There are two systems in the American government over the years. The spoils system and the merit system. The spoils system is a way of awarding friends or rewarding people for something they did to help you get there. These people are usually not qualified for this job but get it because of their connections. The merit system gives people jobs that are qualified in that field and a good fit for the job. It is like a promotion for the person in their field.
Andrew Jackson's administration gives a good example of the spoils system. He defied the policies and hired close friends to his cabinet instead of people more qualified for the job. The merit system would then be created to stop the spoils system from plaguing the government. the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, which made the merit system common practice. The fitness of the candidate is determined by the ability to pass a written competitive examination, given by a commission of examiners. The answers submitted by candidates must be unsigned, so as to obviate the possibility of favoritism on the part of the examiners. It put more qualified people in office and kept politics a little more fair. The spoils system is still in use today.
The Washington Post's T.W. Farnam writes that Obama has doled out ambassadorships, at the same rate as the Bush administration (24 in total), despite all those promises by the former in 2008 to enact "the most sweeping ethics reform in history." That Obama handed out posts (47 administration jobs to top bundlers overall) shouldn't be surprising. Presidential candidates frequently break promises, especially if that candidate promises not to do something all his predecessors have done.
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