Channels, Fall 2018

Channels • 2018 • Volume 3 • Number 1 Page 77 21st Century Javelin Catchers: White House Organization and the Chief of Staff Molly Schwall History and Government Introduction residents need help. The cyclical nature of the presidency means every four years, a president starts with a completely blank slate by which he can impose a new culture on the White House. 1 However, he cannot accomplish this task by himself. When presidents enter the White House, there are certain discretionary services that are needed by every chief executive, regardless of the coloration they take. How they obtain this help is up to the president's individual strengths and weaknesses, but there are three main areas in which White House staff serve the president (Buchanan, 1990). First, staffers help in pushing the president's agenda. In efforts to direct the presidential policy agenda, the president will rely on others to construct policy proposals, draft legislation, devise political strategy, interact with the media, vet political appointees, and influence Congress, among other duties. Second, the president relies on others to cope with the unexpected. Crises are inherent to the presidency, and often, presidents must make decisions that have long-term significance under time constraints and with imperfect information. In these situations, presidents often rely heavily on personal advisors as well as technical experts to justify the decision he is making. Finally, the president relies on others to transition into his position. Presidential scholar Bruce Buchanan (1990) writes, "In this sense, each new president is a founder. The White House Office is surely the most flexible organization in the executive branch of government." The president must rely on his staffers to fill the gaps that he cannot as one person. These needs vary based on the individual strengths and weaknesses of the president as an individual, but generally include accommodating personal quirks and providing moral and emotional support. A president's organizational system must accommodate the diversity of talent required to supply the necessary help. At the helm of White House organization is the office of chief of staff (COS). The office of 1 Presidential scholar Bruce Buchanan explains, "The traditions of the office mean that each new president literally starts over, tabula rasa, imposing new procedures, new assumptions, and a new atmosphere, or culture. In this sense, each new president is a founder. The White House Office is surely the most flexible organization in the executive branch of government. Because of his personal role in achieving his station, his considerable constitutional power, together with the ongoing importance of his personal presence to success in office, each incumbent continues to exert a dominant, and highly idiosyncratic impact on how the work of the White House is done" (1990). P