WASHINGTON (CNN) - Come Inauguration day, newly minted Vice President Joe Biden will add one more task to his job title: working families czar, so-to-speak.
On Sunday, President-elect Barack Obama's transition team announced the new "White House Task Force on Working Families" - a major initiative targeted at "raising the living standards of middle-class, working families in America." The initiative will be chaired by Biden.
Other members of the task force will include: Secretaries of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Commerce, as well as the Directors of the National Economic Council, the Office of Management and Budget, the Domestic Policy Counsel, and the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors.
In an interview with ABC's "This Week," Biden said it's a "discrete job that's going to last only for a certain period of time."
"The one thing that we use as a yardstick of economic success of our administration: Is the middle class growing? Is the middle class getting better? Is the middle class no longer being left behind? And we'll look at everything from college affordability to after school programs ... I will be the guy honchoing that policy," he said.
Biden said he will have the authority to get a consensus among the task force - but will use his relationship with the president if a consensus isn't reached.
"If in fact there is no consensus, [I'd] go to the president of the United States and say, 'Mr. President, I think we should be doing this, cabinet member so and so thinks that. You're going to have to resolve what it is we think we should do.'"
Obama has set up several key goals for the task force, including: Expanding education and training; improving work and family balance; a focus on labor standards, including workplace safety; protecting working-family incomes and retirement security.
So what power will the new task force have in shaping policy? According to the transition team, Biden and other members "will expedite administrative reforms, propose Executive orders, and develop legislative and public policy proposals that can be of special importance to working families."
"My administration will be absolutely committed to the future of America's middle-class and working families. They will be front and center every day in our work in the White House," said Obama in a statement. "And this Task Force will be one vehicle we will use to ensure that we never forget that commitment."
And in line with the Obama team's pledge of full transparency, the task force will issue annual reports, available online to the public.
Anna Burger, chairwoman of Change To Win - a group made up of seven unions - hailed today's announcement.
"Today's announcement shows that President-elect Obama is committed to middle class families and change truly is coming to Washington. Working people finally have an administration that is willing and eager to take action to address their needs," she said in a statement. "The White House Task Force on Working Families is a vital first step toward restoring our economy and making government work for working people again."
From CNN Politics
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is this a joke?
Boy am I comforted with that announcement ! Biden as a czar; sounds like Russia ! They had lots of Czars !!!
A champion for working families is dire important and one that I'm sure will be looked forward to. Too often is this faction of people overlooked, the only exception being taxes.
What a joke. Biden being the "family czar". The only type of family he represents is that of a mobster. He knows how to use his son's office for personal retribution, does that count? He taught his son the art of corruption and how to use political office to garner power and weild it like an axe. Is that what we want? I think not. Biden is old school politics. He is not even close to the "CHANGE" you idiots voted for. Now we get him shoved down our throat as some sort of family "czar". What a freaking JOKE!
Campaign Diaries has an extensive rundown of all the elected officials picked for Obama's Cabinets and of all those who did not make the cut despite being rumored – and explains what all of this means for the electoral landscape in 2010 and beyond.
I can't wait to see what the "working families czar" has in mind for the U.S. If it's anything like New York's "working families czar", Governor Paterson, it will entail raising every tax imaginable causing more employers and jobs to disappear. In addition, Paterson has decided to lay off less than 500 people out of a state workforce of 200,000. Soon, unless you're working for the government you won't have a job at all. But maybe that's what Obama/Biden/Paterson want.
Task force? Oh, goodie. Another Czar to wage a 'war' on something.
I wish there was a LOT more focus on business,so the American work force will be EMPLOYED so that there WILL be working families,that should be the number one goal,then the rest of the plan could fall in to place.Let's hope the cart isn't before the horse.
"...special importance to working families"? Just cut spending, fraud, and greed (including the pay hikes for congress which you recently voted for} and LOWER OUR TAXES! Let us take care of ourselves instead of being forced into governments "care".
This guy scares the hell out of me. However he probably will become POTUS mid-summer because of Obama criminal connections. God help us all.
Go get em Joe!
That's awesome I hope nobody trys to stop them with their politics so actual work gets done. Just be honest when people are trying to stop you guys give names and the people will give then heck. That's one of the major problems most people are unaware of those who try to stop good things from happening because of their own self-interest.
As one of those working families, we feel so much safer now when it is coming from a person who just yesterday said,,,
The economy is worse then we thought.
Do tell Joe, where have your head stuck the last two years, in the sand or up Pelosi you know where?
In other words, that promise of not raising taxes on the under 250,000 dollar income is just a false promise,,,,
Geez, imagine that Joe, you followed your Messiah right into something you had no clue was that bad.
I feel safer now that your on a task force for working families,
Hey Joe, do you even know what a REAL working family really is?
Someone who has two jobs, makes less than 40,000 a year, has no health care, is a single parent, has two children, and a deabbeat father to those kids?
Or the senior couple over 60 who both lost jobs, so they now work for trivial amounts of money, no health care, thier lost thier retirement when the company they worked for went bankrupt, and noone bailed them out.
Ohhhh, I get it, you think working familes are UAW members who work for WAY over what the real working families live on.
Yea, I feel safe now, a rich politician telling me how I can survive, and you sure will not bail out my company when they go bankrupt.
Dear CNN, as an outreach partner of the Obamaist regime, what is your official opinion of this ?
Raising the living standards? Tha's easy, raise our wages, and lower the CEO's. Get the South unionized, and turn the South Blue.
What next, a "White House Task Force on Young Voters" chaired by Paris Hilton or maybe a "White House Task Force on Big Influential Unions" chaired by Nancy Pelosi??? Let's see some effective substance to go along with the political window dressing. Do the job well and you won't need all this fluff.
Imagine a political administration that actually (gasp) puts working families at the top of their agenda. What kind of insanity is that? Why they don`t have lobbyists from billion dollar corporations willing to bribe everyone in sight. What on earth does that Obama fellow think he is doing, putting ordinary Americans first?! That is not how the game is played. At least not obver the last 8 years. Why this Biden guy just might try and actually help people that really need help. This is not the government Wall Street paid for!!!!!
We average Americans could certainly do worse than Joe Biden as our chief advocate in D.C.
For instance, any living Republican would be far worse.
Obama and Biden one amazing team with wonderful ideas. We love you.
First of all, enough of this czar stuff, can't we think of a better name then a pre communist royalty term. Secondly all these new fancy positions sound like alot of hoopla to me. Before we go chainging the system radically why dont we start enforcing the laws we already have. We have numerous oversight committees that cover all of this, why a new office, sounds like redundancy to me.
I thought Biden's son was a lobbyist?
MY FAVORITE CZAR.
VP BIDEN IS AN INTELLIGENT, HONEST & GOOD MAN.
HE WILL GET DONE WHATEVER HE PUTS HIS MIND TO.
AND LORD KNOWS WE DO NEED AN ADMINISTRATION
THAT WORKS FOR THE WORKING FAMILIES OF THIS
NATION. THAT IS A NEW CONCEPT IN OUR LEADERS.
all the best, biden.
ITS BEEN A LONG TIME COMING.
OUR ELECTED LEADERS ACTUALLY WORKING FOR US.
WE ARE GOING TO TURN THIS AROUND. I KNOW WE WILL.
Once in office, these Obama people, like every other administration before them, will become isolated and faar removed from the average American working family. They have no clue.
Give us a break and spare us the empty promises.
This will be the most disappointing and scandal-ridden administration since the drafting of the constitution.
I would hope that this is not the "change" most Obama/Biden voters were hoping for...
If it IS the "change" they were hoping for...this country is doomed...
FINALLY! A voice for us little people. Thank you, President Obama and your caring administration. I just pray that you don't get too bogged down with all that is so wrong with this broken economy that you cannot achieve what you have set out to do.
the use of the title czar stems from the Latin Caesar. We all know that Caesar effectively ended the Republic with his dictatorship for life scheme. He positioned Augustus to remold Rome into an Empire...please stop using the term CZAR! As a democracry we should abhor that title whether official or not to describe our nation's leaders!
Lets ask the question what is the plan and how will it be executed. We tend to hire the people and give them the salary and then we pay them and get no results. Lets try the Car company ideals which is lets lease Government and if we don't like the results we can trade them in for a better model. The American people have chose change which should be easy but when there are no results and higher spending and still no results lets do what the whole world is doing. Start the layoff process please start with the Congress- Senate- and then State Government. Lets see some results that standup to the Global Warming that started when our leaders started talking.
Ready For Change- America Is Ready for Change.
Boy I hope this is more than hollow words. I'm already fostering dogs of homeless people and have opened my home to one person who is in need.
I am sure biden will be working that day on a plan to bail out all CEOs who don't know how to run companies, so they give them bonuses and bailouts.
Stop Czaring. Seriously. It's use as a title a meaningless relic brought on as a political gimmick in the Reagan administration. The man will be Vice President. I think that supercedes 'Czar of the Proletariat'.
The way to help working families is very simple, reduce their income taxes and the income taxes of the companies they work for and above all drastically cut government spending by downsizing the Federal bureacracy. This solution won't fail. We don't need an expansion of government via a "Working Families Czar": And when Biden says that this is a temporary position, don't beleive him. Government programs are like uninvited guests who crash a party, they never go away.
This sounds super. "Working Families"..
How about "formerly working families" task force.
By the time Obama takes office, unemployment rates will probably rise by another percent (or god-forbid, two.)
Biden was right when he said Obama will be tested.. but it won't be terrorists. It will be economy. I was laid off in October, after 14 years with the same Financial Services company. I have sent my resume out atleast 50 times, and aside from 4 "sorry we can't help you" responses, I have heard nothing else. I am 38 years old, and have already been told I am "over-tenured". Thank god I can collect 20% of my previous salary in unemployment benefits. I can take the blame for buying my house at such an outrageous price, after all it is the consumers fault that real estate prices rose so quickly, it had nothing to do with banks eager to lend money to get their transactions fees, mortgage brokers eager to justify any amount of lending to get their transaction fees, and realtors eager to explain why we'd better buy know before prices go up any more so that they can get their 6%..
Let's bail out AIG(?).. I can justify bailing out the Auto companies easier than I can justify the Insurance/financial companies. The Auto companies will provide the products we need... The Financial companies "create" products (like mortgages, and second mortgages, and whole life insurance, etc.) that create transaction fees for multiple levels of salespeople.
-Frustrated and too old to work at age 38.
Wonderful!
All I want to know is, will those of us who have taking the time to worked hard and gained the knowledge to apply to a particular area study be able to have an opportunity to earn a decent pay? Many of us have taking out student loans which come straight from the tax payers of America. Those who have worked and paid taxies also have paid for me and a lot of other people to get an education but we are not able to repay the tax payers because we don’t have the opportunity to work and earn a decent pay. Also, many College graduates don’t have past work experience that many employers are asking for, therefore, employers need to make an adjustment to their request for experienced works, and think more about training works.
Headlines: Gay Men Put Obama In Sticky Spot over Rick Warren Invocation.
I haven't been this excited since watching FDR on TV.
Working families don't need a Czar. They need work.
Obama is officially the "Great Organizer" What brilliant idea. This will legitimize and focus the role of the Vice President and ensure that these agencies are working together and bring forward synergistic policies. I can"t wait to see them in action and I hope this model is used across the federal government in an effort to keep change from being bottle necked at the office of the president (as in the past). Such reorganization will set in place the structure for which "Change" can occur. Sounds like the beginning of a new and effective Washington DC.
Good call, New Yorker.
Lower the tax rate for people at lower income levels. Institute an absolute maximum interest rate and late fee that credit card companies and other lenders are allowed to charge. Recognize that many of us who are drowning under credit debt and taxes we can't afford never splurged on luxuries. For example, I am struggling to pay off debt from dental work and roof repairs. My TV is 30 years old and I drive a 1986 car. I have never declared bankruptcy, but I can barely keep my head above water, let alone built up an emergency fund or save for retirement. People like me aren't looking for handouts. Just don't make it nearly impossible for us to help ourselves!!!
I agree with NEW YORKER
As well, why does it seem that politicians say things that they seem to believe no one else knows?! This is a man who just recently said THE ECONOMY IS MUCH WORSE THAN WE THOUGHT. Who is the "we" he is talking about because even before the election the whole country, the whole world knew the economy was much worse than ANYONE thought! It was on the economy that his team was able to pull away from McCain's.
Wake up, Biden, and smell the coffee! And, god forbid, that this man actually makes it to the white house if something happens to Barack! If we thought that Bush was out of touch and a moron, Biden will give Bush a nice run for his money! (Advise, Obama, send Biden into that tanker that Cheney's been hiding in and leave him there until re-election, then choose someone else)
DITTO what "New Yorker" wrote!
For those who are determined that the greedy are willing to look out for the rest of us, think twice. The purpose of government has never been clearer, and it is not designed to protect the rich, or the poor, or some of those in betweens, but the whole of the body of people who are being governed. Thank God there are those who have the whole in mind and are clearly aware of the depths of the issues and problems created by those forces unleashed by trusting the greed of human kind.
TO New Yorker: You said a mouthfull and I agree. From OK!!!
Now I see why Biden couldn't get as many votes for president as Palin did for mayor.
I don't care about much, just home focus. I mean American policies and our goverment to come home!!
New Yorker,
In a perfect world that would work. Unfortunately, we're paying $10 billion per month for the war in Iraq. That could have been avoided, but the fraud & greed you speak of can only be dealt with through vigilance and heavy prosecution. (Jack Abramoff? Bernard Madoff?) We've already seen that deregulation, and the practice of sending wolves to guard the hen house (Dept. of Interior investigators cozying up to oil companies and being allegedly rewarded with prostitutes and drugs) doesn't work.
All things considered, I'd rather pay for heavier regulations, and not have investigators appointed by a party that has a financial stake in not seeing the investigations carried through.
What a joke. This is the guy who said it was "patriotic" to pay higher taxes. Got news for you Joe–you have NOTHING in common with the average taxpayer; you are just another empty suit lifer politician collecting my tax dollars as a paycheck.
Vice President elect Biden can right a few wrongs that have developed over the past few years and help the economy by pushing for the following measures:
-More competition for monopolistic health insurance companies to lower costs and increase coverage.
-Regulate predatory practices of credit card companies.
-Regulate boards of directors and CEOs that award one another huge salaries at the expense of workers and stockholders.
-Follow through on tax cuts for those making less than $200,000.
These measures support small businesses and their workers and will help get the economy moving in a positive direction. Unfettered capitalism (trickle down economics) has been proven disatorously faulty.
@ New Yorker
Fortunately, we have to depend on EACH OTHER, for our existance.
Apparently, America has that attitude...we'll take care of ourselves. THAT IS EXACTLY WHY WE ARE DEALING WITH A SINKING ECONOMY!
It's callled WORKING TOGETHER. . .INCLUDING OTHER NATIONS! ! !
Obama would vote 'Present' like he always does.
Clarify: a "discreet job", as on story reads, or a "discrete job", as the other story reads?
Do you think there will ever come a time when we stop seeing the world in Democrat and Republican terms?
An overhaul of those able to collect social security for "ailments" should be the first thing. It constantly amazes me to watch those I know and come into contact with who are GETTING social security and who are perfectly fine. EVERYONE can do SOMETHING. If someone in a wheelchair and can only use three fingers on one hand can work at Walmart as a cashier, then adults with ADHD can find something productive to do....And yet adults who have had second and third heart attacks are deemed "able to work"...welcome to America...
Until someone here on this stupid forum, and across the Democrat party base can honestly identify the term "working family" I will continue to believe the genesis of the word is straight out of something that a Marxist would cook up for political leverage.
We are ALL "working families"; rich and poor, all American.
AMEN!!! to New Yorker.
Aaahhh, I see the fringe people are back. To past the time, I suggest you scrape off the mccain/palin sticker off of your cars. Losers
How better to soak working families?
Or how best to posture?
For those of you who criticize this action, why don't you just be patient and let the man and his team do their job before you bud in and throw in you 5 cents worth. The new administration hasn't even started their job yet until January 20th. I personally am very optimistic, and believe in the man. I am confident that he will make a major change and put this country back into great economy and prosperity again. Go Obama, Biden.
The first step in helping working families is to end our so called free trade agreements. These one sided trade agreements have accomplished nothing but the exportation of good paying American jobs and growth of executive bank accounts in the Caymen Islands.
You negetive people are so SAD. After the past 8 years ANYTHING would be better than CHENEY hooking up him and his cronies.
I for one would rather have one of our employees (the President and VP do, after all, work for us) actually state reality, rather than such ridiculous utterances such as " Mission Accomplished," or "you're doing a huckuva job, Brownie." Give me a break, people, this team has already shown more intelligence, awareness, and problem-solving potential in the 7 weeks since the election than the previous administration has done in eight years.
awesome...i cant wait till jan. 20!
i agree
Wow the Retardlican's are out in force today. What's the matter Fox News website down so they can add pictures so you can understand the stories? Why don't you Retardlican's go lick a window!!!!!!
Could we retire the word "czar" in this context of appointments? This is one of the most over-used titles and it's not accurately descriptive of any of the positions. Any suggestions?
Why don't you people go to work and earn a living instead of coming on this blog and spouting off on how angry you are. Blame everyone but yourself. It's your fault. Time to get to work now, so help, or get out of the way, but most of all, don't clutter up the blog with your BS.
You are a good man, Joe Biden, and we are fortunate to have you in there. Give it your best shot!
I don't believe Biden ever said "Czar", although I didn't watch the whole interview. Czar is becoming another one of those over used media terms. I wish the media elite would use their thesausus.
I want Biden as far away from my family as possible.
Who needs a "working families czar?" What we need is an "economy czar?" And I nominate Ron Paul for the job.
Define "Working Families" before you start this crap. Let's be clear that you are leaving out a lot of people that work very hard in your definition and including those that don't.
I think that as the year 2008 ends that each individual in this country get rid of his/her negative vibes and embrace positive vibes –
This country has been down before but the people during those time frame were able to over come – and if they did it so can we – but each of us have gotta do the work not just the elect officials in DC.
New Yorker : Ditto, but unfortunately some people believe it is there 'civic duty" to pay more taxes and "help out"! Can you imagine!!!
Great post New Yorker
We can't afford the standard of living in our country now. We should be encouraged to LOWER our standard of living and stop borrowing to raise it.
Our policies as a country should DISCOURAGE SPENDING and ENCOURAGE SAVING!!! Sadly, our government seems to think that a debt based economy makes good sense. It does make good slaves.
CNN, please erase the word "Czar" from your vocabulary. That was a term used by Bush to be able to:
a) delegate core tasks of a president to other people because he wanted to cover his backside or didn't care
b) designate people (without a matching position in the constitution) to push cabinet members and staff towards the NeoCon agenda
I hope the era of non-accountablilty is over and the next president will again adhere to the motto: "The buck stops here!"
I don't agree with New Yorker... I suggest he read Upton Sinclair's THE JUNGLE, if he wants to know what happens when the government steps out of the way and let's BIG BUSINESS have full reign with no regulation. We have nearly come to that point under the Bush administration. I am grateful that Obama is going to reverse that trend with VP Biden's new role, and his support of the very people Bush has ignored for the last 8 years.
TO JACKSON- YOU SAY OBAMA / BIDEN THE MOST DIAPPOINTING SCANDAL RIDDEN ADMINISTRATION SINCE THE DRAFTING OF THE CONSTITUTION......WOW!!!! MAN YOU NEED HELP..... I HAVE TWO NAMES FOR YA! BUSH / CHANEY. TAKE OFF THE TIN HAT.
Can we just retire the word 'czar' in this sort of context alongside the suffix '-gate'. Both have been so overused as to be meaningless.
Why in a "democracy" such as ours, do we insist on using labels such as "czar"?
Given our success with the drug czar, I can't wait to see the results here...
I believe unification is our only hope. We need to seriously go back to when things were good. Buying American and boycotting anything foreign made (whenever possible). The American people – NOT POLITICIANS – are the answer. I found some really cool bumper stickers on EBAY that blast Shelby for his disgusting comments about our unions and the Big 3. It may be a small thing but I'm buying them for my vechicles and doing my part!!! That's where it all starts!
Does anyone in our government really care about what is happening to the real people of this country. So far it's a lot of talk and not much action to help working families. I see it as say anything they think people want to hear. As for the increase in pay for congress – we the people should be up in arms over this. What the heck are they thinking? That just shows they could care less.
I think this is WONDERFUL! God bless Joe Biden and Barack Obama! To all you naysayers – Don't you have a Rush Limbaugh program to tune in to? Keep your Conservative gloom and doom to yourself. No one wants to read you. The much needed Political LANDSLIDE has begun!