opining

 

The front page of the New YorkTimes yesterday announced President Obama’s recess appointment of Richard Cordray and three others as “a provocative opening salvo in Mr. Obama’s re-election strategy of demonizing Congress”. While this move will certainly draw the wrath of congressional republicans, and indeed already has, to describe it chiefly as a campaign stunt seems to somewhat miss the point.

I cannot help but wonder why, in the midst of a severe and ongoing economic crisis, the much-needed appointment of a director for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau should be seen as a solely political move-- particularly when both sides of the aisle have admitted to the qualifications of the appointee in question.

While republicans may quibble about the procedure used, the fact is that the president has taken an important step in the right direction. That the CPB needed a director has been obvious for months. The president has already spoken eloquently on our country’s need for the CPB. Appointing a qualified and respected person to do the job doesn’t seem like reckless partisanship or electioneering to me. It looks like governance. 

I like it, and I’d like to see more of it.