The Impending Battle to Secure White House Jobs

WASHINGTON —  Terror struck the Washington Democratic political Establishment last week as polls showed the race for President tightening. The good news is that most of these people couldn’t read a poll if they had to. Forget the polls, look at the Electoral College; beat me if I am wrong, but this baby is over, and Bill Clinton will win. And so the major battle is won and a new one is emerging with ferocity in Washington--the battle of the “Plum Book.”

The battle for key posts in the Clinton Administration has been waged quietly for some time, lest people jinx Clinton’s chances. But as the inevitability of his win has increased so, too, has the intensity of the campaigns to be in the king’s court. If I hear one more person say he roomed with Clinton at Yale or Oxford--Clinton must have changed dormitory rooms 1,560 times over a six-year period.

A dirty little secret is emerging here in Washington: Bill and Hillary Clinton probably have a larger list of friends and political contacts than any President-elect since Lyndon B. Johnson. The problem is most of them don’t know each other. All think they are near the top of the list, but there ain’t enough room at the inn. What a show this is going to be.

Twelve years of exile from executive-branch jobs has built up the pressure to the boiling point among Beltway policy wonks and political hacks. The sounds of elbows being sharpened, lips being licked and resumes being democratized echo throughout Washington.

Are the campaign people, exhausted from endless hours spent putting their candidate into the White House, to be pushed aside by Washington’s in-and-outers? I doubt it, for several reasons.

First, there aren’t that many jobs. An old campaign advance man, Fred Droz, recalls what it was like after Jimmy Carter had won in 1976. Democrats from around the country camped out on his apartment floor, making rounds of government offices. Most left disappointed. As Droz puts it, after the campaign workers, the transition staff and fraternity brothers of Cabinet secretaries were taken care of, there were no jobs left.

Beside there being fewer policy or political jobs for the President to appoint than his followers think, Clinton is likely to have better ideas than appointing perennial Democratic officeholders--a charge leveled at Carter with good reason. After running on a theme of change, Carter relied on the Washington Establishment. I think Clinton means it when he says he wants to change government. That means other than the usual suspects.

At least in for domestic policy-making, Clinton is likely to draw more from the country than from Washington for key appointments. He has been in the forefront of state and local officials bringing reform in areas from welfare to education. People implementing innovations at a local level will probably be preferred to theoreticians from Washington.

Remembering his first unsuccessful term as governor, Clinton is unlikely to repeat his mistake of bringing in policy elites to impose their pet schemes. It cost him reelection. Clinton is now a seasoned chief executive who appreciates the need to blend policy goals with political realities. He doesn’t want to be the only politician in his Administration.

As for others seeking office, look to the Democratic Leadership Council and its network around the nation to be the big winners in the new Administration. Give the DLC its due. Born in the aftermath of our 1984 campaign, with the goal of moderating the Democratic Party, at first they were scarred but they succeeded beyond expectations. It was the DLC that helped Clinton (as chairman) to launch his campaign for President. It was the DLC that helped him develop his now-famous New Covenant speeches. The DLC, particularly its director, Al From, deserves credit. I believe it will be rewarded.

For others seeking work, some advice: Don’t get mentioned too often in the papers as a sure bet for this or that position. No President wants his choices made by others. Stay quiet and disclaim any desire for office is the best advice for anyone looking to serve in the next Administration. Of course, supporting the candidate when he needed it wouldn’t hurt either. But it’s a bit late for that.