Barack Obama’s campaign has launched a website at Change.gov to clearly map out the road to the White House. The site calls itself the Office of the President-Elect which frankly, is something I’ve never heard of before. I’m sure it’s made up, but if I’m wrong, somebody please correct me.
Regardless of my thoughts, this is a clear example of how Obama won over the internet generation, launching websites like this to connect directly with the people. It’s comforting in a way to know that your next President is so open to forms of communication like this.
What a smart way to keep focus on their agenda. They really do understand how to use the internet well.
How smart to write on the web site that they would require community service, then later to remove the word require. You folks who think everything he does is golden will sing a different tune when you have to pay those extra taxes.
Dude, I’m wondering the same thing…
WTF?
I thought .gov TLDs (top level domains) were for official offices. The material on his .gov site almost mirrors his barakobama.com site, practically verbatim. One was a campaign site. And this is? A new office of government?
Remembering his “Presidential Seal” during the campaign, I think they are playing behind the scenes practical jokes on each other with these sites and logos and seals,,,…. or maybe the guy is an egomaniac????
Yes, his people really know how to market themselves but I am dubious that it will translate into good governance. This, I am afraid is a sign that we can expect four more years of campaigning.
I searched high and low and found nothing
so its official? There is no such office?
You didn’t search high and low enough. There IS such an office, it’s an official part of the US government, and it’s been around for decades. All incoming presidents use it.
Here’s a 1988 article about it:
Washington Talk: The Presidency; After Election, Short-Term Agency Takes Power
Here’s another 1988 article about George Bush senior’s Office of the President Elect:
The Office of the President Elect was open for business today, with George Bush said to be giving high priority to economic policy… Today, his core transition team was to be in place, ensconced in a set of offices prepared by the General Services Administration…
Here are more results from the Google News archive about the office of the president-elect
Oops I messed up the Google News archive search link: here it is again -
http://news.google.com/archivesearch?q=%22the+office+of+the+president+elect%22&btnG=Search+Archives&num=10
So, we the taxpayers are paying for his vanity site?
He’s NOT the President yet. He needs to pay for his own hopey-changey website until he’s sworn in.
I think he’s invented it!!!
I truly do.
http://fergalreid.blogspot.com/2008/11/has-barack-obama-invented-elected.html
Malkin’s scratching her lovely head as well….
http://michellemalkin.com/2008/11/07/what-the-hell-is-the-office-of-the-president-elect/
Check the copyright info at the bottom of the page…
“Content copyright © 2008 by Obama-Biden Transition Project, a 501c(4) organization. All rights reserved.”
It’s not a government agency, but a non-profit.
Obama has a narcissism complex.
the Presidential Transition Act of 1963 and The Presidential Transition Act of 2000 specifically layout the requirements that the GSA start providing the president elect, one day after the election, with all the necessary, funds, material, offices space , employees, and US government facilities, communications, office supplies, appointees salaries etc. required to aid in the transition to president.
All of this is mandated by the congress, and is law.
he is just doing what every other president has done for the last 200 years.
he is getting ready to run the country.
How does a web site run a country?
Here is a link with info on this same stuff:
http://michellemalkin.com/2008/11/07/what-the-hell-is-the-office-of-the-president-elect/
There is indeed an Office of the President-Elect, and it was authorized by the Presidential Transition Act of 1964 (after JFK was killed). George Bush had exactly the same office in 2001. So do your homework! Read the provisions of the act here.
SERVICES AND FACILITIES AUTHORIZED TO BE PROVIDED TO PRESIDENTS-ELECT AND VICE PRESIDENTS-ELECT
Sec. 3 (a) The Administrator of General Services, referred to hereafter in this Act as “the Administrator,” is authorized to provide, upon request, to each President-elect and each Vice President-elect, for use in connection with his preparations for the assumption of official duties as President or Vice President necessary services and facilities, including-
(1) Suitable office space appropriately equipped with furniture, furnishings, office machines and equipment, and office supplies as determined by the Administrator, after consultation with the President-elect, the Vice-President elect, or their designee provided for in subsection (e) of this section, at such place or places within the United States as the President-elect or Vice-President-elect shall designate;
(2) Payment of the compensation of members of office staffs designated by the President-elect or vice-President-elect at rates determined by them not to exceed the rate provided by the Classification Act of 1949, as amended, for grade GS-18: Provided, That any employee of any agency of any branch of the Government may be detailed to such staffs on a reimbursable or non reimbursable basis with the consent of the head of the agency; and while so detailed such employee shall be responsible only to the President or Vice-President-elect for the performance of his duties: Provided further, That any employee so detailed shall continue to receive the compensation provided pursuant to law for his regular employment, and shall retain the rights and privileges of such employment without interruption. Notwithstanding any other law, persons receiving compensation as members of office staffs under this subsection, other than those detailed from agencies, shall not be held or considered to be employees of the Federal Government except for purposes of the Civil Service Retirement Act, the Federal Employee’s Compensation Act, the Federal Employees Group Life Insurance Act of 1954, and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Act of 1959;
(3) Payment of expenses for the procurement of services of experts or consultants or organizations thereof for the President-elect or Vice-President-elect, as authorized for the head of any department by section 15 of the Administrative Expenses Act of 1946, as amended (5 U.S.C. 55a), at rates not to exceed $100 per diem for individuals;
(4) Payment of travel expenses and subsistence allowances, including rental of Government or hired motor vehicles, found necessary by the President-elect or Vice-President-elect, as authorized for persons employed intermittently or for persons serving without compensation by section 5 of the Administrative Expenses Act of 1946, as amended (5 U.S.C. 73b-2), as may be appropriate;
(5) Communications services found necessary by the President-elect or Vice-President-elect;
(6) Payment of expenses for necessary printing and binding, notwithstanding the Act of January 12th, 1895, and the Act of March 1, 1919, as amended (44 U.S.C. 111);
(7) Reimbursement to the postal revenues in amounts equivalent to the postage that would otherwise be payable on mail matter referred to in subsection (d) of this section.
(b) The Administrator shall expend no funds for the provision of services and facilities under this Act in connection with any obligations incurred by the President-elect or Vice-President-elect before the day following the date of the general elections held to determine the electors of the President and Vice President in accordance with title 3, United States Code, sections 1 and 2, or after the inauguration of the President-elect as President and the inauguration of the Vice-President-elect as Vice President.
(c) The terms “President-elect” and “Vice-President-elect” as used in this Act shall mean such persons as are the apparent successful candidates for the office of the President and Vice President, respectively, as ascertained by the Administrator following the general elections held to determine the electors of the President and Vice-President in accordance with title 3, United States code, sections 1 and 2.
(d) Each President-elect shall be entitled to conveyance within the United States and its territories and possessions of all mail matter, including airmail, sent by him in connection with his preparations for the assumption of official duties as President, and such mail matter shall be transmitted as penalty mail as provided n title 39, United States Code, section 4152. Each Vice-President-elect shall be entitled to conveyance within the United States and its territories and possession of all mail matter, including airmail, sent by him under his written autograph signature in connection with his preparations for the assumption of official duties as Vice President.
(e) Each President-elect and Vice-President-elect may designate to the Administrator an assistant authorized to make on his behalf such designations or findings of necessity as may be required in connection with the services and facilities to be provided under this Act. Not more than 10 per centum of the total expenditures under this Act for any President-elect or Vice-President-elect may be made upon the basis of a certificate by him or the assistant designated by him pursuant to this section that such expenditures are classified and are essential to the national security, and that they accord with the provisions of subsections (a), (b), and (d) of this section.
(f) In the case where the President-elect is the incumbent President or in the case where the Vice-President-elect is the incumbent Vice President, there shall be no expenditures or funds for the provisions of services and facilities to such incumbent under this Act, and any funds appropriated for such purposes shall be returned to the general funds of the Treasury.
SERVICES AND FACILITIES AUTHORIZED TO BE PROVIDED TO FORMER PRESIDENTS AND FORMER VICE PRESIDENTS
Sec. 4. The Administrator is authorized to provide, upon request, to each former President and each former Vice President, for a period not to exceed six months from the date of the expiration of his term of office as President or Vice President, for use in connection with winding up the affairs of his office, necessary services and facilities of the same general character as authorized by this act to be provided to Presidents-elect and Vice Presidents-elect. Any person appointed or detailed to serve a former President or former Vice President under authority of this section shall be appointed or detailed in accordance with, and shall be subject to, all of the provisions of section 3 of this Act applicable to persons appointed or detailed under authority of that section. The provisions of the Act of August 25, 1958 (72 Stat. 838 3; U.S.C. 102, note), other than subsections (a) and (e) shall not become effective with respect to a former President until six months after the expiration of his term of office as President.
AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS
Sec. 5. There are hereby authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator such funds as may be necessary for carrying out the purposes of this Act but not to exceed $900,000 for any one Presidential transition, to remain available during the fiscal year in which the transition occurs and the next succeeding fiscal year. The President shall include in the budget transmitted to the Congress, for each fiscal year in which his regular term of office will expire, a proposed appropriation for carrying out the purposes of this Act.
Approved March 7, 1964
There is also a Presidential Transitions Act of 2000, which amended the former legislation to allow hiring of computer staff and publishing of web pages, which of course did not exist in 1964.
obama election was excellent, is one of the famous election i have witness in the world
There may be an actual office of the president elect but only Obama has the arrogance to actually use our taxpayer money to use it.
why don’t you privatize the post office ? that will save you billions of dollars and create new jobs. i have been in the post office for 28 years and a supervisor fo 9 years, and the level of theft and corruption is enourmous. i have proof of billions of dollars in theft by our high ranking postal service officials. privatizing the post office means no longer having to spend billions of dollars policing it. it will free up alot of dollars while you create new jobs in all parts of the country. the monopoly on delivery of first class mail gives them an unfair advantage, and this means they answer to no one. the proof i have amounts to billions of dollars in fines and hundreds of thousands of years of imprisonment. what makes these people immune? how are they any different then the CEO’s of ENRON or people who sell junk bonds making worthless promises. my phone number is 818 741 9042. my email is down
@Michelle: You’re wrong, and you don’t read. Let’s make it clearer:
Every. President. Since. 1964. Has. Used. An. Office. Of. The. President. Elect.
Any such office would be defined in the Constitution, and there is no mention of such a thing.
Joe, you are truly cool. Michelle, that was your lesson for the day.