I think of the confirmation process so many Biden appointees are going through right now

as a kind of beauty pageant for wonks.

They get up, tell their stories in the most favorable light possible.

Let C-SPAN see them sweat a little and hope it all works out.

Slate's Jim Newell. He thinks about this process a little differently, more like hunger games for nerds. I think of it kind of like 20, come in,

18 will come out or something. Like what Jim's saying here is not all these nominees can survive.

The opposition is not going to just want to let the new president have everything done

without scoring some points along the way.

And typically that means getting one or two picks, either defeating their confirmation

or more typically getting them to withdraw their nomination.

So you're saying if you're president, you basically, you have to like, you have to build a herd

with some slow antelopes in it, just to let them get picked off.

You know, I think that, you know,

the opposition is going to look for a couple to pick off,

and then you could look at the administration

then coming up with their list that way.

The slow antelope in Joe Biden's heard.

Jim says, that's pretty clear.

The nominee to head up the Office of Management and Budget,

Neera Tandon.

Now, you know, is that exactly what they thought that near Tandon would be for them?

I don't exactly know because the White House's thinking on this nomination from the beginning

...