A contest: Name the next management agenda
Every good crusade needs a catchy title. What should the inevitable Obama or McCain reform program be called?
During his first term in office, President Reagan launched the modern era of federal management reform crusades with his Reform 88 initiative. (Before then, it was all about commissions, from Hoover to Ash.)
Ever since, every president has adopted a catchy name for his effort to overhaul the federal bureaucracy and improve the efficiency of government operations. The first President Bush adopted the then-trendy Total Quality Management moniker. Clinton had Reinventing Government (and an even catchier abbreviation, REGO). The second Bush, of course, has his President's Management Agenda.
Now, both of the current candidates for president have sketched out management reform agendas. We examined John McCain's in our September issue and Barack Obama's in October. (Also our special report on the presidential campaign features a comparison chart of the two candidates' positions on key management issues).
But neither candidate's collection of proposals has a formal name yet. That's where you come in. Consider this a contest to come up with a title that befits the next effort to fix government's failings. Feel free to suggest names for either McCain or Obama's plan, or both. Use the comment box below to enter your suggestions.
We'll be back next week to highlight the ones we think are the best.