Seems like old times

By Clarice Feldman and Rosslyn Smith

This list of people being named to Obama's campaign makes it look like a full employment act for Democrat spouses, children and long time consultants.

Last week Obama named Caroline Kennedy, Eric Holder of Mark Rich pardon infamy and the campaign manager for Walter Mondale in 1974, James Johnson to his vice presidential search committee.

Sunday Obama named Elizabeth Edwards, the wife of twice also ran presidential candidate and one term Senator John Edwards to be on his health care policy team. Even the seemingly fresh names around Obama have very old connections. Economic policy director Jason Furman, age 37, has worked closely with former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin and Furman also advised John Kerry during the 2004 presidential race. He also is a defender of Wal-Mart, a minority position on the left.

Bloomberg reports that Furman announced that some other familiar names will be working with him as campaign advisors: Rubin, former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers, former Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Alan Blinder, and James Galbraith, a University of Texas economist and son of economist John Kenneth Galbraith, who was an adviser to President John F. Kennedy, and Jared Bernstein of the Economic Policy Institute and the Huffington Post. The last name is particularly interesting for while Dr. Bernstein writes on income inequality and the minimum wage, his degree is from the Columbia School of Social Work, not any department of economics.

James Johnson, on the veep selection committee, is also credited with helping John Kerry select John Edwards as his running mate in 2004.

Trust cronyism and nepotism to trump promises of hope and change any day. That's the Chicago way.