Hey Dems: Settle Down!

So, people on the left are freaking out over Joe Lieberman, Hillary Clinton, etc. etc. etc. There are a lot of people in the progressive/liberal blogosphere who reeeeeally don't like the picks Obama has made so far for his Cabinet and White House team.

Personally, I think everyone should settle down. I trust the guy at the top. He has sound judgment, he is a brilliant thinker and he knows what he's doing - at least until further notice. This guy has spent his entire life defying expectations and outsmarting people. There's no reason to doubt him now: he outpaced a Clinton to win the Democratic presidential nomination, and then handily defeated a guy who, not too long ago, was arguably the most popular politician in America.

Ezra Klein has some thoughts on the Left's (momentary) hysteria:

The longtime Democratic operatives and wonks are really quite good. Paired with this president, and this moment, and this congressional majority, they can go much further than they did under the Clinton administration. It's hard to say whether that'll prove right or wrong. But deciding to shorten the executive learning curve as much as possible and appoint folks with the experience to harness a transient opportunity isn't an implausible strategic decision. The staff will carry out the president's agenda. What's being sought out, then, is not brilliant new ideas for what that agenda should look like, but indisputable technical competence. If the e-mails I'm getting from Obama supporters are representative, however, it's nevertheless not the approach most of them expected.

The people Obama has brought on board will serve at the pleasure of the president. Barack Obama is not going to suddenly not be Barack Obama. He is a left-of-center guy, but efficiently so, if that makes sense. The guy is a fucking lawyer: he's used to hearing all sides of an argument. So bringing in relatively hawkish people like Hillary Clinton does not mean that he will immediately acquiesce to their more conservative view of the world. It behooves everyone - even people on the left, and we're usually right, of course :) - to hear opposing points of view from time to time, if not quite frequently. It helps one form a more mature, well-rounded frame of reference. And that's a very good thing to have in a president.

So chill the fuck out about Joe Lieberman, leave Hillary Clinton alone (I can't believe I just said that...) and have some faith in your President-elect. Don't worry, be happy. Remember: WE WON THE FREAKING ELECTION! You're gonna like most of President Obama's agenda, I promise.