As President-elect Barack Obama's team transitions into the federal government tomorrow, President Bush's political appointees will be locked out, and in these tough economic times many of them are scrambling to find new jobs. High-ranking White House loyalists have deluged Washington headhunters with pleas for jobs. Corporations and nonprofit organizations have stopped hiring. With the GOP out of power, jobs on Capitol Hill are scant and K Street lobbying firms have trimmed their golden parachutes.
Et tu K street? Et tu? Just because Tom Delay is out of town, do Republican apparatchiks not bleed when they are wounded? What ever happened to the GOP welfare system? Is it in Chapter 11?
Still, for many Bush appointees, this is the first time they've been on the job market for years, if not decades. Many came to Washington during the 1990s to take jobs in the Republican-controlled Congress, only to move into the administration after Bush's 2000 election. "These are people who haven't put together a résumé in 20 years," said Steve Gunderson, a former Republican congressman who is president of the Council on Foundations
They have had secure jobs since the 1994 Gingrich revolution, and now they are hurting. They may have to actually list accomplishment and skills on a piece of paper. They may also have to use the googles and the internet tubes to look for work. Has our nation forgotten these people who faithfully executed George Bush's agenda?
Perhaps some of them can get jobs on Liddy Dole's staff. No. Scratch that. Ted Stevens is always hiring. Um, no wait. How about the Normster? Norm Coleman is always looking for a good kid in a nice suit.
I think I am getting the vapors.