Hildebrand writes to liberal critics of Obama

The president-elect's deputy campaign manager says Obama "was elected to be the president of all the people -- not just those on the left."

Published December 8, 2008 3:15PM (EST)

Steve Hildebrand, Barack Obama's deputy campaign manager, has a message for liberals worried about some of the moves the president-elect has made during the transition: Obama "was elected to be the president of all the people - not just those on the left."

Writing on the Huffington Post, Hildebrand says:

[O]ur new president, the Congress and all Americans must come together to solve [the country's] problems. This is not a time for the left wing of our Party to draw conclusions about the Cabinet and White House appointments that President-Elect Obama is making. Some believe the appointments generally aren't progressive enough. Having worked with former Senator Obama for the last two years, I can tell you, that isn't the way he thinks and it's not likely the way he will lead...

As a liberal member of our Party, I hope and expect our new president to address those issues that will benefit the vast majority of Americans first and foremost. That's his job. Over time, there will be many, many issues that come before him. But first let's get our economy moving, bring our troops home safely, fix health care, end climate change and restore our place in the world. What a great president Barack Obama will be if he can work with Congress and the American people to make great strides in these very difficult times.


By Alex Koppelman

Alex Koppelman is a staff writer for Salon.

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