President-elect Obama will review all the executive orders issued by President Bush to determine which ones should be repealed, said his transition chief John Podesta.Podesta's message is crystal clear: the federal government is under new management, and there will be some serious changes.
When asked by Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday what some of Obama's first decisions might be to prove his dedication to changing Washington, Podesta said Obama would probably overturn the ban on stem cell research as well as orders concerning healthcare and energy transformation.
"There's a lot the president can do using his executive authority without waiting for congressional action and I think we'll see the president do that," Podesta said.
He also said Obama has won a "real mandate for change" with Tuesday's election.
The high voter turnout and landslide electoral college victory spell a clear path of American support for Obama's message of political reform, Podesta said.
He told Wallace the transition team is "moving aggressively to try to build out that core economic team, the national security team."
"I think his charge to us is that he wants a broad diverse cabinet, one that's built on first criteria excellence," Podesta said.
In the battle of political philosophies during this election, the progressive philosophy won, he said.
"It sort of got extinguished in the Republican Party over the course of the last couple decades," Podesta said. "But I think that progressive vision of providing opportunity for people that work hard, providing for the common good... was what he [Obama] laid before the American people."
Most likely this isn't going to sit well with the Republicans. Progressive became a filthy four-letter word over the last 8 years. Obama looks to want to restore the word and the philosophy behind it.
This is a good sign. Podesta's drawing a thick, red line and daring Republicans to cross it after eight years of Bush doing whatever he wanted.