MSU students and experts, however, are unfazed by the familiar names.

MSU assistant political science professor Matt Grossmann said Obama’s message of change revolved around action, not people.

“Most of the change he was talking about was policy change, not personnel,” Grossmann said. “There’s no reason why people who had served in previous administrations could not enact policy change.”

Computer science senior Daniel Laboy said Obama should pick who Obama thinks could best turn the country’s situation around.

“No matter who they worked for in the past, if they have the credentials to do something, then why not pick them?” Laboy said. “Just because they’re a name brand doesn’t mean they’re old and used.”

Obama is expected to expand his Cabinet of Clinton comrades when he names former Clinton energy secretary and current New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson as commerce secretary today. Obama already has named former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle as secretary of Health and Human Services.

MSU political science professor Paul Abramson said people can’t expect much else but for Obama to invite former Clinton officials into his White House.

“I don’t think he has a great deal of choice because he wants to bring change but he also needs people with some level of experience, and Clinton was the last Democratic president,” Abramson said. “He doesn’t have a great deal of alternatives.”

Former GOP presidential candidate John McCain appeared to challenge conventional Washington wisdom by naming self-proclaimed Washington outsider Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate this year.

Grossmann said he doesn’t think Obama will follow in his former opponent’s footsteps because “in order to get things done in Washington, you have to know how Washington works.”

Supply chain management sophomore Jonathan Busse said he believes former Clinton advisers are a good choice because of the nation’s economic situation.

Bianca Willis, a social relations senior, said Obama can still accomplish his goals with people from the Clinton administration.

“Clinton’s presidency still went very well,” Willis said. “Even though he’s using some of the same people, he will still be able to promise that change.”

Busse said he agrees with that philosophy, but only to an extent.

“It wouldn’t be so much change,” he said. “It would be kind of hypocritical because when you say you’re going to change things and you bring back people who have already been in office and done all these things, it wouldn’t be much of a change.

“But I guess it would be a change from where we are now, which is needed.”