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Elvin Lim is Assistant Professor of Government at Wesleyan University and author of The Anti-intellectual Presidency, which draws on interviews with more than 40 presidential speechwriters to investigate this relentless qualitative decline, over the course of 200 years, in our presidents’ ability to communicate with the public. He also blogs at www.elvinlim.com. In the article below he reflects on change in Obama’s administration. Read his previous OUPblogs here.

Short of revolution in which blood is spilt and heads roll, change is a rare thing in the evolution of civilization. American presidents have tried to mimic change rhetorically - the New Freedom, the New Deal, the New Frontier, the New World Order - but the truth is the whole point of a democratic system of election is to allow for peaceful change, which is to say that elections are designed to preserve continuity amidst change, which is to say that in the end we value continuity more than we do change. And so President-elect Barack Obama has correctly intoned that the nation has only one president at a time, indicating his resistance to taking responsibility when he has no authority, while also making a subtler point that while the torch passes and the persons change, it is the torch that matters.

We are allowed to dream dreams of change in a campaign, but when government starts, the flights of rhetorical fancy and fantasy must end. So we really shouldn’t be surprised that President-Elect Obama’s first crop of nominations are all veterans from the last Democratic administration. Whereas the Republicans have built up a cadre of accomplished officials and advisors having won 7 out of the last 11 presidential elections, Obama has no such luxury. He needs knowledgeable people as well as experienced politicos to get any job done. His ends may be different, but Obama’s means will likely be strikingly similar to the men who have come before him. In every action since he was elected, Obama has proved Hillary Clinton right that you need experience to bring about change.

Campaigns may all be run on the message of change, but government is about continuity and Obama should not allow the symbolism of his campaign to interfere with the staffing of his administration. Nothing - short of revolution and a constitutional convention - starts on a clean slate. Washington is what it is, and he who presumes to be able to sweep in and replace the reality of sticky institutions and entrenched interests without the paradoxical aid of these institutions or interests has allowed the victory of an election to get to his head.

Having sounded the clarion call for change all year, the president-elects appears to be bracing for the trench-warfare ahead by surrounding himself with a team of capable rivals. Ours is a stubborn political system rigged against change - from horizontal to vertical centralization - that even united party control of government may not surmount. Individual by individual, interest by interest, institution by institution, nation by nation, President-elect Barack Obama will have to bring about change that we believed in.

Jennie tagged me to post Seven Things About Me. Run away now if you'd rather not know.

1. I would like to be Aretha Franklin. Yup, voice and body. If I can't have it in this life, I'm hoping we can swap in heaven.

2. I still have a piece of pencil lead in my right hand knuckle from where a boy jabbed me in third grade. (What did I do to him? I honestly don't remember.)

3. I don't really mind spiders, snakes, or mice. I hate bees and eels. Maybe it's the double "ee" sound.

4. I once pretended to have a major crush on The Bay City Rollers because my best friend did.

5. I like camping and staying in five star hotels; fried baloney and Rachael Ray's Beef Tenderloin Bites; getting as gross as possible when exercising and as glamorous as possible when dressing up in slinky gowns; watching My Name is Earl on TV and Shakespeare on stage. I do not like choosing just one thing.

6. I once had a job where I posed tourists for photos with a cardboard cutout of Ronald Reagan. Please don't hold it against me---he was president at the time.

7. I think Tuck Everlasting has the most beautiful opening line ever: "The first week in August hangs at the very top of summer, the top of the live-long year, like the highest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses in its turning." I think The High King has the wisest closing line ever: "And in time, only the bards knew the truth of it."

If you want to play along, consider yourself tagged. Or tell me which of these seven things you think is the most blog-worthy.

Seven Things

I was tagged by Gerry and Mike R Baker . I tell you seven things about myself, then tag seven other people. Here goes:

I am 5ft tall. A while ago, a little girl who looked about four came up to me to ask where my mummy and daddy were. She looked quite confused when I said that I was with my husband!

I can't drive. Our family never owned a car when I was growing up. I kept thinking I would learn one day, but never got around to taking lessons.

I love collecting old things that are a little worn and shabby. They carry history and mystery and I'm charmed by that.

I can't stand the taste of celery. People always insist that it doesn't have much flavour but if I detect the tiniest amount in a salad, I won't be able to eat it.

I used to read a lot of horror books when I was younger (I did have to turn the covers of the books face down when I was trying to sleep). Now for some reason I can't read them or watch horror movies. And the worst ones for me are zombie movies - they make my skin crawl just thinking about them.

I have one pixie ear and one normal ear.

Before moving to Montreal and even thinking of making a living as an illustrator, I visited a palm reader called Acora in England. He told me that I was moving across the water really soon, and that I would illustrate children's books. He also said I would have an only son. Now that guy was good! :)

I am tagging
Sandy
Irisz
Anette
Daphne
Gretel
Matt
Dawbis