Conference of Former White House Chiefs of Staff
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THE WHITE HOUSE TRANSITION PROJECT 1997—2017 PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITIONS IN A BIPARTISAN SETTING The Moody Foundation Series on Leadership Report 2017—60 FORMER WHITE HOUSE CHIEFS OF STAFF DISCUSS PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITIONS Edited by Terry Sullivan, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill White House Transition Project Funded by the Smoothing the Peaceful Transfer of Democratic Power Who We Are & What We Do The White House Transition Project. Established in 1999 to provide information to incoming White House staff members so that they can hit the ground running, The White House Transition Project includes a group of presidency scholars from across the country who participate in writing essays about past transitions and the inner workings of key White House offices. Since its creation, it has participated in the 2001, 2009 and now the 2017 presidential transitions with the primary goal of streamlining the process and enhancing the understanding of White House operations. WHTP maintains an important, international dimension by consulting with foreign governments and organizations interested in improving governmental transitions. Rice University’s James A. Baker, III Institute for Public Policy. Founded in 1993 on the campus of Rice University, the Baker Institute has twenty programs that focus on a broad range of issues including energy, health, conflict resolution, science and technology, tax and expenditure policy and Latin America and China studies. With an eye toward educating and engaging the next generation of leaders, the Baker Institute collaborates with experts from academia, government, the media, business, and nongovernmental and private organizations. The Moody Foundation. Chartered in 1942 by William Lewis Moody, Jr., a successful businessman from Galveston, Texas, the Moody Foundation makes a difference for the people of Texas. The Foundation makes grants for projects focusing on the arts, humanities, religion, education, social services, community development, and health. In addition, the Moody Foundation has contributed to the building of many universities, hospitals, museums, and libraries across Texas. © The White House Transition Project, 2001- 2017 For the White House Transition Project For the Baker Institute Martha Joynt Kumar, Director Terry Sullivan, Exec. Director Mark P. Jones, Senior Fellow (202) 285-3537 (919) 593-2124 (713) 348-2107 whitehousetransitionproject.org BakerInstitute.org Smoothing the Peaceful Transfer of Democratic Power Table of Contents Who We Are & What We Do ................................................ ii Executive Summary .............................................................. 1 Description ........................................................................... 4 Biographies of Participants ................................................... 5 STARTING A WHITE HOUSE ............................................... 11 Introduction ....................................................................... 11 Participants ......................................................................... 12 Keystone Tasks .................................................................... 13 Recruiting a Staff ................................................................ 15 Critical Authority ............................................................... 17 Setting the Agenda .............................................................. 20 Connecting to Congress ...................................................... 22 Connecting with the Press .................................................. 25 Reaching Interest Groups ................................................... 26 Advising the President ........................................................ 28 REFOCUSING THE WHITE HOUSE ...................................... 35 Introduction ....................................................................... 35 Critical Authority ............................................................... 37 Advising the President ........................................................ 42 Finding Staff ....................................................................... 46 Controlling Access .............................................................. 49 Personnel Revisited ............................................................. 54 Gatekeeping the Oval Office ............................................... 55 Partisanship & Crisis ........................................................... 57 CAMPAIGNING, ROUTINE, & CLOSING OUT ...................... 65 Introduction ....................................................................... 65 Participants ......................................................................... 66 Campaigning while Governing ........................................... 67 The Importance of “Legacy” ............................................... 75 Pressures in the Final Days ................................................. 78 Organizing the Transition Out ........................................... 82 Key Past Experiences ........................................................... 85 Audience Questions ............................................................ 88 IN THE GOVERNING COMMUNITY ..................................... 95 Introduction ....................................................................... 95 Participants ......................................................................... 96 The View from Elsewhere ................................................... 97 Access & the NSC ................................................................ 98 Controlling Access ............................................................ 100 Smoothing the Peaceful Transfer of Democratic Power Reconsidering the NSC ..................................................... 102 The White House Work Day ............................................. 104 Connecting with the Press ................................................. 105 Audience Questions ........................................................... 109 INDEX OF TOPICS ........................................................... 113 THE WHITE HOUSE TRANSITION PROJECT 1997—2017 PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITIONS IN A BIPARTISAN SETTING The Moody Foundation Series on Leadership Report 2017—60 FORMER WHITE HOUSE CHIEFS OF STAFF DISCUSS PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITIONS∗ Edited by Terry Sullivan, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill White House Transition Project Executive Summary Starting a White House Shaping a successful transition depends upon understanding the governing to follow. And while the governing that follows inauguration transforms the transition’s structure as a White House progresses, that transformation only gradually reduces the influence of those critical choices made early on. Presidential transition, therefore, have less to do with the mere passage of time as the creation and then maturing of a governing operation. • Transitions begin well before the election, with advice taking and planning. • The critical jobs facing the Chiefs of Staff meld the process of decision-making and the personnel the President draws on into a workable and effective advisory apparatus. • It’s important that a Chief understands what the President expects because there are any number of ways to structure the job. • Administrations need both campaign staff and those with Washington experience. • Start immediately to appoint White House staff. Settling the internal workings of the White House process first makes everything else you do easier. • Do not replace the professionals in the White House. They are a valuable asset. ∗ Editorial assistance from Ms. Robbie DeVries, Baker Institute Round Table. Basic Description 2 Refocusing the White House The nature of demands placed on the President’s staff, the character of the nerve center itself, makes staff turnover inevitable. Often that change begins with the Chief of Staff. • In restructuring a new White House operation, do not "clean house," as you will need institutional memory and some experienced hands. • With the Cabinet agencies, reassert the critical role of the White House in the policy process. • A refocused White House operation takes its cue from the President's schedule. So, reassert the Chief's role in setting the president's schedule and in limiting what the Chiefs call, "oh, by the way" decisions. • Because of the rate at which one expends capital, a Chief's time in office is inherently limited to around two years. Campaigning, Routine, and Closing Out In its simplest measure, every successful presidency begins with winning another term. And the combination of forces at work in the renewing an administration presents a special challenge for a Chief in continuing to assert the President's duties in governing. And inevitably, the limits of tenure close in on every administration. • Rarely do Presidents consider their "legacy" as a guiding factor in their governing. • The President must govern while campaigning and that balance in the schedule inevitably falls on the Chief. • The Chief of Staff must control the activities of the Cabinet in supporting the campaign. • The Chief has to control the mounting pressures for pardons and commutations to sidestep the process already established and the mounting pressure from outsiders to focus the remaining agenda on their issues. And most of that control comes from managing the President's schedule. • Walling off the President is not the answer, maintaining a regular process is. In the Governing Community