W.H. plans for a second term

President Barack Obama didn’t present a detailed plan for a second term as he accepted re-nomination here Thursday night, but back in the White House, they’re working on one.
Measuring the drapes is a lot easier when you’re already in the room. But a second Obama term would be defined by a series of questions that can’t yet be answered by the top presidential aides who’ve been quietly meeting and drafting ideas since the summer — including what a lame duck Congress does about the fiscal cliff, which party controls the Senate come January and how close the continued economic recovery tracks to their predictions.

So far, Obama hasn’t gotten very involved in the second-term personnel or policy planning, according to a senior White House aide. But Chief of Staff Jack Lew, deputy chief of staff Pete Rouse, Domestic Policy Council Chairwoman Cecilia Muñoz and Legislative Affairs Director Rob Nabors are crafting second-term legislative and policy plans for how Obama would deal with Congress under all the different possible outcomes from the November elections.

Certain administration changes would be a given in a second term. The economy would still be struggling. Obama himself would be looking toward a legacy. He wouldn’t have another election to worry about, freeing him from certain political concerns.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner — key players over the past four years — have promised they’ll leave after one term. Since the summer, Lew, Rouse, Deputy Chief of Staff Alyssa Mastromonaco and personnel director Nancy Hogan have been quietly meeting with Cabinet officials and senior aides to find out who else wants in or out for a second term, according to the senior aide.

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