Neera Tanden is on my short list of Democrats who have done great damage to prospects of progressive change. She’s up there with figures like Bill Clinton, Rahm Emmanuel, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and maybe the top of the list of those who have never held a significant spot in the government.
But I can’t join with the many on the left that I see rejoicing in the prospect of her nomination as OMB Director going down in flames, as seems likely to be the case right now. Sometimes why a thing happens is maybe even more important than the event itself. I elaborate in my latest piece at Medium.