Tag Archives: elections
Elizabeth Warren's Plan For Rebuilding the State Department
June 30, 2019 By domani spero in Diplomacy, Foreign Service, Political Appointees, Politics, Staffing the FS, State Department Tags: donor ambassadors, elections, Elizabeth Warren
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Click on image to see Warren's plan
The practice of auctioning off American diplomacy to the highest bidder must end. I'm pledging to end the corrupt practice of selling cushy diplomatic posts to wealthy donors—and I call on everyone running for President to do the same. Read my full plan: https://t.co/Bd6E6g8bYX
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) June 28, 2019
Others should emulate Warren. Imagine putting a donor in charge of a major military command. Is it really so different? Only if you think diplomacy is not a serious profession and running an embassy takes no experience in embassies. https://t.co/vFe0TCeoz7
— Ben Friedman (@BH_Friedman) June 28, 2019
In new plan, Warren says she'll end one of the grossest bipartisan traditions in American politics. https://t.co/ZYUKLp1eqF pic.twitter.com/6793y2K8CT
— Matt Ford (@fordm) June 28, 2019
I went through Warren's plan point by point to break down the good and the bad. Read: What do former US State Department employees think of Elizabeth Warren's plan to rebuild the State Department? https://t.co/nhb5jNOczK
— They Called Him Leif (@leiflaw) June 29, 2019
THIS: @ewarren's "Revitalizing Diplomacy: A 21st Century Foreign Service" https://t.co/XTdvF0zFmU
As a platform, this is a solid paper. The input of ex-DoS people is clear. Some of the details on implementation are tricky. (Lateral entry, specifically, is concerning.)
— diplomattitude (@diplomattitude) June 28, 2019
GOP Takes Control of the Senate — Keep Calm But Don't Pack Your Bags!
November 5, 2014 By domani spero in Americans Abroad, Appointments, Career Employees, Congress, Elections, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Service, FSOs, John F. Kerry, Obama, Political Appointees, Politics, Realities of the FS, Staffing the FS, State Department, U.S. Missions, USAID Tags: elections, Executive Branch Staffing, GOP-controlled Senate, keep calm, U.S. Senate, White House
This happened last night, and pretty quickly, too.
It's official: Republicans have clinched control of the U.S. Senate http://t.co/iEU5hClejJ pic.twitter.com/Fq57p3YW3W
— The Atlantic (@TheAtlantic) November 5, 2014
Here it is: Republicans take control of the Senate with 51st seat http://t.co/SiiTpOl2G8 pic.twitter.com/ONyduBNaYJ
— Post Politics (@postpolitics) November 5, 2014
The Nation lists Staffing the Executive Branch as one of the possible problematic area after the GOP take-over of the U.S. Senate:
For much of the Obama presidency, Republicans in the Senate stymied up literally hundreds of presidential appointments to cabinet slots big and small, as well as nominations to the federal bench. Harry Reid implemented filibuster reform one year ago, and nominations have been handled more quickly—but with Republicans in charge, expect them to grind to a halt. Republicans blocked nominees reflexively under the old filibuster rules, many times without offering a single actual objection, and that's very likely to resume now.
The recent Yahoo article about the State Department being top heavy with political picks, also include the following nugget:
A top GOP aide, asked what would happen to the stalled "ambassadonor" nominations, signaled that those would-be diplomats shouldn't pack their bags.
When it comes to confirmations of Obama nominees in a Republican Senate, the aide said dryly, "partisan picks and Obama bundlers won't be at the top of the list."
So — in real terms, that means no one can pack their bags or schedule any packout. Maybe, we'll see some confirmation of career diplomats to ambassadorial positions this year. Or maybe not. What might be more problematic, of course, would be the confirmation of presidential bundlers nominated as ambassadors to some of our overseas posts. If the clock runs out and none of these nominees get confirmation this year, President Obama will have to resubmit these nominations to the next Congress in January 2015. A GOP-controlled Senate may or may not act on these nominations.
The following are the ambassadorial nominees currently pending on the Senate's Executive Calendar. They have all been cleared by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee but could not get voted on in the full Senate:
Ambassadorial Nominees: Career Diplomats
Karen Clark Stanton, of Michigan, to be Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
Donald Lu, of California, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Albania
Amy Jane Hyatt, of California, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Palau
Arnold A. Chacon, of Virginia, to be Director General of the Foreign Service
Luis G. Moreno, of Texas, to be Ambassador to Jamaica
Maureen Elizabeth Cormack, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina
Theodore G. Osius III, of Maryland, to be Ambassador to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Leslie Ann Bassett, of California, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Paraguay
George Albert Krol, of New Jersey, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Kazakhstan
Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat, of New Jersey, to be Ambassador to the People's Republic of Bangladesh
James D. Pettit, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova
Allan P. Mustard, of Washington, to be Ambassador to Turkmenistan
Erica J. Barks Ruggles, of Minnesota, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Rwanda
Earl Robert Miller, of Michigan, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Botswana
Judith Beth Cefkin, of Colorado, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Fiji, and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as Ambassador to the Republic of Kiribati, the Republic of Nauru, the Kingdom of Tonga, and Tuvalu
James Peter Zumwalt, of California, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Senegal and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as Ambassador to the Republic of Guinea-Bissau
Craig B. Allen, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam
Barbara A. Leaf, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates
Virginia E. Palmer, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Malawi
William V. Roebuck, of North Carolina, to be Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain
Pamela Leora Spratlen, of California, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Uzbekistan
Donald L. Heflin, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Cabo Verde
Robert T. Yamate, of California, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Madagascar, and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as Ambassador to the Union of the Comoros
Gentry O. Smith, of North Carolina, to be Director of the Office of Foreign Missions, and to have the rank of Ambassador during his tenure of service
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, an Assistant Secretary of State (African Affairs), to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the African Development Foundation for the remainder of the term expiring September 27, 2015
Michele Jeanne Sison, of Maryland, to be the Deputy Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations, with the rank and status of Ambassador, and the Deputy Representative of the United States of America in the Security Council of the United Nations
Brent Robert Hartley, of Oregon, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Slovenia
Ambassadorial Nominees: Non-Career Political Appointees
George James Tsunis, of New York, to be Ambassador to the Kingdom of Norway
Colleen Bradley Bell, of California, to be Ambassador to Hungary
Robert C. Barber, of Massachusetts, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Iceland
Mark Gilbert, of Florida, to be Ambassador to New Zealand, and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as Ambassador to the Independent State of Samoa
John L. Estrada, of Florida, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
Cassandra Q. Butts, of the District of Columbia, to be Ambassador to the Commonwealth of The Bahamas
Noah Bryson Mamet, of California, to be Ambassador to the Argentine Republic
Stafford Fitzgerald Haney, of New Jersey, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Costa Rica
Charles C. Adams, Jr., of Maryland, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Finland
Frank A. Rose, of Massachusetts, to be an Assistant Secretary of State (Verification and Compliance)
Catherine Ann Novelli, of Virginia, to be United States Alternate Governor of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (currently Under Secretary for State/E)
David Nathan Saperstein, of the District of Columbia, to be Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom
Paige Eve Alexander, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
Jonathan Nicholas Stivers, of the District of Columbia, to be an Assistant Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
We'll have to see what happens next.
Voter Lookup
October 29, 2014 By domani spero in Blognotes, Elections Tags: elections, PSA, Voting
[voterinfotool]
Congressional Research Service Reports (CRS) and Briefs – Published July 2014
August 5, 2014 By domani spero in Congress, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Assistance, Foreign Policy, Govt Documents Tags: AF |Africa, Afghanistan, Arctic, Arms Control, China, Congress, Congressional Research Service, Congressional Research Service reports, CRS, CRS Report, Economy, elections, Foreign relations of the United States, Gaza, Immigration, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Libya, Mexico, Missile Attack, Palestinians, Russia, Syria, Technology, Ukraine
In FY2012, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) had an appropriation of $106.79 million available for expenditure. U.S. taxpayers fund the CRS, a "think tank" that provides reports and briefs to members of Congress on a variety of topics. However,there is no easily accessible depository for all these reports and U.S. citizens who want them have to request the reports from their member of congress.
On its annual report for FY2012, CRS indicated that it prepared 534 new reports, and 2,702 report updates. Some CRS reports are available through the Federation of American Scientists, the University of North Texas, and Open CRS. Also check out CRS on Open Congress; it includes links on the discussion of direct public access of these CRS reports. The reports made publicly available through the State Department are available below. We will routinely republish them here. Note that some documents are web-accessible but most are in pdf formats.
CRS Reports – July 2014
Afghanistan -07/28/14 Afghanistan: Politics, Elections, and Government Performance [674 Kb]
-07/11/14 Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy [1068 Kb]
Africa -07/24/14 African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA): Background and Reauthorization [444 Kb]
-07/23/14 U.S. – Africa Leaders Summit: Frequently Asked Questions and Background [571 Kb]
Arctic -07/02/14 Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress [1469 Kb]
China -07/29/14 U.S. – China Military Contacts: Issues for Congress [846 Kb]
-07/15/14 China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities – Background and Issues for Congress [4546 Kb]
-07/10/14 China – U.S. Trade Issues [581 Kb]
– 07/09/14 China's Economic Rise: History, Trends, Challenges, and Implications for the United States [644 Kb]
Gaza/Palestinians -07/03/14 U.S. Foreign Aid to the Palestinians [451 Kb]
-07/18/14 Israel and Hamas: Another Round of Conflict – CRS Insights [288 Kb]
Israel -07/22/14 Israel: Background and U.S. Relations [1264 Kb]
Iran -07/25/14 Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses [827 Kb]
Iraq -07/24/14 Conflict in Syria and Iraq: Implications for Religious Minorities – CRS Insights [62 Kb]
-07/15/14 The Kurds and Possible Iraqi Kurdish Independence – CRS Insights [170 Kb]
-07/15/14 Use of Force Considerations in Iraq – CRS Insights [59 Kb]
-07/03/14 Iraq Crisis and U.S. Policy [762 Kb] -07/02/14 Iraq: Politics, Governance, and Human Rights [495 Kb]
Libya -07/28/14 Responding to Libya's Political and Security Crises: Policy Choices for the United States – CRS Insights [62 Kb]
Mexico -07/01/14 U.S.-Mexico Economic Relations: Trends, Issues, and Implications [498 Kb]
Russia 07/29/14 U.S. – Russia Economic Relations – CRS Insights [125 Kb]
-07/28/14 Russia Sanctions: Options – CRS Insights [60 Kb]
-07/18/14 U.S. Sanctions on Russia in Response to Events in Ukraine – CRS Insights [60 Kb]
Syria -07/24/14 Conflict in Syria and Iraq: Implications for Religious Minorities – CRS Insights [62 Kb]
Ukraine -07/18/14 U.S. Sanctions on Russia in Response to Events in Ukraine – CRS Insights [60 Kb]
-07/08/14 Ukraine: Current Issues and U.S. Policy [367 Kb]
Arms Control -07/21/14 Arms Control and Nonproliferation: A Catalog of Treaties and Agreements [661 Kb]
Economy -07/25/14 Stealing Trade Secrets and Economic Espionage: An Abridged Overview of 18 U.S.C. 1831 and 1832 [231 Kb]
-07/17/14 International Monetary Fund: Background and Issues for Congress [523 Kb]
-07/01/14 Monetary Policy and the Federal Reserve: Current Policy and Conditions [339 Kb]
Elections -07/24/14 The 2014 European Parliament Elections: Outcomes and Implications – CRS Insights [62 Kb]
-07/14/14 Membership of the 113th Congress: A Profile [286 Kb]
-07/01/14 The Voting Rights Act of 1965: Background and Overview [398 Kb]
Immigration -07/28/14 Unaccompanied Alien Children: An Overview [338 Kb]
-07/18/14 Unaccompanied Alien Children – Legal Issues: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions [407 Kb]
-07/16/14 Unaccompanied Alien Children: A Processing Flow Chart – CRS Insights [207 Kb]
-07/03/14 Unaccompanied Alien Children: Potential Factors Contributing to Recent Immigration [501 Kb]
Missile Attack -07/28/14 Possible Missile Attack on Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 – CRS Insights [61 Kb]
-07/28/14 Protecting Civilian Flights from Missiles – CRS Insights [61 Kb]
Technology -07/23/14 Deploying 5G (Fifth Generation) Wireless Technology: Is the United States on Track? [58 Kb]
-07/02/14 Access to Broadband Networks: The Net Neutrality Debate [332 Kb]
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Donor Ambassadors Are Here to Stay Because — #1 Elections Cost Money, Money, Honey (With ABBA)
March 12, 2014 By domani spero in Ambassadors, Elections, Foreign Service, Hall of Shame, Political Appointees, Politics, Realities of the FS, State Department Tags: Barack Obama, bundlers, Center for Responsive Politics, donor ambassadors, elections, George W. Bush, money in politics, political ambassadors
On February 14, WaPo did the top 10 reasons to keep political ambassadors. It wasn't terribly funny. The 10th item on the list, "The system is unlikely to change anytime soon" drove our friends insane. They haven't recovered yet from that shock and awe. Meanwhile, the uproar over the nominees who bungled their confirmation hearings continue to make waves. Despite all that, former Senator Max "I'm no real expert" Baucus was confirmed as our next ambassador to China. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee had also cleared the way for the full Senate vote for the other nominees who did their made for Comedy Central moments at the SFRC.
For those who are shocked that an Obama nominee has never been to Argentina, might they also be awed that a George W. Bush ambassador had only visited Canada once–more than 30 years ago on a trip to Niagara Falls, prior to his appointment and subsequent confirmation? Another George W. Bush ambassador was out of the country 37 percent of the time. (WaPo reported that the nominee's mortgage company was investigated by 30 state regulators so that may have something to do with the absences.) Not to be outdone, an Obama ambassador to the Bahamas was also absent from post for 276 days during a 670-day period.
These are not the cringe-worthy parts. But the thing is, this controversy over the nominations of political donors to cushy ambassadorships is a story that regularly repeats itself every few years. They are typically followed by quite a rumpus ruckus, only to settle down after a short while, and to reappear after a few years. We do think that political ambassadors, particularly the sub-group of wealthy donors and bundlers who gets appointed as chiefs of missions to our embassies will not go away anytime soon. We're going to chop down the top reasons why … well, this piece kept getting longer so we're posting this in parts.
Donor ambassadors are here to stay because —
#1. Elections Cost Money, Money, Honey
If we were a band, we'd write the song, Money, Money, Money — ohw, but ABBA did it already!
In 2004, President George W. Bush won his second term over John Kerry with 286 of the electoral votes. That presidential election cost $1,910,230,862. In 2008, President Obama won against John McCain with 365 electoral votes. That presidential race cost $2,799,728,146. In 2012, President Obama won reelection over Mitt Romney with 332 electoral votes. That race cost slightly cheaper than the previous election at only $2,621,415,792 but there is no reason to believe that we're on a downward spiral when it comes to big money in politics.
Here is Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics last year: "You do not wage a financially viable campaign without hundreds of millions of dollars," she said. "There is far greater reliance on the bundling operation, and I don't see any evidence or reason to be hopeful that the donor rewards that are attendant to this system will diminish anytime soon. They go hand in hand."
We imagine that the cost of the 2016 presidential election will be for the records book. All that money will not come from a money tree.
15 Former AFSA Presidents Urge Senators to Oppose Confirmation of Ambassadorial Nominees to Norway, Hungary, and Argentina (diplopundit.net)
Peter Spiro: Donor diplomats are embarrassing. Let's get rid of them – Wait, What? (diplopundit.net)
NBC Skips Gaffes By Rich Obama Donors Turned Ambassadors, CBS and ABC Tout 'Controversy' (newsbusters.org)
Ex-Foreign Service union leaders urge Senate to reject Obama nominees (foxnews.com)
Norwegian-Americans Petition For Withdrawal of Tsunis Nomination as Ambassador to Norway (diplopundit.net)
Got Tired of Laughing – SFRC Confirmation Hearings Now on Audio Only? (diplopundit.net)
Another Obama ambassador, another big donor (sunlightfoundation.com)
Outrage Grows as Obama Campaign Donors Fill Diplomatic Posts (commondreams.org)