned, but he has a lot of informal influence, which President Bush has encouraged," he added.

Wayne compared the function of the "Office of the President-Elect" to spring training in baseball.

"It doesn't count in the standings, but it does contribute to a team's ability to do well from day one," he said.

The extensive operations and considerable funding for Obama's transition office are not unique. President Bush received $8.5 million to fund his transition team -- a sum that was "unprecedented at the time," according to Georgetown University government professor Chris Hull.

"The Bush administration built their transition team a month before the election was over to make sure it would be a fully-functioning office on November 5," he said.

Despite its lack of formal power, some argue that the "Office of the President-Elect" must maintain an official and authoritative front -- even if just for show. This transition comes at a particularly vulnerable time for the U.S. government in protecting against terrorism -- as evidenced in 1993 when terrorists bombed the World Trade Center as former President Bill Clinton prepared to take office.

"President Bush and President-Elect Obama have stressed together that the times of transition are particularly perilous in terms of terrorist strikes," said Hull. "The President-Elect and his team must appear to maintain confidence."

source

[quote] “Office of the President Elect” seal violates 18 USC Sec. 713

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I think most people know the difference between a President-Elect and a sitting President.

For some reason Kaydee seems to think that this needs to be pointed out...

Weird.

[rclouse 0]

Reality disagrees with you.

[mox 298]

Bitter, table of one, your table is ready.

[HAL 9000 96]

Reality disagrees with you.

Or it can be the office he currently uses in Downtown Chicago.

HAL 9000 suggests that Kaydee checks out this play instead of continually showing off more opportunities at self-pwning.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

With that avatar Kaydee can post anything and he "pwns" himself by default.

Yep - that really is Barack Obama photoshopped together with Osama Bin Laden with the White House in the background and the caption "Dear Americans - you want change, just wait"

[Chica Yeyé 41]

Dear God... are you for real? Wait. You are.

[kaydee457 13]

This needs to be pointed out for the simple fact that there are dolts in this forum that believe this to be a legit "Office"; the result of a (off topic) long and tired discussion in another thread I can no longer find.......

Nevertheless, there have since popped up many links on the internet whereby the question's being asked, "what the heck is the Office of the President Elect, anyways? Who made this up?".

I think Obama's middle name should be Narcissus vs. Hussein. Much more descriptive, don't you think?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

And we're supposed to care about this because...

Why?

[HAL 9000 96]

This needs to be pointed out for the simple fact that there are dolts in this forum that believe this to be a legit "Office"; the result of a (off topic) long and tired discussion in another thread I can no longer find.......

Nevertheless, there have since popped up many links on the internet whereby the question's being asked, "what the heck is the Office of the President Elect, anyways? Who made this up?".

I think Obama's middle name should be Narcissus vs. Hussein. Much more descriptive, don't you think?

ramble ramble ramble ramble ramble

[Chica Yeyé 41]

This is a huge transition, in case you have not noticed being so busy. And the guy is giving formality to said transition, working and selecting people who can begin devising strategies now. You call it arrogant, I call it hitting the ground running. With the mess your current president made, the President Elect has a lot of work that cannot wait until January.

I think Narcissus fits you perfectly.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Well yes - there is that. I guess what this is about is trying to find fault wherever you can.

Obama makes himself highly visible in the months prior to the inauguration = he's egotistical

Obama does nothing and sits in the background until inauguration day = he's not taking the country's problems seriously enough

Yep - Kaydee sure is a Michael Savage listener all right...

[kaydee457 13]

Care? Character, character, character.........many of us "regular Joe's" are held to a higher standard than the "One".....

More-

] The Office of the President-Elect? Oh, please, Obama.

Megalomaniac Obama’s ego grows even more insufferable. For his Nov. 7 news conference, Obama spoke behind a lectern that proclaimed ”The Office of the President-Elect.” Yes, he will be. But he’s not officially yet, until the Electoral College votes.

The Constitution provides that on the Monday after the second Wednesday in December, electors convene in their respective state capitals. It’s then that they formally elect the President of the United States, based on the general election results.

The Twelfth and Twentieth Amendments to the Constitution govern the definition of the president-elect. Michelle Malkin posted a comment at her blog that also addresses presidents-elect.

Of course, we know that Obama is the impatient sort. And the advocacy meida would’ve installed him on Nov. 5.

By the way, Obama still has to prove he’s an American citizen. Come Electoral-College voting time and he hasn’t, that should be interesting. Maybe constitutional-crisis creating, too.

One last thing, as Malkin asked: Did he inappropriately use the U.S. Seal on that sign on the lectern. Minor point to him, I understand, given his faux presidential seal.

source

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

"Character" is a subjective concept.

In which respect YOU are making more out of this than I suspect most reasonable people would.