WASHINGTON–The Obama campaign just reached into the Clinton and Ted Kennedy camps for two top staffing positions…Neera Tanden was Policy Director for the Hillary Clinton campaign…..Melody Barnes was chief counsel to Kennedy on the Senate Judiciary committee…Tanden becomes Obama domestic policy advisor, putting her in a perch to advance a Clinton style universal health care plan over the Obama proposal…Barnes becomes a senior policy advisor….Heather Higginbottom, with the Obama campaign from the start remains the policy director…..
From the Obama campaign…
Obama Campaign Announces New Additions to National Policy Team
CHICAGO, IL The Obama Campaign today announced that Melody Barnes, currently Executive Vice President for policy at the Center for American Progress, will serve as Senior Domestic Policy Advisor and Neera Tanden, former Clinton Campaign Policy Director, will serve as the Domestic Policy Director. Barnes and Tanden will help coordinate the domestic policy process under Heather Higginbottom, the campaign’s Policy Director.
Melody Barnes is stepping down from her role as the Executive Vice President for Policy at American Progress where she coordinated the integration of all of the Centers policy work from the policy departments, fellows, and the Center’s network of outside policy experts. Barnes also served as Chief Counsel to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy on the Senate Judiciary Committee. In that role, she helped to fight for civil rights, womens health and reproductive rights, shape commercial law and religious liberties laws, and review executive branch and judicial appointments.
Neera Tanden most recently served as Policy Director for the Hillary Clinton campaign, where she directed all policy work and coordinated work with policy advisors. Tanden previously served as Senator Clintons Legislative Director and was the Deputy Campaign Manager and Policy Director for Clintons Senate campaign. She was formerly Senior Vice President for Domestic Policy at the Center for American Progress and served as the Issues Director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).
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