An Idea Whose Time Has Come?

B. Jay Cooper is deputy managing director of the Washington, D.C., office of APCO Worldwide. He served as deputy press secretary to Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, as director of communications at the Republican National Committee for four chairmen, and as director of public affairs at the Department of Commerce.

President Obama today proposed reorganizing the Department of Commerce and melding it with the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office, the Small Business Administration and other “business” agencies to make the government more efficient and coordinated. A very similar proposal was made back in 1983 during President Reagan’s administration. The reorganization effort was led by my old boss, the late Secretary of Commerce Malcolm Baldrige.

It was a good idea then. Japan was the rising star and a competitor to U.S. goods. Japan had a very strong government department – the Ministry of Trade and Industry – while the U.S. responsibilities were scattered among many agencies, putting us at a huge disadvantage. Baldrige led the effort on the reorg not because his department stood to get more powerful, but because the country’s trade and business efforts would be handled more responsibly.

Those in other affected agencies supported the reorg but only after the president decided it was the right thing to do. Many came to the table scratching and fighting, but they would support the idea because the president wanted it.

Then came the battles on the Hill.Those battles weren’t only over turf among congressional committee and sub-committee chairmen who would lose some power, but from some in the executive branch who didn’t want the reorg because they, too, would lose turf.

Long story short: the reorganization didn’t happen. It was a good idea whose time hadn’t come. Is it coming now? Doubt it. I think this is more a positioning move by the White House heading into a general election to make a liberal president appear more conservative.

Still, it’s a good idea.